WO2001021128A1

WO2001021128A1 - A mobility aid

Info

Publication number: WO2001021128A1
Application number: PCT/AU2000/001144
Authority: WO
Inventors: Josip Zeljko
Original assignee: Josip Zeljko
Priority date: 1999-09-20
Filing date: 2000-09-20
Publication date: 2001-03-29
Also published as: AUPQ298499A0; AU7632100A

Abstract

A mobility aid (10) for assisting up/down and translational mobility of a user is disclosed. The aid (10) includes a wheeled base assembly (11) having a front portion which extends in use across in front of a user and leg portions (13) extending rearwardly back from the front portion along opposing sides of the user, and a support member extending upwardly from the base assembly (11). The support member includes a tubular member (14) within which an extensible shaft (15) is received. The extensible shaft (15) moves telescopically with reference to the tubular member (14). An upper body support means comprising a transverse member (19) and left and right hand side upper body support members (20) are mounted on said transverse member (19). Each of the members (20) has a forearm support (22) in the form of an open channel formation and a hand grip (21) in the form of an upwardly projecting handlebar around which the hand grips. The tubular member (14) engages the extensible shaft (15) by means of complementary screw thread formations on respectively the tube (14) and the shaft (15). That way rotation of the shaft (15) relative to the tube (14) effects axial movement of the former relative to the latter. The aid also includes drive means in the form of an electric motor powered by a battery mounted on the base assembly (11) which rotates the extensible shaft (15) to cause raising and lowering of the upper body support members. The aid also includes a lower body support, typically in the form of a flexible and adjustable seat harness for passing around the posterior abdominal region of a user to assist in lifting and lowering a user.

Description

A MOBILITY AID

This invention relates to mobility aids.

This invention has particular but not exclusive application to mobility aids for use by people with greatly reduced mobility, eg quadriplegics, stroke patients and patients with other forms of paralysis. It will therefore be convenient to hereinafter describe the invention with reference to this example application. However it is to be clearly understood that it is capable of broader application.

Persons with reduced mobility have difficulty in moving from place to place unassisted and often such people have difficulty in lowering and raising themselves to and from a chair, bed or the like. Also hospital patients with little or no mobility pose a problem for hospital staff such as physiotherapists and nurse aids. It can be very difficult to lift and lower such persons as required. This is recognised as major problem by staff in hospitals. Further hospital management are generally concerned about the potential for workplace safety claims as a result of such practices.

Walking sticks and frames are provided to assist impaired mobility people to move about. In particular, open wheeled walking frames are provided which support the forearms of a user for providing stability such that they may walk without assistance from another person. These contrivances are designed to assist people to walk and move around generally, ie to aid translational mobility. However they do not assist in lifting a person from a seated or lying position to a standing position and vice versa.

Special chairs are also provided for persons with mobility restrictions which act to slowly elevate the seated person towards the standing position when the user commences to elevate themselves from the seat. Other forms of assistance are also provided such as fixed elevated hand holds. However, a disadvantage of the existing arrangements is that mobility impaired persons are restricted as to their choice of seating unless they are assisted to and from conventional seating by another person.

Clearly it would be advantageous if a contrivance could be devised for lifting a person from a seated position on any given seat or bed to a standing position and then also to lower such person from a standing to a seated position. Naturally it would also be advantageous if such an aid could be used to provide support and stability to a frail person while they were moving around.

The present invention aims to alleviate at least some of the abovementioned disadvantages and to provide a mobility aid which will assist all these movements .

According to a first aspect of this invention there is provided a mobility aid for assisting up/down and translational mobility of a user, the aid including: a wheeled base assembly having a front portion which extends in use across in front of a user and also leg portions extending rearwardly along opposing sides of user; a support member projecting up from the base assembly; vertically moveable upper body support means mounted on said support member for supporting upper limbs of the user; and drive means for selectively raising and lowering the upper body support means to thereby assist in lifting and lowering the body of the user.

Thus the support means can be raised on demand to lift a patient to a standing position, eg from a seated position on any chair. The support means can also be lowered to lower a patient to a seated position on a bed or chair.

