JP7620980B2 - Auxiliary handrail - Google Patents

Description

Article 30, paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applies. September 29, 2021 Matsuroku Co., Ltd. shipped the product related to the present invention to Frontier Co., Ltd.

The present invention relates to an auxiliary handrail suitable for use in the fields of nursing care and welfare.

Portable and stationary handrails have traditionally been used for elderly people and people requiring nursing care assistance (hereinafter referred to as "users") who have difficulty getting up and sitting down from a chair or bed on their own, although they do not require assistance from others.

This type of auxiliary handrail typically includes a base portion, a support portion erected on the base portion, and a handrail portion supported by the support portion (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

In addition to the above, auxiliary handrails are also known that are equipped with fall prevention mechanisms that can be hooked onto a bed or other object to prevent the user from falling over due to the lateral load applied when standing up (see, for example, Patent Documents 3 and 5).

Furthermore, an auxiliary handrail has been proposed that includes a first gripping rod formed in a straight line and a second gripping rod that is connected to the first gripping rod and extends while curving in a direction that intersects with the first gripping rod in a plan view, allowing the user to grip the gripping rods regardless of the direction their hands are facing, and that provides a positioning member on the support section to ensure that the horizontal distance from the bed is greater than or equal to a predetermined dimension (see, for example, Patent Document 4).

An auxiliary handrail has also been proposed in which a first handrail section is installed between the upper ends of a first support post and a second support post that are erected on a base, and a second handrail section is provided along the first handrail section via a connecting section with the support posts or the first handrail section (see, for example, Patent Document 5).

All of the auxiliary handrails mentioned above are intended for use primarily in bedrooms and living rooms. For this reason, various handrails have been proposed for use in bathrooms, particularly those that aid in movement between the wash area and the bathtub (see, for example, Patent Documents 6 and 7).

The bathtub handrail disclosed in Patent Document 6 is installed by inserting the legs of the handrail into mounting holes formed in the wall of the bathtub and the wash area, while the bathtub handrail disclosed in Patent Document 7 is installed by clamping the wall of the bathtub with a clamping part.

Utility Model Registration No. 3034536 Utility Model Registration No. 3217350 Utility Model Registration No. 3127542 Utility Model Registration No. 3148521 JP 2015-202317 A Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-275894 JP 2019-180680 A

The auxiliary handrails disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 5 above are based on the premise that the user will grasp the handrail portion of the auxiliary handrail with one hand when standing up or sitting down from a chair or bed. Among them, the auxiliary handrail disclosed in Patent Document 5 is designed to have first and second handrail portions so that the handrail portions can be grasped with both hands or the arms can be placed on the handrail portions. Meanwhile, the auxiliary handrails for bathtubs disclosed in Patent Documents 6 and 7 are specialized to be installed on the wall portion of the bathtub to assist movement between the wash area and inside the bathtub.

However, the above-mentioned conventional handrails still have room for improvement in terms of assistance for sitting and standing and versatility. This is explained in more detail below.

First, in terms of assistance for standing and sitting, a user with strong arms can easily stand up by grabbing the handrail with one hand, but a user with weak arms cannot do this and tends to grab the handrail with both hands. In that case, due to the structure of the auxiliary handrail, both hands have to grab the same handrail, so both hands are side by side, and so a large load tends to be placed on both wrists when standing up. As a result, even if both hands are grabbing the handrail, it is difficult to transfer the force to the handrail, and it is difficult to stand up smoothly. In this regard, the auxiliary handrail disclosed in Patent Document 5 allows the arms to be placed across the first and second handrails, so even if the strength of the hands is weak, the user can stand up by placing the arms on both handrails and resting the weight on the auxiliary handrail. However, with the auxiliary handrail disclosed in Patent Document 5, if the arms are placed across the first and second handrails, there is nothing to grab with the hands, so the posture is likely to become unstable when standing up. As a result, in the worst case scenario, the arms could slip over the first and second handrails, causing them to open up, causing the head to fall and strike the face hard on the first and second handrails or the connecting part.

