Putting-on aid for a support stocking

Abstract

A putting-on aid for support stockings, including a carrier element that is capable of at least partly encompassing a body part. The putting-on aid includes at least one motor which is designed to bring the carrier element or parts thereof into motion, wherein the motion is capable of at least assisting a rolling-off and rolling-up of a support stocking.

Claims

1. A putting-on aid for support stockings, comprising a carrier element, wherein the carrier element is capable of at least partly encompassing a body part, and wherein the carrier element comprises at least one motor which is designed to bring the carrier element or parts thereof into motion, wherein the motion is capable of at least assisting a rolling-off and rolling-up of a support stocking by the motion being a revolving movement and by the carrier element being configured to at least partly encompass the body part in a manner that the revolving movement permits or assists a translational motion of the carrier element along an axis of the body part.

2. The putting-on aid according to claim 1, wherein the at least one motor produces a force which is sufficient for the rolling-off and rolling-up of the support stocking.

3. The putting-on aid according to claim 1, wherein the carrier element is configured to at least partly encompass the body part to advance along this body part, during the rolling-off and rolling-up of the support stocking, wherein this advancing is of a nature such that a putting-on and taking-off of the support stocking takes place in combination with the rolling-off and rolling-up respectively of this support stocking.

4. The putting-on aid according to claim 1, wherein the carrier element approximately has the shape of a torus.

5. The putting-on aid according to claim 4, wherein the carrier element approximately has the shape of a rotation torus.

6. The putting-on aid according to claim 1, wherein the carrier element comprises at least one drive unit and at least one advance unit, wherein each of the at least one advance units is configured to execute a revolving movement and to be driven by at least one drive unit, and wherein the at least one advance unit forms the surface of the carrier element or parts of a surface of the carrier element.

7. The putting-on aid according to claim 6, wherein the revolving movement of the carrier element or parts thereof includes the revolving movement of the at least one advance unit.

8. The putting-on aid according to claim 6, wherein the at least one motor is a drive motor comprising a motor housing and a drive shaft, wherein the drive motor is configured to drive the at least one drive unit via the drive shaft.

9. The putting-on aid according to claim 8, wherein each of the at least one drive units comprises the drive motor and the drive shaft, and wherein the drive unit comprises at least one component of a first category and at least one component of a second category, wherein a component of the first category is configured to co-rotate with the drive shaft and to be driven by said drive shaft and wherein a component of a second category assumes a fixed position relative to the motor housing.

10. The putting-on aid according to claim 9, wherein the drive unit comprises a planetary gear which is driven by the drive motor, and an advance connecting piece as components of the first category, wherein the planetary gear is configured to drive the advance connecting piece which for its part is configured to drive the advance unit, and wherein the drive unit moreover comprises a bearing and a fixation block as components of the second category, wherein the fixation block connects the components of the second category, and the bearing permits a rotation movement of the components of the first category about the fixation block.

11. The putting-on aid according to claim 6, wherein the putting-on aid comprises at least two drive units and at least one connecting element which connects the drive units to one another in a torsionally stable manner.

12. The putting-on aid according to claim 1, comprising an adjusting mechanism which is designed to change the length of an axis of the carrier element, wherein the length of the axis fixes the area which the carrier element is capable of at least partly surrounding on operation.

13. The putting-on aid according to claim 12, wherein the adjusting mechanism comprises an adjusting gear, an adjusting motor and two part-elements, wherein the two part-elements overlap in a region along the mentioned axis of the carrier element, wherein the length of this overlapping region can be changed by the adjusting gear and wherein the adjusting gear can be driven by the adjusting motor.

14. The putting-on aid according to claim 13, wherein the adjusting motor can be activated in at least one of the following manners: automatically by a sensor, manually by the user.

15. The putting-on aid according to claim 1, comprising a guide jaw and at least one guide rail which is connected to the guide jaw, wherein the guide jaw is designed to fixedly hold the carrier element without the movement of the carrier element or parts thereof being inhibited.

16. The putting-on aid according to claim 15, comprising a guide motor which is capable of moving the guide jaw along the at least one guide rail.

