Encapsulated Trolley Touchscreen for Hygienic Clinical Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Monitors with touchscreen functions in healthcare settings pose hygiene risks due to the transmission of pathogens and are difficult to clean without damaging the screen.
Innovation Solution
A touchscreen monitor design with a completely encapsulated structure and a transparent cover plate made of glass or plastic, allowing for effective cleaning with standard healthcare cleaning agents while maintaining functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a touchscreen monitor is used to eliminate peripheral input devices, then device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but hygiene reliability deteriorates due to the risk of pathogen transmission and damage from cleaning agents
Solution Approach 1:
A transparent cover plate is introduced as an intermediary layer between the user's hand and the touchscreen. This cover plate can be removed and cleaned separately from the touchscreen, allowing the touchscreen to remain protected while still enabling touch input functionality. The cover plate acts as a mediator that isolates the sensitive touchscreen from direct contact with cleaning agents and pathogens.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitor assembly is segmented into separate components: the touchscreen, the transparent cover plate, and the housing. This segmentation allows the cover plate to be independently removed and cleaned without exposing the touchscreen to damaging cleaning agents. The segmented design enables the touchscreen to maintain its functionality while the cover plate handles the hygiene requirements.
2Ease of operation
If the touchscreen screen surface is made sensitive for touch input, then ease of operation is improved, but resistance to cleaning agents deteriorates, making proper cleaning difficult without functional impairment
Solution Approach 1:
The transparent cover plate serves as a protective intermediary that the user touches instead of the sensitive touchscreen. This allows the touchscreen to maintain its sensitivity for easy operation while the cover plate provides a cleanable surface that can be treated with standard healthcare cleaning agents without affecting the touchscreen's functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The transparent cover plate is designed as a replaceable protective layer that can be easily cleaned or replaced. Rather than trying to make the touchscreen itself resistant to cleaning agents, the solution uses a disposable-able cover plate that protects the sensitive touchscreen while being compatible with harsh cleaning agents.
3Reliability
If a transparent cover plate is added to protect the touchscreen, then hygiene reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transparent cover plate is designed as a thin, flexible-looking protective shell that can be easily integrated with the existing monitor structure. The thin-film nature of the cover plate minimizes the increase in device complexity while providing effective hygiene protection. The cover plate can be made from materials like tempered glass or clear plastic that maintain a simple, clean appearance.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a ward trolley, in particular a visiting and nursing trolley for hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities, with a mobile cabinet section (47) that serves to house, among other things, a computer system, and with a monitor (5) that is rotatably mounted on a support tube (6). To provide a ward trolley with a monitor that is particularly suitable for use in hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare facilities, the invention proposes that the monitor be characterized by a touchscreen that is fully encapsulated and has a cover plate made of a transparent material on its front.