Next, in terms of versatility, the auxiliary handrails disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 5 are all suitable for use in bedrooms, living rooms, etc., but many are unsuitable for use in bathrooms due to their size, water resistance, or corrosion resistance. On the other hand, the bathtub handrails disclosed in Patent Documents 6 and 7 are specialized for use in bathrooms and cannot be used anywhere else. For this reason, if one wishes to install handrails in both a bedroom or living room and a bathroom, it is necessary to prepare two types of handrails as mentioned above, which creates a problem of a higher financial burden for the user.

In addition, when using a shower chair that allows you to shower while sitting in it in the bathroom, the bathtub handrails described above are limited to a location on the wall of the bathtub, making them in an inconvenient position for standing up and sitting down from the shower chair, and therefore are not suitable for helping people stand up and sit down from the shower chair. To solve this problem, it is conceivable to bring the auxiliary handrails disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 5 into the bathroom separately and use them in combination with the bathtub handrails, but while this may be possible in a bathroom with a large, spacious wash area, it is unrealistic to use two types of handrails as described above in combination in a bathroom with a small wash area, such as a unit bath. This causes the problem that people have no choice but to rely on the inconvenient bathtub handrails to help them stand up and sit down from the shower chair.

Furthermore, if there is space in the washing area to install the auxiliary handrails disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 5 together with the shower chair, it is conceivable that only the auxiliary handrail will be installed without installing a bathtub handrail, and this auxiliary handrail will be used both to assist in standing up and sitting down from the shower chair, and to assist in moving between the washing area and the bathtub. However, in this case, the edge of the base abuts against the wall of the bathtub, inevitably forming a space between the support post of the auxiliary handrail and the wall of the bathtub, so that when a lateral load is applied to the auxiliary handrail in the direction of the bathtub, there is a high risk that the auxiliary handrail will tilt toward the bathtub with the edge of the base as a fulcrum, which poses the risk of an accident such as the user falling. Also, if the bottom of the bathtub wall is recessed and the edge of the base fits into this recess so that the support pillar fits along the wall, even if a lateral load is applied to the auxiliary handrail in the direction of the bathtub, the bathtub wall will come into contact with the support pillar and support it, so there is no risk of a fall as described above. However, every time the bathtub is used, the wall will rub against the support pillar, damaging the surface of the wall. This not only ruins the appearance of the bathtub, but also makes it easier for mold to grow in the damaged areas, making it difficult to keep the bathroom hygienic.

To solve this problem, it is envisaged that a member for preventing the auxiliary handrail from tilting be interposed between the support pillar of the auxiliary handrail and the wall of the bathtub. Examples of such a mechanism include the anti-tipping mechanism disclosed in Patent Documents 3 and 5. However, the anti-tipping mechanisms disclosed in these patent documents are inserted into the gap of the bed or clamped against the wall of the bed, and cannot be used as a member for the bathtub as is because the shapes of the bed and the bathtub are significantly different. Even if such an anti-tipping mechanism is used in a way other than as described above, such as by abutting the tip of the anti-tipping mechanism against the wall of the bathtub as disclosed in Patent Document 4, bathtubs are diverse and their shapes vary from bathtub to bathtub, so there is no limit to the variation in the spacing between the wall of the bathtub and the support pillar, and the anti-tipping mechanism, which has a fixed length, cannot be used. It is also envisaged that multiple types of anti-tipping mechanisms with different lengths are prepared in advance and the one that corresponds to the spacing between the support pillar and the wall of the bathtub is selected, but it is unrealistic to prepare an anti-tipping mechanism that can accommodate all spacings in advance. It is also conceivable to give the tip-over prevention mechanism an expandable function so that the extension length can be adjusted according to the distance between the bathtub wall and the support. In that case, a sliding member and a support member to support this sliding member are required, but when considering the necessary length of these members from the standpoint of ensuring strength, if the necessary length exceeds the distance between the bathtub wall and the support, this is not a solution either.

The present invention was made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a versatile handrail that can safely and reliably assist even extremely weak users in standing up and sitting down from a chair or bed, and can be installed anywhere.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the auxiliary handrail disclosed in the present application includes a base portion installed on the floor surface, a support portion erected on the base portion, and a handrail portion provided on the upper end of the support portion, and the handrail portion comprises a horizontal rod connected to the support portion, a pair of gripping rods extending linearly in the same direction from both ends of the horizontal rod, and a handrail rod installed between the both ends of the pair of gripping rods, and the pair of gripping rods have a shortest length that prevents interference between the hands and the handrail rod when gripping the gripping rods, and are sloped upward toward the handrail rod with the distance between them narrowing toward the handrail rod , and the handrail rod is connected to the tip of the gripping rod via connecting portions erected vertically at both ends .

