Device for disposing excrement

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to devices for disposing excrement of sick persons unable to walk, aged bedridden in hospitals, and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device for disposing excrement which is capable of automatically disposing of the excrement of a sick or bedridden person and washing the places tainted with the excrement.

2. Description of the Related Art

A conventional device for disposing excrement is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 364841/1992. The conventional device for disposing excrement has, in a center of a diaper cover, a hole opened to insert through an evacuation pipe to discharge excrement, a pipe to feed warm water, a pipe to feed warm air, and a cord connected to a sensor to detect excrement.

However, the conventional device for disposing excrement is restricted in flexibility, despite adopting a soft insulative material. Due to the difficulty in matching to various body forms, the conventional device sometimes fails to provide a close fit with the wearer's pelvic region, thereby resulting in wash water or excrement leaking from around the diaper cup.

The conventional device also has a problem in that a human body will sometimes block an outlet port for ejecting air to dry an inside of the diaper cup moistened with wash water or the like, thereby not allowing air to enter into the diaper cup.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to solve the problems in the conventional device for disposing excrement described above. More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a device for disposing excrement which conforms to various human body shapes and sizes, and which can efficiently eject dried air toward the discharge port into a diaper cup moistened with wash water or the like, thereby discharging excrement left in the diaper cup.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-stated problems in the related art. The present invention provides a device for disposing excrement, comprising: a diaper cup main body for enclosing a pelvic region of a human body; a wash-water feed hose connected to the diaper cup main body for feeding wash water into an interior thereof; an excrement suction hose connected to the diaper cup main body for sucking the wash water and excrement in the interior; and an air feed hose connected to the diaper cup main body for feeding air to the inside. The device for disposing excrement is characterized by the diaper cup main body forming a space as a passage to feed air from the air feed hose to an air blow port of the diaper cup main body by joining an upper cup arranged on a side of a pelvic region of a human body and a lower cup matched to the upper cup.

The upper cup preferably has a connecting cylinder portion to be connected to the excrement suction hose and the air blow port, and the lower cup has a connecting portion for installing the wash-water feed hose and a connecting cylinder portion to be connected to the air feed hose.

The diaper cup main body is preferably arranged with a water feed pipe and a cord within the space of the diaper cup main body. The water feed pipe is connected to a private-parts wash nozzle and an anus wash nozzle installed in the upper cup, and the cord is connected to a feces-detecting sensor and a urine-detecting sensor installed in the upper cup.

The upper cup of the diaper cup main body preferably has a cavity and an inner wall. The cavity provides a non-contact state with a human body and is formed in a surface of the upper cup on a side to be fit on a pelvic region of a human body. The space is formed on a side of the upper cup opposite from the cavity. The inner wall is formed to join the lower cup. The air blow port is formed at plurality of positions in an upper end of the cavity.

The upper cup of the diaper cup main body is preferably formed with the air blow port in an upper end center of the cavity. The air blow port is formed with a guide wall to converge air flowing through the space.

The diaper cup main body preferably has a flap covering the air blow port on a side of the diaper cup main body to be fit on a pelvic region of a human body.

The diaper cup main body is preferably formed arcuate in the upper end of the cavity, and the flap is formed generally arcuate and matched to a shape of the upper end of the cavity. The flap is fixed at a plurality of positions to thereby form an outlet port communicating to the air blow port.

The flap is preferably arranged in a slant surface of the upper end of the cavity of the diaper cup main body and screwed to the diaper cup main body in a side portion of the air blow port.

The diaper cup main body is preferably continuously arranged with a waist-fit seat in the upper end, and the waist-fit seat has a support portion provided on the flap.

The waist-fit seat preferably has a plate-like portion to be inserted in a bag provided in a changeable diaper, and a slant portion provided between the plate-like portion and the support portion and formed with a cutout groove.

The upper cup and the lower cup of the diaper cup main body are preferably formed of a hard resin, and the flap and the waist-fit seat are formed of a resin that is softer than the upper cup and the lower cup and easy to bend and deform.

