Expandable Volume Patient Moving Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Patients confined to beds or wheelchairs face challenges in being moved towards the head end of the bed or turned onto their side due to gravitational forces and the relative strength between the patient and the assisting person, with existing solutions posing risks of pinching hazards and electronic proximity to patients.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising a base with an expandable volume, such as an inflatable cushion or linear actuator, and a sheet that extends over the expandable volume, allowing the sheet to be actuated to move a patient on a support apparatus without physical force, while minimizing risks of pinching and electronic proximity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a roller mechanism is used to move the patient, then the patient can be moved toward the head end of the bed, but it presents a pinching hazard around the mattress and requires electronic components in close proximity to the patient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the roller mechanism entirely and replaces it with a sheet-based system. The sheet is pulled directly to move the patient, eliminating the intermediate roller component that created the pinching hazard. This extraction of the problematic component resolves the contradiction by maintaining patient movement capability while removing the harmful pinching effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a sheet as the intermediary between the pulling force and the patient. Instead of using a roller mechanism that contacts and pinches the mattress, the sheet acts as a safe mediator that distributes force evenly across the patient's body without creating pinching hazards or requiring electronic components near the patient.
2Ease of operation
If a roller mechanism is used to move the patient, then the patient can be moved toward the head end of the bed, but it is difficult to comprehensively clean the roller or other components where the sheet is attached to the device
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the roller mechanism and replaces it with a simple sheet system. This eliminates complex components that are difficult to clean, leaving only the sheet itself which can be easily removed and washed. The solution resolves the cleaning difficulty while maintaining the patient movement function.
Solution Approach 2:
The sheet in the patent is designed to be removable and washable, allowing it to be discarded of contaminants and recovered through cleaning. This approach solves the cleaning difficulty by making the entire system cleanable through simple sheet removal and washing, unlike the permanent roller mechanism.
3Ease of operation
If an assisting person uses physical force to move the patient, then the patient can be moved back toward the head end of the bed, but it is challenging due to the relative weight of the patient and strength of the assisting person
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the patient support system by introducing a sheet that can be independently manipulated. The sheet is pulled through a pulley system, allowing the assisting person to apply force to the sheet rather than directly to the patient's heavy body. This segmentation reduces the force requirement by distributing the effort across the sheet and mechanical advantage of the pulley.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct manual lifting and pushing of the patient with a sheet-based pulley system. This mechanical substitution allows the assisting person to pull the sheet through the pulley, converting difficult vertical lifting into easier horizontal pulling, thereby reducing the strength requirement while achieving the same patient repositioning goal.
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 device effectively moves patients towards the head end of the bed or turns them onto their side with reduced physical effort, minimizing risks of injury and maintaining cleanliness, thus addressing the challenges of patient movement and turning.
Implementation Method 1
The expandable volume is actuatable from a first position to a second position. Actuation of the expandable volume from the first position to the second position increases a length of the sheet extending from the second side of the base to the first side of the base.
Data Source
AI summary
Various implementations include a device for moving a person on a support apparatus. The device includes a base, an expandable volume, a sheet coupler, and a sheet. The base is separate from the support apparatus and has a support apparatus coupler for coupling adjacent a head of the support apparatus. The expandable volume is disposed between first and second sides of the base. A first sheet coupler portion is coupled to the base or expandable volume adjacent the first base side. The second portion of the sheet is for supporting a patient. When a first portion of the sheet is coupled to a second sheet coupler portion, the sheet coupler or the sheet extends at least partially over the expandable volume such that actuation of the expandable volume from a first position to a second position causes the second portion of the sheet to be pulled toward the expandable volume.