US3724005A

US3724005A - Stretcher

Info

Publication number: US3724005A
Application number: US00155561A
Authority: US
Inventors: S Stevens
Original assignee: US Philips Corp
Current assignee: US Philips Corp
Priority date: 1970-07-11
Filing date: 1971-06-22
Publication date: 1973-04-03
Anticipated expiration: 1990-04-03
Also published as: IL37269A0; DE2129871A1; FR2101573A5; AU3096671A; GB1353093A; JPS5338559B1; CA947457A; NL7010300A; SE374653B

Abstract

A stretcher comprising a frame having at least two parallel upper guides, incorporated in said frame on the front and rear sides. A belt is movable over said guides and arranged to support a human body. The frame also carries at least two lower guides on the front and rear sides forming part of a moving mechanism. The belt portion has a length which is at least equal to the distance between the two upper guides and, in the initial position of the stretcher, extends between the front upper guide and the rear lower guide. Two parallel extending cables or chains are secured to one side of the belt portion and are guided over wheels which are secured to the rear upper guide, then over wheels which are secured to the front lower guide, and then over wheels which are secured to the rear lower guide, the cables or chains then being secured to the other side of the belt portion.

Description

United States Patent [1 1 Stevens [54] STRETCHER [75] Inventor: Simon Stevens, Den Helder, Netherlands [73] Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation, New

York, N.Y.

[22] Filed: June 22, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 155,561

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data July ll, 1970 Netherlands ..70l0300 [52] US. Cl. ..5/8l R, 5/82 [51] Int. Cl. ..A47b 83/04 [58] Field of Search ..5/60, 81, 81 B, 82, 86

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,418,670 12/1968 Morgan ..5/81 E 3,493,979 2/1970 Koll et al ..5/8l B 3,579,672 5/1971 [(011 et a1. .....5/8l R 3,593,351 7/1971 Dove ..5/81 R Primary Examiner-Casmir A. Nunberg Att0rney-Frank R. Trifari [57] ABSTRACT A stretcher comprising a frame having at least two parallel upper guides, incorporated in said frame on the front and rear sides. A belt is movable over said guides and arranged to support a human body. The frame also carries at least two lower guides on the front and rear sides forming part of a moving mechanism. The belt portion has a length which is at least equal to the distance between the two upper guides and, in the initial position of the stretcher, extends between the front upper guide and the rear lower guide. Two parallel extending cables or chains are secured to one side of the belt portion and are guided over wheels which are secured to the rear upper guide, then over wheels which are secured to the front lower guide, and then over wheels which are secured to the rear lower guide, the cables or chains then being secured to the other side of the belt portion.

5 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEUAPRB I975 SHEET 1 [1F 3 INVENTOR. SIMON STEVENS AGENT PATENTEUAPR 3 ms SHEET 2 OF 3 INVENTOIIQ. SIMON STEVENS PATENTEDAPRB I973 3,724,005 SHEET 3 BF 3 INVENTOR. SIMON STEVENS AGENT STRETCHER The invention relates to a stretcher comprising a frame having at least two parallel upper guides incorporated in said frame on the front and rear side, respectively, for guiding a belt portion movable over said guides for supporting a human body. The frame also has at least two lower guides incorporated in the frame on the front and rear side and forming part of a moving mechanism. A coupling is present between the belt portion and the moving mechanism so that the belt portion moves in a direction opposite to that of the frame.

A stretcher of the above-mentioned type is known from the US. Pat. specification No. 3,418,670. In this known stretcher an endless belt is wound both over the two upper guides and over the two lower guides. The two belts are locally in frictional contact with each other. Furthermore, a driving mechanism is present for rotating one of the upper or lower guides so that the relative belt starts moving. The other belt should be taken along by friction. I

A drawback of this known stretcher is its rather complicated construction in which in particular the replacement of said belts is difficult and time-consuming owing to the endless construction of the belts. A further drawback is that only one of the belts is driven positively while the other is to be taken along by friction. Slip can easily occur as a result of which a difference in speed between the belts occurs so that the movement of the belt portion which supports the human body is no longer equal to the opposite speed at which the structure moves. The result of this is that an injured person to be lifted experiences friction of the relative belt portion so that his posture can easily change which may result in his condition getting worse in that fractures become more complicated.

