JP2025158277A - Scooping device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a scooping device that can scoop up a seated care recipient and also move the care recipient up and down.
[Solution] The scooping device 1 comprises an upper belt 12 that supports the underside of the person being cared for and a lower belt 14 that moves on the floor surface, and a first drive device 25 that drives the upper belt 12 in a circular motion; the underside of the upper belt 12 and the upper side of the lower belt 14 are in close contact with each other, and the frictional force between the upper belt 12 and the lower belt 14 drives the lower belt 14 in a circular motion in the opposite direction to the upper belt 12; the upper belt 12 runs around the top and bottom surfaces of an upper core material 11 that is formed thinner towards the tip; and the lower belt 14 runs around the top and bottom surfaces of a plate-shaped lower core material 13.
[Selected Figure] Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a scooping device.

Caregivers in medical and nursing care facilities face harsh working conditions. Many care recipients have weak legs and end up sitting on the floor when getting up from a bed or chair, or while walking around the facility. To help a care recipient who has sat on the floor into a wheelchair, two or more caregivers are required. It is impossible for a single caregiver to handle the situation alone unless that caregiver has the necessary skills and physical strength.

When only one caregiver is present at the scene, they often have to call for help. Once the helper has finished, they must immediately return to the original work site. Therefore, the work must be completed quickly, which inevitably makes it hard work, even when two or more caregivers are working together.

The present invention relates to a scooping device that can lift a care recipient to stand and easily transfer them to a bed, etc., in order to reduce the heavy work of caregivers as described above. It also allows even those who have difficulty moving their lower body, such as those with spinal cord injuries, to easily stand up or transfer them to a bed, etc., by operating it themselves.

Patent Document 1 discloses a wheelchair for care that is equipped with a frame, wheels, seat, armrests, backrest, steps, etc., and is equipped with a seat lifting mechanism and armrest rotation mechanism to make care easier for caregivers. However, Patent Document 1 makes no mention of a function for lifting up the care recipient.

Patent Document 2 discloses a patient transfer device used to transfer a bedridden patient from a bed or the like to a stretcher or the like. The device has two flat blades with endless belts wound around each blade from its leading edge to its trailing edge, the blades fixed together so that their leading edges correspond to their trailing edges, a driving pulley at the trailing edge of the blades that rotates the belts in opposite directions, and a leading edge guide fitting that covers the leading edges of the two belts with a small gap between them and gradually becomes thinner in the direction opposite the blades.

Patent Document 3 discloses a caster brake device in which multiple concentric protrusions are formed on the side of the wheel, a lever is attached to the side plate of the fork so as to face the protrusions of the wheel, a pawl is formed at the tip of the lever so as to face the protrusions, and the pawl engages with a recess formed between the protrusions to lock the rotation of the wheel. The lever that locks the rotation of the wheel is operated in a direction that unlocks the wheel by being pulled by a cable connected to an operating lever. This caster brake device provides a reliable braking effect, and because the brake is released by operating the operating lever, i.e., the casters are normally braked, a wheelchair equipped with this caster brake device remains stable and stationary when loading a care recipient into the wheelchair, allowing the caregiver to concentrate on the task of loading the care recipient.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-288030 Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 58-25121 Patent No. 7431010

In the patient transfer device disclosed in Patent Document 2, the upper and lower belts are driven by independent driving pulleys. This inevitably makes the device large and heavy, making it difficult for caregivers to handle. Furthermore, the thickness of the entry section when the upper and lower belts are stacked is also large, making it difficult to move between the patient and the bed, and placing a heavy burden on the patient.
Furthermore, Patent Document 2 does not disclose or suggest the idea of moving transferred patients upward.

