Grip-Activated Remote Control for Patient Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing remote controls for patient positioning devices require complex activation sequences or risk unintentional activation, leading to potential errors in adjusting support surfaces during medical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A remote control equipped with multiple sensors that detect user grip, requiring simultaneous activation from multiple sensors to prevent accidental activation, and includes a display and lighting system activated only upon user interaction to ensure secure and efficient operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a single sensor is used to detect user grip, then the activation process is simple, but unintentional activation may occur due to erroneous sensor signals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the grip detection function into multiple independent sensors (at least two sensors) distributed around the remote control. Each sensor independently detects grip at its location, and the control unit processes signals from multiple sensors to determine activation. This segmentation prevents single-point failures and erroneous activation while maintaining operational simplicity.
2Reliability
If multiple sensors are used to detect user grip, then activation accuracy improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit serves multiple functions: it processes sensor signals, determines activation status, and controls the display and lighting systems. By making the control unit multi-functional, the patent avoids adding separate processing components, thereby reducing overall device complexity while still achieving reliable multi-sensor integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the display control and lighting control functions with the sensor processing function in a single integrated control unit. This merging reduces the number of separate components and simplifies the overall system architecture, offsetting the added complexity from multiple sensors.
3Ease of operation
If display and lighting are always active, then user interaction is enhanced, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The display and lighting systems are activated periodically based on sensor input rather than continuously. The control unit monitors sensor signals and activates the display and lighting only when grip is detected, then deactivates them when grip is released. This periodic activation significantly reduces energy consumption while maintaining enhanced user interaction during actual use.
Solution Approach 2:
The remote control system automatically activates and deactivates the display and lighting based on sensor feedback without requiring manual user control. The system serves itself by using the grip detection signals to control the power state of the display and lighting, eliminating the need for separate user actions to manage these features.
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
Simplifies activation while ensuring that control commands can only be entered after intentional user activation, preventing unintentional adjustments and reducing energy consumption by activating display and lighting only when the remote control is gripped.
Implementation Method 1
The remote control (35) has an activation unit (50) which is assigned a number of sensors (51, 52, 53 and 54) which detect when the remote control (35) is gripped by a user
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4
AI summary
The invention relates to a remote control for a patient positioning device that has a motor-adjustable positioning surface, wherein the remote control includes an input device for inputting control commands that can be transmitted to the device for adjusting the positioning surface. To further develop the remote control in such a way that it can be activated easily, the invention proposes that the remote control has at least one sensor that detects when a user grasps the remote control and that the provision of control commands to the device can be activated depending on a sensor signal from the at least one sensor.