In order to avoid this drawback it has been proposed to construct the stretcher with one non-endless belt which is coupled at its two ends with drivable belt drums on which the belt can be alternately wound and unwound. In this stretcher it is ensured that the speed of the belt portion which supports the human body is at all times exactly equal and opposite to the speed at which the stretcher moves.

It is the object of the invention to provide a stretcher of the above-described type having a very simple construction, in which it is also ensured at all times that the belt portion which supports the human body has a speed which is exactly equal and opposite to the speed at which the stretcher moves.

In order to realize the objective, the stretcher according to the invention is characterized in that the belt portion has a length which is at least equal to the distance between the two upper guides, said belt portion, in the starting position of the stretcher, extending between the front upper guide and the rear lower guide, two parallel extending cables or chains being secured on one side of the belt portion at a distance from each other which is at least equal to the width of the belt portion. The cables or chains are guided over wheels which are secured to the rear upper guide, then over wheels which are secured to the front lower guide and then over wheels which are secured to the rear lower guide. The cables or chains are then secured to the other side of the belt portion. The stretcher also has a driving mechanism with which the rear upper guide can be rotated.

So, in the stretcher according to the invention, an endless belt-cable or chain system is used. Since a part of this system is formed by two parallel cables or chains which have a mutual distance which is larger than the width of the belt portion, said system can now be wound cross-wise over the upper and lower guides as a result of which the part which runs over the upper guides has exactly the same speed and the same direction as the part which runs over the lower guides. The stretcher itself then moves at the same speed in the opposite direction. The lower guides may be constructed as trackrollers the diameter of which must be equal to the diameter on which the cables or chains cooperate with said rollers so that the circumferential speed of said rollers is equal to the belt speed.

In circumstances it is easier to give the belt portion such a length that a part thereof serves to contact the ground instead of causing the trackrollers themselves to cooperate with the ground. In order to realize this, the said belt portion in the starting position extends from the front upper guide around the rear and front lower guides to substantially the place where the belt portion between the front upper guide and the rear lower guide crosses the cables or chains extending from the rear upper guide in the direction of the front lower guide.

In a further favorable embodiment, two further guides are provided which are arranged in the proximity of the rear upper guide, over which further guides on the one hand the belt portion between the front upper guide and the rear lower guide and on the other hand the cables and chains, respectively, between the rear upper guide and the front lower guide are guided so that the belt portion and the cables and chains, respectively, cross each other in the proximity of the rear upper guide. It is ensured that sufficient belt length is present to cooperate with the lower guides, i.e., when the belt portion extends between the two upper guides it also extends between the two lower guides.

In order that the invention may be readily carried into effect, it will now be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are three cross-sectional views of a stretcher according to the invention.

FIGS. 4 and 5 diagrammatically show another embodiment of a stretcher.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show yet another embodiment of the invention.

Reference numerals 1 and 2 in FIGS. 1 and 2 denote a front and rear upper guide roller for a belt. Reference numerals 3 and 4 denote front and rear lower guide rollers between which a number of further lower guide rollers 5 are present. The said rollers are journalled so as to be rotatable in side plates 6, a supporting plate 7 being provided between said side plates. The said guides comprise cable wheels forming one assembly with said guides and comprising a groove 8 through which a cable can be guided which takes along said wheel by friction; if desirable, sprocket wheels may be used instead of cable wheels which comprise teeth which can cooperate with chains. An endless system is guided over the guides and consists of a belt portion 9 which in the starting position of the stretcher extends from the rear lower guide 4 to the front upper guide 1 as shown in solid line in FIG. 1. At its end said belt portion 9 comprises a transverse reinforcement 10, two cables l1 and 12 being secured to the sides of said transverse reinforcement. These

cables

11 and 12 extend from the guide 1 to the guide 2, thence to the front lower guide 3 and then via the track rollers to the rear lower guide 4 (as shown in dashed line in FIG. 1) and are then secured to the transverse reinforcement on the other side of the belt portion 9. The rear upper guide roller 2 is furthermore provided with a worm wheel 14 which cooperates with a worm which has an operating handle 16. A tension roller 18 ensures that the belt-cable system always remains under a sufficient stress.

