Adjustable Wheeled Chair Leg Rest With Auto-Latching Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wheeled chairs for transporting patients face challenges such as difficult use, storage, and accommodating patients of different sizes, along with issues related to footrests, brakes, and attachments like oxygen bottles and charts.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a frame with a seat, wheels, footrests, a leg rest that is pivotable and adjustable, and a latch system for easy use and storage, along with features like a handle for releasing the leg rest and improved armrests for easier entry and exit, accommodating various patient sizes and allowing secure attachment of medical equipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the leg rest is made movable between stowed and use positions, then patient comfort is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The leg rest is designed as a movable component that can transition between a stowed position (underneath the seat) and a use position (extending forwardly from the seat). This dynamic configuration allows the leg rest to adapt to different patient needs while maintaining a compact form when not in use, resolving the contradiction between comfort and complexity through controlled mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The leg rest incorporates an automatic latch mechanism that self-locks when the leg rest reaches either the stowed or use position. This self-latching feature eliminates the need for manual locking operations, reducing operational complexity while maintaining the adaptability benefit of the movable design.
2Ease of operation
If the leg rest includes automatic latch mechanism, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The automatic latch mechanism engages automatically when the leg rest reaches either the stowed or use position, eliminating the need for manual locking or securing operations. The latch system self-activates based on the leg rest's position, providing ease of operation while containing mechanical complexity within a self-regulating system.
Solution Approach 2:
The latch mechanism replaces manual locking operations with an automatic mechanical system that responds to the leg rest's position. This substitution eliminates the need for separate locking actions, improving ease of operation while integrating the locking function into the existing mechanical structure of the movable leg rest.
3Ease of operation
If the pivot axis is located at lower height, then ease of operation is improved, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pivot axis is specifically positioned at a lower height than the rear wheel pivot axis, creating a localized structural characteristic that facilitates easier operation. This lower pivot point provides better mechanical leverage and更符合人体工程学, while the structural complexity is contained to this specific location rather than affecting the entire chair structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A leg rest for a patient transport device, such as a wheeled chair, bed, stretcher, cot, or the like, is movable between a stowed position underneath a seat and a use position extending forwardly from the seat. The leg rest includes a latch and a handle for releasing the latch. The latch is adapted to automatically retain the leg rest in whichever of the use and stowed positions it currently is in. Pulling on the handle releases the latch and allows the leg rest to be moved between the use and stowed positions. The leg rest includes a pad that is positioned, when the leg rest is in the use position, to contact a patient's calf. The leg rest is configured to both pivot about a pivot axis and to have two different sections that translate with respect to each other.