According to the present invention, the handrail section has a pair of gripping rods that slope upward toward the handrail and the distance between them narrows toward the handrail, so that when standing up or sitting down from a chair or bed, the user can grip each gripping rod of the handrail section with each hand. By having the user assume such a gripping position, when the user leans their upper body toward the auxiliary handrail from a sitting position on a chair or bed and rests their weight on the handrail section, the angle of the wrist and the angle of the forearm (the distance between both elbows) are naturally guided to ideal angles that do not place undue strain on the wrist and upper arm, respectively, so that the gripping rod can be stably and sufficiently pushed when standing up. As a result, even a weak user can firmly transmit force to the auxiliary handrail when standing up or sitting down, which promotes a smooth standing up movement by placing the center of gravity in the front.

In the above auxiliary handrail, the base portion may be provided with a plurality of mounting portions to which the support portions are attached, and the erected positions of the support portions on the base portion may be changed as required.

In this case, the positional relationship between the handrail and the base can be changed as appropriate, for example by pointing the handrail inward or outward from the base, depending on the usage situation.

In the above-mentioned auxiliary handrail, the handrail portion may be slidable relative to the support portion, and the height of the handrail portion may be adjustable.

In this case, the height of the handrail can be adjusted to suit the user's body type.

In the above auxiliary handrail, the distance between the pair of gripping rods is 310 mm to 330 mm (center-to-center dimension) at the base ends of both gripping rods, the degree of inward inclination of each gripping rod is 25° to 35° in a plan view, and the gradient of each gripping rod is 25° to 35° in a side view.

If the distance between the gripping rods is less than 310 mm at the center-center dimension at the base end of each gripping rod, the distance between the arms becomes too narrow, making it difficult to transmit force to the gripping rod. Conversely, if it exceeds 330 mm, the distance between the arms becomes too wide, making it difficult to transmit force to the gripping rod. Also, if the inward tilt of each gripping rod is less than 25° in a plan view, when the gripping rod is grasped, both wrists are twisted outward (toward the little finger of each hand), which places an extra load on the inner muscles of the forearm, and conversely, if it exceeds 35°, both wrists are twisted inward (toward the thumb of each hand), which places an extra load on the outer muscles of the forearm. For this reason, if the tilt degree is within the above range, the muscles of the forearm can be used evenly, and force can be transmitted efficiently to the gripping rod. Furthermore, if the inclination of each grip rod is less than 25° in side view, the grip rod cannot be pushed sufficiently without pointing the wrist downwards, and if it exceeds 35°, the wrist will point upwards and the grip rod will be pushed back even if pushed, hindering the standing up movement in either case.

The auxiliary handrail may be provided with a tilt prevention device that is detachable from the support and is interposed between the wall surface of the home appliance or the wall surface inside the room and the support, thereby preventing the entire auxiliary handrail from accidentally tilting toward the wall surface.

In this case, when used in the bathroom instead of a conventional bathtub handrail, even if a lateral load is applied to the auxiliary handrail in the direction of the bathtub when moving between the wash area and inside the bathtub, the anti-tilt device comes into contact with the wall of the bathtub and supports the support part, so the auxiliary handrail will not tilt and falls can be prevented.

In the above auxiliary handrail, the anti-tilt device may have a curved outer surface that follows the Fibonacci sequence and be rotatable relative to the support.

In this case, the distance between the surface of the support part and the outer peripheral surface of the anti-tip device changes steplessly around the outer peripheral surface, so no matter what the distance between the bathtub wall and the support part is, the anti-tip device can be properly abutted against the bathtub wall simply by rotating the anti-tip device around the support part.

