Bed Frame Handrail Shield Folding for Gap Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bed frame handrails have a large gap between the handrail and the bed frame, which compromises safety and obstructs medical personnel and caregivers during use, and lack a mechanism for smooth folding.
Innovation Solution
A handrail system with a pivotally connected shield and gear set that allows the shield to fold inward, reducing the gap and enabling smooth operation by using a bevel gear and spur gear mechanism to control the folding action, preventing interference with the ground and facilitating easy folding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a handrail lifting means is provided to allow smooth movement of the handrail, then the ease of operation is improved, but the gap between the handrail and the bed frame becomes too large which compromises safety
Solution Approach 1:
The handrail system is divided into multiple components: the handrail frame, the shield, and the swinging assembly. The shield can be independently folded relative to the handrail frame, allowing the handrail to move smoothly while the shield maintains a smaller gap with the bed frame to prevent patient fall-through
Solution Approach 2:
The shield is designed to be dynamically adjustable through the swinging assembly, which allows it to swing between a protective position (reducing gap for safety) and a folded position (allowing smooth handrail movement). This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between safety and ease of operation
2Ease of operation
If the handrail is designed with larger space for action to smooth movement, then the ease of operation is improved, but the gap between the handrail and the bed frame becomes too large causing safety danger
Solution Approach 1:
The handrail assembly is segmented into the handrail frame and the shield component. The shield can be folded independently toward the inside of the handrail frame, providing adequate action space for smooth operation while maintaining a smaller protective gap when needed
Solution Approach 2:
The shield is designed to fold in a different dimension (inward toward the handrail frame) rather than simply moving the entire handrail. This dimensional change allows the handrail to have sufficient action space while the shield maintains its protective function by reducing the vertical gap with the bed frame
3Reliability
If a shield is added to reduce the gap and increase safety, then the safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shield is integrated with the handrail frame through pivotal connection, merging two components into a unified assembly. The gear set and swinging assembly are combined to provide a compact mechanism that enables shield folding without requiring separate complex systems
Solution Approach 2:
The shield can be folded toward the inside of the handrail frame, nesting the shield within the handrail structure when not in use. This nesting approach reduces the overall complexity by utilizing the existing handrail frame space rather than requiring additional external structures
Data Source
AI summary
A handrail means for a bed frame includes a handrail frame, a shield, a handrail fixing frame, and a swinging assembly. When the swinging assembly acts, the shield does not act yet so as to avoid from interfering with the swinging assembly. When the swinging assembly is oriented horizontally, the shield can be folded toward the inside of the handrail frame. When the swinging assembly achieves a predetermined point, the shield has completed its action. Therefore, during the action, the shield avoids the handrail means from contacting the ground, thereby smoothing the folding of the handrail means of the bed frame.