The wheels enable the aid to be moved around with the user as they move around. Preferably the upper body support means comprises a cross shaft and left and right hand side upper body support members mounted on said cross shaft, and each said left and right hand side support member has a forearm support and a hand grip. In a preferred form the forearm support is in the form of an open channel formation or a saddle and the hand grip is in the form of an upwardly projecting handle bar around which the hand grips. Typically the cross shaft is directly mounted on the support member, eg towards an upper end thereof.

Preferably the support member includes a tubular member and an extensible shaft which is received within said tubular member, the extensible shaft moving telescopically with reference to the tubular member. Advantageously the tubular member is mounted to the base assembly and the extensible shaft is positioned above the tubular member and attached to the upper body support means towards its upper end.

The tubular member and extensible shaft may have complementary screw thread formations thereon for engaging each other and effecting axial movement relative to each other by rotation relative to each other. More specifically the extensible shaft may have an external screw thread formation thereon and the tube may define an internal bore having a screw thread which is rotationally fixed relative to the tube and which engages the external screw thread on the shaft.

The drive means may comprise an electric motor driveably coupled to the shaft to rotate the shaft which is energised by an electrical supply, and a control for switching the electric motor on and off and causing the motor to rotate in two different directions. In a preferred form the electric motor is a direct current electric motor mounted on the base assembly and the electrical supply includes at least one rechargeable battery mounted on the base assembly. Typically the battery may be rechargeable by simply electrically connecting it to a domestic mains electrical socket. Alternatively the support member may include a tubular member and a hydraulic ram which is movably received within the tubular member and the drive means may comprise a hydraulic circuit including hydraulic pump for effecting extension/retraction of the hydraulic ram. Further alternatively the extensible shaft may be driven by a chain and sprocket or rack and gear arrangement.

The control may be a hand control associated with the upper body support means and which is operated by the user of the aid, eg a push button control mounted on one of the hand grips.

The aid may further include means for adjusting the spacing of the left and right hand side upper body support members on the cross shaft. In one particularly convenient form the spacing adjusting means comprises sleeves associated with the left and right hand side upper body support members through which the cross shaft passes, and means for locking the left and right hand side upper body support members in a desired position along the length of the cross shaft. That way the left and right hand side support members can be broadly aligned with the user's shoulders to provide the most comfortable spacing thereof.

In one form the hand grips are positioned broadly at the intersection of the cross shaft with the left and right hand side upper body support members.

The mobility aid may further include crutches for positioning under the left and right hand side armpits of a user which are removably mounted to the left and right hand side upper body support members and project upwardly therefrom. Naturally the aid may also include means for adjusting the height of the crutches. The crutches may be removable or detachable from the aid when they are not required. The aid may further include a lower body support for supporting a posterior abdominal region of a user, eg a user's bottom. The support may include a flexible support suspended from the left and right hand side support members of the upper body support means and which in use is passed under the posterior abdominal region of a user. Preferably the support is in the form of an adjustable seat harness or a sling. Preferably also the left hand and right hand side upper body support members include anchoring formations for suspending the harness or sling therefrom, eg in the form of rings or lugs.

The sling or harness provides an uplift to the user's lower body when the vertically movable support means is elevated. This is helpful in raising them to the standing position when they have a weakened upper body. Without the sling the user is required to brace their arms during elevation. The idea is that the aid should reduce the effort required by the user as much as possible and this feature assists in achieving this objective.

In a preferred form the aid has one said support member which is substantially centrally positioned with reference to the base assembly and the body of a user. One advantage of this is simplicity of structure.

In an alternative form the aid has two laterally spaced support members extending up from the base assembly. In this alternative form the drive means may be operatively connected to one or more of the support members.

Irrespective of the drive arrangement adopted the support members will move upwardly and downwardly in unison.

Preferably the aid includes means for adjusting the vertical position of the left and right hand side upper body support members on the support means so as enable the support members to be set at a height which suits a particular user. Typically the adjusting means includes means for moving said left and right hand side upper body support members vertically with respect to the central support member and locking means for locking the extendible shaft in a selected vertical position. The locking means may come in any one of a variety of well known arrangements and will not be described further in this specification.

