Support device for persons, for example a hospital bed, provided with a hydraulic system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9003581-B2
Application number	US-201414153936-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 13, 2014
Priority date	Mar 19, 2008
Publication date	Apr 14, 2015
Grant date	Apr 14, 2015

Abstract

A support device for persons, such as a bed, treatment or operating table, chair, comprises: a frame; a first and a second movable member, which movable members can be adjusted independently of one another and which are designed to support the person or one or more parts of the person in various positions, and a hydraulic system for adjusting the movable members, the hydraulic system comprising: a reservoir for hydraulic liquid; a first and a second hydraulic actuator associated with the first and second movable member, respectively, which hydraulic actuators can each be moved in two directions; a hydraulic pump; a pump activating member which is operatively connected to the pump in order for an operator to activate the pump; a valve assembly which is provided in the hydraulic circuit between the pump and the respective actuators, and a valve assembly operating member which can be mechanically operated by an operator and is mechanically connected to the valve assembly for selecting and providing a connection between one of the actuators and the pump in order to be able to selectively move a movable member by supplying pressurized hydraulic liquid to the associated actuator upon activation of the pump.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A support device for a person, such as a bed, treatment or operating table, chair, the support device comprising:
a first and a second movable member, which movable members can be adjusted independently of one another and which are designed to support the person or one or more parts of the person in various positions; and
a hydraulic system for adjusting the movable members, the hydraulic system including
a reservoir for hydraulic liquid,
a first and a second hydraulic actuator associated with the first and second movable members, respectively, which hydraulic actuators can each be moved in two directions,
a pump, and
a valve assembly which is arranged in a hydraulic circuit between the pump and the respective actuators;

the support device furthermore being provided with:
a pump activating member which is operatively connected to the pump in order for an operator to activate the pump; and
a valve assembly operating member which can be mechanically operated by an operator and is mechanically connected to the valve assembly for providing a connection between a selected actuator of the hydraulic actuators and the pump, in order to be able to selectively move one of the movable members by supplying pressurized hydraulic liquid to the selected actuator upon operation of the pump, wherein the respective valve assembly is also designed to provide a connection between a selected actuator of the hydraulic actuators and the reservoir, and
wherein the mechanically operable valve assembly operating member can be brought into two unique spatial positions for each of the first and the second actuators, whereby for each actuator one unique position corresponds to the connection of the selected actuator to the pump and the other unique position corresponds to the direction of movement of the selected actuator, so that, in operation, the operator selects the movable member which is to be moved as well as the direction of movement thereof and effects the movement by activating the pump activating member.

2. The support device according to claim 1 , in which the valve assembly is a single multi-position valve with a valve body which can be moved into at least a number of positions corresponding to the number of unique positions by operating the valve assembly operating member.

3. The support device according to claim 1 , in which a valve body is accommodated in an associated bore in a housing so as to be rotatable about an associated shaft and axially displaceable in the direction of said shaft, with the valve body having at least two axial positions which can be achieved by axial displacement and, in each axial position, at least two angular positions which can be achieved by rotation, with each of these positions corresponding to a selected actuator and the direction of movement thereof.

4. The support device according to claim 1 , in which the valve assembly operating member is designed in such a manner that the selection of an actuator requires a substantially horizontal displacement of the valve assembly operating member, and that the selection of the direction of movement of an actuator requires a substantially vertical displacement of the valve assembly operating member.

5. The support device according to claim 4 , in which the valve assembly operating member is designed and arranged to be operated by an operator with his/her foot.

6. The support device according to claim 2 , in which each of the actuators is a single-acting cylinder with a piston rod which can be moved to and fro in a cylinder housing, which delimits a variable chamber in the cylinder housing, with a single main line connection being provided which is connected to the variable chamber, with the cylinder being provided with a hydraulically operated non-return valve with a control pressure line connection, a main line and a control pressure line being provided between the valve assembly and the actuator, in such a manner that if the valve assembly connects the pump to the main line, the piston rod extends upon activation of the pump, and in such a manner that if the valve assembly connects the main line connection to the reservoir, the non-return valve prevents the hydraulic liquid from the variable chamber from flowing out via the main line to the reservoir unless the pump is activated.

7. The support device according to claim 2 , in which the pump is designed and arranged to be mechanically operated by means of a foot lever or two foot levers which can be operated from opposed longitudinal sides of the device.

8. The support device according to claim 2 , further comprising:
an undercarriage,
a height-adjustable subframe, wherein the first hydraulic actuator is coupled to the subframe, and
a supporting surface which is supported by the subframe for supporting a person thereon, at least in a recumbent position, the supporting surface comprising at least one adjustable section for supporting a specific body part of the person in different orientations, wherein the second hydraulic actuator is coupled to the adjustable section.

9. The support device according to claim 8 , wherein said device is a bed having a head end and a foot end, in which the supporting surface comprises a movable back section and a movable leg section, in which the second hydraulic actuator is coupled to the back section and a third hydraulic actuator is coupled to the leg section, and in which the valve assembly operating member is designed in such a manner that the selection of the second actuator for the back section corresponds to a unique position of the operating member directed towards the head end of the bed and selection of the third actuator for the leg section corresponds to a unique position of the operating member directed towards the foot end of the bed, in which the selection of the direction of movement of the selected actuator can be effected by choosing between two unique positions of the operating member which are at a distance from one another in the vertical direction.

10. The support device according to claim 9 , in which the selection of the first actuator for adjusting the height of the subframe corresponds to bringing the operating member into an intermediate unique position, in which the selection of the upward or downward movement can be achieved by choosing between two unique positions of the operating member which are at a distance from one another in the vertical direction.

Assignees

• Actuant Corp

Inventors

• Beumer Jan Albertus

Classifications

• A61G7/015

  divided into different adjustable sections, e.g. for Gatch position · CPC title

• A61G7/018 Primary

  Control or drive mechanisms · CPC title