The present invention can safely and reliably assist even extremely weak users in standing up and sitting down from a chair or bed, and can provide a versatile handrail that can be installed anywhere.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of an auxiliary handrail disclosed in the present application. FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view of an auxiliary handrail disclosed herein. 1 is a partially enlarged side view showing a handrail portion of an auxiliary handrail disclosed in the present application. 1 is a partially enlarged plan view showing a handrail portion of an auxiliary handrail disclosed in the present application. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example in which the auxiliary handrail disclosed herein is installed in front of a shower chair. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of use of the auxiliary handrail disclosed in the present application. 1 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a state in which a user is gripping a handrail portion of an auxiliary handrail disclosed in the present application. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of an auxiliary handrail disclosed in the present application installed in a toilet. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of use of an auxiliary handrail disclosed in the present application when installed in a toilet. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of an auxiliary handrail disclosed herein installed in front of the entrance to a bathroom. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of an auxiliary handrail disclosed herein installed in a bathroom as a bathtub handrail. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the auxiliary handrail disclosed in the present application being used as a bathtub handrail in a bathroom. 1 is a partially enlarged schematic perspective view showing the attachment state of a tilt prevention device in an auxiliary handrail disclosed in the present application. 1 is a schematic side view showing a tilting state that may occur when a tilt prevention device is not used. 1A and 1B show an example of an auxiliary handrail tilt prevention device disclosed in the present application, where FIG. 1A is a schematic plan view and FIG. 1A and 1B show another example of an auxiliary handrail tipping prevention device disclosed in the present application, where FIG. 10A and 10B show yet another example of an auxiliary handrail tipping prevention device disclosed herein, where FIG.

The following describes embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are examples of embodiments that embody the present invention and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, the same reference numerals are used to designate components that are common to the following descriptions and drawings.

<Configuration of auxiliary handrails>
The configuration of the auxiliary handrail disclosed in the present application will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG.

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of an auxiliary handrail, Figure 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the auxiliary handrail, and Figure 3 is a partially enlarged side view showing the handrail portion of the auxiliary handrail.

The auxiliary handrail 1 disclosed in this application includes a base portion 10 that is installed on the floor surface, a support portion 20 that stands on the base portion 10, and a handrail portion 30 that is provided on the upper end of the support portion 20. Each portion will be described in detail below.

<Base part>
The base portion 10 has the function of fixing the auxiliary handrail 1 to the floor surface. The peripheral end of the base portion 10 is provided with an inclined surface 11 that faces the floor surface, and by this, the center of the base portion 10 is raised above the floor surface, and space is secured for attaching the fixing member 25 used to fix the support portion 20 and a weight (not shown) to the back surface of the base portion 10. The base portion 10 thus constructed has a low center of gravity and a large contact area with the floor surface in order to prevent accidents caused by the auxiliary handrail 1 tipping over.

The base portion 10 can be made of a metal plate or a high-strength synthetic resin plate. If a metal plate is used, it is recommended that it be treated to be rust-proof in consideration of its use in a bathtub. For example, the front and back surfaces of the base portion 10 may be coated with a urethane paint and/or a decorative paint. In addition, the peripheral edge portion 12 of the inclined surface 11 may be further fitted with a cushioning material made of, for example, rubber or synthetic resin, which can prevent scratches on the floor surface and ensure the safety of the user.

The base 10 has two sets of support attachment parts 13, 14. One set 13, 13 is located near one side edge of the base, and the other set 14, 14 is located in the center of the base. The support attachment parts 13, 14 have three through holes 15-17 arranged in a row and a decorative cap 18 that closes the through holes 15-17 when not in use. Of the three through holes 15-17, the two outer through holes 15, 17 are screw insertion holes through which the mounting screws 25d are inserted, and the central through hole 16 is a water drainage hole. The decorative cap 18 is preferably made of soft resin so that the user will not get injured even if they touch it barefoot. The decorative cap 18 is attached to the support attachment parts 13, 14 by fitting a pair of fitting protrusions 18a, 18a on the back surface of the decorative cap 18 into the screw insertion holes (the two outer through holes 15, 17).

<Support part>
In the illustrated example, the support section 20 is composed of two support members 21, 21. These support members 21, 21 include a cylindrical holder section 22 having a decorative cover 22a fixed to the lower end thereof, and a support 23 that is removably inserted into the holder section 22.

