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United States Patent Application	20090070928
Kind Code	A1
Huang; Chi-Tzung	March 19, 2009

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Claims

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1. A lifting and lowering adjustment structure of a bed, comprising(a) a stand, the stand including:a supporting beam;two supporting rods, which are joined to two ends of the supporting beam respectively;a main rod, which is positioned between the supporting rods, and securely joined to the supporting beam;(b) a lifting and lowering device, which includes:a beam;two sleeves, which are joined to two ends of the beam respectively, and positioned around the supporting rods of the stand respectively;a sliding member, which is joined to the beam to be on two sides of the main rod of the stand; the sliding member being capable of sliding on the main rod;(c) a power mechanism, which includes:a motor;a screw rod connected to the motor; anda sleeve, which is positioned around the screw rod, and has inner threads to threadedly engage the screw rod; the sleeve being securely joined to the sliding member; and(d) a bed plank securely joined to the sleeves of the lifting and lowering device.

2. The lifting and lowering adjustment structure of a bed as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bed plank includes:a frame, which is securely joined to the sleeves of the lifting and lowering device; anda main body positioned within and pivoted to the frame.

3. The lifting and lowering adjustment structure of a bed as claimed in claim 2 further comprising a tilting device, which is securely joined to the frame of the bed plank; the tilting device including an output shaft, which is connected to the main body of the bed plank.

4. The lifting and lowering adjustment structure of a bed as claimed in claim 3, wherein the tilting device is a pressure cylinder.

5. The lifting and lowering adjustment structure of a bed as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stand further includes casters, which are joined to the supporting beam of the stand.

6. The lifting and lowering adjustment structure of a bed as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main rod of the stand includes two covering plate members, which are positioned on two sides of the power mechanism.

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Description

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001]1. Field of the Invention

[0002]The present invention relates to a lifting and lowering adjustment structure of a bed, more particularly one, which includes a power mechanism comprising a motor, a screw rod connected to the motor, and a sleeve positioned around and threaded engaged with the screw rod.

[0003]2. Brief Description of the Prior Art

[0004]A common hospital bed includes several bed planks, and a power source to move the bed planks to a proper height in order for a patient to move onto and out of the bed easily. The power source also can be operated to move some of the bed planks to a proper sloping position in order for the patient to recline on the bed comfortably. The power source can be an oil hydraulic cylinder or an air pressure cylinder.

[0005]The inventor of the present invention developed and taught a series of improvements on hospital beds, which were disclosed in respective patent applications. One example of the above is "a lifting and lowering structure of a hospital bed", which includes a stand, tubes, and a lifting and lowering device. The stand includes supporting members on a bottom portion thereof, and supporting rods sticking upwards from the supporting members. The tubes are positioned around the supporting rods of the stand respectively. The lifting and lowering device can be an oil hydraulic cylinder or an air pressure cylinder, and it is equipped with a control lever, and positioned between middles of front and rear ends of the bottom portion of the stand. The lifting and lowering device has a simple structure, and takes relatively little cost to manufacture and maintain, and is easy to operate. Therefore, the lifting and lowering structure is very practical.

[0006]Another example of the above is "an improvement on a hospital bed structure", which includes front and rear power sources. The front and the rear power sources can be oil hydraulic cylinders or air pressure cylinders, and they are positioned on bottom portions of front and rear ends of a stand of a hospital bed. The front and the rear power sources can be oil hydraulic cylinders or air pressure cylinders.

[0007]The front power source has an output end, a supporting rod sticking from the output end, and a sliding piece pivoted on the supporting rod. The stand has a guiding rail on the bottom portion of the front end thereof, and the sliding piece is passed into the guiding rail. Furthermore, a bending arm is pivoted to both the bed stand and the output end of the front power source.

[0008]The rear power source has an output end, a supporting rod sticking from the output end, and a sliding piece pivoted on the supporting rod. The stand has a groove on the bottom portion of the rear end thereof, and the sliding piece is passed into the groove. Front and rear position-limiting switches are disposed on front and rear ends of the groove respectively. And, front and rear plate-shaped pieces are fitted on the supporting rod to face the front and the rear position-limiting switches respectively. The front and the rear plate-shaped pieces have contacting portions to contact the front and the rear position-limiting switches respectively.

