Gap Covering Deck Section for Patient Support Articulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional patient support apparatuses experience a gap between deck sections when articulated, leading to an unsupported area beneath the mattress, causing it to sag.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of a gap covering deck section that slides or pivots to cover the gap created by the movement of deck sections, using a wear-resistant material to maintain stability and prevent mattress displacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If deck sections are articulated to promote patient comfort, then patient comfort is improved, but a gap increases between adjacent sections causing mattress sagging
Solution Approach 1:
A gap covering deck section is introduced as an intermediary component between adjacent deck sections. This intermediate section moves with the articulating deck sections and maintains continuous coverage over the gap, preventing mattress sagging while allowing the deck sections to articulate for patient comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The patient support deck is divided into multiple independent sections that can articulate relative to each other. By segmenting the deck, each section can be adjusted independently to promote patient comfort while the gap covering section ensures continuous support is maintained throughout the articulation range.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a gap covering deck section is added to prevent mattress sagging, then mattress support stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gap covering deck section is merged with the existing deck section structure, sharing common support elements and articulation mechanisms. This integration approach provides continuous gap coverage without requiring entirely separate structural systems, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
3Reliability
If wear-resistant material is applied to the gap covering deck section, then reliability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Wear-resistant material is applied locally to specific areas of the gap covering deck section where friction and wear occur most frequently. This localized treatment provides enhanced durability at critical contact points without requiring the entire structure to be manufactured with complex wear-resistant properties, thereby limiting the increase in manufacturing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A patient support apparatus includes a support frame and a patient support deck operatively attached to the support frame. The patient support deck includes an adjacent pair of deck sections with a first one of the deck sections moveable between an initial configuration and a raised configuration. A gap covering deck section is slidingly engaged to a top surface of the first or second one of the adjacent deck sections and is pivotably coupled to either the other one of the deck sections or to the support frame, with the gap covering deck section configured to slide along the top surface in response to the movement of the first one of the deck sections so as to be at least partially disposed over a gap between the adjacent deck sections when the first one of the deck sections is in the raised configuration.