US20190054335A1

US20190054335A1 - Rehabilitation machine

Info

Publication number: US20190054335A1
Application number: US15/678,145
Authority: US
Inventors: Yun-Hsiu Yeh
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2017-08-16
Filing date: 2017-08-16
Publication date: 2019-02-21

Abstract

A dual-purpose rehabilitation machine includes a base, a fixed rod unit, a mobile device, several fastener belts and a driving unit installed behind the fixed rod unit so as to shorten a distance between a user and the fixed rod unit such that when a piston unit of the driving unit is moved to a second position, the user is lifted upward from a bed or chair to abut against the fixed rod unit. The fastener belts are mounted on the mobile device, thereby eliminating the employment of a belt-fixing rod and avoiding collision of a user's head against the belt-fixing rod, which in turn, economizes the storage space and the manufacturing expense. The fastener belts are distributed on several parts of the patient to assist in stable standing up of the patient and preventing wobbling of lower parts of the patient when standing up.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a rehabilitation machine, and more particularly a dual-purpose rehabilitation machine for assisting sitting, standing and rehabilitating a person suffering from a lower limb disorder and/or exercising a person with lower limb neurological damage or weakness.

2. The Prior Arts

A person suffering from lower nervous system injury and/or lower limb muscle weakness cannot stand up or walk independently. Therefore, most of the patients must undergo physical and/or rehabilitation exercises or requires extra equipments for moving about. A conventional walking assistant generally includes a foundation seat, a plurality of casters mounted to a bottom side of the foundation seat, a fixed rod unit mounted on an upper side of the foundation seat, a footrest disposed below the foundation seat, a mobile device mounted movably on the fixed rod unit, a driving unit having a driving body mounted on the fixed rod unit and a piston unit movably disposed in the driving body and connected to a mobile device, and a protection cushion disposed on the driving unit, a belt-fixing rod disposed on the top end of the mobile device, a belt body and a plurality of fastener belts.
In the conventional walking assistant, the driving unit is installed in front of the fixed rod unit, which means the driving unit is located between the patient and the fixed rod unit, thereby spacing the patient far away from the fixed rod unit. In addition, the protection cushion is located too close to the patient such that the patient may abut against the protection cushion even when the piston unit has extended to the maximum extension, thereby preventing the patient to stand up fully.
Moreover, the patient is secured to the conventional walking assistant only through the belt body, which straddles around the armpit of the patient and the belt body is located close to the head of the patient, which may cause collision of the patient's head against the belt-fixing rod, which in turn, causing inclination of the belt-fixing rod relative to the driving body and hence occupying a relatively large room.
Note that in the conventional walking assistant, the belt body only straddles around the armpit of the patient, and leaving the lower limb as well as the legs of the patent wobbling relative to the remaining parts of the walking assistant.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a dual-purpose rehabilitation machine, in which, a driving unit is installed behind a fixed rod unit so as to shorten a spaced-apart distance between the fixed rod unit and a user such that when a piston unit of the driving unit is moved to a second position, the user of the rehabilitation machine can stand up fully from a patient's bed and/or a wheeled chair so as to be nearby the fixed rod unit and a mobile device.
A secondary objective of the present invention is to provide a dual-purpose rehabilitation machine, in which, a plurality of fastener belts are mounted on a mobile device, thereby eliminating the employment of a belt-fixing rod and avoiding the problem of collision of a user's head against the belt-fixing rod, which in turn, economizes the storage space and the manufacturing expense.
Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a dual-purpose rehabilitation machine, in which, a plurality of fastener belts are mounted and distributed on several parts of the patient, like the patient's legs, buttocks, waist and armpit so as to assist in stable standing up of the patient and preventing wobbling of lower parts of the patient when doing the physical exercises.
A dual-purpose rehabilitation machine of the present invention includes a base; a plurality of casters; a fixed rod unit; a footrest member; a mobile device; a plurality of fastener belts; and a driving unit.
The casters are mounted on a bottom side of the base.
The fixed rod unit is installed on an upper side of the base.
The footrest member is disposed on the base and is located in front of the fixed rod unit.
The mobile device includes an upright post installed on the base so as to be located at one side of the fixed rod unit, a slide seat mounted slidably on the fixed rod unit, a first pivot rod having a lower end connected pivotally to the upright post and an upper end and a second pivot rod having an upper end connected pivotally to the slide seat and a lower end connected pivotally to the upper end of the first pivot rod.