The holder part 22 has an insertion hole 22b through which a height adjustment screw (not shown) is inserted on the opposing side surface. Inside the decorative cover 22a fixed to the lower end of the holder part 22, a fixed plate 25a with a nut 25b fixed to the upper surface is installed. In FIG. 2, the holder part 22, the decorative cover 22a, and the fixed plate 25a are drawn separately, but this is for the purpose of explanation, and in reality, these three members are integrated, for example, by welding. The holder part 22 thus constructed is fixed upright on the base part 10 by screwing the mounting screw 25d inserted from below the abutment plate 25c that abuts against the back surface of the base part 10 into the nut 25b of the fixed plate 25a, and clamping the base part 10 between the fixed plate 25a and the abutment plate 25c. The fixed plate 25a and the abutment plate 25c also have drainage holes 24 corresponding to the drainage hole (central through hole 16) of the base part. The decorative cover 22a may not be fixed to the holder part 22, but may simply be placed over the fixed plate 25a. The mounting screw 5d may be fixed to the abutment plate 25c, while the fixed plate 25a and the nut 25b may be separate, and the nut 25b may be screwed onto the mounting screw 25d.

The support 23 has multiple screw holes 23b in a vertical row that correspond to the insertion holes 22b of the holder section 22 and screw into height adjustment screws. By appropriately selecting one of these screw holes 23b, the length of the support 23 protruding from the holder section 22 changes, allowing the height of the handrail section 30 to be adjusted.

The support part 20 described above is selectively fixed upright to one of the two sets of support part attachment parts 13, 14 of the base part 10 by attaching and detaching the attachment screw 25d, and a decorative cap 18 is attached to the support part attachment part 13, 14 to which the support part 20 is not attached.

In the above example, the support section 20 is composed of two support members 21, 21, but is not limited to this and may be composed of, for example, one or three or more support members, and may be plate-shaped instead of column-shaped.

<Handrail section>
The handrail section 30 comprises a horizontal rod 31 connected to the support section 20, a pair of gripping rods 32, 32 extending in the same direction from both ends of the horizontal rod 31, and a handrail rod 33 installed between the two end ends 32a, 32a of the pair of gripping rods 32, 32.

The horizontal rod 31 has connecting parts 31a that are hung from both ends to which the tip ends 23a of each support 23 of the support section 20 are connected. The connecting parts 31a and the support 23 are connected by welding the core material in the connecting parts 31a to the tip ends 23a of the support 23. Note that the means of connecting the connecting parts 31a of the horizontal rod 1 to each support 23 is not limited to the above, and for example, the connecting parts 31a of the horizontal rod 1 and each support 23 may be connected by fitting the tip ends 23a of the support 23 into the connecting parts 31a and screwing a fixing screw from the outside of the connecting parts 31a toward the tip ends 23a of the support 23. In this case, the height of the handrail section 30 can be fine-tuned by adjusting the depth to which the tip ends 23a are fitted into the connecting parts 31a.

The pair of grip rods 32, 32 are inclined upwards toward the handrail rod 33, and the distance between them narrows toward the handrail rod 33. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the length of the grip rods 32, 32 should be as short as possible so that the hand H and the handrail rod 33 do not interfere with each other when gripping the grip rods 32, 32.

The handrail rod 33 is connected to the tips of the grip rods 32, 32 via connecting parts 33a suspended from both ends. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the user M can grasp this handrail rod 33 when standing up or sitting down from the toilet B, as shown in FIG. 10, the user M can grasp it in a standing position in front of the entrance E when entering the bathroom, or as shown in FIG. 12, the user can grasp it when moving between the wash area W and the bathtub T in the bathroom. The length (rise dimension) of the connecting parts 33a is set appropriately taking into account the level difference with the horizontal rod 31 and the height position of the handrail rod 33.

With this handrail section 30, when standing up or sitting down from a chair or bed, the user can grasp each of the gripping rods 32, 32 of the handrail section 30 with the left and right hands H, H, as shown in FIG. 7. By having the user M assume such a gripping position, as shown in FIG. 6, when the user M leans his/her upper body toward the auxiliary handrail 1 from a sitting position on a chair C or bed and rests his/her weight on the handrail section 30, the angle of the wrist and the angle of the forearm (the distance between both elbows) are naturally guided to an ideal angle that does not put an excessive load on the wrist and upper arm, respectively, so that the gripping rods 32, 32 can be stably and sufficiently pushed when standing up. As a result, even a weak user can firmly transmit force to the auxiliary handrail 1 when standing up or sitting down, which promotes a smooth standing up movement by placing the center of gravity in the front.