[0009]Yet another example of the above is "an improvement on structure of a hospital bed", which includes a base, a lifting and lowering unit, and a stand. The base has two inverted U-shaped bars, which are parallel and faced with each other. Transverse frames are connected to two tail ends of each of the inverted U-shaped bars, and casters are joined to outward portions of the transverse frames. The lifting and lowering unit comprises two frame parts, which cross and pivot on each other, and which are connected to the stand at upper ends thereof. Vertical rods are connected to bottom sides of front and rear portions of the frame parts, which vertical rods are as high as the inverted U-shaped bars, and connected to the transverse frames of the base. And, power mechanisms, which can be pressure cylinders, are fitted between the base and a front portion of one of the frame, and between the base and a rear portion of said frame respectively.

[0010]All of the above adjustable hospital beds are equipped with either oil hydraulic cylinders or air pressure cylinders to provide power. Oil hydraulic cylinders can bear much weight, yet they move relatively slowly; it will take more time to adjust the bed planks to a proper height and position when oil hydraulic cylinders are used as the power source. Therefore, such beds aren't very ideal in hospitals where efficiency of service is emphasized. Air pressure cylinders move more rapidly, yet they can't bear as much weight or move as smoothly as oil hydraulic cylinders. Consequently, performance of the lifting and lowering devices equipped with air pressure cylinders can be affected if a heavy patient is lying on the hospital beds.

[0011]Furthermore, bed planks of a hospital bed can only be moved to either a high position or a low one, incapable of being moved to any other position between the high and the low positions, if the lifting and lowering device of the hospital bed is equipped with an air pressure cylinder or an oil hydraulic one. In other words, the height of the hospital bed can't be adjusted to be suitable for different patients.

[0012]Moreover, because the above oil hydraulic/air pressure cylinders are installed on the bottoms of hospital beds, they will occupy much space under the bed planks, thus becoming an obstacle to the bed planks, the bed planks can't be lowered sufficiently in order for seriously sick patients to be easily moved onto/out of the hospital beds.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0013]It is a main object of the present invention to provide an improvement on a lifting and lowering adjustment structure of a bed to overcome the above problems.

[0014]A lifting and lowering adjustment structure according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a stand, a bed plank, a lifting and lowering device for the bed plank, and a power mechanism. The stand includes a supporting beam, supporting rods joined to two ends of the supporting beam, a main rod joined to an intermediate portion of the supporting beam. The lifting and lowering device includes a beam, sleeves joined to two ends of the beam and positioned around the supporting rods of the stand, and a sliding member, which is joined to the beam to be on two sides of the main rod of the stand. The power mechanism includes a motor, a screw rod connected to the motor, and a sleeve, which is positioned around and threaded engaged with the screw rod. The sleeve is securely joined to the sliding member while the bed plank is securely joined to the sleeves of the lifting and lowering device. Therefore, when the power mechanism is actuated, the bed plank will be moved to a new height through the lifting and lowering device in order for a person to move onto/out of the bed easily.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015]The present invention will be better understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0016]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention,

[0017]FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the present invention,

[0018]FIG. 3 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the present invention,

[0019]FIG. 4 is a view of the present invention being in use (1),

[0020]FIG. 5 is a view of the present invention being in use (2),

[0021]FIG. 6 is a view of the present invention being in use (3), and

[0022]FIG. 7 is a view of the present invention being in use (4).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023]Referring to FIG. 1, a preferred embodiment of a lifting and lowering adjustment structure of a bed of the present invention includes a stand 1, two lifting and lowering devices 2 connected to two ends of the stand 1 respectively, a bed plank 3, and a tilting device 4.

[0024]Referring to FIG. 2 as well, the stand 1 includes:

[0025]a supporting beam 11 at each of the two ends thereof;

[0026]several casters 12, which are joined to lower sides of the supporting beams 11;

[0027]supporting rods 13, which are joined to two ends of the supporting beams 11 respectively; and

[0028]two main rods 14, which are securely joined to the supporting beams 11 respectively, and arranged between two corresponding said supporting rods 13.

