Door Excess Weight Alarm for Suicide Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing patient monitoring systems fail to effectively detect suicide attempts by hanging on a door, as they are complex, expensive, inconvenient for patients, or lack mechanisms to detect constant downward force, and may not be practical for all door types.
Innovation Solution
A weight alarm system installed in a pivotally mounted door with an excess weight sensing mechanism, including a pressure strip and load cell, that actuates a signaling system to alert caregivers of potential suicide attempts, while also detecting tampering or vandalism and being easy to use, manufacture, and cost-effective.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a weight alarm system is installed in a door to detect suicide attempts, then patient safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The door is divided into multiple sensing zones using pressure strips positioned at different locations (top edge, hinge side, latch side). Each pressure strip independently monitors for excessive force in its specific zone, allowing the system to detect suicide attempts through localized pressure detection rather than requiring a single complex sensor
Solution Approach 2:
The weight alarm system serves multiple functions: detecting suicide attempts by hanging, monitoring door tampering, and identifying vandalism. The same pressure strip sensors and alarm mechanism handle all these detection tasks, eliminating the need for separate specialized devices for each monitoring purpose
2Measurement precision
If pressure strips are positioned at the top peripheral edge of the door to detect hanging attempts, then detection accuracy is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Pressure strips are positioned at specific critical locations on the door (top peripheral edge, hinge side, latch side) where suicide attempts or tampering would apply force. Each pressure strip is locally optimized for its specific monitoring zone, with channels formed directly into the door structure at these precise locations to ensure proper sensor positioning and force detection
3Ease of operation
If the door structure is modified to include channels for pressure strips, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The channels for mounting pressure strips are integrated directly into the door structure during manufacturing, combining the structural door components with the sensor mounting infrastructure. This integration eliminates the need for separate mounting brackets or attachment mechanisms, simplifying the overall system while maintaining ease of operation
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 system effectively prevents suicide attempts by detecting excess weight on doors, reducing the risk of successful attempts, and alerts caregivers through a nurse call system, while being durable, reliable, and easy to implement.
Implementation Method 1
a load cell means fixed between a fixed structure mount and the peripheral edge of the door
Implementation Method 2
The pressure piston retracts to actuate the load cell means when excess weight is applied to the door
Data Source
AI summary
A weight alarm system for indicating excess weight applied to a door is disclosed. The alarm system comprises an excess weight sensing means, such as a pressure strip means fixed around a peripheral edge of the door or a load cell fixed between the peripheral edge of the door and a structural mount for the door. A door latching mechanism includes traverses either a front or a rear side of the door and includes a latching bolt. When the excess weight sensing means if actuated a signaling means is activated to alert those nearby to a possible suicide attempt.