JP2000300612A - Seat part driving unit for standing-up helping chair - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the burden of a user and a nursing person by reducing the size/weight of the driving unit of a standing-up helping chair. SOLUTION: This standing-up helping chair 10 has a chair frame 12, a backrest 14, armrests 16, a seat part, the driving unit of the seat part, and a controller for operating the driving unit. The driving unit has a link mechanism 38 and an actuator 40. The link mechanism 38 is fitted to the frame 12. The actuator 40 has its one end fixed to one link for executing operation at the mechanism 38 and has the other end directly fitted to the rear rail 34 of the frame 12. The rear end part of a cylinder 60 is fixed to the rail 34 of the frame 12 via a metal fitting 70.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a seat driving unit for an upright assistance chair. More specifically, the present invention relates to a standing assistance chair for supporting a user's buttocks with a seat to assist the operation from the sitting posture to the standing posture and the operation from the standing posture to the sitting posture. The present invention relates to a seat drive unit mounted between the seat and the seat.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An upright assisting chair assists the operation of a person with weak legs when changing his posture from a sitting posture to a standing posture, and a seat portion is provided to be able to move up and down with respect to a chair frame. There are various types of standing assistance chairs, for example, one in which a seat, a backrest and an armrest move up and down integrally, and one in which a seat and an armrest move up and down. An upright assistance chair often uses a link mechanism to raise and lower the seat. For example, in a conventional standing assistance chair, a link mechanism is provided on a base frame, and an actuator is pivotally supported on each of the base frame and the link mechanism. When the rod of the actuator expands and contracts, the link mechanism operates, and the seat attached to the link mechanism moves up and down. The user is supported on the buttocks by the raising and lowering motions of the seat, and receives assistance in standing up and sitting between the sitting posture and the standing posture.

[0003]

However, in the conventional upright assisting chair, since the link mechanism and the actuator are provided integrally with the base frame, one end of the actuator is attached to one of the links of the link mechanism.
The other end of the actuator is attached to the base frame. Therefore, if the full length of the cylinder of the actuator and the stroke of the rod protruding therefrom are secured, there is a problem that the base frame on which the actuator is mounted becomes large, and the standing assistance chair becomes heavy. Increasing the size of the base frame leads to an increase in the size and weight of the chair frame itself, which imposes a burden not only on those who use the standing assistance chair, but also on those who take care of them. In addition, in the standing assistance chair equipped with the conventional driving unit, both the driving unit and the chair frame are designed as rigid bodies, and the standing assistance chair is designed wastefully as a whole. Problem had arisen.

[0004]

Accordingly, the present invention comprises a fixed link attached to a chair frame, and a seat link attached to a seat, wherein the seat link moves up and down with respect to the chair frame. An upright having a link mechanism to perform and an actuator configured as an open end that has one end pivotally supported by any one of the link mechanisms that operates and the other end pivotally supported by the chair frame. The above-mentioned problem has been solved by a seat driving unit of the assistance chair.

[0005]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A fixed link is attached to a chair frame, and a seat link moves up and down with respect to the chair frame and the fixed link. The seat link is attached to the seat of the upright assistance chair, and the seat moves up and down on a limited trajectory or trajectory. For example, by using a lever crank mechanism or a double crank mechanism of a four-bar link mechanism, the lifting / lowering operation of the seat can be performed. The four-bar link mechanism is an example of a link mechanism for moving the seat up and down, and the seat may be moved up and down using a link mechanism forming another limited chain.

[0006] One end of the actuator is supported by a link that operates other than the fixed link in the link mechanism. The other end of the actuator is an open end that is attached to the chair frame. As described above, the drive unit is provided in a state where one end of the actuator is supported by the link mechanism. The other end of the actuator is attached to the chair frame, and the link mechanism raises and lowers the seat by causing the actuator to operate. As an actuator, for example, there is a structure in which a rod extends and contracts with a predetermined stroke from a cylinder body. In this case, the tip of the rod is supported by a link other than the fixed link in the link mechanism, and the cylinder body is supported by the chair frame. It is preferable that a metal fitting for fixing the drive unit to the chair frame be pivotally supported on the cylinder body so that the drive unit can be retrofitted to the chair frame. For example, a bracket fixed to a chair frame with a wood screw or bolt is previously supported by the actuator, or a U-shaped or C-shaped fitting-type bracket or clamp is previously supported by the actuator. The drive unit can be mounted on the chair frame.

