Self-compensating Bed Scale for Removable Components
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Solution Overview
Problem
Patient support apparatuses in care facilities face errors in calculating true patient weight due to removable components, leading to non-optimal pressure set points and incorrect medical diagnoses, as existing systems fail to accurately account for the weight changes caused by these components.
Innovation Solution
A patient support apparatus equipped with load cells and detectors, a controller that communicates with them to determine the patient's weight and updates it based on the presence or absence of removable components, such as headboards, siderails, and containers, ensuring accurate weight calculations by compensating for the weight of added or removed components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If removable components (headboard, footboard, siderail, containers) are added to the patient support apparatus, then the functionality and comfort for the patient is improved, but the weight measurement accuracy deteriorates due to the additional weight of these components
Solution Approach 1:
The controller performs preliminary detection of removable components using detectors before weight measurement, and pre-calculates their weight contribution. This preliminary action allows the system to compensate for component weight in advance, ensuring accurate patient weight measurement even when components are present on the apparatus.
2Ease of operation
If removable components are removed or added during patient care, then the ease of operation and adaptability is improved, but the reliability of weight-based medical assessments deteriorates due to incorrect weight readings
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors the presence of removable components via detectors and provides feedback to the controller. When a component is added or removed, the detector signal changes, triggering the controller to recalculate the tare weight and update the patient weight measurement, ensuring continuous accuracy throughout patient care.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller detects removable components using detectors before performing weight measurements and maintains continuous monitoring. This preliminary and ongoing detection ensures that any changes in component configuration are captured before affecting weight-based medical assessments, maintaining reliability throughout patient care.
3Measurement precision
If the system continuously monitors for removable components to maintain accurate weight measurements, then the measurement precision is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional detectors and control mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The detectors serve multiple functions: they detect the presence of removable components for weight compensation, monitor component configuration changes, and provide occupancy detection. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate systems, maintaining measurement precision while limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system combines the detector functionality with the existing weight measurement and control system. The detectors are integrated into the mounting sockets of removable components, and the controller merges component detection with tare weight calculation and patient weight determination, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining precision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution provides accurate patient weight measurements, preventing errors in pressure set points and medical diagnoses, and ensuring optimal patient care by automatically adjusting for changes in removable components, thus enhancing the reliability of weight-based medical assessments.
Implementation Method 1
Each load cell is configured to produce a signal indicative of an amount of weight on that load cell
Data Source
AI summary
A patient support apparatus includes detectors and a controller operable to automatically update a tare weight for use in determining a true patient weight. The detectors are configured to produce signals indicating a presence or absence of a corresponding removable component. The controller is configured to determine weights of each and every removable component on the patient support apparatus and store each weight in a memory. The controller is further configured to receive the signals produced by the detectors and detect any addition or removal of removable components of the patient support apparatus, update the tare weight, and determine a weight of a patient being supported on the patient support apparatus.