Hoist

Abstract

 Hoist consisting of a mobile frame and a non-articulated arm pivotably attached thereto. The arm is of forked construction and is provided at each end with a wire rope guide wheel that is able to rotate freely. There is a wire rope that extends through said guide and is attached to the frame at one end and is provided with a connection for a lifting belt at the other end.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a hoist for lifting a load, comprising a frame provided with wheels with an upright mast, to which a lifting arm is pivotably fixed, means operating between said lifting arm and said frame for moving said lifting arm with respect to said frame, the end of said lifting arm having a connection for the load to be lifted, which connection comprises a flexible, force-absorbing element, such as a belt or wire rope, as well as a guide for said element, said guide being fixed to said end of said lifting arm, one end of said element being attached to said frame and the other end being provided with a coupling for connection to said load.

[0002] Such a hoist is disclosed in US 2 389 892 and is used as a garage hoist for lifting engines.

[0003] Hoists for lifting patients are also known in the state of the art. Such a hoist is disclosed in EP 0 818 189 in the name of Careflex Holding B.V. A hoist with an articulated arm is described in this patent. As a result of this articulated arm it is possible to approach as closely as possible the complex movement of standing up and sitting down again. One of the aspects here is that, on the one hand, there must be adequate lifting movement in order to bring the person from the seated position into the standing position (or vice versa) but that, on the other hand, suitable support for the knees must be provided in order to give adequate support when lifting. For this purpose the knee rest connection is made relatively far forward in the construction according to this European patent.

[0004] Although this construction is found to be exceptionally suitable for the purpose, the costs thereof are appreciable.

[0005] One aim of the present invention is to provide a hoist that is less expensive to produce and with which it is also possible to offer a solution to the problem that standing up from the sitting position is more than the description of a simple circular path.

[0006] This aim is realised with the hoist described above in that said hoist is designed for lifting people, in that said lifting arm has two spaced ends, wherein each end is provided with said connection for a lifting belt to be fitted on the person and that each of said couplings is designed for connection to a lifting belt.

[0007] It has been found that instability problems with hoists are caused by the long arm that is needed in order to achieve adequate displacement of the lifting belt in order to reach a standing position from a seated position (or vice versa). On the other hand, the hand holds on which the user can optionally pull him- or herself up call for a shorter stroke of the lifting arm. In the above prior art the problem is solved by making the lifting arm in two parts, as a result of which it is possible to execute a particularly complex movement. However, associated software and the use of two motors or a single motor with a special coupling between the two parts of the lifting arm is necessary for this.

[0008] According to the present invention these problems are avoided by starting from a single lifting arm pivotably fitted in a simple manner. This lifting arm can easily be provided with an electric motor that controls the up and down movement of this single lifting arm. There are guide means, such as wheels, at each of the ends of the preferably fork-shaped lifting arm in order to guide the flexible element such as a chain, belt, band or wire rope. One end of the flexible element is permanently attached to the frame, whilst the other end can be connected to a lifting belt that has to be placed around the waist and/or under the armpits of the user.

[0009] More particularly, the construction is so designed that when the lifting arm moves upwards from the lowest position thereof to the highest position thereof the hand holds move by a fixed factor less rapidly than the coupling with the lifting belt.

[0010] In this way a much greater displacement of the lifting belt is achieved when the lifting arm is moved. As a result it is possible to provide a relatively compact construction of the frame. A relatively short lifting arm can suffice. After all, with limited displacement of the free ends thereof appreciable displacement of the lifting belt can already be obtained. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the length of the single lifting arm can be restricted to the average length of a human femur. As a result, any knee supports that may be present and that may or may not be permanently joined to the frame can be fitted close to the vertical axis that can be drawn through the pivot axis of the lifting arm. That is to say it is not necessary to fit a separate frame construction oriented inwards in order to span the length of the lifting arm. After all, as indicated above, this is relatively short.

[0011] The flexible elements, which preferably are present at both ends of the preferably fork-shaped lifting arm, can be attached to the frame in any position. However, according to an advantageous embodiment, the frame is provided with a U-shaped construction. The ends of the flexible element are attached to the arms of the U so that these are also fitted some distance apart. There can be a (movable) construction in the extension of the connection for accommodating a seat board on which the user can rest.

[0012] The chassis of the frame can be provided with four or more wheels in the conventional manner. According to an advantageous embodiment this has six wheels, as a result of which optimum stability is provided. This stability can, moreover, be obtained by providing the chassis, on the side away from the mast, with an extension that preferably is constructed as a narrowing such that this is able to engage around a toilet bowl.

[0013] The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to an illustrative embodiment shown in the drawing. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 shows a diagrammatic perspective view of the hoist according to the invention;

Fig. 2 shows the hoist in combination with a user when the user is in the seated position; and

Fig. 3 shows the hoist according to Fig. 2 when the user is in the standing position.