The general idea is that the left and right hand side upper body support members be set at a height which suits that particular user. The user should be able to reach the control when in a seated position on a chair before being raised by the aid. The left and right hand side upper body support members should also be in a convenient position when the user is in a standing position and using the aid to stabilise their upright position while they are moving around. The height of people varies greatly and the aid needs to adjust for these height differences so that the left and right hand side upper body support members are at a convenient and comfortable vertical position when the extendible shaft is both fully extended and fully retracted.

In a most preferred form the wheeled base assembly includes a platform and the battery and the motor are mounted on the platform underneath a cover. Further the leg portions of the base assembly are pivotal relative to the rest of the base assembly between a splayed operative position and a closed storage position.

Optionally the wheels on the base assembly may comprise a front pair of wheels laterally spaced towards the front of the base assembly and two rear wheels laterally spaced from each other towards the rear of the base assembly. Optionally these wheels may be castor wheels with the ability to rotate relative to the base assembly. Typically the aid is made of a metallic material, eg mild steel, although clearly other materials could also be used. The structural components need to be sturdy without being too heavy.

A mobility aid in accordance with this invention may manifest itself in a variety of forms. It will be convenient to hereinafter describe in detail two preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. The purpose of providing this detailed description is to instruct persons having an interest in the subject matter of the invention how to carry the invention into practical effect. In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a side view of the mobility aid; Fig. 2 is a rear view of the mobility aid; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the mobility aid; Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate the operation of the mobility aid; Fig. 6 is a three dimensional view of a mobility aid in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention with the aid in a raised position;

Fig. 7 is a three dimensional view of the mobility aid of Fig. 6 shown in a lowered position; and

Fig. 8 is a three dimensional view of the mobility aid of Fig. 6 with various components detached and others folded so as to provide it in the form suitable for storage.

In Figs 1 to 5 reference numeral 10 refers generally to a mobility aid in accordance with the invention.

The mobility aid 10 illustrated in the drawing includes a U-shaped base frame 11 having a front portion and rearwardly extending side legs 13. Four castor wheels 12 are positioned adjacent opposite ends of the legs 13 of the base frame 11. The legs 13 are spaced apart a distance sufficient to enable a user to walk therebetween in the conventional manner of a walking frame. In this embodiment, each leg 13 supports a fixed upright tubular member 14 within which respective extension shafts 15 are reciprocally mounted and driven for extension and retraction by a drive means. In the illustrated embodiment the drive means comprises a DC electric motor powered by a battery pack, both of which are mounted on the frame 1 1. The electric motor drives the extension shafts which are threaded to rotate within a nut which is rotatably fast with the tubular member 14. This rotation of the shaft 15 within the threaded nut causes extension/retraction of the shaft 15.

Typically the battery will be able to be recharged by electrically connecting it to a domestic mains supply. Optionally the aid may have a socket or lead for effecting such electrical connection.

The upper ends of the shafts 15 mount to a cross-shaft 19 on which left support and right upper limb support members 20 are mounted in a laterally adjustable manner. Each upper limb support 20 member includes a handgrip

21 , and a forearm saddle 22. As illustrated an under arm crutch 23 may also be provided.

Sling mounts 25 are also provided on the rear of the upper limb supports 20 and support a sling 26 having a body supporting portion 27 adapted to engage about the torso of a user. The portion 27 has front extension portions 28 provided with velcro tabs so that the sling extension portions 28 may be secured at the front about the torso of a user. Adjustable straps 29 extend from the body supporting portion 27 to the mounts 25.

Adjustability is provided to conform the mobility aid 10 to a user. For this purpose, the handgrips 21 are formed at the front of longitudinal shafts 30 slidable adjustably through carriers 31 which mount adjustably on the cross shafts 33. The forearm saddles 22 are slidably mounted for adjustment on the respective shafts 30 and the under arm crutch supports 23 are vertically adjustable through end mounts 34 on the respective shafts 30. The mounts 34 hold vertically adjustable struts 35 inwardly of the shafts 30 and extend upwardly to the crutches 23. Suitable locking means such as finger adjusters are provided to lock the components in their adjusted position. The legs on the frame 11 may be pivoted inward for stowage purposes.

