WO1994009738A1

WO1994009738A1 - Patient-transport trolley

Info

Publication number: WO1994009738A1
Application number: PCT/EP1993/002921
Authority: WO
Inventors: Siegfried Ackermann; Falk Georgi
Original assignee: Blanco Gmbh & Co. Kg
Priority date: 1992-10-26
Filing date: 1993-10-22
Publication date: 1994-05-11

Abstract

The invention concerns a patient-transport trolley with a chassis (12) and a support frame (16) designed for a patient to lie on, the support frame (16) being held by a height-adjustable arm mounted on the chassis (12). In order to simplify the design, the invention calls for the trolley to include an arm with an elevating mechanism (14) with a parallelogram-type action, one end of the elevating mechanism (14) being held in a lower bearing block (28) on the chassis (12) while the other end is held by an upper mounting block (42) on the support frame (16).

Description

Mobile patient bed

DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to a mobile patient couch with a chassis and a lying surface held by means of a height-adjustable support device arranged on the chassis.

Such patient beds are often used as multifunctional emergency transporters, with which patients can move from the patient admission or the outpatient clinic to the individual functional areas of the hospital, e.g. X-ray center, computed tomography, etc., are brought.

The use of the patient couch in the different functional areas of the hospital, for example as a couch for X-ray examinations, etc., presupposes that the patient can be stored very stably. The previous emergency transporters require a great deal of design, in particular because of the height adjustability required.

The object of the invention is to propose a new construction of a mobile patient couch that minimizes the design effort, particularly with regard to the height adjustability of the couch. This object is achieved according to the invention in that the mobile patient bed described above comprises a support device with a lifting device with a parallelogram guide, which is supported at one end on a lower bearing block arranged on the chassis and at the other end via an upper bearing block the lying surface is held.

The support device is preferably arranged approximately in the center of the longitudinal direction of the mobile patient couch and can in particular be arranged laterally offset, so that the space underneath the patient couch remains essentially freely accessible from one long side.

The constructive solution according to the invention therefore only requires a single support device which manages with a few mechanical and drive elements.

The parallelogram guide of the lifting device will preferably comprise a supporting arm as well as fine struts which are adjustable in length, which are arranged with their longitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the arm and which are each pivotally held at one end on the lower bearing block and at the other end on the upper bearing block are.

The length adjustability of the strut has the advantage that its length adjustment enables the lying surface to be pivoted out of the horizontal. In this way, the so-called Trendelenburg and Antitrendelenburg positions can be easily implemented in the patient couch, which corresponds to a rotation of the couch from the horizontal about its transverse axis by approximately 20 ° in both directions.

The construction of the parallelogram guide previously presented is also quite compact, so that a relatively low minimum height of the bed can be realized, which is desirably significantly less than 600 mm.

On the other hand, the parallelogram guidance in no way restricts the stroke movement, so that the height of the lying surface can also be adjusted to approximately 900 mm with the present mobile patient couch. This height of the lying surface is often necessary for the treatment and examination of the patient.

The length of the supporting arm is preferably dimensioned such that the desired height difference of the two extreme positions of the lying surface can be adjusted so that the longitudinal axes of the supporting arm or the strut when adjusting the lying surface between the extreme positions have an angular range β ^ of 25 ° to 40 ° , preferably paint over approx. 30 ° to approx. 35 °.

It is also expedient if the longitudinal axes of the supporting arm and the strut form an angle β in the range from 3 ° to 10 °, preferably approximately 6 °, with the horizontal in the state of the completely lowered lying surface.

The articulation points of the supporting arm and the length-adjustable strut on the lower bearing block are preferably arranged on a straight line which forms an angle α with the horizontal in the range from 60 ° to 80 °, preferably approximately 65 ° to approximately 70 ° .

Preferably the angle relationship

α + ß _χ + ß ₂ 2 Ä 90 °

be valid. If the above-mentioned specifications for the angles α, β- and the angle range β _{2 are} observed, an angle _tγ> is obtained between the longitudinal axis of the supporting arm and the straight line on which the articulation points of the supporting arm are at the middle position of the lying surface height and the strut lies, which is approximately 90 °.