The fastener belts are mounted on the mobile device for fastening several parts of a user securely.
The driving unit includes a cylinder body installed on the fixed rod unit so as to be located opposite side of the upright post and a piston unit disposed movably within the cylinder body and further connected pivotally to the slide seat such that upon activation the slide seat is movable between a first position and a second position.
Movement of the piston unit into the cylinder body results in downward movement of the slide seat along the fixed rod unit to the first position, thereby driving the first and second pivot rods away from the fixed rod unit.
Movement of the piston rod outwardly from the cylinder body results in upward movement of the slide seat along the fixed rod unit to the second position, thereby driving the first and second pivot rods toward and abuts the first and second pivot rods against the fixed rod unit.
Preferably, the base includes a straight rod, a first U-shaped frame having a first connecting part connected to one end of the straight rod and two extension parts extending from two opposite ends of the first connection part, and a second U-shaped frame having a second connecting part connected to the other end of the straight rod and two extension parts extending from two opposite ends of the second connection part, wherein the plurality of casters are mounted rotatably to bottom sides of free ends of the extension parts of the first and second U-shaped frames while the fixed rod unit is mounted uprightly on an upper side of the first connecting part of the first U-shaped frame with the footrest plate mounted below the straight rod adjacent to the first connecting part and transversely extending across the upright post of the mobile device.
Preferably, the first U-shaped frame has a width measured transversely of the straight rod ranging 65-85 cm and the second U-shaped frame has a width measured transversely of the straight rod ranging 25-45 cm.
Preferably, the fixed rod unit has a rear side cooperating with a free end of the extension part of the first U-shaped frame defining a first length equal to 25-35% of total length of the base and further cooperating with a free end of the extension part of the second U-shaped frame a second length equal to 65-75% of total length of the base.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the footrest member includes a connection section extending downwardly from a bottom side of the straight rod and a footrest section having a front end connected to the connection section such that the footrest section extends transversely from both sides of the straight rod and that the footrest section defines a vertical height relative to a support ground smaller than a diameter of each caster.
Preferably, the dual-purpose rehabilitation machine of the present invention further includes a first protection cushion fixed to the upright post, a second protection cushion fixed to the first pivot rod and a third protection cushion fixed to the second pivot rod.
The dual-purpose rehabilitation machine of the present invention further includes a plurality of shackles mounted respectively on the first, second and third protection cushions and the fastener belts, thereby defining a leg fastener belt body with the shackles on the first protection cushion for securing the legs of a user, a waist-buttock fastener belt body with the shackles on the second protection cushion for securing the waist and buttock of the user and an armpit fastener body with the shackle on the third protection cushion for securing an armpit of the user.
Preferably, the dual-purpose rehabilitation machine of the present invention further includes a pair of handgrips mounted on two opposite sides of the third protection cushion to facilitate griping by hands of the user for standing up.
Preferably, the dual-purpose rehabilitation machine of the present invention further includes a pair of handles fixed to two opposite side of the fixed rod unit adjacent to the second protection cushion.
One distinct feature of the present invention resides in that because the driving unit is installed behind the fixed rod unit, thereby shortening the distance between the patient and the fixed rod unit such that movement of the piston rod outwardly from the cylinder body results in upward movement of the slide seat along the fixed rod unit to the second position, thereby pulling the patient upward to a standing position so as to be nearby the fixed rod unit and the mobile device. Because the fastener belts are installed on the movable device, thereby eliminating the employment of a belt-fixing rod and avoiding the problem of collision of the patient's head against the belt-fixing rod, which in turn, economizes the storage space and the manufacturing expense. Moreover, since the fastener belts are distributed on several parts of the patient's body, like the patient's legs, buttock, waist and armpit so as to assist in stable standing up of the patient and preventing wobbling of lower parts of the patient when doing the physical exercises.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dual-purpose rehabilitation machine of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a lateral side view of the dual-purpose rehabilitation machine of the present invention;