17. The putting-on aid according to claim 15, wherein the guide jaw, the at least one guide rail and the carrier element are designed to permit the rolling-up of a support stocking, which is not put on, onto the carrier element or the rolling-off of this from the carrier element, wherein the rolling-off does not lead to a putting-on of the support stocking.

18. The putting-on aid according to claim 1, wherein the putting-on aid comprises a control, wherein the control serves for the control of all motors which are integrated into the putting-on aid.

19. A kit for putting on a support stocking, comprising a putting-on aid according to claim 1, a charging device, a battery and a mains part.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The subsequent drawings represent exemplary embodiments of the invention, by way of which the invention is described in more detail. In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or equally acting elements. The drawings show:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an embodiment of a putting-on aid with a guide jaw and with a guide rail;

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic detailed view of the guide jaw and of the guide rail of the embodiment of the putting-on aid which is shown in FIG. 1,

(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic lateral view of an embodiment of the putting-on aid with guide jaw, guide rail and guide motor;

(5) FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of an embodiment of the putting-on aid without a guide jaw and without a guide rail, on operation,

(6) FIG. 5 is a sketch which shows the inner workings of an embodiment of a carrier element;

(7) FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of a longitudinal section through an embodiment of a drive unit;

(8) FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of a cross section through the embodiment of the drive unit which is shown in FIG. 6, along the axis B-B;

(9) FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of a cross section through the embodiment of the drive unit which is shown in FIG. 6, along the axis A-A;

(10) FIG. 9 is a further schematic representation of the inner workings of an embodiment of the carrier element;

(11) FIG. 10 is a schematic representation of an embodiment of an adjusting mechanism which enlarges or reduces the dimension of the opening which is defined by the carrier element;

(12) FIG. 11 is a schematic representation of an embodiment of the carrier element with the adjusting mechanism;

(13) FIG. 12 is a schematic representation of the inner workings of an embodiment of the carrier element with the adjusting mechanism;

(14) FIG. 13 is a schematic representation of an alternative embodiment of the putting-on aid with a guide rail, on operation; and

(15) FIG. 14 is a schematic detailed view of the embodiment of the putting-on aid which is shown in FIG. 13.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(16) The manner of functioning and the implementation of the invention are hereinafter shown by way of different exemplary embodiments. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these embodiments, but also includes other embodiments which are in conformity with the claims.

(17) FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment of a putting-on aid 1 with a guide jaw 16 and with a guide rail 17, on operation. A support stocking 2 is already partly put onto a body part, here a leg. A carrier element 7 as well as the part of the support stocking 2 which is still rolled up on the carrier element 7 are covered by the guide jaw 16.

(18) The guide jaw 16 is approximately perpendicular to a longitudinal axis 29 of the guide rail 17.

(19) The guide jaw 16 on its inner side (not shown) includes snap mechanism which has the effect that the guide jaw 16 fixedly holds the carrier element 7. The snap mechanism includes elastic and resiliently mounted elements, so that its functional efficiency is ensured independently of the thickness of the rolled-up support stocking 2.

(20) The guide rail 17 is manufactured of a strong, rigid material, for example of a metal or a metal alloy, in particular of aluminium, or of a plastic.

(21) The guide jaw 16 is likewise manufactured essentially of a strong material, for example of one or more of the previously mentioned materials. However, the guide jaw 16 is elastic enough not to prevent the change of the dimensions of the carrier element 7, said change being effected by an adjusting mechanism 40 (see FIGS. 9-11). In particular, the guide jaw 16 can include elastic sections and/or openings and recesses which increases its elasticity along the axis which is relevant with a view upon the adjusting mechanism 40.

(22) FIG. 2 shows a schematic detailed view of the guide jaw 16 which is shown in FIG. 1 and of the guide rail 17 which is shown in FIG. 1. The guide jaw 16 is open at its inner side, which is to say the side which faces the body part on operation. The support stocking 2 can be transferred from the carrier element 7 onto the body part or onto another formation or from the body part/formation onto the carrier element 7 via this guide jaw opening 15.

(23) Moreover, the guide jaw 16 is not closed in itself, but includes an opening at the side that is opposite to the guide rail, by which means the guide jaw 16 does not completely surround the body part on operation. This, in combination with an opening/closing mechanism of the carrier element 7 permits a simple removal of the guide jaw 16 and the carrier element 7 after the support stocking 2 has been completely rolled off.

