Movable Wall Portion Attachment Mechanism of Incubator

• US 20120269568A1
• Filed: 03/07/2012
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atom Medical Corporation
• Original Assignee: Atom Medical Corporation
• Inventors: Matsubara, Kazuo, Matsubara, Terumi, Kira, Tomoichi, Otomo, Toshio
• Granted Patent: US 9,011,313 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 403/104
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/002 height-adjustable patient support
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/006 by pivoting
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/008 tiltable about a horizontal axis, e.g. oscillating
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/009 with hand insertion windows, e.g. in the walls
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/723 Impact absorbing means, e.g. bumpers or airbags
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/32426 Plural distinct positions

Abstract

According to the present invention, a movable wall portion for forming the outer circumference of an infant accommodation space can pivot forward about a portion of a region including the lower end portion and its vicinity of the movable wall portion from a substantially erect position to the outside of the infant accommodation space. The movable wall portion can move backward from a midway position in forward movement to the final backward moving position by its own weight while abrupt backward movement is suppressed by a damper. The present invention can provide a movable wall portion attachment mechanism of an incubator which does not produce a large sound or a large vibration when closing the movable wall portion, with a small chance that wall portions such as wall portions on the incubator base side, the movable wall portion or the like will be damaged.

Claims

1. A movable wall portion attachment mechanism of an incubator in which at least one wall portion of a plurality of wall portions attached to an incubator base so as to form an outer circumference of an infant accommodation space is attached as a movable wall portion to said incubator base,

and said movable wall portion is configured to pivot forward about a portion of a region including a lower end portion and a vicinity thereof of said movable wall portion from a substantially erect position to an outside of said infant accommodation space,

wherein when said movable wall portion moves backward from a midway position in backward movement to a final backward moving position, said movable wall portion moves backward to said final backward moving position by an own weight while abrupt backward movement of said movable wall portion is suppressed by damper means.

2. A mechanism according to claim 1, comprising movable-side concave/convex engaging means provided on said movable wall portion side, and fixed-side concave/convex engaging means provided on said incubator base side,

wherein the midway position in the backward movement is a position where said movable-side concave/convex engaging means is located substantially above said fixed-side concave/convex engaging means, and

the final backward moving position is a position where said movable-side concave/convex engaging means moves backward from the midway position in the backward movement to a substantially lower position and engages with the fixed-side concave/convex engaging means.

3. A mechanism according to claim 2, wherein said movable-side concave/convex engaging means comprises an engaging pin, and

said fixed-side concave/convex engaging means comprises an engaging concave portion.

4. A mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said movable wall portion is attached on said incubator base side through a support shaft portion so as to be configured to pivot forward and backward, and

an axis of the support shaft portion is configured to move forward and backward in a substantially vertical direction relative to said incubator base.

5. A mechanism according to claim 4, further comprising a cam surface provided on said incubator base side, an impact attenuation portion provided on the cam surface and formed from an elastic body, and a cam surface abutment portion provided on said movable wall portion side,

wherein said cam surface abutment portion is configured to abut against said incubator base side first at said impact attenuation portion when said movable wall portion at a position where said support shaft portion of said movable wall portion is lowered is made to pivot backward from a forward pivot position.

6. A mechanism according to claim 5, wherein said cam surface abutment portion comprises an engaging pin,

the mechanism further comprises an engaging concave portion provided on said incubator base side, and

said engaging pin is configured to be engaged with said engaging concave portion at the final backward moving position.

7. A mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the final backward moving position is a final backward pivot position where said movable wall portion is in a substantially vertical erect position, and

the midway position in the backward movement is a position slightly before a position where said movable wall portion pivots backward to the final backward pivot position.

8. A mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said movable wall portion is attached to said incubator base side through a support shaft portion so as to pivot forward and backward, and

an axis of said support shaft portion is at a substantially constant position relative to said incubator base.

9. A mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said damper means comprises a cylinder piston type linear damper.

10. A mechanism according to claim 9, wherein an impact attenuation member formed from an elastic body is provided on at least a distal end portion of a piston portion of said linear damper, and

an abutment portion of said movable wall portion side abuts against said impact attenuation member when said movable wall portion moves backward from the midway position in the backward movement to the final backward moving position.

11. A mechanism according to claim 1, wherein when said movable wall portion pivots forward, abrupt forward pivoting movement of said movable wall portion is suppressed by said second damper means.

12. A mechanism according to claim 11, wherein when said movable wall portion pivots backward, abrupt backward pivoting movement of said movable wall portion is not substantially suppressed by said second damper means.

13. A mechanism according to claim 11, wherein said second damper means comprises a rotary damper.

14. A mechanism according to claim 11, wherein when said movable wall portion pivots backward, abrupt forward pivoting movement of said movable wall portion is not substantially suppressed by any of said damper means.