In this manner, by opening the other end of the actuator and attaching it to the chair frame,
Base frames can be eliminated. The length of the stroke of the actuator can be set based on the chair frame to which the other end is attached, and there is no restriction that the actuator is housed in the base frame, and there is no need to design the actuator with unnecessary strength. .

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a drive unit mounted between a chair frame and a seat in an upright assistance chair will be described below with reference to the drawings. General standing assistance chair 10
1 and 2, a wooden chair frame 12, a wooden backrest 14, a wooden armrest 16, a seat 1
8, a drive unit 20 for the seat and a controller 22 for operating the drive unit. The material is not particularly limited. The chair frame 12 has four legs 24,
And a pair of right and left longitudinal beams 26 extending in the front and rear direction, a pair of front and rear transverse beams 28 and 30, a seat support beam 32, and a back penetration 34. The backrest 14 is mounted between rear legs 24 extending upward. The armrest 16 extends forward from the rear leg 24 extending upward, and is fixed to an armrest column 36 erected on a pair of right and left vertical beams 26. Controller 22
Is mounted on the chair frame 12, and by operating the controller 22, the seat 18 is moved up and down by the drive unit 20.

The drive unit 20 has a link mechanism 38 and an actuator 40, as shown in FIGS. The link mechanism 38 is adapted to be attached to the chair frame 12. The actuator 40 has one end attached to one link performing the operation of the link mechanism 38 and the other end connected to the rear end 34 of the chair frame 12.
It can be directly attached to.

The link mechanism 38 is a four-bar link made of metal. The link mechanism 38 includes a fixed link 4 attached to the front traverse beam 28 and the seat support beam 32 of the chair frame 12.
2, a pair of front and rear swing links 44 and 46 pivotally attached to the front and rear ends of the fixed link 42, and a seat link 48 pivotally attached to the other ends of the swing links 44 and 46. However, using the link mechanism that constitutes other limited chains,
The seat may be moved up and down.

The fixed link 38 includes a support plate 50 attached to the chair frame 12 with a wood screw or the like, a pair of front swing link support flanges 52 bent upward on both sides of the front end of the support plate 50, and a support plate. 50, a pair of rear swing link support flanges 54 bent upward on both sides of the rear end.
The support plate 50 may be attached to the chair frame 12 by other fixing means. When the seat is attached to the chair frame 12, the supporting plate 50 may be secured on the seat using a belt or other fastening means. May be attached. The front swing link 44 is formed integrally with a pair of left and right links in consideration of securing strength in the twisting direction and receiving driving force from the actuator. The front swing link 44 is supported by the fixed link 42 outside the support flange 52. The rear swing link 46 is formed integrally with a pair of left and right links so that the operation of the actuator is not obstructed. The rear swing link 46 is supported by the fixed link 42 inside the support flange 54. The seat link 48 includes a support plate 58 attached to the seat 18 by a wood screw or the like, and a support plate 58.
And a pair of support flanges 56 bent downward on both sides of the support flange 56. The support plate 50 may be attached to the seat 18 by other fixing means.

In the link mechanism 38, the fixed link 42
Is the shortest link, the swing links 44, 46
Within the predetermined turning range, the seat portion link 48 takes a slightly forward tilting posture and a rearward tilting posture while turning. By changing each link length, a desired operation can be performed on the seat link. In this link mechanism 38, the width of the front swing link support flange 52 is smaller than the width of the rear swing link support flange 54, and the support flanges 56 of the swing links 44, 46 and the seat link 48 can be stored. ing. By doing so, when the seat link 48 on which the seat 18 is mounted is in the lowered position, the thickness of the link mechanism 38 itself, that is, the height of the link mechanism 38 can be minimized, and the existing chair can be used. Even when the drive unit is attached, it is possible to avoid a significant change in the height of the seat from the floor.