(24) FIG. 3 shows a schematic lateral view of an embodiment of the putting-on aid 1, in which the guide jaw 16 can be additionally moved up and down along the guide rail 17. In the shown embodiment, the putting-on aid 1 moreover includes a guide motor 50, for example a stepper motor, a spindle 51 whose spatial alignment is given by the spindle longitudinal axis 52 and a carriage 53. The spindle 51 is integrated into the guide rail 17. Herein, the spindle longitudinal axis 52 runs parallel to the longitudinal axis 29 of the guide rail 17 and in particular it can coincide with this. As is known per se for positioning systems, the carriage 53 is movable along the spindle 51. The carriage 53 and the spindle 51 have threads which are matched to one another and which are designed such that the carriage 53 moves in a direction along the spindle longitudinal axis 52 given a clockwise rotation of the spindle 51, which is effected by the guide motor 50 and is moved along the spindle longitudinal axis 52 in the other direction given a rotation in the anti-clockwise direction.

(25) The guide jaw 16 is fixedly connected to the carriage 53 and follows the movement of the carriage 53 along the spindle longitudinal axis 52. This, given a carrier element 7, which is received in the guide jaw 16, leads to a movement of the carrier element 7 along the longitudinal axis 29 of the guide rail 17.

(26) The embodiment of the putting-on aid 1 according to FIG. 3 moreover includes a hand grip 54 that includes elements 55 for the control of individual ones or all of the motors, which are integrated into the putting-on aid 1.

(27) An embodiment of the putting-on aid 1 without a guide jaw 16 and guide rail 17 is shown on operation in FIG. 4. The carrier element 7 is covered by the part of the support stocking 2 which is not yet rolled off.

(28) FIG. 5 shows the inner workings of the carrier element 7 as can be applied, for example, in the embodiments according to FIG. 1-4. In the represented embodiment of the carrier element 7, this has approximately the shape of a rotation torus, which is defined by a large radius 19, a small radius 20 as well as a circle line 21.

(29) In the shown embodiment, an advance unit 5 forms the complete surface of the carrier element 7. On operation, the advance unit 5 is in direct contact with the support stocking 2. The advance unit 5 furthermore carries out a rotation about the circle line 21, which leads to a constant compression and stretching of the advance unit 5. For this reason, the advance unit 5 is manufactured from an elastic material, for example rubber or an elastic plastic.

(30) The advance unit 5 itself is in direct contact with an advance connecting piece 6, which in the shown embodiment is designed as part of a drive unit 3.

(31) Each drive unit 3 is designed cylindrically, wherein the advance connecting piece 6 forms the jacket of the cylinder.

(32) The advance connecting piece 6 is driven via a planetary gear, including a sun wheel 4.1 and a planet wheel 4.2. In the shown embodiment, the advance connecting piece 6 in part-regions includes an inner-side toothing (see also FIGS. 6-8 for detailed representations). The advance connecting piece 6 is driven by two, three or more planet wheels 4.2 via this toothing.

(33) The sun wheel 4.1 itself is connected via a drive shaft 14 to a drive motor 13, which is spatially delimited by a motor housing 13.1, and can be brought into rotation by this.

(34) The rotating partsthe advance connecting piece 6, the planetary gear 4 and the drive shaft 14 are carried by non-rotating parts via a mounting 11, which does not prevent the rotational movement of these parts. Amongst other things, a fixation bock 8, one or more connecting elements 9 as well as a motor hosing 13.1 belong to the non-rotating parts.

(35) The connecting elements 9 are anchored in the fixation block 8. It is these non-rotating parts that give the carrier element 7 the necessary stability by way of these being torsionally stable and pressure-resistant.