The four sides of the parallelogram guide form approximately a rectangle in this state of half the possible stroke.

The deviations from this angular position to the two extreme positions of the lying surface heights are a maximum of approximately ± 20 ° for the angle Λy *, which ensures that even with a Trendelenburg or anti-Trendelenburg position of the lying surface there is still essentially parallel guidance. since the angle error is kept small enough.

The supporting arm is also preferably held on the upper and lower bearing block by means of eccentrically arranged bearing points, which allows a maximum distance to the bearing points of the respectively adjacent ends of the strut and their bearing points with the smallest space requirement and thus also an optimization of the lever ratios for the Lifting movement as well as the pivoting movement when tipping into the Trendelenburg or Anti-Trendelen¬ burg position of the lying surface.

The height of the patient bed can be adjusted by means of the lifting device by means of a hydraulic cylinder as the drive unit, which is articulated, for example, at one end to the supporting column and at the other end to the lower bearing block.

The chassis of the mobile patient couch according to the invention will preferably comprise a C-shaped frame which is composed of two cross bars and an intermediate longitudinal bar. The longitudinal spar will then also form the support for the lower bearing block.

The mobile patient couch is preferably equipped with lockable steering castors and, if appropriate, additionally with a control roller arranged centrally between the front and rear rollers, which can be extended downwards as seen from the frame and thus can form a fulcrum for the patient couch as a whole. This allows an extremely small turning circle to be realized, so that the mobile patient bed is very easy to maneuver in this way and can be moved through the narrowest corridors or passages.

In a further embodiment, the bed surface of the patient bed will be divided into three, the middle segment, the seat segment, being connected to the upper bearing block. The partial area of the lying surface which is most heavily loaded by the weight of the patient is thus coupled directly to the lifting device, so that the force can be directly introduced into the lifting device.

The leg segment and the back plate are then pivotably arranged on the central partial segment of the lying surface, preferably preferably pivoting against the seat surface of up to + 75 ° for the backrest and for the leg plates of + 30 ° to - 45 °.

Integrally foamed cushions which are electrically conductive and above all resistant to disinfectants are preferably used for the lying surface or its individual segments.

The emergency first aid in the clinic usually includes numerous measures. The mobile patient couch according to the invention offers a wide range of uses in the positioning of patients during transport, diagnostics, treatment etc.

In order to meet all problems as comprehensively as possible, preferred patient beds according to the invention include:

a laterally open C-shaped chassis frame for easy X-raying with the so-called C-arm; large wheels and a fifth wheel guarantee optimal handling; ergonomic push handle; robust and rustproof design, in order to do justice to the hard everyday clinical life; '' soft 50 mm integral foam pad; maintenance-free oil hydraulics;

Minimum height of 560 mm, so that even small patients can easily ascend;

3-part lying surface for good positioning of all emergency patients (e.g. also for asthma); central controls for easy handling.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing. The individual shows:

Figure 1 perspective view of a mobile patient couch according to the invention;

Figure 2 side view of a patient couch according to the invention; and

FIG. 3 sectional view along line 3-3 in FIG. 2. FIG. 1 shows a mobile patient couch, designated overall by the reference numeral 10, with a chassis 12, to which a lifting device 14 is articulated approximately centrally in the longitudinal direction and carries a lying surface 16 at its upper end.

The chassis 12 is formed by a C-shaped frame 18, which is composed of a crossbar 20 at the foot end of the bed, a side part 21 and a crossbar 22 on the head side, the crossbars 20 and 22 being connected to one another via the side part 21 are. On the underside of the C-shaped frame 18, wheels 24 are additionally pivoted about a vertical axis. Approximately in the middle of the side part 21, another wheel 26 is also additionally rotatably mounted about a vertical axis. The height of this wheel 26 is adjustable, so that when it is extended it acts as a fulcrum for the chassis 18 and thus extremely improves the maneuverability of the mobile patient bed.