To provide a scooping device that can scoop up a care recipient with weak legs who has collapsed or fallen to the floor, move the care recipient to a higher position, and then, with the help of a caregiver, easily transfer the care recipient, who is almost standing up, to a bed or the like.
Therefore, the first specific objective of the present invention is to propose a scooping device equipped with a seat body that can easily enter between the underside of the care recipient and the floor even when the entire weight of the care recipient is placed on it.
Furthermore, the second specific objective is to propose a scooping device equipped with a reliable lifting section that can move the scooped-up care recipient to an almost standing position so that the person can be easily transferred to a bed or the like.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a scooping device described in the following items [1] to [6].
[1] A scooping device that includes a seat body having an upper belt that supports the underside of a person being cared for and a lower belt that moves on the floor, and that allows the seat body to enter between the underside of the person being cared for and the floor by rotating the upper and lower belts in opposite directions, characterized in that it includes a first drive device that drives the upper belt in a rotating direction, the underside of the upper belt and the upper side of the lower belt are in close contact with each other, and the lower belt is driven to rotate in the opposite direction to the upper belt due to the frictional force between the upper and lower belts, the upper belt rotates around the top and bottom surfaces of an upper core material that is formed thinner toward the tip, and the lower belt rotates around the top and bottom surfaces of a plate-shaped lower core material.
[2] The scooping device described in [1] above, characterized in that the upper belt is driven to rotate by frictional force between the upper belt and the surfaces of multiple cylindrical bodies driven to rotate by the first driving device.
[3] The scooping device according to [1] or [2] above, characterized in that it is provided with a lifting unit that moves the seat body up and down while maintaining the angle of the seat relative to the floor surface.
[4] The scooping device described in [3] above, characterized in that the lifting section comprises a second drive device, a bolt that is rotationally driven by the second drive device, and a lifting body to which a nut threaded onto the bolt is fixed.
[5] The scooping device described in [3] above, characterized in that the lifting section comprises a second drive unit, a first bolt having a key groove on its outer periphery that is driven to rotate by the second drive unit, a first lifting body to which a first nut threaded onto the first bolt is fixed and to which a hollow second bolt having a key protrusion on its inner periphery that engages with the key groove of the first bolt is attached while rotating, and a second lifting body to which a second nut threaded onto the second bolt is fixed.
[6] A scooping device according to any one of [3] to [5] above, characterized in that the seat body is connected to the lifting section via a connecting part, the connecting part comprises a guide member arranged slidably on the lifting section, and a stopper member fixed to the lifting section that supports the guide member from below, and the seat body is connected to the guide member.

With the scooping device of the present invention described above, when a cared-for person with weak legs falls or sits on the floor, the cared-for person can be scooped up and moved to a higher position, and then, with the help of a caregiver, the cared-for person can be easily moved to a bed or the like in an almost standing position.
Specifically, the inventions described in [1] and [2] above enable the seat body to be reliably inserted between the underside of the care recipient and the floor when the care recipient is sitting on the floor.
Furthermore, the inventions described in [3] to [5] above make it possible to move the seat body to a high position in a stable state with the care recipient resting on the seat body.
Furthermore, the invention described in [6] above allows the seat body to be securely in contact with the floor surface and prevents excessive force from being applied to the seat body, etc.

1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a scooping device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a seat body of the scooping device. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the upper core material and the lower core material. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a drive unit that drives an upper belt to rotate. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the connection between the lifting unit and the seat body. FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view conceptually showing the internal structure of the lifting unit. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the state of the connection portion when the seat body is rising or falling. FIG. FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the state of the connection portion when the seat body is in contact with the floor surface. FIG. 10 is a side view conceptually showing the state in which the seat body enters between the underside of the care recipient and the floor surface. 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams illustrating the principle by which the seat body enters between the underside of the care recipient and the floor surface. 10 is a side view conceptually showing a state in which a care recipient is placed on the seat body and raised by the lifting section. FIG.

Below, an embodiment of the scooping device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

The lifting device of the present invention is a device that is ideal for use when a seat body is inserted under the buttocks of a care recipient who is seated on the floor, and then the care recipient is moved vertically while placed on the seat body, allowing the care recipient to stand up or be moved to a bed, etc.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the scooping device according to the present invention. This scooping device 1 comprises a seat body 10, a lifting unit 30 that moves the seat body 10 up and down, a connection unit 50 that connects the seat body 10 and the lifting unit 30, and a frame body 60 to which the lifting unit 30 and other components are attached.

The structures of the seat body 10, lifting section 30, connecting section 50, and frame body 60 will be explained in order below.

<Seat body>
2 is a conceptual vertical cross-sectional view of the seat body 10. The seat body 10 includes an upper core 11, an upper belt 12 wound around the upper core 11, a lower core 13, a lower belt 14 wound around the lower core 13, and a drive unit 20 that drives the upper belt 12 to revolve around the upper core 11.

