TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to mobility devices, and particularly, although not exclusively, mobility devices for assisting a patient for rehabilitation.

BACKGROUND

Patient lifts are usually used and controlled by an operator to transfer a patient between a bed and a chair or other resting places. They are particularly useful for patients with a weak lower body part who have difficulties in standing or walking by themselves, for example due to lost physical abilities result from a disease or injury, or as a side effect from a medical treatment. The patient lifts are often used with a sling attached to and hoisted in a single upward direction by the lift, and wrapped around the lower body part of the patient, to support the entire weight of the patient during lifting and transferring.

Often, the lost physical abilities required for the patients' daily life can be regained through rehabilitation, thus improving their daily life and functioning.

However, using the conventional patient lifts may impede the patients from rehabilitation, because the patient may lose muscle memory to stand up or sit down from relying solely on the lift and the sling in long term.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to address the above needs, to overcome or substantially ameliorate the above disadvantages or, more generally, to provide a mobility device that is able to generate real human sit-to-stand trajectory for muscle training and rehabilitation.

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a mobility device for assisting a patient, comprising: a frame having a wheel arranged to manoeuvre the mobility device; a lift assembly coupled to the frame and movable between a lowered position and a raised position; and a support arm coupled to the lift assembly for movement with the lift assembly and arranged to support an upper part of a body of the patient and to support at least part of his weight on the mobility device when the lift assembly is raised from the lowered position to the raised position and when maneuvering the mobility device.

Preferably, the support arm is movable relative to the lift assembly.

More preferably, the support arm is slidable between a retracted position in which the support arm is proximal to the lift assembly, and an extended position in which the support arm is distal to the lift assembly.

More preferably, the support arm is slidable along a substantially horizontal axis.

In a preferred embodiment, the lift assembly comprises a lift linkage movable along a substantially vertical axis, and a pivot linkage coupled to the lift linkage and the support arm, and wherein the pivot linkage is pivotable relative to the lift linkage between the lowered position and the raised position when the lift linkage is moved along the substantially vertical axis.

Preferably, the pivot linkage is pivotable about a pivot axis perpendicular to an axis parallel to the substantially vertical axis.

More preferably, the pivot linkage is coupled to the frame and the pivot axis is arranged along the frame.

In a preferred embodiment, the support arm comprises a grip portion for the patient to grip and an arm support portion coupled to the grip portion for supporting at least part of an arm of the patient.

Preferably, the grip portion comprises a U-shaped structure.

More preferably, the arm support portion is arranged to extend from each end of the U-shaped structure.

More preferably, the mobility device further comprises a pressure sensor coupled to the support arm.

More preferably, the pressure sensor is coupled to the arm support portion.

In a preferred embodiment, the support arm comprises a sling holder for holding a sling arranged to support a lower part of the body of the patient.

Preferably, the sling holder comprises a hook structure or a ring structure.

Preferably, the frame comprises a base coupled to the wheel and having two legs and a crossbar coupled between the two legs.

More preferably, each of the two legs is pivotable relative to the crossbar about a pivot axis substantially parallel to the substantially vertical axis.

More preferably, each of the two legs is pivotable at an angle between 90° and 120°.

In a preferred embodiment, a handle coupled to the frame for an operator to manoeuvre the mobility device for use by the patient.

In a preferred embodiment, a smart device for determining identity information of the patient, and the mobility device is configured to: receive the identity information from the smart device, and determine a predetermined movement of the lift assembly between the lowered position and the raised position for the patient based on the received identity information.

Preferably, the mobility device is further configured to determine a predetermined movement of the support arm for the patient based on the received identity information.

More preferably, the mobility device is further configured to control movements of the lift assembly and the support arm based on the determined movements.

Preferably, the smart device comprises a face recognition device having a camera for capturing an image of at least part of a face of the patient.

