Elevating Safety Bed Structure to Prevent Entrapment Gaps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety beds fail to prevent patients with physical and developmental disabilities from falling or becoming entrapped, as they often have gaps between the mattress and guard rails, and do not accommodate the needs of both patients and caregivers effectively.
Innovation Solution
A safety bed design featuring a bed frame with removable guard members that occupy the entire lateral space between the headboard and footboard, an adjustable mattress support frame with electronic elevation and lowering capabilities, and a scissor linkage system, combined with solid wood and PETE panels for enhanced safety and comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional guard rail assemblies with spaced vertical bars are used, then the bed provides basic fall prevention, but gaps are created between the mattress and guard rails that allow patients to become entrapped
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the traditional spaced vertical bar structure and replaces it with continuous solid guard rail members that extend from the headboard to the footboard, eliminating the gaps that cause entrapment while maintaining fall prevention capability
Solution Approach 2:
The guard rail members are designed to extend continuously along the entire lateral side of the bed frame, merging the protective function with the structural framework to eliminate spaces between the mattress and guard rails
2Reliability
If high end and side panels are used to prevent patients from crawling over, then fall prevention is improved, but caregiver access to the patient becomes difficult requiring folding down guard rails
Solution Approach 1:
The guard rail assembly is designed with movable components that can be dynamically adjusted between a raised position for patient safety and a lowered position for caregiver access, allowing the structure to adapt to different operational needs
Solution Approach 2:
The guard rail assembly serves multiple functions: it provides fall prevention when raised, allows caregiver access when lowered, and can be selectively positioned based on the immediate needs of either patient safety or caregiver intervention
3Reliability
If the mattress is positioned low in the bed frame, then patient safety is improved by reducing fall distance, but caregiver access and patient comfort during procedures is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The mattress support structure is designed to be vertically adjustable, allowing the mattress to be dynamically repositioned between a lower position that reduces fall distance and a higher position that improves caregiver access and patient comfort
Data Source
AI summary
A safety bed including a bed frame, pivotally attached guard rails, and a vertically adjustable mattress support structure. The mattress support structure capable of being lowered within the confines of the bed frame to prevent a patient from crawling out of the safety bed. The mattress support structure capable of being raised within the bed frame to grant a health care provider access to the patient.