The diaper cup main body preferably has a cup-washing nozzle on an inner side of the flap in the vicinity of the air blow port to flow away excrement excreted by a sick person or the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1

is a perspective view showing a device for disposing excrement according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2

is a magnified center lengthwise sectional view of a diaper cup main body of the invention;

FIG. 3

is a front view of the diaper cup main body of the invention;

FIG. 4

is a plan view of the diaper cup main body of the invention;

FIG. 5

is a magnified exploded perspective view of concertina joints and waterproof cloth used in the invention;

FIG. 6

is an explanatory view of an upper cup, a lower cup and a waist-fit sheet used in the invention;

FIG. 7

is a magnified perspective view of the upper cup of the invention;

FIG. 8

is a sectional view showing an apron of a changeable diaper of the invention;

FIG. 9

is a sectional view showing a setup state of a waterproof dam of the invention;

FIG. 10

is a sectional view showing a shape of an outlet port of the invention;

FIG. 11

is a waist-region exploded perspective view showing a structure of a hose connection portion of the diaper main body of the invention;

FIG. 12

is a plan view showing a setup state of a waterproof dam of the invention;

FIG. 13

is a sectional view showing a setup state of a waterproof dam of the invention;

FIG. 14

is a perspective view showing an assembling state of the invention;

FIG. 15

is a front view showing a state when assembling the waist-fit seat to the changeable diaper of the invention;

FIG. 16

is a perspective view showing a state when assembling the buffer member to the changeable diaper of the invention;

FIG. 17

is a sectional view showing a setup state of the buffer member of the invention;

FIG. 18

is a plan view showing a setup state of the apron of the invention;

FIG. 19

is a sectional view showing a setup state of a rubber string of the invention; and

FIG. 20

is a sectional view showing a setup state of a waterproof sheet of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be explained in detail with reference to

FIGS. 1

to

20

of the drawings.

As shown in

FIG. 1

, a diaper cup unit

1

comprises a diaper cup main body

2

, a changeable diaper

3

, and a diaper cover

4

. The diaper main body

2

, for enclosing a pelvic region of a human body as shown in

FIG. 2

, is provided continuous with a plurality of concertina joints

6

to have a front cover

7

structured for free bending.

The concertina joints

6

have inner and outer sides which are respectively covered with waterproof cloths

8

a

,

8

b

, as shown in FIG.

5

. The cloths

8

a

,

8

b

prevent wash water from leaking without interfering with the bending performance of the concertina joints

6

. The concertina joints

6

are formed continuous with a cavity

2

c

, hereinafter described, of the diaper cup main body

2

. The concertina joints

6

each comprise a skeleton portion

6

a

generally in a U-form in section, a connecting portion

6

b

pivotally supporting each concertina joint

6

for free bending, and pivot holes opened to insert hooks

9

a

in front and back ends of the connecting portion

6

b

.

The concertina joints

6

are connected in a continuous manner at each connecting portion

6

b

by hooks

9

supporting the changeable diaper

3

in the pivot holes. As a result, the concertina joints

6

are allowed to bend and deform, as shown by virtual lines in FIG.

2

. The device can thus be fitted on pelvic regions of different sizes to accommodate sick and bedridden persons or the like of various sizes. Also, the front cover

7

forms a curved recess surface

7

a

continuing a curved surface of the skeleton portion

6

a

of the concertina joint

6

, as shown in

FIGS. 1

,

2

and

5

. The front cover

7

is formed with flanges

7

b

continuous with the connecting portion

6

b

of the concertina joint

6

, so that the hooks

9

d

are provided on the flanges

7

b

.

The waterproof cloths

8

a

,

8

b

may be respectively bonded to the whole front and back surfaces, or bonded on front and back surfaces of each of the concertina joints

6

. Where the waterproof cloths

8

a

,

8

b

are bonded on each concertina joint

6

, six waterproof cloths

8

a

,

8

b

, for example, are provided continuous on the respective front and back surfaces of the six concertina joints

6

with overlapping bonding points. This allows the waterproof cloths

8

a

,

8

b

to be bonded in a bendable and deformable state on the front surface of the concertina joints

6

, which is generally spherical in form.

The waterproof cloths

8

a

,

8

b

may be formed in one sheet, as shown in FIG.

5

. In this case, because the waterproof cloths

8

a

,

8

b

are to be bonded on the front and back rounded surfaces of the bend-deformable concertina joints

6

, it has spherical areas

8

c

,

8

d

formed by pressing a flat strip cloth generally into a spherical form. The waterproof cloths

8

a

,

8

b

are also preferably coated with a water preventive agent. The waterproof cloths

8

a

,

8

b

are bonded on the concertina portions and skeleton portions

6

a

of the concertina joints

6

through an adhesive. The waterproof cloths

8

a

,

8

b

, if formed in one sheet, can reduce the number of processes of bonding and dry time of the adhesive.

