Adjustable-Width Mattress With Collapsible Expansion Sections
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mattresses and bed systems require multiple sizes to accommodate different bed widths, which limits flexibility and convenience, especially in healthcare settings where patients of varying sizes need support.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable-width mattress with a central portion and expansion portions, featuring air cells with foam inflation structures that allow the width to be varied by compressing and decompressing in response to bed rail movements, maintaining support and pressure distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single mattress is designed to fit multiple bed widths, then versatility and adaptability improve, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mattress is divided into a central portion and two expansion portions that can independently collapse or expand. This segmentation allows the mattress to adjust its width by collapsing the expansion portions sideways while maintaining the central support structure, enabling a single mattress to fit multiple bed widths without requiring completely different mattress designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The expansion portions are designed with dynamic collapse characteristics that allow them to compress sideways when force is applied. This dynamic behavior enables the mattress to transition between different width configurations, providing adaptability to various bed sizes while maintaining structural integrity through the foam inflation structures.
2Adaptability or versatility
If expansion portions are added to enable width adjustment, then versatility improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The foam inflation structures are integrated within the air cells of the expansion portions, combining the support function with the width adjustment mechanism. This merging eliminates the need for separate support and adjustment systems, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining both width adjustability and occupant support capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The foam inflation structures automatically provide support as the air cells collapse sideways during width adjustment. The system self-regulates the support function during the collapse process without requiring external control mechanisms, power sources, or complex actuation systems, thereby simplifying the overall device while maintaining versatility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the mattress width is adjusted by collapsing expansion portions, then adaptability improves, but structural stability may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The central portion of the mattress is designed with different structural properties than the expansion portions. The central portion maintains full structural stability and support characteristics, while the expansion portions are designed to collapse sideways. This local differentiation ensures that the essential support function remains stable while allowing width adjustment through the expansion portions.
Solution Approach 2:
The foam inflation structures are nested within the air cells of the expansion portions. When the air cells collapse sideways during width adjustment, the foam structures provide internal support and maintain the nested configuration, preventing complete structural failure and ensuring the mattress maintains its compositional stability even in the collapsed width-adjusted state.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables a single mattress to fit various bed widths without external power, accommodating different occupant sizes and facilitating easy adjustment, even for obese patients, while maintaining comfort and support.
Implementation Method 1
Each air cell may include a foam inflation structure inside the air cell. When air is forced into the air cells, the foam inflation structure may expand, thereby increasing the width dimension of the support surface.
Implementation Method 2
The foam inflation structure may remain inflated by elastic recovery of the foam.
Implementation Method 3
An inward force applied to the expansion portion of the support surface in a direction parallel to the width dimension causes the expansion portion to collapse so that the width dimension of the support surface is decreased.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
An adjustable-width mattress includes a support surface that has a length dimension and a width dimension perpendicular to the length dimension. The width dimension of the support surface may be varied.