Bed Tilting Control via Knee Bottom Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bed apparatuses lack a mechanism to prevent tilting when the knee bottom is not raised, leading to potential user slippage towards the foot side during tilting operations.
Innovation Solution
A bed apparatus with a tilting driver and operational state detector that only allows tilting when the knee bottom is raised to an angle of 0 degrees or greater, utilizing an interconnecting member and identification plug system to ensure the knee bottom actuation assembly is operable before enabling tilting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the bed apparatus allows tilting operation without detecting knee bottom actuation status, then the tilting function is more versatile and easier to operate, but the user safety is compromised and user slippage may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of the knee bottom actuation status before allowing the tilting operation to proceed. The operational state detector checks whether the knee bottom is in the raised position, and only permits tilting when this condition is satisfied, thereby preventing user slippage while maintaining operational convenience
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback control by continuously monitoring the knee bottom actuation status through the operational state detector and using this information to control the availability of the tilting driver. The tilting function is enabled or disabled based on the detected state, creating a closed-loop safety mechanism
2Reliability
If the bed apparatus adds an operational state detector to detect knee bottom actuation status, then user safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The operational state detector is designed to serve multiple functions: it detects the knee bottom actuation status, provides feedback to the control system, and enables or disables the tilting operation. By making this single component multi-functional, the system achieves improved safety without proportionally increasing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The operational state detector acts as an intermediary component between the knee bottom actuation assembly and the tilting driver. It translates the physical state of the knee bottom into a control signal that regulates the tilting operation, thereby simplifying the overall control architecture while ensuring safety
Data Source
AI summary
To provide a bed apparatus that permits the bed to be tilted only when the knee bottom in the bed apparatus is raised so as to be able to positively prevent the user from slipping to the foot side when the bed is tilted. The bed apparatus includes: a tilting driver that can perform a tilting operation of the upper frame so as to create difference in height between the head side and the foot side and, at least, lower the foot side; and an operational state detector that detects that a knee bottom actuation assembly for raising and lowering the knee bottom is operable. The tilting driver performs the tilting operation when the knee bottom forms an angle of 0 degrees or greater relative to the ground and when the operational state detector has detected that the knee bottom actuation assembly is operable.