FIG. 3A shows the dual-purpose rehabilitation machine of the present invention, where a patient sitting on a bed uses the machine for doing exercises;

FIG. 3B shows the dual-purpose rehabilitation machine of the present invention, where a patient stands up on the machine for doing exercises;

FIG. 4A shows the dual-purpose rehabilitation machine of the present invention, where a patient sitting on a wheeled chair uses the machine for doing exercises;

FIG. 4B shows the dual-purpose rehabilitation machine of the present invention, where a patient stands up from a wheeled chair uses the machine for doing exercises; and

FIG. 5 illustrates how a healthcare provider moves a patient by the dual-purpose rehabilitation machine of the present invention from one place to another place.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dual-purpose rehabilitation machine of the present invention; and FIG. 2 is a lateral side view of the dual-purpose rehabilitation machine of the present invention. As shown, a dual-purpose rehabilitation machine according to the present invention includes a base 10; a plurality of casters 20; a fixed rod unit 30; a footrest member 40; a mobile device 50; a first protection cushion 61; a second protection cushion 62; a third protection cushion 63; a plurality of shackles 71-74; a plurality of fastener belts; a driving unit 90; a pair of handgrips 100 and a pair of handles 200.
The base 10 includes a straight rod 11, a first U-shaped frame 12 and a second U-shaped frame 13. The first U-shaped frame 12 has a first connecting part 121 connected to one end of the straight rod 11 and two extension parts 122 extending from two opposite ends of the first connection part 121. The second U-shaped frame 13 has a second connecting part 131 connected to the other end of the straight rod 11 and two extension parts 132 extending from two opposite ends of the second connection part 131, wherein the fixed rod unit 30 is mounted uprightly on an upper side of the first connecting part 121 of the first U-shaped frame 12. Preferably, the first U-shaped frame 12 has a width measured transversely of the straight rod 11 ranging 65-85 cm and the second U-shaped frame 13 has a width measured transversely of the straight rod 11 ranging 25-45 cm. To be more specific, the widths of the first and second U-shaped frames 12, 13 are so dimensioned to fit for passing through the openings of doors, more particularly, the second U-shaped frame 13 is fit to be drawn below a patient's bed (B) or a wheeled chair (W), as best shown in FIGS. 3A and 4A. The first U-shaped frame 12 may have a maximum width of 68 cm; the second U-shaped frame 13 may have a maximum with of 30 cm while a total length of the base 10 is 105 cm.
The casters 20 are mounted rotatably on a bottom side of the base 10. To be more specific, the plurality of casters 20 are mounted rotatably to the bottom sides of free ends of the extension parts 122, 132 of the first and second U-shaped frames 12, 13.
The fixed rod unit 30 is installed on an upper side of the base 10. To be more specific, the fixed rod unit 30 is mounted vertically on the upper side of the first connecting part 121 of the first U-shaped frame 12. Preferably, the fixed rod unit 30 has a rear side cooperating with a free end of the extension part 122 of the first U-shaped frame 12 defining a first length equal to 25-35% of total length of the base 10 and further cooperating with a free end of the extension part 132 of the second U-shaped frame 13 a second length equal to 65-75% of total length of the base 10. To be more specific, the base 10 has the maximum of 105 cm. Therefore, the rear side of the fixed rod unit 30 and the free end of the extension part 122 of the first U-shaped frame 12 define the first length D1 of 26.25-36.75 cm while the rear side of the fixed rod unit 30 the free end of the extension part 132 of the second U-shaped frame 13 define the second length D2 of 68.25-78.75 cm. In other words, the second length D2 of 68.25-78.75 cm of the base 10 is the distance for moving below the patient's bed (B) or the wheeled chair (W) so as to permit the leg of the patient nearby the fixed rod unit 30, as best shown in FIGS. 3A and 4A. It is noted that the first distance D1 of 30 cm and the second distance D2 of 75 cm provide the best moving function of the base 10.
The footrest member 40 is disposed on the base 10 and is located in front of the fixed rod unit 30. To be more specific, the footrest member 40 is mounted below the straight rod 11 adjacent to the first connecting part 121 and transversely extends across the straight rod 11. Preferably, the footrest member 40 includes a connection section 41 extending downwardly from a bottom side of the straight rod 11 and a footrest section 42 having a front end connected to the connection section 41 such that the footrest section 42 extends transversely from both sides of the straight rod 11 and that the footrest section 42 defines a vertical height D3 relative to a support ground smaller than a diameter of each caster 20. In other words, the footrest section 42 has a length of 35 cm to permit standing of every person and is spaced apart from the support ground by 7 cm.