In the illustrated embodiment, the drive unit 20 includes three cylindrical bodies 21a, 21b, and 21c that are driven to rotate in the opposite direction to the adjacent cylindrical bodies. The upper belt 12 is wound alternately around the outer surfaces of these three cylindrical bodies 21a, 21b, and 21c in opposite directions as shown in the figure. When the cylindrical bodies 21a, 21b, and 21c are rotated, the upper belt 12 is driven to orbit around the upper core material 11 due to the frictional force between the cylindrical bodies 21a, 21b, and 21c.

The upper portion of the lower belt 14 comes into close contact with the lower portion of the upper belt 12, creating a frictional force. As the upper belt 12 rotates around the upper core material 11, the lower belt 14 is driven to rotate around the lower core material 13 in the opposite direction to the rotational direction of the upper belt 12.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the upper core material 11 has a generally trapezoidal cross section, with the central portion 11a forming a roughly rectangular parallelepiped space to accommodate the above-mentioned cylindrical bodies 21a, 21b, and 21c. To the front and rear of the central portion 11a are formed a front portion 11b and a rear portion 11c, each of which has a triangular cross section with a tapered tip. Meanwhile, the lower core material 13 is composed of two plate-like members 13a and 13b. Plate-like members 13a and 13b are extremely thin, strong, and resistant to deformation, so for example, spring material with a tensile strength and a plate thickness of approximately 1 mm can be used.

As shown in Figure 3, the upper core 11 and lower core 13 are integrated by fastening mounting portions 16a, 16b on both sides of the plate-like members 13a, 13b that make up the lower core 13 to frame members 15 on both sides of the center portion 11a of the upper core 11 with bolts 17. When the upper core 11 and lower core 13 are integrated, the tension of the lower belt 14 wound around the lower core 13 is adjusted, and as shown in Figure 2, the spacing between the upper core 11 and lower core 13 is adjusted so that the underside of the upper belt 12 and the upper side of the lower belt 14 are in close contact. Mounting portions 18 are provided on both sides of the upper core 11 to connect the seat body 10 to the lifting unit 30 when the upper core 11 and lower core 13 are integrated to form the seat body 10.

Figure 4 is a perspective view conceptually illustrating the configuration of the drive unit 20 that drives the upper belt 12. The three cylinders 21a, 21b, and 21c of the drive unit 20 are each supported via bearings on frame members 15 provided on both sides of the center portion 11a of the upper core material 11. Gears 22a, 22b, and 22c are provided at the ends of each cylinder 21a, 21b, and 21c, respectively. In the illustrated embodiment, the gear 22a provided on the first cylinder 21a meshes with the gear 22b provided on the second cylinder 21b, and the gear 22c provided on the third cylinder 21c also meshes with the gear 22b provided on the second cylinder 21b. The gear 22b on the second cylindrical body 21b is coupled to a sprocket 23 located on the outside of the frame material 15, and the rotation of the first driving device 25 is transmitted to the sprocket 23 via a chain 24. When the first driving device 25 rotates and the sprocket 23 is driven to rotate, the first and third cylindrical bodies 21a and 21c rotate in the opposite direction to the second cylindrical body 21b due to the meshing state of the gears 22a, 22b, and 22c. The first driving device 25 can be equipped with a reducer (not shown) if necessary.

In Figure 2, when the first to third cylindrical bodies 21a, 21b, and 21c rotate in the directions of the arrows, the upper belt 12 rotates in the direction of arrow P, and the lower belt 14 rotates in the direction of arrow Q, which is opposite to P. As a result, the seat body 10 moves in the direction of arrow α relative to the floor surface H. Naturally, when the first to third cylindrical bodies 21a, 21b, and 21c rotate in the opposite direction, the seat body 10 moves in the opposite direction to arrow α.

In the above embodiment, the rotation of the first drive unit is transmitted via a chain and sprockets to drive the rotation of the first to third cylindrical bodies 21a, 21b, and 21c. However, other drive methods are not limited to this. For example, a worm wheel (not shown) may be coupled to gear 22b instead of the sprocket 23, and the worm wheel may be rotated by a worm (not shown) rotated by the first drive unit. Alternatively, the first drive unit may be directly attached to one of cylindrical bodies 21a, 21b, or 21c via a universal joint (not shown). Furthermore, a gear (not shown) attached to the rotation shaft of the first drive unit may be engaged with one of gears 22a, 22b, or 22c.