(36) By way of a middle longitudinal section through the drive unit 2, which is designed in a cylinder-shaped manner, FIG. 6 illustrates the construction of this, as can be applied in a carrier element 7 according to FIG. 5. The arrangement of the moving partsthe drive shaft 14, the planetary gear 4 that includes a sun wheel 4.2 and a planet wheel 4.2, as well as the advance connecting piece 6 is shown. The arrangement of the non-moving partsthe motor housing 13.1, the fixation block 8 and the connecting element 9, which in the shown embodiment is located in a plane in front of and/or behind the section plane, is also represented. A mounting 11 confers the mechanically stability of the non-moving parts upon the moving parts 7 without inhibiting these in their rotational movement.

(37) The drive of the advance connecting piece 6 is effected in the region of the planet wheel 4.2. In this region, the advance connecting piece 6 is toothed at the inner side. The sun wheel 4.1, the planet wheel 4.2 and the advance connecting piece 6 are designed as a planetary gear with a stationary gear ratio in the embodiment that is shown in FIG. 6.

(38) In the embodiment that is shown in FIG. 6, the advance unit 5 is in extensive (surfaced), rotationally fixed contact with the advance connecting piece 6. However, one can also make do without the advance connecting piece 6 by way of a suitable design of the inner side of the advance unit 5.

(39) Moreover, naps 10 or other elements such as hooks or clips or a non-slip coating are attached to the advance element 5 and these encourage a meshing of the support stocking 2 with the advance unit 5 and thus prevent the slipping of the support stocking 2 and an empty-rotating of the carrier element 7.

(40) FIGS. 7 and 8 show sections along the planes that are indicated in FIG. 6. By way of a section along B-B, FIG. 7 in a more detailed manner shows how the rotation of the drive shaft 14, which is effected by the drive motor 13, is transmitted via the planetary gear 4 onto the advance connecting piece 6 and the advance unit 5. Likewise represented are the connecting elements 9, which pass through the section plane. The fixation block 8 itself has no region that is located in the section plane.

(41) Likewise in a detailed manner, FIG. 8 by way of a section along A-A shows how the rotating partsthe advance connecting piece 6 and the advance unit 5via the bearing 11 are carried by the non-rotating partsthe motor housing 13.1, the fixation block 8 and the connecting element 9.

(42) FIG. 9 schematically shows the inner workings of an embodiment of the carrier element 7. In this embodiment, apart from drive units 3 and connecting elements 9, the carrier element 7 includes an elastic element 46, an adjusting mechanism 40, a sensor 47 and an opening/closing mechanism 48.

(43) The elastic element 46 ensures a tension along the longitudinal axis of the carrier element 7. A carrier element 7 in the form of a rotation torus is shown, wherein the mentioned longitudinal axis of the carrier element 7 is identical to the circle line 21 of the rotation torus. This tension leads to a clamping effect upon the body part, which on operation is surrounded by the carrier element 7, the effect finally permitting the upwards and downwards moving of the carrier element 7 along the body part.

(44) The sensor 47 measures the tensile force that occurs along the longitudinal axis 21 of the carrier element 7 and gives a signal to the adjusting mechanism 40 as soon as a previously defined minimal value is fallen short of or a previously defined maximal value is exceeded. In the first case, a contraction of the adjusting mechanism 40 along the longitudinal axis 21 of the carrier element 7 is initiated by the signal. In the second case, accordingly an expansion of the adjusting mechanism 40 along the longitudinal axis 21 of the carrier element 7 is initiated.

(45) The opening/closing mechanism 48 ensures that the carrier element 7 can be opened, in order, for example, to simply remove the carrier element 7 from the body part after the support stocking 2 has been put on or in order to position the carrier element on the body part before taking off the support stocking 2.

(46) A schematic representation of an embodiment of an adjusting mechanism 40 is shown in FIG. 10 and this serves for enlarging or reducing the area that is at least partly encompassed by the carrier element 7 on operation. Concerning FIG. 5, it is the case of a section that is perpendicular to the rotation axis 18 and that contains the longitudinal axis of the carrier element 7 or the circle line 21 of the rotation torus.

