Bed Frame and Mattress Geometry for Easier Chair Egress
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current chair beds in healthcare settings do not optimally position a patient's center of gravity for egress and ingress, as the chair egress mode may still have the center of gravity too far behind the heels, making transitions from sitting to standing less than ideal.
Innovation Solution
A bed frame and mattress design that allows for a chair state and a chair egress state, where the intercorner distance is reduced by longitudinal movement of deck sections, and the mattress segments adjust to accommodate these changes, ensuring a more favorable positioning of the center of gravity for egress and ingress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the chair egress mode is used with standard intercorner distance, then the frame structure is stable and simple, but the occupant's center of gravity is positioned too far behind heels making egress difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The bed frame incorporates movable deck sections that can be longitudinally adjusted between a chair state and a chair egress state. The medial section, seat section, and thigh section are configured to slide relative to each other, changing the intercorner distance between the sacral corner and popliteal corner. This dynamic adjustment allows optimization of the occupant's center of gravity position for egress while maintaining structural stability through controlled mechanical movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The deck is divided into multiple separable sections including an upper body section, medial section, seat section, thigh section, and calf section. These segmented sections can move independently relative to one another, allowing the intercorner distance to be adjusted without requiring complete structural redesign. The segmentation enables flexible configuration changes while maintaining overall frame integrity.
2Ease of operation
If the intercorner distance is reduced for optimal egress positioning, then the center of gravity positioning is improved, but the frame and mattress structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The mattress includes segments corresponding to the deck sections that can expand and contract longitudinally. When the deck sections move to reduce the intercorner distance, the mattress segments dynamically adjust their length to maintain continuous support. This dynamic adaptation allows the mattress to accommodate the changed geometry without requiring a completely different structural design.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable deck sections and expandable mattress segments serve multiple functions: they adjust the intercorner distance for optimal egress positioning, maintain structural support during transition, and provide continuous occupant support in both chair and chair egress states. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized structures for each state.
Data Source
AI summary
A bed frame 36 disclosed herein includes a calf section 72 with a foot end 74 and an upper end 76 longitudinally spaced from the foot end, an upper body section 54 with a head end 56 and a lower end 58 longitudinally spaced from the head end, and a medial section 66 longitudinally intermediate the calf and upper body sections. The bed frame is capable of assuming a chair state and a chair egress state. The upper body section and medial section define a sacral corner 68, and the calf section and medial section define a popliteal corner 70 spaced from the sacral corner by an intercorner distance. The intercorner distance is smaller in the chair egress state than in the chair state. A mattress 100 disclosed herein includes an upper body segment 102, a calf segment 116, and a medial segment 124 The lower end 106 of the upper body segment cooperates with the upper end 120 of the calf segment to define an intersegment distance. The mattress has a chair state in which the intersegment distance is a distance D1 and an egress state in which the intersegment distance is a distance D2 which is less than D1. A bed disclosed herein includes a frame whose intercorner distance is smaller in the chair egress state than in the chair state, and a mattress having a medial segment which is conformable to accommodate smaller and larger intercorner distances.