In use, the mobility aid 10 may be used in a conventional manner to assist a mobility impaired person in moving about and to raise and lower such person. During this activity, the sling 26 may be secured in place about the torso of a user but with the straps 29 hanging loose between the sling and the mounts 25.

When assistance is required for the user to sit in a chair, the user firstly pushes their lower torso rearwardly so as to tension the straps 29 whereafter the up/down control 40 on one handgrip 21 is actuated to retract the shafts 15 into their tubular supports 14. This action will lower the user's body gradually to a seated position.

In order to provide freedom of movement while seated, the straps 29 may be provided with clips whereby they may be quickly detached from their mounting 25. When the user requires to be elevated to a standing position for walking to another location assisted by the frame, the user simply re-attaches the straps 29 to the mounting 25, braces themselves against the handgrips 21 until the straps are tensioned and then operates the control 40 to extend the shafts 15 from their tubular supports 14 until they have reached a position at which they can comfortably stand.

The user can then move to the fully upright position by their own efforts and walk with the aid of the apparatus 10 to a new location. Preferably the controls for the battery powered lift are in the form of buttons or levers which require positive pressure to maintain actuation and stop as soon as the pressure is released. In the illustrated embodiment as is preferred the battery powered lift is of the type which drives down as well as up so that a user can control their rate of descent to a seated position. The crutch supports 23 may be disengaged from the mounts 34 if desired. Thus, their use may be optional.

Figs. 6 to 8 illustrate a mobility aid in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. However, as this embodiment is structurally and functionally very similar to that in the first embodiment, the same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same components unless otherwise indicated.

Fig. 6 illustrates the aid in a raised position while Fig. 7 illustrates it in the lowered position.

The following description will focus on the differences between this embodiment and the Fig. 1 embodiment. One structural difference is that this mobility aid has a single upright tubular member 14 and an extension shaft 15 instead of the two said members and shafts of the Fig. 1 embodiment. This embodiment is thus structurally slightly simpler than the first embodiment. The single tubular member 14 and shaft 15 is substantially centrally positioned intermediate the legs 13 of the U-shaped base frame and the upper limb support.

The drive system for this embodiment is similar to that for the Fig. 1 embodiment. The shaft 15 is driven upwardly by means of a threaded shaft and nut drive 16 powered by a DC electric motor energised by a battery pack (not shown). The motor is drivably coupled to the extension shaft 15 causing it to rotate relative to the member 14.

Further, the tray 18 of the Fig. 1 embodiment is fitted with a cover 40 covering the motor, battery and other components. This provides a neat aesthetic external appearance. The sling 26 is slightly more complex in this embodiment being more in the nature of a flexible seat harness. The harness comprises a bottom support 50 and a back support 52, the bottom and back supports being interconnected by means of a plurality of straps 53. The harness 26 is mounted to the upper limb supports 20 by means of back support straps 54 each of which have clips 56 for releasable attachment to anchors in the form of back support rings 58 mounted on the forearm supports. Similarly, the bottom support 50 is releasably attached by means of straps 60 to bottom support clips 64 which extend downwardly from the forearm supports 20.

Other features such as the controls, the electrical socket for connection to a power supply, the handgrips and the forearm saddles are very similar to those described above with respect to the Fig. 1 embodiment.

Fig. 8 shows some of the features of the device which render it suitable for being stored away when it is not being used. Firstly, the legs 13 of the U- shaped base 11 can be pivoted inwardly from their splayed operative position to a storage position in which they are on top of each other so as to occupy a smaller floor area of storage space. Further, the upper limb supports 20 and associated fittings such as forearm saddles 22 and handgrips 21 can be detached from the cross shaft to facilitate compact storage.

Applicants preferred mobility aid as described above has been found to be very efficacious in moving people with little mobility, particularly lifting and lowering people with little mobility and strength. The aid is robust and can be easily operated yet it is not too bulky. Further it makes use of relatively well known components and drive systems is not unnecessarily complex. It can therefore be expected to be reliable.