(47) Regarding the shown adjusting mechanism 40, it is the connecting elements 9 that change their length parallel to the longitudinal axis of the carrier element 7. The adjusting mechanism 40 is arranged between two connecting elements 9 that are straight in the region of the adjusting mechanism 40 and that run in parallel. For this, the two connecting elements 9 are interrupted perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis, by which means a first part-connecting-region 44 and a second part-connecting-region 45 arise. In the shown embodiment, these part-connecting-regions correspond to the previously introduced part-elements of the adjusting mechanism. The termination or closure of these two part-connecting-regions 44/45 is formed by a first fixed connecting piece 43.1 and a second fixed connecting piece 43.2

(48) The first connecting piece 43.1, which is arranged in the first part-connecting-region 44, carries an adjusting motor 41 and an adjusting gear 42, which at least partly includes a thread.

(49) The connecting piece 43.2, which is arranged in the second part-connecting-region 45, includes a bore with a thread, the thread being matched to the thread of the adjusting gear 42.

(50) The adjusting gear 42 can now be rotated via the adjusting motor 41, by which means the distance between the two part-connecting-regions 44/45 and thus the distance between the two fixation blocks, in which the connecting elements 9 participating in the adjusting mechanism 40 are anchored on their side that is away from the adjusting mechanism, can be changed.

(51) The shown adjusting mechanism 40 can be an element that is autonomous within the carrier element 7, as well as a constituent of a drive unit 3.

(52) FIGS. 11 and 12 show two embodiments of carrier elements 7 which include an adjusting mechanism 40. In FIG. 11, the adjusting mechanism 40 is integrated into the drive unit 3. The region of the carrier element 7 in which the carrier element 7 has no bending is increased or reduced by way of actuating the adjusting mechanism 40. Given a suitable arrangement of the drive units 3 and bent connecting elements 9, a carrier element 7 that is capable of at least partly encompassing a body part is realised, wherein the sectional area that can be at least partly encompassed can be adjusted via the adjusting mechanism 40.

(53) FIG. 12 schematically shows the inner workings of a carrier element 7 that is capable of completely enclosing a body part. For this, the drive units 3 and units of the adjusting mechanism 40 are arranged on the sides of an n-polygon in an alternating manner. A hexagon is shown in the figure for the sake of simplicity, even if other geometric shapes with a larger number of corners and/or rounded corners are capable of better reproducing the cross-sectional shape.

(54) In the shown embodiment of the carrier element 7, the drive units 3 themselves also have an adjusting mechanism 40. The shape of the carrier element 7 can be set to a finer degree by way of this.

(55) An alternative embodiment of a putting-on aid 1 with a guide rail 17 is shown on operation in FIG. 13, wherein this embodiment is likewise in concordance with the invention. What is show is a condition, in which the support stocking 2 is only partly put onto the body part, here the leg. In this embodiment, before being rolled off, the support stocking 2 is not rolled up on the carrier element 7, which is covered by the support stocking 2, but it is merely stretched out by the carrier element 7.

(56) FIG. 14 is a schematic detailed representation of the putting-on aid 1 according to FIG. 13. In this embodiment, the surface of the carrier element 7 includes part-regions that execute a revolving movement, as well as part regions that execute no orbital movement. The later includes a foot 25 as well as a continuation 26, wherein the continuation 26 extends along that axis, along which the putting-on aid 1 moves on rolling off and rolling up the support stocking 2.

(57) The non-revolving part-regions permit the connection of the carrier element 7 to the guide rail 17 without the use of a guide jaw. These regions moreover create space, in order to accommodate components of the putting-on aid 1, such as driving motors, gears, advance connecting pieces and holding and/or supporting elements, in a simply accessible manner. The drive units are accommodated in the foot 25 in the shown embodiment.

(58) The revolving part-regions include an advance unit 5, which is designed in the form of runner bands that run around part-regions of the continuation 26.

(59) In this alternative embodiment, an advance unit 5 is externally driven, which means from a region that the drive unit 5, which is closed in itself, does not encompass. This is effected by the of the advance unit 5 including regions, in which hooks or teeth or guide pins that are attached on the advance connecting piece 6 (covered by the housing of the foot 25 and the advance unit 5 in FIG. 14) can latch in. The rotational movement of the advance connecting piece 6, which is driven by a motor is thus transmitted onto the advance unit 5.

(60) In a manner that is analogous to the previous embodiments, in particular to the embodiments that are shown in FIGS. 5-9, the advance unit 5 can alternatively be driven from the inside, i.e. from a region around which the advance unit 5 runs.