By rotating the handle 16 the guide roller 2 can be given an anti-clockwise rotation. As a result of this the cable-belt system will start moving and that in such manner that the belt 9 moves via the guide roller 1 over the plate 7 in the direction of the guide roller 2. The part of the cables which is guided over the lower guide rollers 3, 4 and 5 will also start moving, of course at the same speed and in the same direction from roller 3 to roller 4 so in the same direction as the belt portion 9 moves over the plate 7. The cables will drive the rollers 3, 4 and 5 which are constructed as track rollers so that said rollers will be rotated clock-wise. As a result of the fact that the diameter of the rollers 3, 4 and 5 is equal to the diameter on which the cables cooperate with said rollers, the stretcher will hence be displaced from the left to the right at the same speed as that at which the belt-cable system moves. As a result, the belt portion 9 which is to support the body of a person to be lifted moves in a direction from the right to the left, while the stretcher moves at an equal speed from the left to the right, as viewed in FIG. 1. This means that the belt portion 9 performs no relative movement relative to a person to be lifted so that said person can easily be lifted on the stretcher without forces being exerted on him. His posture will not substantially change so that the danger of his condition getting worse is minimized. In the same manner in which a person is laid on the stretcher, he can be removed therefrom. In this case the handle 16 has to be rotated in the reverse direction.

Since one endless cable-belt system is used in this stretcher, the speed of the stretcher will always be exactly equal to and opposite to the speed of the belt portion 9 moving over the plate 7. In order to achieve this by means of an endless system, the endless system should be wound cross-wise over the upper and lower guides. This crossing possibility is obtained by constructing a part of the system as two cables, the distance between the cables being sufficiently large that the belt portion 9 can travel between them. In this manner the belt portion 9 and the cables l1, 12 can cross each other at the area 20.

In the construction of the stretcher shown in FIG. 1, said belt portion 9 has a minimum length, i.e., exactly the distance between the guides .1 and 2, approximately the length of a human body.

The length of the belt portion 9 can also be chosen to be larger. In the construction shown in FIG. 1 the belt portion 9 can extend maximally from the crossing 20, around roller 3, roller 4 up to roller 1. In that case a part of the belt portion 9 which is guided over rollers 3, 4 and 5 will be in contact with the ground.

FIGS. 4 and 5-show a slightly varied embodiment of a stretcher in which the crossing 20 is located in the proximity of the rear side of the stretcher by using two further guide rollers 21 and 22. In the starting position the belt portion 9 now extends from approximately the crossing 20, via rollers 3 and 4 up to roller 1. The result of this is that always a part of the belt is in contact with the ground and hence ensures the movement of the stretcher. The rollers 21 and 22 are at the same time constructed as tensioning rollers.

In the preceding figures stretchers are shown for the operation in the longitudinal direction; it will be obvious that with the idea according to the present invention, stretchers operating in the transverse directioncan also be designed. Such stretchers are particularly suitable for lifting a patient out of bed or conversely. Such a transverse stretcher is diagrammatically shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 in a plan view and in a cross-sectional view, respectively. The

guide rollers

1, 2, 3 and 4 extend throughout the length of the stretcher, four beltchain systems being wound over said guides. The roller comprises a number of sprocket wheels 25 over which the

chains

11, 12 of the respective beltchain systems are guided. The roller 2 is furthermore again provided with a worm wheel 14 which cooperates with a worm 15. The further construction and operation of this stretcher will be clear after the above explanation.

What is claimed is:

l. A stretcher comprising a frame, at least two parallel upper guides incorporated in said frame on the front and rear side thereof for guiding a belt portion movable over said guides for supporting a human body, at least two lower guides incorporated in the frame on the front and rear side thereof and forming part of a moving mechanism, a coupling between the belt portion and the moving mechanism so that the belt portion moves in a direction opposite to that of the frame, the length of said belt portion being at least equal to the distance between the two upper guides, said belt portion, in the starting position of the stretcher, extending between the front upper guide and the rear lower guide, two parallel extending cables or chains being secured on one side of the belt portion at a distance from each other which is at least equal to the width of the belt portion, said cables or chains being guided over wheels which are secured to the rear upper guide, then over wheels which are secured to the front lower guide and then over wheels which are secured to the rear lower guide, the cables or chains being then connected to the other side of the belt portion, and a driving mechanism with which the rear upper guide can be rotated.