A lower bearing block 28 of the lifting device 14 is also fixed on the side part 21. The bearing block 28 is essentially formed by two plates 30, 31, which are each fastened laterally to the rectangular profile of the side part 21. The two bearing plates 30, 31 hold between them a pivotable supporting arm 32, a length-adjustable strut 34 offset parallel to this and a hydraulic cylinder 36 parallel to the strut. The hydraulic cylinder 36 and the strut 34 have adjacent ends on a common axis 38 fixed pivotable. The hydraulic cylinder 36 is supported at its other end by means of a holding part 40 on the supporting arm 32 at approximately half its length (cf. FIGS. 2 and 3).

The supporting arm 32 and the length-adjustable strut 34 can be pivoted with their ends remote from the lower bearing block 28. bar on the upper bearing block 42, the distance between the bearing points on the upper and lower bearing blocks being identical, so that the arm 32 and the length-adjustable strut 34 form a parallelogram guide.

The bearing points at which the supporting arm 32 and the length-adjustable strut 34 are held on the lower bearing block 28 lie on a straight line 44, which together with the horizontal form an angle α, which is 68 ° in the exemplary embodiment described here is (see FIG. 2).

The longitudinal axes of the length-adjustable strut 34 and of the supporting arm 32 form an angle β with the horizontal, which in the lowest position of the lying surface has the value β-. of approx. 6 °, and this angle ß increases by a swivel angle ß ₂ of approx. 32 ° when the lying surface is raised to its highest possible position.

The longitudinal axes of the strut 34 and of the supporting arm 32 form an angle Ay- with the straight line 44, which in the intermediate position of the lying surface, i.e. at a medium stroke, corresponds approximately to a right angle. The angular deviations from this 90 ° angle when the lying surface is raised to its highest position and when it is lowered to the lowest position is approximately 16 ° for both directions. The angle - * y »thus takes on the values 90 ° ± 16 ° in the swivel range of the arm 32.

The parallelogram guide enables a parallel height adjustment of the lying surface 16, and by changing the length of the strut 34, the lying surface 16 can be tilted into the desired inclined position (Trendelenburg or anti-Trendelenburg position) about an axis 46. This axis 46 is identical to the axis of rotation of a bearing 48, which connects the supporting arm 32 to the upper bracket 42. The bearing arm 32, with the bearing 48 and a bearing 50, which connects the length-adjustable strut 34 to the lower bracket 28, takes the torques M _κ about the longitudinal axis of the lying surface and the torque M _ß with respect to those perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the lying surface , vertical axis. For this purpose, the bearings 48 and 50 must be made correspondingly strong and the supporting arm 32 must have a sufficient moment of inertia against rotation and deflection.

Rotation of the arm 32 about the bearing 50 is prevented by another component, e.g. in the form of the hydraulic cylinder 36, which supports the arm 32 by means of the bearing 40, so that the column can absorb the force acting on the lying surface as well as the weight force generated by the lying surface 16 itself. The axis 46 is thus also fixed in its height and in its direction.

The variable-length strut 34 as part of the parallelogram enables the lying surface 16 to be rotated and fixed about the axis 46 and absorbs a torque M ^. This strut 34 only has to absorb tensile and compressive forces. For example, it can comprise a hydraulic cylinder, a gas spring, a hydraulic damper, a spindle, a pneumatic cylinder or a strut that is mechanically adjustable in length as an adjusting element.

The embodiment shown in the drawing is characterized in particular by the fact that a fulcrum 52 is used to jointly link the strut 34 and to link the hydraulic cylinder 36 as a drive element for the height adjustment.

If the length of the strut 34 is changed, the lying surface 16 tilts out of the horizontal, and there is no longer any exact parallel logging when the lying surface 16 is adjusted in height. Due to the special arrangement of the bearing points of the parallelogram guide described above, the angle errors relating to the set angle of inclination or tilting of the lying surface 16, which result from the change in length of the strut 34, are kept small:

1. The connecting line 44 of the pivot points of the bearings 50 and 52 was placed in such a way that the arm 32 and the strut 34 are approximately perpendicular to the connecting line 44 in the entire stroke range for the lying surface 16. The connecting line 44 was therefore tilted against the vertical by an angle β- plus half the angle of rotation of the adjustment movement, ie 16 °. This results in the counter angle α (FIG. 2 with '68 °) corresponding to the angle relationship α + β + β ₂ 2 R _J 90 °.