Here, referring to FIG. 4, the specific mutual distance d between the gripping rods 32, 32 is preferably 310 mm to 330 mm in the center-to-center dimension at the base ends of both gripping rods 32, 32 (both ends of the horizontal rod 31). If the distance between the gripping rods 32, 32 is less than 310 mm, the distance between the arms becomes too narrow, making it difficult to transmit force to the gripping rods 32, 32. Conversely, if it exceeds 330 mm, the distance between the arms becomes too wide, making it difficult to transmit force to the gripping rods 32, 32 in this case as well.

Furthermore, the specific inward tilt degree α of the gripping rods 32, 32 is preferably 25° to 35° in plan view, with reference to FIG. 4. If the tilt degree α of the gripping rods 32, 32 is less than 25°, when the gripping rods 32, 32 are grasped, both wrists are twisted outward (toward the little finger of each hand), which places an extra load on the inner muscles of the forearm. Conversely, if the tilt degree exceeds 35°, both wrists are twisted inward (toward the thumb of each hand), which places an extra load on the outer muscles of the forearm. For this reason, if the tilt degree is within the above range, the muscles of the forearm can be used without bias, and force can be transmitted efficiently to the gripping rods 32, 32.

Furthermore, the specific gradient angle θ of the gripping rods 32, 32 is preferably 25° to 35° in side view, as shown in FIG. 3. If the gradient is less than 25° in side view, the gripping rods 32, 32 cannot be pushed sufficiently without pointing the wrists downwards, and if it exceeds 35°, the wrists point upwards, so the gripping rods 32, 32 are pushed back even if they are pushed, and in either case the standing up movement is hindered.

In the handrail section 30 described above, if all or part of the horizontal rod 31 and the handrail rod 33 have a substantially elliptical cross-sectional shape, they will fit very well in the hand when gripped. On the other hand, it is preferable that the gripping rods 32, 32 have a circular cross-sectional shape in terms of ease of gripping. In addition, it is preferable that the material and thickness of these rods are such that they are not slippery when gripped and give the user a comfortable feeling. Furthermore, the handrail section 30 may be molded in one piece.

<Tilt prevention device>
Next, an example of the embodiment of the auxiliary handrail 1 disclosed in the present application described above, which is equipped with a tipping prevention device 40, will be described.

As shown in Figs. 11 and 12, the anti-tilt device 40 is suitable for use when the auxiliary handrail 1 is used as a bathtub handrail in a bathroom, and is detachable from the support part 20 of the auxiliary handrail 1, and is interposed between the wall surface of the home appliance or the wall surface of the room and the support part 20 to prevent the entire auxiliary handrail 1 from accidentally tipping toward the wall surface. In other words, when used in a bathroom instead of a conventional bathtub handrail, as shown in Fig. 12, even if a lateral load is applied to the auxiliary handrail 1 in the direction of the bathtub T when moving between the wash area W and the bathtub T, as shown in Figs. 11 to 13, the anti-tilt device 40 comes into contact with the wall body T1 of the bathtub T and supports the support part 20, so that the auxiliary handrail 1 does not tip over as shown in Fig. 14, and a fall accident can be prevented.

As shown in Figures 15 to 17, the anti-tipping device 40 is preferably one whose outer circumferential surface 47 is curved according to the Fibonacci sequence, and which is rotatably attached to the holder portion 22 of the support member 21, as shown in Figure 13. With such a configuration, the distance r between the surface of the holder portion 22 of the support member 21 and the outer circumferential surface 47 of the anti-tipping device 40 changes steplessly around the outer circumferential surface 47, so that the anti-tipping device 40 can be appropriately abutted against the wall body T1 of the bathtub T simply by rotating the anti-tipping device 40 around the support member 21, regardless of the distance between the wall body T1 of the bathtub T and the support member 21.

