Hospital Bed Foot Deck Actuation for Low-Floor Chair Exit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hospital beds lack an efficient mechanism to transition from a horizontal to a vertical position, making it difficult for patients to exit from the foot end, and existing solutions do not allow the bed to be positioned close enough to the floor for easy exit.
Innovation Solution
A hospital bed with a non-pivotal actuation mechanism for the foot deck that translates longitudinally and rotationally from a horizontal to a vertical position, maintaining the bed close to the floor, and includes a controller to manage the frame's position, allowing the foot deck to be positioned at least 120 millimeters from the floor when vertical.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the foot deck transitions to a vertical position using a pivotal mechanism, then the chair-bed configuration is achieved, but the foot deck moves away from the floor making patient exit difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The foot deck transitions from a static horizontal position to a dynamic vertical position through a non-pivotal actuation mechanism. The mechanism allows the foot deck to rotate and translate, changing its position and orientation dynamically to achieve chair-bed configuration while maintaining proximity to the floor through longitudinal translation
Solution Approach 2:
A non-pivotal actuation mechanism serves as an intermediary between the horizontal and vertical positions. This mechanism includes a longitudinal gap between the intermediate deck and foot deck, allowing the foot deck to translate and rotate without pivoting, thereby maintaining close proximity to the floor during transition
2Adaptability or versatility
If the foot deck transitions to vertical position, then chair-bed configuration is achieved, but the frame must be raised higher from the floor
Solution Approach 1:
The bed is divided into separate deck sections (head deck, intermediate deck, foot deck) with a longitudinal gap between them. This segmentation allows the foot deck to move independently through translation and rotation, achieving vertical position without requiring the entire frame to be raised
Solution Approach 2:
The foot deck employs dynamic movement through non-pivotal actuation, combining longitudinal translation and rotation to achieve vertical orientation. This dynamic approach allows the foot deck to reach chair-bed configuration while the frame remains at a lower height
3Ease of operation
If a non-pivotal actuation mechanism is used, then the foot deck can translate and rotate to vertical position, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The actuation mechanism is segmented into components that work together: a longitudinal gap between decks, a foot deck section that translates and rotates independently, and associated actuators. This segmentation allows complex motion (translation + rotation) to be achieved through coordinated simpler movements
Data Source
AI summary
A bed is provided having a non-pivotal actuation mechanism for a foot deck to assist the bed in being converted to a chair bed and lowered close to the floor even when the foot deck is in a generally vertical position. In one embodiment, the bed has a longitudinal gap between the intermediate deck section and the foot deck section. As the foot deck transitions to the generally vertical position from the generally horizontal position the gap between the intermediate frame section and the foot deck section is decreased. In an alternate embodiment a foot deck side rail is operably connected to the foot deck section and driven by the non-pivotal actuation mechanism.