The mobile device 50 includes an upright post 51 installed on the base 10 so as to be located at one side of (in front of) the fixed rod unit 30, a slide seat 52 mounted slidably on the fixed rod unit 30, a first pivot rod 53 having a lower end connected pivotally to the upright post 51 and an upper end and a second pivot rod 54 having an upper end connected pivotally to the slide seat 51 and a lower end connected pivotally to the upper end of the first pivot rod 53. To be more specific, the upright post 51 is mounted on and extends in parallel manner with the fixed rod unit 30.
The first protection cushion 61 is fixed on the front side of the upright post 51 and is rectangular with a length of 35 cm and a width of 15 cm. The second protection cushion 62 is fixed to the first pivot rod 53 and is rectangular with a length of 35 cm and a width of 20 while a third protection cushion 63 is fixed to the second pivot rod 54 and is rectangular with a length of 35 cm and a width of 20. To be more specific, once a patient sitting in a wheeled chair is nearby the rehabilitation machine of the present invention, the first, second and third protection cushions 61, 62 and 63 are respectively correspond to the calf, the upper leg and the chest of the patient.
The rehabilitation machine of the present invention further includes a plurality of shackles 71-74 mounted respectively on the first, second and third protection cushions 61, 62, 63. To be more specific, two shackles 71 are fixed on two opposite sides of the first protection cushion 61, two shackles 72 are fixed on two opposite sides of the second protection cushion 62 and one shackle 73 is fixed a lower part of the second protection cushion 62, and two shackles 74 are fixed on two opposite sides of the third protection cushion 63.
The fastener belts are mounted on the mobile device 50 for securing several parts of a patient body relative to the rehabilitation machine of the present invention. To be more specific, a first fastener belt 81 is mounted on the first protection cushion 61 via the shackles 71, thereby defining a leg fastener belt body for securing the calf of lower leg of the patient (see FIG. 3A). A second fastener belt 82 is mounted on the second protection cushion 62 via the shackles 72, thereby defining a waist-buttock fastener belt body for securing the waist and buttock of the patient while a third fastener belt 83 is mounted on the third protection cushion 63 via the shackles 74, thereby defining an armpit fastener belt body for securing an armpit of the patient, as best shown in FIGS. 3A and 4A. In this embodiment, the first fastener belt 81 may be an independent one so long as it can secure the leg. The second fastener belt 82 may consist of a waist-fastening belt portion 821 and a buttock-lifting belt portion 822. A plurality of connection straps 84 are used to interconnect the second and third fastener belts 82, 83 such that after assembly of the first, second and third fastener belts 81, 82, 83 relative to the first, second and third protection cushions 61, 82, 63, the second and third fastener belts 82, 83 can withstand the entire weight of a patient, a detailed description of which will be given in the following paragraphs.
The driving unit 90 includes a cylinder body 91 installed on the fixed rod unit 30 so as to be located opposite side of the upright post 51 and a piston unit 92 disposed movably within the cylinder body 91 and further connected pivotally to the slide seat 52 such that upon activation the slide seat 52 is movable between a first position and a second position. Preferably, the cylinder body 91 can be hydraulic, pneumatic or electrically driven cylinder.
The handgrips 100 are mounted on two opposite sides of the third protection cushion 63 to facilitate griping by hands of the patient.
The handles 200 are fixed to two opposite side of the fixed rod unit 30 adjacent to the second protection cushion 62. Preferably, the handles 200 are spaced apart from the support ground by 105-115 cm to facilitate gripping of a health care provider or a nurse for moving the rehabilitation machine of the present invention from one place to the other. It is noted that 110 cm is the ideal distance from the support ground.
The application of the rehabilitation machine of the present invention is given in the following paragraphs.