The diaper cup main body

2

, as shown in

FIG. 6

, is bonded together into one body with an upper cup

2

a

provided on a side to contact a human body, and a lower cup

2

b

positioned on an outer side when attached to the human body. The diaper cup main body thus forms a space A at an interior, as shown in FIG.

2

. The diaper cup main body

2

is connected into a generally U-form with a front cover

7

to cover a front side of the pelvic region. The diaper cup main body

2

is formed of a hard urethane resin. The concertina joints

6

and a waist-fit seat

15

to cover a back side of the pelvic region are formed of semi-hard urethane resin for covering the entire pelvic region.

The diaper cup main body

2

has hooks

9

b

,

9

c

, a private-parts wash nozzle

10

, an anus wash nozzle

11

, a cup wash nozzle

12

, a feces-detecting sensor

13

, and a urine-detecting sensor

14

, as shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

.

The diaper cup main body

2

is connected to an external equipment through use of an excrement-suction hose

16

, a wash-water feed hose

17

, an air feed hose

18

, and a sensor coupler

2

k

. The excrement-suction hose

16

is used to suck the wash water and excrement in an inside of the diaper cup unit

1

. The wash-water feed hose

17

is used to feed wash water to the inside of the diaper cup main body

2

. The air feed hose

18

is used to feed warm air to the inside of the diaper cup main body

2

. And, the sensor coupler

2

k

is used to derive electric signals from the feces-detecting sensor

13

and urine-detecting sensor

14

.

The upper cup

2

a

is formed of a hard urethane resin or the like generally in a J-form, as viewed in cross section. The upper cup

2

a

is arranged, as shown in

FIG. 6

, with a discharge port

2

d

provided at a center on a surface side, a connection cylinder portion

2

h

continuous to the discharge port

2

d

and connecting to the excrement-suction hose

16

, cavities

2

c

provided on respective sides of the discharge port

2

d

, nozzle setup holes

2

v

formed in the cavities

2

c

to install cup-wash nozzles

12

, a nozzle setup hole

2

x

to install an anus-wash nozzle

11

, a nozzle setup hole

2

y

to install a private-parts wash nozzle

10

, a plurality of the hooks

9

b

in inner upper ends of side walls on left and right sides of the cavity

2

c

, hooks

9

c

in left and right edges

2

t

of the cavity

2

c

, and air-blow ports

2

e

,

2

f

,

2

g

on a side of the waist-fit seat

15

.

The upper cup

2

a

is formed, in a joining surface on the backside to the lower cup

2

b

, with inner walls

2

m

forming the space A to pass air from the connecting cylinder portion

2

j

to the air blow ports

2

e

,

2

f

,

2

g

through the air feed hose

18

. The air entered in the space A through the connecting cylinder portion

2

j

is branched to the left and right of the connecting cylinder portion

2

h

connecting to the excrement suction hoses

16

, as shown at arrows a and b of FIG.

7

. The air entered in the space A is further guided by the inner wall

2

m

, thus flowing toward the air blow ports

2

e

,

2

f

,

2

g

, as shown at arrows c and d.

The air at the arrows c and d, at both left and right, is separated into arrows e and f and arrows g and h, respectively, by a guide wall

2

n

,

2

o

generally in an L-form. The air at the arrows e and g flows along the inner wall

2

m

and passes from the space A to the hot air blow port

2

e

and then out to a surface of the upper cup

2

a

. Meanwhile, the air at the arrows f and h is guided on the guide walls

2

n

and

2

o

and passes the air blow ports

2

f

and

2

g

and then goes out to a surface of the upper cup

2

a

. A penetration hole

2

p

, as shown in

FIG. 7

, is provided for installing a feces-detecting sensor

13

.

The guide walls

2

n

and

2

o

are walls formed generally in an L-form on center and outer-edge sides of the air blow ports

2

f

,

2

g

on the left and right to thereby flow air in equivalent amounts and with good balance through the three air blow ports

2

e

,

2

f

,

2

g

. The guide walls

2

n

,

2

o

collect air to the left and right air blow ports

2

f

,

2

g

, thereby increasing the amount and intensity of air flow through the left and right air blow ports

2

f

and

2

g

.