2. The starting angle .beta. Was chosen to be as flat as possible in order to get by with a given stroke with as little lateral displacement as possible in the direction of the longitudinal direction of the patient bed and a small angle of rotation when adjusting the height. The small angle of rotation is necessary in order to keep the angle error small when the lying surface is inclined (Trendelenburg or anti-Trendelenburg position) when there are changes in height.

A further advantage for a small angle β- ^ is that the main load on the lower bearing block 28, which results from a torque M _κ about the longitudinal axis of the lying surface (folding of the lying surface), mainly as a tensile and compressive force in the bearing block 28 is initiated. Only the rotation about the vertical occurs as a torsion on the bearing blocks 28 and 42.

When the lying surface 16 is in a horizontal position, an ideal parallelogram guidance is provided. If the lying surface 16 by one Inclined at an angle 6, this angle changes during the height adjustment. However, the measures mentioned above made it possible to achieve an angle change (ie angular error) δ <2 ° at a maximum stroke of 300 mm with a maximum inclination of the lying surface of δ = ± 20 °. The error is smaller in all other intermediate positions of the lying surface 16.

From the description so far there are two advantages of the invention, namely

only a few construction elements are required; a low minimum height is possible if the X-ray capability is maintained.

The lying surface 16 is preferably divided in the longitudinal direction into three segments 54, 55, 56, the middle segment 55 being held on the bearing block 42.

The head-side segment 54 and the segment 56 serving as a leg rest are held so as to be pivotable relative to the central segment 55 and can be pivoted both upwards and downwards from the plane of the central segment 55. The lying surface 16 can thus be set in any required position for the patient.

Brackets 58, 59 are arranged at the head and foot end of the lying surface 16, which preferably contain integrated control elements 60, 61 which serve to operate the adjustment functions of the patient couch. This can be, in particular, cable pull mechanisms that unlock the height adjustment or unlock the length-adjustable strut 34 and thus allow the setting of a Trendelenburg or anti-Trendelenburg position of the lying surface. Furthermore, this is natural the pivotability of the segments 54 and 56 relative to the central segment 55 can also be triggered, which is preferably supported by gas springs 62, 63. The brackets 58, 59 also serve to handle the mobile patient couch 10 as a whole and are therefore designed as stable handles.

Claims

EXPECTATIONS

1. Mobile patient couch with a chassis, a height-adjustable support device held on the chassis and a lying surface carried by the support device, characterized in that the support device comprises a lifting device with a parallelogram guide, which has one end at a lower end on the chassis ¬ stell arranged bracket is supported and with the other end carries an upper bracket on which the lying surface is held.

Patient couch according to claim 1, characterized in that the parallelogram guide comprises a supporting arm and a strut adjustable in length, which are arranged with their longitudinal axes parallel to each other and each pivotally held at one end on the lower bearing block and at the other end on the upper bearing block are.

Patient couch according to claim 1 or 2, characterized gekenn¬ characterized in that the chassis comprises a C-shaped frame with a longitudinal bar and two cross bars.

Patient couch according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the support device is arranged laterally offset.

Patient couch according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the articulation points of the supporting arm and the strut on the lower bearing block lie on a straight line which, with the horizontal, has an angle α in the range of 60 ° to 80 °, preferably of approx Forms 65 ° to approx. 70 °.

6. Patient couch according to one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the longitudinal axes of the supporting arm or the strut with the horizontal with a completely lowered lying surface an angle β, in the range of 3 ° to 10 °, preferably about Form 6 °.

Patient couch according to one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the longitudinal axes of the supporting arm or the strut when adjusting the lying surface between its highest and its lowest position have an angular range β ₂ of 25 ° to 40 °, preferably approx. 30 ° cover up to approx. 35 °.

8. Patient couch according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the chassis comprises lockable castor rollers and a lowerable control roller arranged between the front and rear axles.

9. Patient couch according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the lying surface has three individual segments, a central segment being held on the upper bearing block.