Furthermore, because both the upper belt 12 and the lower belt 14 rotate around the surfaces of the upper core 11 and the lower core 13, respectively, it is preferable to minimize friction between the two belts and the two cores. For this reason, it is preferable to place a sliding sheet (not shown) on the surfaces of the cores 11 and 13 to reduce friction. Examples of sliding sheets that can be used include those used as inner materials in sliding boards and sliding sheets used in medical and nursing care settings. Alternatively, to reduce the frictional resistance and thickness between the belts 12 and 14 and the cores 11 and 13, it is possible to avoid using the sliding sheets and instead apply a surface treatment such as Teflon (registered trademark) to the upper and lower surfaces of the cores 11 and 13, which provides excellent sliding properties. In this case, it is preferable to form a low-resistance curved surface by cutting or other methods at the front and rear ends of the cores where the belts are pressed against them, particularly the front and rear ends of the lower core 13, to reduce belt wear.

<Lifting section>
Since the scooping device of the present invention lifts a care recipient from a floor that is seated on it, it is necessary to use a lifting unit that is highly reliable and capable of long-stroke movement. To meet this requirement, a preferred embodiment of the present invention employs a special mechanism that converts rotational motion into linear motion. It is naturally preferable to use a pair of lifting units (see Figure 1) symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the seat body, as this allows for stable and reliable lifting.

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the exterior of the lifting unit, and Figure 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view conceptually showing the internal structure of the lifting unit. The lifting unit 30 in the illustrated embodiment includes a second drive device 31, a first lifting body 32 that is raised and lowered by the second drive device 31, and a second lifting body 33.

The second drive unit 31 is attached to the frame 60, and a first bolt 34 is vertically connected to the rotation axis of the second drive unit 31. The second drive unit 31 can, of course, be equipped with a reducer (not shown) if necessary. The first bolt 34 has a key groove 35 formed parallel to the bolt axis (see Figure 6(b)). A first nut 36 fixed to the bottom of the first lifting body 32 is threadedly engaged with the first bolt 34.

A hollow second bolt 37 is provided inside the first lifting body 32 and is free to rotate. A key projection 38 is provided in the hollow portion of this second bolt 37 parallel to the bolt axis (see Figure 6(c)), and the upper part of the first bolt 34 is inserted into the hollow portion of the second bolt 37 with the key projection 38 formed on the second bolt 37 engaged with the key groove 35 formed on the first bolt 34. A second nut 39 fixed to the bottom of the second lifting body 33 is threaded onto the second bolt 37.

The mounting body 40 is attached so as to cover the first lifting body 32 and the second lifting body 33 from above. The mounting of this mounting body 40 to the second lifting body 33 is configured to be adjustable so that the installation height is the same for the left and right lifting sections 30, 30. In the illustrated embodiment, a hexagonal hole 41 is provided in the center of the upper end of the second lifting body 33. A hexagonal wrench 42 is inserted into the hexagonal hole 41 and rotated to rotate the second lifting body 33 and adjust its height. After adjusting the height of the second lifting body 33, the mounting body 40 is attached to the upper end surface of the second lifting body 33 with fixing bolts 43. The adjustable mounting method for this mounting body 40 is not limited to the method described in any of the embodiments. Furthermore, it is sufficient that a height-adjustable mounting method be implemented for mounting the mounting body 40 on either the left or right lifting section 30, 30. The seat body 10 described above is attached to the side wall of the mounting body 40 as shown in Figure 5.

When the second drive unit 31 is rotated, the first bolt 34 connected to the second drive unit 31 rotates, moving the first nut 36 threaded onto the first bolt 34 and moving the first lifting body 32 to which the first nut 36 is fixed. Furthermore, the second bolt 37, which is rotatably attached inside the first lifting body 32 with the upper part of the first bolt 34 inserted with its key groove 35 and key protrusion 38 engaged, rotates with the rotation of the first bolt 34, moving the second nut 39 threaded onto the second bolt 37 and moving the second lifting body 33 to which the second nut 39 is fixed. In this way, the lifting unit 30 according to the illustrated embodiment has a mechanism for converting the rotation of the bolt into linear movement of the nut to lift and lower the unit. This ensures stable movement and high output, enabling reliable lifting and lowering. Furthermore, the rotation of the bolt is transmitted from the first bolt 34, which moves the first lifting body 32, to the second bolt 37, which moves the second lifting body 33, by the engagement between the key groove 35 and the key protrusion 38. As a result, the vertical movement stroke is the sum of the movement stroke of the first lifting body 32 due to the rotation of the first bolt 34 and the movement stroke of the second lifting body 33 due to the rotation of the second bolt 37, resulting in a device that can achieve long-stroke lifting and lowering.

