Automated Powered Cot With Sliding Legs for Ambulance Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing emergency cots for bariatric patients require manual support during loading into ambulances, which can be cumbersome and inefficient, especially when dealing with uneven terrain or space-constrained vehicles.
Innovation Solution
An automated multipurpose roll-in emergency cot system with sliding legs and actuators, controlled by processors and sensors, that can adjust height and balance to facilitate easier loading and unloading into various vehicles, including ambulances, vans, aircraft, and helicopters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual support is used during cot loading, then operator control is maintained, but operational efficiency decreases and physical strain increases
Solution Approach 1:
The powered cot system performs loading operations autonomously using onboard actuators and control systems. The cot self-adjusts its position and orientation without requiring manual support from operators, eliminating physical strain while maintaining operational efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical support operations are replaced with an automated powered system comprising electric actuators, motors, and electronic control circuits. This substitution eliminates the need for operators to physically support the cot during loading while improving operational efficiency.
2Adaptability or versatility
If fixed height cot design is used, then structural simplicity is maintained, but adaptability to different loading scenarios decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The cot transitions from a fixed-height design to a dynamically adjustable structure. Powered actuators enable the cot to change its height and angle positions based on different loading scenarios, enhancing adaptability while the control system manages the added complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The powered cot system is designed to perform multiple loading functions across different scenarios (ambulance loading, helicopter loading, terrain adaptation). The same actuator system provides versatile positioning capabilities for various vehicle types and terrain conditions, achieving universality despite increased structural complexity.
3Extent of automation
If powered actuators are added to the cot, then loading automation improves, but system weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The powered actuation system is divided into separate modular components distributed along the cot structure. Individual actuators are positioned at specific locations to provide localized functionality, reducing the need for a single heavy centralized mechanism and enabling targeted automation where most needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A cot can include a support frame that extends between a front end and a back end. A front leg and a back leg can be slidingly coupled to the support frame. A front actuator can be coupled to the front leg and slide the front leg to retract and extend the front leg. A back actuator can be coupled to the back leg and slide the back leg to retract and extend the front leg. One or more processors can execute machine readable instructions to receive signals from one or more sensors indicative of the front end of the cot and the front leg. The one or more processors can actuate the back actuator to extend the back leg to raise the back end of the cot, when the front end of the cot is supported by a surface and the front leg is retracted a predetermined amount.