Referring to FIG. 3A, for a bed-ridden patient, who is unable to stand up by himself due to too weak and if he wishes to stand up, the driving unit 90 is activated first of all such that movement of the piston unit 92 into the cylinder body 92 results in downward movement of the slide seat 52 along the fixed rod unit 30 to a first position, thereby driving the first and second pivot rods 53, 54 away from the fixed rod unit 30. At this time, the base 10 of the rehabilitation machine is moved manually below the patient bed B to a position, where the second U-shaped frame 13 will be located below the patient bed B, where the patient's foot can step on the footrest section 41 of the footrest member 40 while the knees abut against the first protection cushion 61 after stepping into the leg fastener belt body. After which, the waist-buttock fastener belt body 82 and the armpit fastener body 83 are manipulated by assistants in such a manner to go around the waist, the buttock and the armpit of the patient meanwhile letting the hands to grip the handgrips 100 on the third protection cushion 63.
Referring to FIG. 3B, the driving unit 90 is activated again such that movement of the piston rod 92 outwardly from the cylinder body 92 results in upward movement of the slide seat 52 along the fixed rod unit 30 to a second position, thereby driving the first and second pivot rods 53, 54 toward the fixed rod unit 30, which action, results in pulling the patient toward the fixed rod unit 30 such that the knees abut against the first protection cushion 61, the stomach abuts against the second protection cushion 62 while the chest of the patient abuts against the third protection cushion 63. In other words, the patient is said to be in a standing position, by the assistance of the rehabilitation machine of the present invention.
Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, wherein FIG. 4A shows the dual-purpose rehabilitation machine of the present invention, where a patient sitting on a wheeled chair uses the machine for doing physical exercises; and FIG. 4B shows the dual-purpose rehabilitation machine of the present invention, where a patient stands up from a wheeled chair uses the machine for doing physical exercises. Since the operation of the rehabilitation machine of the present invention for standing up and sitting back into the wheeled chair is the same as described in the abovementioned paragraphs, the detailed description thereof is omitted herein for the sake of brevity.
In the rehabilitation machine of the present invention, because the driving unit 90 is installed behind the fixed rod unit 30, thereby shortening a distance between the patient and the fixed rod unit 30 such that movement of the piston unit 92 outwardly from the cylinder body 91 so as to dispose the sliding seat 52 to the second position results in pulling the patient directly from the bed (B) or the wheeled chair (W) toward and/or abuts against the fixed rod unit 30, thereby enhancing the stability of the patient.
Moreover since the fastener belts 81, 82, 83 are mounted on the mobile device 50, thereby eliminating the employment of a belt-fixing rod and avoiding the problem of collision of a patient's head against the belt-fixing rod, which in turn, economizes the storage space and the manufacturing expense.
In addition, since the plurality of fastener belts are mounted and distributed on several parts of the patient, like the patient's legs, buttocks, waist and armpit so as to assist in stable standing up of the patient and prevent wobbling of lower parts of the patient when doing the physical exercises or during the standing posture.
In the event that the patient wishes to lay down on the bed (B) or sit back into the wheeled chair (W), the patient only needs to activate the driving unit 90, where movement of the piston unit 92 into the cylinder body 92 results in downward movement of the slide seat 52 along the fixed rod unit 30 to the first position, thereby driving the first and second pivot rods 53, 54 away from the fixed rod unit 30, which in turn, lower the leg, waist-buttock and armpit fastener belt bodies gradually and slowly toward the patient's bed (B) or the wheeled chair (W). The patient can lie down on the bed (B) or sit back in the wheeled chair (W) after removing the fastener belt bodies 81-83.
In the event of moving the patient from one place to the other, the patient is first of all let to stand on the rehabilitation machine of the present invention as previously described manner, as best shown in FIG. 5. Then, the rehabilitation machine can be pushed by the family member or the health assistant to the destination. At this time, the rehabilitation machine serves as transportation means by virtue of the casters 20.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention, which is intended to be defined by the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A rehabilitation machine, comprising:

a base;

a plurality of casters mounted on a bottom side of said base;

a fixed rod unit installed on an upper side of said base;

a footrest member disposed on said base and located in front of said fixed rod unit;

a mobile device including an upright post installed on said base so as to be located at one side of said fixed rod unit, a slide seat mounted slidably on said fixed rod unit, a first pivot rod having a lower end connected pivotally to said upright post and an upper end and a second pivot rod having an upper end connected pivotally to said slide seat and a lower end connected pivotally to said upper end of said first pivot rod;

a plurality of fastener belts mounted on said mobile device for fastening several parts of a user securely; and

a driving unit including a cylinder body installed on said fixed rod unit so as to be located opposite side of said upright post and a piston unit disposed movably within said cylinder body and further connected pivotally to said slide seat such that upon activation said slide seat is movable between a first position and a second position;

wherein, movement of said piston unit into said cylinder body results in downward movement of said slide seat along said fixed rod unit to said first position, thereby driving said first and second pivot rods away from said fixed rod unit;

wherein, movement of said piston rod outwardly from said cylinder body results in upward movement of said slide seat along said fixed rod unit to said second position, thereby driving said first and second pivot rods toward and abutting said first and second pivot rods against said fixed rod unit.

2. The rehabilitation machine according to claim 1, wherein said base includes a straight rod, a first U-shaped frame having a first connecting part connected to one end of said straight rod and two extension parts extending from two opposite ends of said first connection part, and a second U-shaped frame having a second connecting part connected to the other end of said straight rod and two extension parts extending from two opposite ends of said second connection part, wherein said plurality of casters are mounted rotatably to bottom sides of free ends of said extension parts of said first and second U-shaped frames while said fixed rod unit is mounted uprightly on an upper side of said first connecting part of said first U-shaped frame with said footrest member mounted below said straight rod adjacent to said first connecting part and transversely extending across said upright post of said mobile device.

3. The rehabilitation machine according to claim 2, wherein said first U-shaped frame has a width measured transversely of said straight rod ranging 65-85 cm and said second U-shaped frame has a width measured transversely of said straight rod ranging 25-45 cm.

4. The rehabilitation machine according to claim 2, wherein said fixed rod unit 30 has a rear side cooperating with a free end of said extension part of said first U-shaped frame defining a first length equal to 25-35% of total length of said base and further cooperating with a free end of said extension part of said second U-shaped frame a second length equal to 65-75% of total length of said base.

5. The foldable chair according to claim 2, wherein said footrest member includes a connection section extending downwardly from a bottom side of said straight rod and a footrest section having a front end connected to said connection section such that said footrest section extends transversely from both sides of said straight rod and that said footrest section defines a vertical height relative to a support ground smaller than a diameter of each caster.

6. The rehabilitation machine according to claim 1, further comprising a first protection cushion fixed to said upright post, a second protection cushion fixed to said first pivot rod and a third protection cushion fixed to said second pivot rod.

7. The rehabilitation machine according to claim 6, further comprising a plurality of shackles mounted respectively on said first, second and third protection cushions and said fastener belts, thereby defining a leg fastener belt body with said shackles on said first protection cushion for securing the legs of a user, a waist-buttock fastener belt body with said shackles on said second protection cushion for securing the waist and buttock of the user and an armpit fastener body with said shackle on said third protection cushion for securing an armpit of the user.

8. The rehabilitation machine according to claim 6, further comprising a pair of handgrips mounted on two opposite sides of said third protection cushion to facilitate griping by hands of the user.

9. The rehabilitation machine according to claim 6, further comprising a pair of handles fixed to two opposite side of said fixed rod unit adjacent to said second protection cushion.