In the above embodiment, the rotation of the bolt is transmitted to multiple bolts through engagement between the key grooves 35 and key protrusions 38, and a long stroke can be achieved by simultaneously moving multiple lifting bodies. However, if this can be achieved by increasing the rotation speed of the second drive unit or lengthening the bolt pitch, the lifting section can also be configured with a single stage of bolt and nut threaded engagement.

<Connection>
The seat body 10 is connected to the lifting/lowering unit 30 via a connecting unit 50, thereby allowing the seat body 10 to be raised and lowered. The structure of this connecting unit 50 will be described below.

The above-mentioned Figure 5 is also a perspective view conceptually showing the connection between the lifting unit and the seat body. In the illustrated embodiment, the lifting unit 30 is fixed upright to the frame body 60, and the seat body 10 is connected to the side wall of the mounting body 40 of the fixed upright lifting unit 30 via the connection part 50.

Figures 7 and 8 are longitudinal cross-sectional views of the connection portion 50. Figure 7 shows the seat body 10 in the ascending or descending position, and Figure 8 shows the seat body 10 resting on the floor H. A box-shaped guide member 51 with a roughly rectangular cross-section is arranged at one end on the mounting body 40 of the lifting unit 30 so that it can slide up and down. A stopper member 52 is fixed by a bolt 53 to the side wall of the mounting body 40 located inside the guide member 51. As a result, the guide member 51 is placed on the mounting body 40 of the lifting unit 30 with the upper end of the stopper member 52 fixed to the mounting body 40 of the lifting unit 30. A side plate 54 is fixed to the other end of the guide member 51, and two arms 55 are attached to the side plate 54 by bolts 56. The lower ends of the arms 55 are fixed by bolts 57 to mounting portions 18 provided on the side ends of the seat body 10. Similarly, the mounting portions 18 provided on the opposing side ends of the seat body 10 are connected via arms and side plates to guide members arranged on the mounting body of the other lifting section in the pair.

When the seat body 10 is raised or lowered, as shown in Figure 7, the upper end of the stopper member 52 contacts the inside of the upper plate of the guide member 51, and the stopper member 52 moves up and down while the guide member 51 is placed on it. As the mounting body 40 of the lifting unit 30 rises or falls, the guide member 51, the side plate 54 fixed to the guide member 51, and the seat body 10 fixed to the side plate 54 via the arm 55 rise or fall.

When the seat body 10 is placed on the floor to support a care recipient, if the seat body 10 is raised above the floor, it becomes difficult to insert the seat body 10 beneath the care recipient. For this reason, it is necessary to ensure that the seat body 10 is firmly in contact with the floor. On the other hand, if the second drive device 31 of the lifting unit 30 is driven to lower the seat body 10 so that it touches the floor, a large force is applied to the seat body 10, etc., the moment the seat body 10 touches the floor, which could result in damage to the seat body 10, etc. To prevent this, the connection unit 50 of the present invention is structured so that, as described above, the guide member 51 is not directly fixed to the mounting body 40 of the lifting unit 30, but is instead positioned on the mounting body 40 of the lifting unit 30 while resting on the upper end of the stopper member 52 fixed to the mounting body 40 of the lifting unit 30.

Because the guide member 51 is not directly fixed to the mounting body 40 of the lifting unit 30, as shown in Figure 8, when the seat body 10 touches the floor surface H, the guide member 51 to which the seat body 10 is fixed slides against the descending mounting body 40, and only the stopper member 52 fixed to the mounting body 40 descends. The seat body 10 does not descend further, preventing damage to the seat body 10, etc.