[0014] In the figures the hoist according to the present invention is indicated in its entirety by 1. This hoist consists of a frame 2. Frame 2 is provided with a chassis 3 on which six wheels 15 have been fitted. There is a mast 17 that extends essentially vertically from the chassis. In this case the mast is of U-shaped construction but it can be understood that a single central mast can also suffice. Starting from the mast, the chassis 3 extends narrowing towards the free end thereof. This end narrowing is suitable for accommodating a toilet bowl in between.

[0015] Knee supports 12 are fitted to the mast in a fixed manner. A connection point for motor/ram 10 is also arranged on the mast. A lifting arm 4 is fitted close to the top of the mast with pivots 16. This lifting arm 4 is of forked construction and has a transverse bar 6 on which the other end of motor/ram 10 engages. The free ends of the lifting arm 4 are indicated by 8. A guide wheel 11 is fitted on each of these ends. A wire rope 5 runs over guide wheel 11. One end of the wire rope 5 is indicated by 21 and is permanently attached to U-shaped bar 9, which is permanently fixed to mast 17. Tubes 19, on which a seat board 18 can be fitted, are able to slide in the extension of this U-shaped bar.

[0016] The other end of each of the wire ropes 5 is provided with a coupling 14 for detachably coupling a lifting belt 13 thereto.

[0017] Transverse bar 6 is provided with hand holds 7. There is a control unit 20 for motorised ram 10, which control unit in the embodiment shown is connected by a lead to motor 10. Wireless constructions are also possible.

[0018] The construction described above functions as follows. In Fig. 2 the tubes 19 are shown moved outwards and a seat board 18, on which the person to be lifted has been placed, is arranged between them. The lifting arm 4 is in a low position thereof and the person to be lifted has placed his knees against knee supports 12. On operation of motor 10 with the control unit 20 the lifting arm 4 will move upwards. If possible, the person to be lifted will grasp the hand holds 7 with his hands. During the upward movement wire rope 5 will be tensioned and the coupling end 14 will then be moved at an appreciably greater speed than the free end 8 of the lifting arm 4 to which the guide 11 thereof is fixed. In this way it is possible for a relatively short lifting arm 4 to suffice in order to move from a seated into a standing position. This standing position is shown in Fig. 3. For the sake of clarity, in Fig. 3 the seat board 18 has been removed and the tubes 19 have been pushed into the U-shaped bar 9. It is possible to make use of standard lifting belts with the invention. As a result of the use of the lever transmission via the guides 11 it is possible for a relatively lightweight motor 10 to suffice.

[0019] Variants will be immediately apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the above description. Such variants are obvious and fall within the scope of the appended claims. For instance, it is possible to omit the knee supports and/or to make these movable. It is also possible to construct the pivoting connection of the lifting arm in another way.

Claims

1. Hoist (1) for lifting a load, comprising a frame (2) provided with wheels (15) with an upright mast (17), to which a lifting arm is pivotably fixed, means (10) operating between said lifting arm (4) and said frame for moving said lifting arm with respect to said frame, the end of said lifting arm having a connection for the load to be lifted, which connection comprises a flexible, force-absorbing element, such as a belt or wire rope (5), as well as a guide for said element, said guide (11) being fixed to said end of said lifting arm, one end (8) of said element being attached to said frame and the other end being provided with a coupling (14) for connection to said load, characterised in that said hoist is designed for lifting people, in that said lifting arm has two spaced ends, wherein each end is provided with said connection for a lifting belt to be fitted on the person and that each of said couplings is designed for connection to a lifting belt (13).

2. Hoist according to Claim 1, wherein the effective length of said lifting arm (14) corresponds to the average length of a human femur.

3. Hoist according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said guide comprises a wheel that is able to rotate freely.

4. Hoist according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said mast is provided with knee support means (12).

5. Hoist according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said mast is provided approximately halfway up with a U-shaped construction (9) extending essentially horizontally therefrom.

6. Hoist according to Claim 5 wherein said flexible element (5) is attached to the U-shaped construction.

7. Hoist according to Claim 5 or 6 wherein said U-shaped construction is designed to accept a removable seat (18) at the free end thereof.

8. Hoist according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said lifting arm is provided with hand holds (7).

9. Hoist according to Claim 8, wherein the positioning of said guide elements and said hand holds on said lifting arm is implemented such that when said lifting arm moves the end of said flexible element that is provided with a coupling moves by a constant factor more rapidly than said hand holds.

10. Hoist according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said frame (2) has a chassis (3) to which said wheels are fitted, which chassis has a narrowing on the side away from said mast.

11. Hoist according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said frame or chassis has six wheels.

12. Hoist according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said flexible, force-absorbing element extends from the permanent connection to said frame in a straight line towards said guide fitted at the end of said lifting arm.

Drawing