The actuator 40 includes a cylinder 60, a rod 62, and a motor 64. By operating the controller 22, the motor 64 is started. The cylinder 60 and the rod 62 are screw-engaged, and the rotation of the motor 64 causes the rod 62 to expand and contract. The rod 62 may be expanded and contracted using hydraulic pressure or pneumatic pressure instead of the motor 64. The chair frame 12 is provided with micro switches 66 and 68 for detecting the swing links 44 and 46 at the lower limit position and the upper limit position. The start of the motor 64 is performed by the controller 22, and the stop of the motor 64 is performed by micro switches 66 and 68. The rod 62 extends between the pair of rear swing links 46, and the tip is pivotally supported by the support plate 50 of the front swing link 44. In addition,
The tip of the rod 62 may be supported by a link other than the fixed link 42. The open end of the actuator 40, that is, the rear end of the cylinder 60 is attached to the rear end 34 of the chair frame 12 via the bracket 70. Metal fittings 70
Is fixed to the chair frame 12 and the metal fitting 70
In contrast, a cylinder 60 is mounted to be swingable in a plane perpendicular to the floor surface. The metal fitting 70 is fixed to the rear through-hole 34 with a wood screw or the like, but a clamp that can be fixed to any part of the chair frame 12 to facilitate attachment and detachment of the drive unit 20 may be used. For example, when attaching the drive unit 10 of an existing chair, the link mechanism 38 is fixed on a seat surface by a belt or the like, and one end of an actuator 40 is pivotally supported on the side surface of the chair frame 12 by the seat link. The other end of the actuator 40 may be pivotally supported on the metal fitting 70 for gripping the leg 24.

The seat 18 comprises a front movable section 72 and a rear movable section 74. The front movable section 72 is attached to the front swing link 44, and the rear movable section 74 is attached to the seat link 48. When the controller 22 is activated, the front movable portion 72 performs only the turning operation, and the rear movable portion 74 slightly performs the turning operation while performing the ascent operation. Thereby, the user in the sitting posture is guided to the standing posture, or the user in the standing posture is
You will be guided to a sitting position.

[0015]

According to the present invention, one end of the actuator is pivotally supported by a link other than the fixed link of the link mechanism, and the other end is an open end which can be pivotally supported by the chair frame, thereby eliminating the need for a base frame. The size and weight of the drive unit can be reduced, thereby reducing the cost of the drive unit. In addition, by using the other end of the actuator as an open end and attaching the open end to an appropriate position on the chair frame, the design restrictions on the length of the actuator are reduced and the existing chair can be used. It is easy to design an upright assistance chair.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a standing assistance chair provided with a seat driving unit according to the present invention, showing the standing assistance chair in a seat lowered position corresponding to a sitting posture of a user.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the upright assistance chair provided with the seat drive unit according to the present invention, showing the upright assistance chair in a seat elevation position corresponding to a user's sitting posture.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a drive unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a chair frame to which the drive unit of FIG. 3 is attached.

5 is a perspective view of a chair frame to which the drive unit of FIG. 3 is attached.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Standing assistance chair 12 Chair frame 14 Backrest 16 Armrest 18 Seat 20 Drive unit 22 Controller 34 Back penetration 38 Link mechanism 40 Actuator 42 Fixed link 44 Front swing link 46 Rear swing link 48 Seat link 60 Cylinder 62 Rod 64 motor 70 bracket

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A link mechanism, comprising: a fixed link attached to a chair frame; and a seat link attached to a seat, wherein the seat link moves up and down with respect to the chair frame; And an actuator configured as an open end that is pivotally supported by any one of the links performing the above operation and the other end of which is pivotally supported by the chair frame.