<Frame>
As described above, the lifting body 30 is fixed upright on the frame body 60, and the seat body 10 connected to the lifting body 30 via the connection part 50 is disposed on the frame body 60. As shown in FIG. 1 , casters 61 for movement are attached to the underside of the frame body 60, and a handle 62 is provided on the rear part of the frame body 60. Also, a battery 63 that supplies power to the first drive unit 25 and the second drive unit 31, and a control box 64 that controls the operation of the first drive unit 25 and the second drive unit 31 are provided in appropriate positions on the frame body 60. Furthermore, a footrest member, a backrest member (not shown), etc. can be attached as needed.

<Usage form>

The scooping device 1 of the present invention can be used by inserting the seat body 10 under the buttocks of a care recipient who is seated on the floor, then placing the care recipient on the seat body 10 and lifting it using the lifting unit 30, and then, with the assistance of a caregiver, helping the care recipient stand or even moving them to a bed, etc.

Figure 9 conceptually shows how the seat body 10 of the scooping device of the present invention moves between the underside of the buttocks of a care recipient M who is sitting on the floor and the floor surface H. In a situation where the weight of the care recipient M is concentrated on the seat body 10, the seat body 10 must move between the underside of the buttocks of the care recipient M and the floor surface H.

Figure 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the principle by which the seat body 10 enters between the underside of the buttocks of the care recipient M and the floor H. As shown in Figure 10(a), the seat body 10 of the present invention is rotated so that it is located between positions X and Y of the underside of the buttocks of the care recipient M. In this state, portions a, b, and c of the lower belt 14 are supported by the floor H, and portions A, B, and C of the upper belt 12 support the underside of the buttocks of the care recipient M from position X to position Y. If the seat body 10 is rotated further in this state, the upper belt 12 and lower belt 14 will emerge from their tips as indicated by the arrows. As a result, as shown in Figure 10(b), portions a, b, c, d, and e of the lower belt 12 are supported by the floor H, and portions A, B, C, D, and E of the upper belt 12 support the underside of the buttocks of the care recipient M from position X to position Z. The seat body 10 accordingly moves between the underside of the buttocks of the care recipient M and the floor H. In other words, the upper belt 12 is driven by the first drive device 25 via the cylindrical bodies 21a, 21b, and 21c, and springs out from the tip of the seat body 10, while the lower belt 14 is driven by the frictional force between it and the upper belt 12, and springs out from the tip of the seat body 10.

It should be noted here that neither the upper belt 12 nor the lower belt 14 generates any force pulling them backward; only a force is generated to penetrate between the underside of the care recipient M's buttocks and the floor H. Moreover, because this force is generated by the frictional force between the upper belt 12 and the lower belt 14 and the frictional force between the lower belt 14 and the floor H, the weight of the care recipient M applied from above acts in a positive direction to prevent freewheeling, and even when the care recipient M's weight is placed on the seat body 10, it is able to forcefully penetrate underneath the care recipient M. It should also be noted that neither the upper belt 12 nor the lower belt 14 moves in the contact areas with the underside of the care recipient M's buttocks or the floor H, allowing the seat body 10 to penetrate underneath the care recipient M and place the care recipient M on the seat body 10, as shown in Figures 10(a) and 10(b). This allows the care recipient M to scoop up the food without exerting any excessive force.

The lifting device 1 of the present invention lifts the care recipient M, who has been scooped up onto the seat 10 as described above, vertically using the lifting unit 30 while still on the seat 10, to a position that facilitates care, as shown in FIG. 11 . Once the care recipient M is lifted to this position, even a single caregiver can easily stand the care recipient M and easily transfer the care recipient M to a bed, etc. For example, when transferring the care recipient M to a bed, the caregiver first carries the care recipient M to the side of the bed while scooping them up, and then lifts the seat 10 using the lifting unit 30, bringing the care recipient M to an almost standing position as shown in FIG. 11 . The caregiver then stands facing the care recipient M, picks up the almost standing care recipient M, and rotates them 90 degrees in this position to place the care recipient M on the bed beside them, completing the transfer to the bed. This procedure can be easily performed by a single caregiver.

When the seat body 10 is raised to approximately the middle position, the scooping device 1 of the present invention preferably has an appearance similar to that of a normal wheelchair. That is, it is preferable that the seat body 10 is equipped with a backrest member that supports the back of the care recipient M, armrest members that support the arms of the care recipient M, and footrest members that support the feet of the care recipient M, which may be removable.