2. A stretcher as claimed in claim 1, wherein said belt portion extends in the starting position from the front upper guide around the rear and front lower guides to substantially the place where the belt portion between the front upper guide and the rear lower guide crosses the cables or chains extending from the rear upper guide in the direction of the front lower guide.

3. A stretcher as claimed in claim 2, further comprising two further guides located near the rear upper guide over which the belt portion between the front upper and rear lower guide, and the cables and chains between the rear upper guide and the front lower guide, are guided in such manner that the belt portion and the cables and chains, respectively, cross each other in the proximity of the rear upper guide.

4. A stretcher as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a guide plate carried by said frame extending between the two upper guides for supporting the belt portion between said two guides.

5. A stretcher comprising a frame, two upper guide rollers rotatably mounted in said frame and arranged parallel to each other, one of said upper guide rollers being arranged at the front of said stretcher, the other upper guide roller arranged at the rear of said stretcher, at least two lower guide rollers rotatably mounted in said frame on the front and rear sides thereof forming at least part of a means for moving said stretcher along the ground, a belt for supporting a human body and arranged for movement around said guide rollers in such a manner as to move in a direction opposite that of the stretcher, said belt having a length which is at least equal to the distance between said upper guide rollers,

two parallel extending cables secured at one side thereof to one end of said belt and at the other side thereof to the other end of the belt thereby forming an endless belt-cable combination, said cables being spaced apart a distance which is at least equal to the width of said belt so that said belt can pass therebetween, wheels secured to the rear upper guide roller and lower guide rollers for guiding said cables therearound, and means for rotating said rear upper guide roller so that said cables will be driven about said wheels causing rotation of said lower guide rollers to move said stretcher along the ground and simultaneous movement of said belt in the opposite direction between said upper guide rollers at exactly the same speed at which said stretcher is moving along the ground.

Claims

1. A stretcher comprising a frame, at least two parallel upper guides incorporated in said frame on the front and rear side thereof for guiding a belt portion movable over said guides for supporting a human body, at least two lower guides incorporated in the frame on the front and rear side thereof and forming part of a moving mechanism, a coupling between the belt portion and the moving mechanism so that the belt portion moves in a direction opposite to that of the frame, the length of said belt portion being at least equal to the distance between the two upper guides, said belt portion, in the starting position of the stretcher, extending between the front upper guide and the rear lower guide, two parallel extending cables or chains being secured on one side of the belt portion at a distance from each other which is at least equal to the width of the belt portion, said cables or chains being guided over wheels which are secured to the rear upper guide, then over wheels which are secured to the front lower guide and then over wheels which are secured to the rear lower guide, the cables or chains being then connected to the other side of the belt portion, and a driving mechanism with which the rear upper guide can be rotated.

5. A stretcher comprising a frame, two upper guide rollers rotatably mounted in said frame and arranged parallel to each other, one of said upper guide rollers being arranged at the front of said stretcher, the other upper guide roller arranged at the rear of said stretcher, at least two lower guide rollers rotatably mounted in said frame on the front and rear sides thereof forming at least part of a means for moving said stretcher along the ground, a belt for supporting a human body and arranged for movement around said guide rollers in such a manner as to move in a direction opposite that of the stretcher, said belt having a length which is at least equal to the distanCe between said upper guide rollers, two parallel extending cables secured at one side thereof to one end of said belt and at the other side thereof to the other end of the belt thereby forming an endless belt-cable combination, said cables being spaced apart a distance which is at least equal to the width of said belt so that said belt can pass therebetween, wheels secured to the rear upper guide roller and lower guide rollers for guiding said cables therearound, and means for rotating said rear upper guide roller so that said cables will be driven about said wheels causing rotation of said lower guide rollers to move said stretcher along the ground and simultaneous movement of said belt in the opposite direction between said upper guide rollers at exactly the same speed at which said stretcher is moving along the ground.