15, an insertion hole 42 through which the holder part 22 of the support member 21 is inserted and a clamping part 43 are integrally provided on one end side of a preventive device main body 41 having a substantially magatama shape. The insertion hole 42 has an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the holder part 22 of the support member 21, and its inner space communicates with the outside of the preventive device main body 41 through a gap part 44 formed by bending from one point on the inner circumferential surface of the insertion hole 42. The part defined by the gap part 44 is the clamping part 43. The clamping part 43 is provided with a bolt insertion hole 45 through which a tightening bolt (not shown) for tightening the support member 21 is inserted, and a female screw part (not shown) having an opening facing the gap part 44 on the extension line of the bolt insertion hole 45 is engraved inside the preventive device main body 41. The outer peripheral surface 47 of the device body 41 from the outside of the insertion hole 42 to the tapered portion 46 on the opposite side is curved in accordance with the Fibonacci sequence. A tipping prevention device 40 like this is preferably made of resin or other material with an elastic surface so as not to damage the walls of the bathtub or other home appliances or the walls inside the room.

The example shown in Figure 16 is a solid part of a fixed thickness, whereas the example shown in Figure 15 is a thin part except for the bolt insertion hole 45 and the female threaded part, making it lighter, thinner, and cheaper in material costs. The rest of the structure is the same as that explained in Figure 15.

The example shown in Figure 17 is intermediate between the example shown in Figure 15 and the example shown in Figure 16, and the area other than the insertion hole 42 and the clamping portion 43 has been thinned out to make the width of the outer circumferential surface 47 approximately the same as that shown in Figure 15.

When attaching the anti-tilt device 40 to the auxiliary handrail 1, the support 23, which is integrated with the handrail section 30 at the connecting section 31a, is pulled out from the holder section 22 of the support member 21, and the anti-tilt device 40 is fitted onto the tip of the holder section 22 and lowered to a specified height position, and then the clamping section 43 is tightened with a tightening bolt to attach it.

<Example of using auxiliary handrails>
Next, a usage example of the auxiliary handrail 1 disclosed in the present application will be described.

Figure 5 shows an example of use for assisting in standing up and sitting down from the shower chair C. In this example, the support 20 is erected on the support attachment parts 14, 14 in the center of the base 10, and the auxiliary handrail 1 is installed directly opposite the shower chair C so that the handrail rod 33 of the handrail part 30 is on the far side from the shower chair C. Here, the distance between the grip rods 32, 32 and the shower chair C is set so that the grip rods 32, 32 can be gripped in a proper forward center of gravity posture while sitting on the shower chair C, as shown in Figure 6. In this case, it is preferable to determine the size of the base 10 so that the front legs C1 of the shower chair C do not ride up on the base 10. When the front legs C1 of the shower chair C ride up on the base 10, the shower chair C tilts backwards and the user is forced to take a backward posture, making it difficult to take a forward center of gravity posture toward the grip rods 32, 32, which may hinder the standing up movement.

Figure 8 shows an example of use in a toilet to assist in standing up and sitting down from the toilet bowl B. In this example, the support section 20 is erected on the support section mounting sections 13, 13 near the edge of the base section 10 so that the handrail rod 33 of the handrail section 30 is positioned above the base section 10, and the handrail rod 33 is installed in front of the toilet bowl B so that it is aligned with the sitting direction of the toilet bowl B. As shown in Figure 9, the user M places both feet on the base section 10 while sitting on the toilet bowl B, and grasps the handrail rod 33 with one hand when standing up or sitting down. In this case, since the user M stands on the base section 10, there is no risk of the auxiliary handrail 1 leaning towards the side wall even if a force acts on it toward the side wall of the toilet.

Figure 10 shows an example of installation in front of the bathroom entrance E to assist with entering and exiting the bathroom. In this example, the support part 20 is erected on the support part mounting parts 13, 13 near the edge of the base part 10 so that the handrail part 33 of the handrail part 30 is positioned above the base part 10, and the handrail part 33 is installed in front of the bathroom entrance E so that it is aligned with the direction of entry into the bathroom. The user M stands on the base part 10 with both feet and grasps the handrail part 33 with one hand.