On a surface side of the air blow ports

2

e

,

2

f

,

2

g

, flaps

21

are fixed through screws

22

, as shown in

FIGS. 3

,

4

,

8

and

9

. The flaps

21

are guides to increase the intensity of air flow to the surface of the upper cup

2

a

through the air blow ports

2

e

,

2

f

,

2

g

to reduce air turbulence. The flaps

21

also direct the flow of air from a bottom of the cavity

2

c

to the discharge port

2

d

, thereby causing excrement and wash water to flow toward the discharge port

2

d

with smoothness and efficiency.

The flap

21

is generally in an arcuate form long in a sideways direction and formed of a semi-hard urethane resin sheet. The flap

21

has a wedge-formed portion

21

a

on a side of the waist-fit seat

15

, as shown in

FIGS. 8 and 9

. The flaps

21

cover the air blow ports

2

e

,

2

f

,

2

g

, as shown in

FIGS. 8 and 9

, and are arranged at an upper end in a slant surface

21

of the diaper cup main body

2

.

The flap

21

is formed with the wedge-formed portion

21

a

at one end and the other end directed to the slant surface

21

of the diaper cup main body

2

. The flap

21

thereby provides an air blow port

2

q

,

2

r

,

2

s

as a thickness-reduced port. Also, the flaps

21

can make long the shape and decrease the aperture size of the outlet port

2

q

,

2

r

,

2

s

by fixing the side portions of the three air blow ports

3

e

,

3

f

,

3

g

with four screws

22

on a diaper cup main body

2

, for example, as shown in FIG.

10

. This makes it possible to flow air immediately along a bottom of the entire slant surface

21

and the cavities

2

c

of the diaper cup main body

2

, as indicated by arrows i and j in

FIGS. 8 and 9

.

The air blown out of the outlet port

2

q

,

2

r

,

2

s

flows toward the discharge port

2

d

, as shown at arrows i, j, k, l, because the flap

21

has an arcuate form, as shown in

FIGS. 3 and 4

. As a result, when a sick person is in a lying state, wash water and urine are splashed smoothly toward the discharge port

2

d

side, preventing the same from staying in the diaper cup main body

2

, and also preventing erroneous operation to discharge urine. Also, feces can be floated and washed, without remainder, out of the cavity

2

c

of the diaper cup main body

2

by the air from the outlet ports

2

q

,

2

r

,

2

s

and wash water through the anus wash nozzle

11

and cup wash nozzle

12

.

Incidentally, the screws

22

in the diaper cup main body

2

are screws made in a same color as the diaper cup main body

2

(e.g., with white paint) so as not to provide a sick person with a feeling of metal mechanical coolness.

A support portion

15

a

generally in an arcuate form is provided on the flap

21

. The support portion

15

a

is formed at an end of the waist-fit seat

15

to prevent the flap

21

from spreading due to the force of airflow and to provide reinforcement.

The lower cup

2

b

of the diaper cup main body

2

is formed of a hard urethane resin similar to the upper cup

2

a

. As explained above, the lower cup

2

b

, if joined with an underside of the upper cup

2

a

, forms a space A with the upper cup

2

a

. The upper cup

2

a

and lower cup

2

b

together form the diaper main body

2

. The lower cup

2

b

is formed, as shown in

FIGS. 2

,

6

and

11

, with a hose connecting portion

2

u

integrally forming a penetration hole

2

w

in which the connecting cylinder portion

2

h

of the upper cup

2

a

is to be fitted. The lower cup

2

b

also has a connecting portion

2

i

to connect between a wash-water feed hose

17

and a water feed pipe

20

, a connecting cylinder portion

2

j

to connect an air-feed hose

18

to feed air into the space A, and a sensor coupler

2

k

to connect to a cord

19

connected to a power supply or the like.

The excrement suction hose

16

is connected to a vacuum motor or vacuum pump (not shown) by way of an excrement tank (not shown) and vacuum hose (not shown). The wash-water feed hose

17

is connected to a wash-water ejection adjust valve (not shown). The air feed hose

18

is connected to the vacuum motor or vacuum pump. The sensor coupler

2

k

is connected to a sequencer (not shown) through a sensor signal line (not shown).

Incidentally, the vacuum motor or vacuum pump is accommodated, together with a filter box, air discharge pipe and motor-cooling air suction pipe, in a housing. Also, the excrement suction hose

16

and the wash-water feed hose

17

are coupled together by a drain valve, and the warm water tank is connected with a water discharge valve.

