Chiropractic Table Comfort Zone Actuator
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing chiropractic tables for spinal treatment often cause discomfort during continuous passive motion due to excessive extension or flexion beyond comfortable angles, lacking mechanisms to adjust or reduce motion while maintaining therapeutic benefits.
Innovation Solution
A therapeutic table with an extension/flexion section equipped with a rotary actuator and a comfort zone feature, allowing adjustment of motion limits and speeds to reduce discomfort, enabling the table to pivot between operational and comfort zone ranges, and intermediate ranges, with a microprocessor-controlled system for setting and switching between these modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the chiropractic table provides continuous passive motion through full extension and flexion ranges, then therapeutic benefit is maximized, but patient discomfort increases due to motion beyond comfortable angles
Solution Approach 1:
The device dynamically adjusts the range of motion between two extremes: full operational range for therapeutic benefit and reduced comfort zone range for patient comfort. The microprocessor-controlled actuator can modify motion parameters in real-time based on patient feedback, allowing the system to adapt between maximum therapy and comfort as needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the motion parameters (extension and flexion angle limits) to switch between operational range and comfort zone range. By adjusting these angular parameters, the device can provide full therapeutic motion when needed or reduce motion to comfortable levels when patients experience pain, without requiring mechanical redesign.
2Reliability
If the chiropractic table uses a fixed operational range of motion, then therapeutic efficacy is maintained, but patient comfort deteriorates when motion exceeds comfortable limits
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from a static fixed range to a dynamic adjustable range. The microprocessor controls the actuator to modify extension and flexion limits on-demand, allowing the operational parameters to be changed during treatment based on patient comfort levels while maintaining therapeutic effectiveness when full range is used.
Solution Approach 2:
The device enables patient self-regulation of motion comfort through feedback mechanisms. Patients can communicate discomfort levels, and the system automatically adjusts the range of motion parameters accordingly, allowing patients to control their own comfort level without requiring constant therapist intervention.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the chiropractic table reduces the range of motion to a comfort zone, then patient discomfort is eliminated, but therapeutic benefit is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system can alternate between comfort zone motion and full operational range motion in periodic cycles. This allows patients to receive therapeutic benefit from occasional full-range motion while spending more time in the comfortable reduced range, balancing therapy effectiveness with patient comfort tolerance over the treatment session.
Solution Approach 2:
The device applies partial action by using the reduced comfort zone range for most of the treatment time to eliminate discomfort, while periodically implementing excessive action through brief full operational range motion to maintain therapeutic efficacy. This graduated approach allows patients to tolerate therapy better while still receiving adequate treatment.
4Ease of operation
If the chiropractic table includes adjustable comfort zone features, then patient comfort is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical range-limiting mechanisms with a microprocessor-controlled actuator system. Instead of using separate mechanical stops or linkages for comfort zone and operational range limits, a single electronically controlled actuator uses software logic to enforce different angular limits, reducing mechanical complexity while adding programmable flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator serves multiple functions: it provides the driving force for extension/flexion motion, enforces operational range limits, enforces comfort zone limits, and responds to patient feedback. By consolidating these functions into a single multi-functional component controlled by microprocessor logic, the device achieves comfort zone capability without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
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
The solution provides a comfortable and therapeutic treatment by reducing the range of motion during extension and flexion, allowing patients to continue therapy without pain, while gradually increasing motion to operational limits, thus enhancing treatment efficacy and patient comfort.
Implementation Method 1
A rotary actuator is provided to repeatedly pivot the frame of the extension/flexion section about the pivot axis so as to raise the terminal end of the frame during an extension phase and to lower the terminal end of the frame during a flexion phase
Data Source
AI summary
A therapeutic treatment table includes a plurality of table sections for supporting the body of a patient, one of which sections is a drop section. The table includes an extension/flexion section which includes a frame having a pivot axis and a terminal end, and a rotary actuator that is adapted to repeatedly pivot the frame of the extension/flexion section about the pivot axis so as to raise the terminal end of the frame during an extension phase and to lower the terminal end of the frame during a flexion phase. A mechanism is provided for setting an operational range of motion for the extension/flexion section including an operational extension limit and an operational flexion limit, so that the rotary actuator will pivot the frame of the extension/flexion section between the operational extension limit and the operational flexion limit. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a mechanism is provided for setting a comfort zone range of motion within the operational range of motion which includes comfort zone extension limit and a comfort zone flexion limit. A comfort zone actuation switch is also provided in the preferred embodiment for switching the operation of the rotary actuator from the operational range of motion to the comfort zone range of motion, so that the rotary actuator will pivot the frame of the extension/flexion section between the comfort zone extension limit and the comfort zone flexion limit.