Autonomous Medical Accessory Support for Patient Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical line coupling processes require trained personnel and can be burdensome, and there is a need to maintain patient connection to medical devices during movement, such as transporting patients with EKG or IV therapy, without causing discomfort or decoupling due to tension in medical lines.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous accessory support system that includes a movement module with powered and steerable wheels, a tracking module to monitor patient movement, and a controller to maintain optimal distance between the patient and medical devices, preventing tension in medical lines by autonomously adjusting the position of medical accessories.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If medical accessories are moved manually by personnel during patient transport, then patient care continuity is maintained, but labor resources are consumed and operational efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The accessory support is equipped with autonomous navigation capabilities including sensors, processors, and actuators that enable it to automatically follow the patient during transport without requiring manual handling by personnel
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical manual pushing or pulling of accessory supports with an autonomous navigation system that uses sensors to detect patient movement and automatically adjusts the accessory support position accordingly
2Stability of the object's composition
If medical lines are kept short to prevent tangling, then device stability is improved, but patient mobility is restricted and discomfort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The accessory support dynamically adjusts its position relative to the patient during movement, automatically maintaining optimal distance and orientation to prevent medical line tension while accommodating patient mobility needs
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses sensors to continuously monitor the position of the patient and the tension status of medical lines, providing feedback to the navigation system which then adjusts the accessory support position to maintain line slack without excessive length
3Reliability
If dedicated personnel are assigned to manage medical line tension during transport, then patient safety is improved, but operational complexity and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The accessory support autonomously monitors and manages medical line tension through integrated sensors and navigation systems, eliminating the need for dedicated personnel to manually manage line tension during patient transport
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual monitoring and adjustment of medical line tension by personnel with an automated sensor-based system that detects line tension status and adjusts accessory support position accordingly
4Object-affected harmful factors
If medical accessories are fixed in position relative to the patient, then line tension is reduced during movement, but the ability to respond to patient movement changes is diminished
Solution Approach 1:
The accessory support maintains a dynamic relative position to the patient rather than a fixed position, automatically adjusting its location to maintain optimal distance and prevent medical line tension while responding to patient movement changes
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors patient position and medical line tension status through sensors, using this feedback to dynamically adjust the accessory support position to maintain line slack while adapting to patient movement
Data Source
AI summary
An autonomous accessory support and system for transporting a medical accessory for delivering therapy that is coupled to a patient via a medical line. The autonomous accessory support comprises an accessory post for supporting the medical accessory. A movement module supports the accessory post for moving the accessory post relative to the patient. A tracking module is configured to track movement of the patient or a patient support apparatus relative to the autonomous accessory support and provide a tracking input signal. A controller is in electronic communication with the movement module and the tracking module. The controller controls the movement module to reduce actual patient proximity to a target patient proximity being a distance between the accessory support and the patient or the patient support apparatus sufficient to prevent tensioning of the medical line beyond a tension threshold. The distance may be a selectable preset distance maintained by the controller.