As shown in

FIG. 2

, the space A provides a space to lay a water feed pipe

20

connected to the private-parts wash nozzle

10

, the anus wash nozzle

11

, and the cup wash nozzle

12

. The space A also provides a space to lay a cord

19

connected to a feces-detecting sensor

13

and urine-detecting sensor

14

, and functions as a feed air pipe to feed the air from the air feed hose

18

to the air blow ports

2

e

,

2

f

,

2

g

.

The cavity

2

c

is a semispherical recess formed in the upper cup

2

a

, which is formed continuous with a slant surface

21

on the side of the waist-fit seat

15

, as shown in FIG.

2

. The cavity

2

c

is arranged, in its bottom surface, with the private-parts wash nozzle

10

, the anus wash nozzle

11

, the feces-detecting sensor

13

, and the urine-detecting sensor

14

. Also, around the cavity

2

c

and in the front cover

7

are provided in line a plurality of hooks

9

comprising hooks

9

a

,

9

b

,

9

c

,

9

d

,

9

e

to attach and detach the changeable diaper

3

.

The private-parts wash nozzle

10

and the anus wash nozzle

11

are nozzles used exclusively for individually washing the private parts and anus, respectively, of a sick person wearing the diaper cup unit

1

, as shown in FIG.

2

. The ejection range &thgr;

1

of the private-parts wash nozzle

10

is set wide as compared to the ejection range &thgr;

2

of the anus wash nozzle

11

.

The cup wash nozzle

12

is a nozzle to wash away the excrement excreted by a sick person, as shown in

FIG. 2

, which is arranged on an inner side of the flaps

21

in the vicinity of the air blow port

2

e

for blowing warm air. The cup wash nozzle

12

operates to eject wash water toward the side of the feces-detecting sensor

13

. The cup wash nozzle

12

is fitted in a nozzle setup hole

2

v

opened in a center nearby the right and left air blow ports

2

e

, as shown in FIG.

7

.

The feces-detecting sensor

13

is a sensor to detect the feces excreted by a sick person or the like. The feces-detecting sensor

13

comprises, for example, one sensor installed at a center location in the slant surface

21

, as shown in

FIGS. 2

to

4

.

The urine-detecting sensor

14

is a sensor to detect the urine excreted by a sick person or the like. As shown in

FIGS. 1

to

4

, sensors comprising, for example, two to three conductor wires are installed, for example, at three locations. A first location for the sensors is from the air blow ports

2

e

,

2

f

,

2

g

to a center of the cavity

2

c

in the vicinity of the lower discharge port

2

d

. Other locations for the sensors are on the side walls at the left and right sides of the lower discharge port

2

d

and directed toward the discharge port

2

d

.

The waist-fit seat

15

is a plate on which a sick person or the like rests his or her waist. The seat

15

is formed of semi-hard urethane resin having a hardness, for example, of approximately 70 [Hs]. The waist-fit seat

15

is formed integral with a flat, bendable or deformable plate portion

15

b

, a support portion

15

a

formed on a side of the plate portion

15

b

facing the cavity

2

c

, and a slant portion

15

c

installed in an outward center.

The waist-fit seat

15

has an inner surface which is slanted in its entirety due to the slant portion

15

c

provided in the outer center. The slant portion

15

c

is formed with a plurality of cutout grooves

15

d

which extend laterally and provide a structure that is easy to bend or deform. The waist-fit seat

15

is easy to deform due to the cutout grooves

15

d

so that a sick person or the like wearing the diaper main body

2

can easily and freely change his or her position. Thus, the sick person or the like can rise from the bed easily. The waist-fit seat

15

is fixed to the diaper main body

2

through adhesive and further firmly fixed by screws

24

.

A waterproof dam

23

having a generally arcuate form is arranged around the support portion

15

a

of the waist-fit seat

15

where a coccyx is positioned when the diaper cup main body

2

is worn by a sick person or the like. The waterproof dam

23

comprises a buffer member, for example, of silicone rubber having a hardness of approximately

7

[Hs]. The waterproof dam

23

provides a buffer member in a position that a coccyx of a sick person abuts against, and also prevents wash water or urine from leaking outside the diaper cup main body

2

.

In the waterproof dam

23

, when the wash water ejected in a direction of arrow m through the anus wash nozzle

11

hits a pelvic region H of a sick person or the like, as shown in

FIG. 9

, the water with the impetus flows in a direction of arrow n along a surface of the pelvic region H to hit against the waterproof dam

23

. The wash water hitting the waterproof dam

23

then hits an end of the waterproof dam