Electro-Hydraulic Ambulance Cot Lift for Single-Attendant Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ambulance cots require multiple attendants to lift and lower, increasing the risk of back injuries, especially when handling bariatric patients, due to the physical strain of raising and lowering a loaded cot from a low height.
Innovation Solution
An electro-hydraulically powered ambulance cot with an x-frame design and hydraulic lift system that allows for easy lifting and lowering of patients using hydraulic cylinders, reducing the physical effort required and enabling single-operator operation with infinite height adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple attendants manually lift the cot, then the lifting task can be completed, but the risk of back injury increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical lifting system with an electro-hydraulic lift system. The hydraulic cylinders powered by an electric motor substitute for human muscular effort, eliminating the physical strain on attendants while maintaining the lifting function. This directly resolves the contradiction by removing the harmful physical effort requirement while ensuring attendant safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a hydraulic lift system with cylinders connected to a hydraulic motor to provide powered lifting and lowering of the cot. The hydraulic system generates sufficient force to lift heavy loads (including bariatric patients) without requiring manual effort from attendants, thereby improving safety while reducing physical operation demands.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the cot is lifted to high positions, then loading into vehicles with higher floors is enabled, but the lifting effort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electro-hydraulic lift system replaces manual lifting mechanisms, providing powered elevation to various heights. The hydraulic motor and cylinders generate the necessary force to lift the cot to positions compatible with different vehicle floor heights without increasing manual lifting effort, as the system is fully powered.
Solution Approach 2:
The lift system provides dynamic height adjustment capability, allowing the cot to be raised or lowered to any position within its range. The infinite height adjustment feature enables adaptation to various vehicle floors while the powered system manages all force requirements, eliminating the trade-off between height and manual effort.
3Ease of operation
If a powered lift system is added, then lifting effort is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates a hydraulic lift system with cylinders and a hydraulic motor into the cot structure. While this adds complexity compared to manual systems, the hydraulic mechanism provides efficient force multiplication and controlled movement, achieving reduced physical effort with a compact powered system rather than a simpler manual design.
Solution Approach 2:
The electro-hydraulic system serves multiple functions: powered lifting, powered lowering, height adjustment, and support for various load weights. By consolidating these functions into a single integrated system rather than separate mechanisms, the patent manages device complexity while achieving comprehensive ease of operation improvements.
4Ease of operation
If the hydraulic system is continuously powered, then lifting and lowering is easy, but battery power is consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The hydraulic system operates in periodic cycles rather than continuously. The electric motor activates only during lifting or lowering operations, then remains idle when the cot is stationary at the desired height. The hydraulic system maintains position without continuous power input, reducing overall battery consumption while preserving ease of operation when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The hydraulic system utilizes gravity to assist during lowering operations, reducing the power required from the electric motor. The system performs useful work (lowering the cot) with minimal energy input by harnessing gravitational force, thereby conserving battery power while maintaining operational convenience.
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
The system significantly reduces the risk of work-related injuries and lost time by allowing easy loading and unloading of patients, even in vehicles with higher floors, while conserving battery power with a manual override option.
Implementation Method 1
A motor is mounted to the cot to pump hydraulic fluid under pressure to the lift system in order to assist relative movement between the support frame and the wheeled base
Implementation Method 2
Pilot operated check valves 'lock' hydraulic cylinders of the lift system in place when the pump is de-energized to maintain the cot in its desired position
Data Source
AI summary
A collapsible hydraulically operated ambulance cot having a support frame, a wheeled base, a support mechanism disposed therebetween, and a lift system for hydraulically moving the upper frame relative to the lower frame is disclosed. The lift system permits a single attendant to raise the cot from a lowered position to a raised position, and an infinite number of positions therebetween, and to raise the wheeled base relative to the support frame to situate the cot onto an elevated surface such as the transport deck of an ambulance. A manual override is also provided to conserve battery power and as a back-up in no-power situations. It is to be appreciated that the above described manual override mode may be used when raising or lowering the cot without power assist, dropping the undercarriage when unloading from a vehicle, and lifting the undercarriage when loading into a vehicle.