Barrier for a bed
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional safety rails for hospital beds are cumbersome and complex to operate, hindering access to the underside of the bed when in the lower position, and require multiple steps to collapse and stow under the mattress support, making them prone to mechanical failure.
Innovation Solution
A barrier assembly with a pivot mechanism and slidable support rails that allow the safety rail to rotate and slide under the bed, enabling easy deployment and stowage, with moveable barrier rail elements that adjust between upright and underbed configurations for varying bed widths, using a rotatable rod member and locking mechanism for secure operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the safety rail pivots and slides under the mattress support to improve access, then accessibility is improved, but the mechanism becomes complicated and cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The invention combines the pivot mechanism and sliding mechanism into a single integrated assembly. The barrier rail elements are coupled to the pivot mechanism, allowing them to rotate with the support rail while maintaining their relative positions. This merging reduces the number of separate components and simplifies the overall mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The barrier rail elements can be moved through the barrier rail support when in the plane of the support rails, allowing nested movement where smaller components move within larger structural elements. This nesting approach compactly accommodates multiple degrees of freedom without requiring separate mechanisms for each motion.
2Volume of moving object
If the safety rail collapses to fit under the mattress support, then space utilization is improved, but the mechanism requires multiple steps and manual operations
Solution Approach 1:
The collapse function is merged with the pivot and slide operations into a single integrated motion sequence. As the support rail pivots to the horizontal position, the barrier rail elements automatically collapse and nest within the support structure, eliminating the need for separate collapse steps and manual lock releases.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanism is designed to automatically perform the collapse and nesting operations as the support rail pivots. The barrier rail elements self-adjust and self-stow within the barrier rail support structure without requiring manual intervention, making the system self-servicing during the transition to the stowed position.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the safety rail mechanism includes locks and triggers for collapse, then structural stability is improved, but mechanical failure risk and operation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes traditional lock and trigger mechanisms from the system. Instead of using separate locking components and triggers, the design relies on the inherent mechanical geometry of the pivot and nested sliding structures to maintain stability in both deployed and stowed positions, eliminating potential failure points associated with locks and triggers.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 1C~1D
Figure 2A~2B
AI summary
Described herein is a barrier assembly for a bed. The barrier assembly comprises one or more support rails extendable, in use, laterally from a stowed position to a deployed position; a pivot mechanism provided at a distal end of the one or more support rails; and one or more barrier rail elements, coupled to the pivot mechanism for movement from a substantially horizontal plane to a substantially vertical plane. When in a substantially horizontal plane, the barrier rail elements are themselves movable in the plane of the one or more support rails between an extended position and a retracted position.