Floating Bearing Clamp for Self-Aligning Chair Positioning Posts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional patient procedures chairs for otolaryngologists and other specialists have cumbersome mechanisms for positioning headrests and side rails, making it inconvenient for physicians to access patient head and neck areas effectively.
Innovation Solution
A mechanism using self-aligning plastic bearings and U-shaped clamps with threaded sockets and handles allows for efficient and precise adjustment and locking of headrest and side rail posts, with resilient washers and bumpers for limiting movement and enhancing accessibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional mechanisms are used for positioning headrests and side rails, then the chair provides basic positioning capability, but the mechanism becomes cumbersome and inconvenient to operate
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanism is divided into modular components: self-aligning plastic bearings for smooth movement, separate clamp assemblies for locking, and individual adjustment handles. Each component performs a specific function, making the overall system easier to operate and maintain while reducing interdependence between parts.
Solution Approach 2:
Self-aligning plastic bearings are introduced as intermediary elements between the metal posts and the clamp mechanism. These bearings facilitate smooth sliding movement and absorb manufacturing tolerances, acting as a mediator that simplifies the interaction between rigid components and improves ease of adjustment.
2Measurement precision
If the mechanism allows for precise adjustment of headrests and side rails, then positioning accuracy is improved, but the mechanism becomes more complex and cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp mechanism utilizes friction-based locking where the clamping force parameter can be varied by tightening or loosening the clamp. This allows the system to transition between a locked state (for precise positioning) and an unlocked state (for easy adjustment), achieving precision without requiring complex locking mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The self-aligning plastic bearings automatically adjust to accommodate manufacturing tolerances and misalignments without requiring manual intervention. The bearings self-correct positional deviations, providing precise positioning while keeping the mechanism simple and maintenance-free.
3Ease of operation
If the mechanism is made compact and unobtrusive, then it improves physician access to patients, but the adjustment mechanism may become more difficult to operate
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment handles and operating mechanisms are positioned in vertically oriented spaces above and below the patient table level. This utilizes the vertical dimension to place controls in areas that do not interfere with physician access to the patient's head and neck regions, maintaining compact horizontal profile while ensuring 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 mechanism provides a convenient, efficient, and unobtrusive way to position headrests and side rails, improving physician access to patients by allowing easy and secure adjustments, while accounting for manufacturing tolerances and providing consistent adjustment force.
Implementation Method 1
Resilient washers are mounted on inner ends of the side rail posts to engage the portions of the back frame to limit extension of the side rail posts outwardly and cushion their engagement with the back frame
Implementation Method 2
The deformation increases the friction between the bearings and posts to thereby lock the posts in place
Data Source
AI summary
The headrest and side rails of a patient procedures chair are mounted on posts which are slidably received in elongated, self-aligning or floating plastic bearings. With this construction, any misalignment of the posts due to manufacturing tolerances will be accounted for as the bearings readjust themselves. Clamping devices engage the bearings and cause deformation to increase the frictional engagement of the bearings with the posts to the point where the posts are locked into place. In this regard, actuation of the clamps is accomplished by large knobs that protrude from the back of the chair for ready accessibility.