Furthermore, from a safety perspective, casters 61 attached to the underside of the frame 60 to move the scooping device 1 of the present invention are preferably casters that brake when the caregiver lets go of the casters to tend to the care recipient M. Examples of such casters include the casters disclosed in Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent No. 7431010), which is described in the Background Art section. With casters that require an operating lever to be operated for movement, the scooping device 1 of the present invention must be moved forward when scooping up the care recipient M with the seat body 10. This forward movement can be achieved by gripping the caster's operating lever, making it easy to move the device forward while ensuring safety. Furthermore, the rear casters of a typical wheelchair are fixed and cannot move sideways, making it impossible to place the care recipient M on the wheelchair in narrow spaces, and the caregiver must move the care recipient M to a wide area where they can be placed. However, the casters disclosed in Patent Document 3 (Patent Publication No. 7431010) allow for sideways movement, making it possible to scoop up the care recipient M without moving them, even in narrow spaces. In addition, the handle 62 used by the caregiver to push or pull the scooping device 1 of the present invention is preferably adjustable to an appropriate height at the rear of the lifting section 30 according to the caregiver's height.

The above describes the scooping device according to the present invention, but it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiment. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiment. Furthermore, it is clear from the claims that forms incorporating such modifications or improvements can also be included within the technical scope of the present invention.

The scooping device of the present invention described above can easily lift up a care recipient with weak legs who has collapsed or fallen to the floor, move them to a higher position, and then, with the caregiver's assistance, transfer the care recipient, who is almost upright, to a bed or other suitable location, making it suitable for widespread use in medical and nursing care settings.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Scooping device 10 Seat body 11 Upper core 11a Middle part of upper core 11b Front part of upper core 11c Rear part of upper core 12 Upper belt 13, 13a, 13b Lower core 14 Lower belt 15 Frame 16a, 16b Mounting part 17 Bolt 18 Mounting part 20 Drive part 21a First cylindrical body 21b Second cylindrical body 21c Third cylindrical body 22a First gear 22b Second gear 22c Third gear 23 Sprocket 24 Chain 25 First drive device 30 Lifting part 31 Second drive device 32 First lifting body 33 Second lifting body 34 First bolt 35 Key groove 36 First nut 37 Second bolt 38 Key protrusion 39 Second nut 40 Mounting body 41 Hexagonal hole 42 Hexagonal wrench 43 Fixing bolt 50 Connection part 51 Guide member 52 Stopper member 53 Bolt 54 Side plate 55 Arm 56 Bolt 57 Bolt 60 Frame body 61 Caster 62 Handle 63 Battery 64 Control box M Care recipient H Floor surface

Claims (6)

This scooping device is equipped with a seat body having an upper belt that supports the underside of the care recipient and a lower belt that moves on the floor, and the upper and lower belts rotate in opposite directions to allow the seat body to enter between the underside of the care recipient and the floor. The scooping device is characterized by having a first drive unit that rotates the upper belt, the underside of the upper belt and the upper side of the lower belt being in close contact with each other, and the lower belt rotating in the opposite direction to the upper belt due to friction between the upper and lower belts, the upper belt rotating around the top and bottom surfaces of an upper core material that is thinned toward the tip, and the lower belt rotating around the top and bottom surfaces of a plate-shaped lower core material. The scooping device described in claim 1, characterized in that the upper belt is driven to rotate by frictional force between the upper belt and the surfaces of multiple cylindrical bodies driven to rotate by the first drive unit. The scooping device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a lifting unit that moves the seat body up and down while maintaining the angle of the seat relative to the floor surface. The scooping device described in claim 3, characterized in that the lifting section comprises a second drive unit, a bolt that is rotationally driven by the second drive unit, and a lifting body to which a nut threaded onto the bolt is fixed. The scooping device described in claim 3, characterized in that the lifting section comprises a second drive unit, a first bolt having a key groove on its outer periphery that is driven to rotate by the second drive unit, a first lifting body to which a first nut threaded onto the first bolt is fixed and to which a hollow second bolt having a key protrusion on its inner periphery that engages with the key groove of the first bolt is attached while rotating, and a second lifting body to which a second nut threaded onto the second bolt is fixed. The scooping device described in claim 3, characterized in that the seat body is connected to the lifting section via a connecting part, the connecting part comprising a guide member slidably arranged on the lifting section and a stopper member fixed to the lifting section that supports the guide member from below, and the seat body is connected to the guide member.