Figure 11 shows an example of the case where the auxiliary handrail 1 disclosed in the present application is used as a bathtub handrail. In this example, the support portion 20 is erected on the support portion attachment portions 13, 13 near the edge of the base portion 10 so that the handrail rod 33 of the handrail portion 30 is located outside the base portion 10, and the support portion 20 is installed so that the handrail rod 33 is located above the wall T1 of the bathtub T or above the inner wall surface of the bathtub T so that the support portion 20 is close to the wall T1 of the bathtub T. In this case, the peripheral edge portion 12 of the base portion 10 abuts against the wall T1 of the bathtub T, and a space is inevitably formed between the support portion 20 of the auxiliary handrail 1 and the wall T1 of the bathtub T. Therefore, when a lateral load is applied to the auxiliary handrail 1 in the direction of the bathtub T, as shown in Figure 14, there is a high possibility that the auxiliary handrail 1 will tilt toward the bathtub T with the peripheral edge portion 12 of the base portion 10 as a fulcrum, which may cause an accident such as the user falling. Therefore, the tipping prevention device 40 is attached to the support part 20 as described above. The attachment position is preferably near the upper end of the wall T1 of the bathtub T, as shown in Figures 11 to 13. Here, the outer peripheral surface 47 of the tipping prevention device 40 is curved to which the Fibonacci sequence is applied, and is rotatable relative to the support part 20. Therefore, the distance r between the surface of the support part 20 and the outer peripheral surface 47 of the tipping prevention device 40 changes steplessly around the outer peripheral surface 47. Therefore, regardless of the distance between the wall T1 of the bathtub T and the support part 20, the tipping prevention device 40 can be appropriately abutted against the wall T1 of the bathtub T simply by rotating the tipping prevention device 40 around the support part 20. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent falls caused by the tipping of the auxiliary handrail 1 as described above.

When user M moves between the washing area W and the bathtub T, as shown in FIG. 12, he or she grasps the handles 32, 32 with both hands H, H and straddles the wall T1 of the bathtub T. At that time, the auxiliary handrail 1 is maintained stably on the washing area W without tilting toward the bathtub T due to the action of the tilt prevention device 40, so user M can move safely between the washing area W and the bathtub T, both of which are slippery.

The present invention can be embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or main features. Therefore, the above-described embodiments are merely illustrative in all respects and should not be interpreted as being restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims and is not bound by the descriptions in the specification and drawings. Furthermore, all modifications and changes within the equivalent scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention.

1 Auxiliary handrail 10 Base part 20 Support part 30 Handrail part 31 Side bar 32 Grip bar 33 Handrail bar 40 Tilt prevention device 47 Outer circumferential surface

Claims (6)

A base portion installed on a floor surface;
A support portion erected on the base portion;
A handrail portion provided at an upper end of the support portion,
The handrail portion is
A cross rod connected to the support portion;
A pair of gripping rods extending linearly in the same direction from both ends of the horizontal rod;
A handrail rod is provided between both tip ends of the pair of grip rods,
The pair of gripping rods have a length that is shortest so that the hands and the handrail rods do not interfere with each other when the gripping rods are gripped, and are sloped upward toward the handrail rods, and the distance between them becomes narrower toward the handrail rods ,
An auxiliary handrail characterized in that the handrail rod is connected to the tip of the grip rod via connecting parts vertically installed at both ends thereof . The auxiliary handrail according to claim 1,
An auxiliary handrail characterized in that the base portion has mounting portions at multiple points to which the support portions are attached, and the upright positions of the support portions on the base portion can be changed as required. The auxiliary handrail according to claim 1 or 2,
An auxiliary handrail, characterized in that the handrail portion is slidable relative to the support portion and the height of the handrail portion is adjustable. In the auxiliary handrail according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
This auxiliary handrail is characterized in that the distance between the pair of gripping rods is 310 mm to 330 mm (center-to-center dimension) at the base ends of both gripping rods, the degree of inward inclination of each gripping rod is 25° to 35° when viewed in a plane, and the slope of each gripping rod is 25° to 35° when viewed from the side. In the auxiliary handrail according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
This auxiliary handrail is characterized by being equipped with a tipping prevention device that is detachable from the support part and that is interposed between the wall surface of the home appliance or the wall surface inside the room and the support part to prevent the entire auxiliary handrail from accidentally tipping toward the wall surface. The auxiliary handrail according to claim 5,
The auxiliary handrail is characterized in that the outer surface of the anti-tilt device is curved in accordance with the Fibonacci sequence and is rotatable relative to the support portion.

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