[0029]Referring to FIG. 3 as well, each of the lifting and lowering devices 2 includes:

[0030]a beam 21;

[0031]two sleeves 22, which are joined to two ends of the beam 21 respectively, and positioned around corresponding said supporting rods 13 of the stand 1 respectively;

[0032]a sliding member 23, which is joined to the beam 21 so as to be on two sides of a corresponding said main rod 14 of the stand 1; the sliding member 23 can slide on the main rod 14 of the stand 1; and

[0033]a power mechanism 24; the motor 24 includes a motor 241, a screw rod 242 connected to the motor 241, and a sleeve 243, which is positioned around the screw rod 242, and has inner threads to threadedly engage the screw rod 242; the sleeve 243 is securely joined to the sliding member 23. Furthermore, each of the main rods 14 of the stand 1 comprises two covering plate members 141, which are securely disposed on two sides of a corresponding said lifting and lowering device 2.

[0034]The bed plank 3 includes a frame 31, and a main body 32; the frame 31 is securely joined to the sleeves 22 of the lifting and lowering devices while the main body 32 is positioned within and pivoted to the frame 31 (FIG. 1).

[0035]The tilting device 4 is securely joined to the frame 31 of the bed plank 3, and has an output shaft 41 connected to the main body 32 of the bed plank 3, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6. The tilting device 4 is a pressure cylinder.

[0036]Therefore, the bed plank 3 can be lifted and lowered to adjust height by means of the lifting and lowering devices 2. Referring to FIG. 1, when the motors 241 of the power mechanisms 24 the lifting and lowering devices 2 are actuated, they will cause the screw rods 242 to rotate so as to move the sleeves 243 on the screw rods 242, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5; the direction of the sleeves 243 depends on the rotational direction of the screw rods 242; for example, the sleeves 243 will move upwards when the screw rods 242 rotate in a clockwise direction. Thus, the sliding members 23 are moved on the main rods 14 of the stand 1 so as to move the sleeves 22 on the supporting rods 13 of the stand 1. Consequently, the bed plank 3 securely joined to the sleeves 22 of the lifting and lowering devices 2 are moved to a new height in order for a person to move onto/out of the bed easily.

[0037]The motors 241 should be turned off as soon as the bed plank 3 is moved to a proper height; thus, the bed plank 3 is fixed in position. In addition, referring to FIG. 7, if the bed is used with a seriously ill person who can't move out of the bed by himself/herself, the bed plank 3 can be lowered to a lowermost portion of the stand 1 in order for the seriously ill patient to be easily moved out of the bed.

[0038]The tilting device 4 can be actuated to move the main body 32 of the bed plank 3 to a sloping position in order for a person to recline on the bed more comfortably.

[0039]Furthermore, because the motors 241 are used as the power source to move the bed plank 3, and power is transmitted through the screw rods 242 and the sleeves 243 positioned around and threadedly engaged with the screw rods 242, the bed plank 3 can bear relatively much weight, and can move upwards and downwards relatively smoothly at a heightened speed. Therefore, the present invention is safe to use, and will save the user time and labor, being suitable for use in hospitals.

[0040]From the above description, it can be seen that the present invention has the following advantages:

[0041]1. The power mechanisms of the present invention each comprise a motor, a screw rod connected to the motor, and a sleeve positioned around and threaded engaged with the screw rod, and can move to bed plank to a proper position according to the user's height in order for the user to move onto/out of the bed easily.

[0042]2. Because the lifting and lowering devices of the present invention are positioned on two ends of the stand of the bed instead of the bottom of the bed plank, they can move the bed plank to a relatively low position as compared with the prior art, which includes an oil hydraulic/air pressure cylinder installed on a bottom of a bed plank to occupy much space under the bed plank. Therefore, the present invention allows a seriously ill patient to be easily moved out of the bed, being more convenient to use than the prior art.

[0043]3. The lifting and lowering devices of the present invention are equipped with motors to serve as the power source to move the bed plank, and power is transmitted through the screw rods and the sleeves positioned around and threadedly engaged with the screw rods. Therefore, the bed plank can bear relatively much weight, and can move upwards and downwards relatively smoothly at a heightened speed as compared with that of the prior art.

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