It will of course be realised that the above has been given only by way of illustrative example of the invention and that all such modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as is herein set forth.

Claims

1. A mobility aid for assisting up/down and translational mobility of a user, the aid including: a wheeled base assembly having a front portion which extends in use across in front of a user and also leg portions extending rearwardly along opposing sides of user; a support member projecting up from the base assembly; vertically moveable upper body support means mounted on said support member for supporting upper limbs of the user; and drive means for selectively raising and lowering the upper body support means to thereby assist in lifting and lowering the body of the user.

2. A mobility aid according to claim 1 , wherein the upper body support means comprises a cross shaft and left and right hand side upper body support members mounted on said cross shaft, and each said left and right hand side support member has a forearm support and a hand grip.

3. A mobility aid according to claim 2, wherein the forearm support is in the form of an open channel formation and the hand grip is in the form of an upwardly projecting handle bar around which the hand grips.

4. A mobility aid according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the support member includes a tubular member within which an extensible shaft is received, the extensible shaft moving telescopically with reference to the tubular member.

5. A mobility aid according to claim 4, wherein the tubular member is mounted to the base assembly and the upper body support means is mounted to the extensible shaft.

6. A mobility aid according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the tubular member and extensible shaft have complementary screw thread formations thereon for engaging each other and effecting axial movement relative to each other by rotation relative to each other.

7. A mobility aid according to claim 6, wherein the extensible shaft has an external screw thread formation thereon and the tube defines an internal bore having a screw thread which is rotationally fixed relative to the tube.

8. A mobility aid according to claim 7, wherein the drive means comprises an electric motor driveably coupled to the shaft to drive the shaft to rotate, and which is energised by an electrical supply, and a control for switching the electric motor on and off and causing the motor to rotate in two different directions.

9. A mobility aid according to claim 8, wherein the electric motor is a direct current electric motor mounted on the base assembly and the electrical supply includes at least one rechargeable battery mounted on the base assembly.

10. A mobility aid according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the control is a hand control associated with the upper body support means and which is operated by the user of the aid.

11. A mobility aid according to claim 10, wherein the hand control is a push button control mounted on one of the hand grips.

12. A mobility aid according to claim 2, further including means for adjusting the spacing of the left and right hand side upper body support members on the cross shaft.

13. A mobility aid according to claim 12, wherein the spacing adjusting means comprises sleeves associated with the left and right hand side upper body support members through which the cross shaft passes, and means for locking the left and right hand side upper body support members in a desired position along the length of the cross shaft.

14. A mobility aid according to claim 12 or claim 13, wherein the hand grips are positioned broadly at the intersection of the cross shaft with the left and right hand side upper body support members.

15. A mobility aid according to claim 2, further including crutches for positioning under the left and right hand side armpits of a user which are removably mounted to the left and right hand side upper body support members and project upwardly therefrom.

16. A mobility aid according to any one of claims 1 to 15, further including a lower body support for supporting a posterior abdominal region of a user.

17. A mobility aid according to claim 16, wherein the lower body support includes a flexible support suspended from the left and right hand side support members of the upper body support means and which in use is passed under the posterior abdominal region of a user.

18. A mobility aid according to claim 17, wherein the flexible support is in the form of an adjustable seat harness or a sling, and wherein the left hand and right hand side upper body support members include anchoring formations for suspending the harness or sling therefrom.

19. A mobility aid according to any one of claims 1 to 18, having one said support member which is substantially centrally positioned with reference to the base assembly and the body of a user.

20. A mobility aid according to claim 2, including means for adjusting the vertical position of the left and right hand side upper body support members on the support member so as to enable the upper body support members to be set at a height which suits a particular user.

21. A mobility aid according to claim 9, wherein the wheeled base assembly includes a platform and the battery and the motor are mounted on the platform underneath a cover, and wherein the leg portions of the base assembly are pivotal relative to the rest of the base assembly between a splayed operative position and a closed storage position.