Hospital Bed Force Detection for Pinch Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hospital beds with moveable components risk damaging objects when they pinch against the floor or other components during motion, as existing systems fail to detect and respond to these events effectively.
Innovation Solution
A system that includes a force detector in the load path from a moveable component to the ground, which detects risky motions and weight discrepancies, triggering a corrective action to prevent pinching by adjusting the motion of the bed's components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a force detector is installed to detect pinch events, then the reliability of detecting obstruction is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The force detector is integrated into the existing load path structure of the hospital bed, serving both its original function of measuring bed occupancy weight and the new function of detecting pinch events during component motion. This multi-functionality approach avoids adding separate detection hardware, thereby improving reliability without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes the existing force detector infrastructure to serve the additional purpose of obstruction detection. By processing force data already being collected for weight measurement, the system enables pinch event detection without requiring entirely new sensing mechanisms, thus improving reliability while minimizing additional complexity.
2Measurement precision
If the threshold force value is set low to detect small obstructions, then the measurement precision of obstruction detection is improved, but false detections increase reducing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-establishes configuration-specific threshold values for different bed states (elevated sections, deck positions, etc.) before motion occurs. By having these thresholds predetermined and tailored to each configuration, the system can detect small obstructions with high precision while avoiding false detections that would occur with uniform thresholds, thus simultaneously improving measurement precision and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The detection threshold parameter is dynamically adjusted based on the bed's configuration state rather than remaining fixed. Different thresholds are applied for different sections and positions, allowing the system to maintain high sensitivity for detecting small obstructions in each specific context while avoiding false alarms, thereby resolving the contradiction between precision and reliability.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If corrective action is commanded immediately upon detecting risk, then the protection of objects from damage is improved, but the productivity of bed operation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies preliminary protective actions by commanding corrective motion immediately when a pinch event is detected during risky movements. By preventing object damage through immediate intervention, the system avoids subsequent repair needs and operational interruptions, thereby protecting objects while maintaining overall productivity through prevention rather than correction after damage occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors force detector data during bed component motion and provides real-time feedback. When obstruction is detected, immediate corrective action is commanded, and the system monitors to ensure successful resolution. This feedback loop enables timely protection of objects while minimizing disruption to overall bed operation by quickly resolving issues rather than allowing them to escalate.
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 system effectively prevents damage by detecting risk generating motions and weight discrepancies, allowing for timely corrective actions to unpinch objects and prevent potential collisions, thus ensuring the safety and integrity of the bed and its components.
Implementation Method 1
A load path extending from the weigh frame to the base frame includes a force detector, such as a load cell, for determining the weight of a bed occupant
Data Source
AI summary
An article 12 includes at least one component 28, 52, 54, 56, 58 moveable with respect to a ground. A load path extends from the component to the ground and includes a force detector 34. If one of the moveable components is requested to move in a way considered to be risky, and if a force discrepancy is detected, an action is commanded. In one specific embodiment the action is a corrective action. In one application of the disclosed subject matter the article is a hospital bed, the moveable components are a weigh frame and various deck sections, and the force detector is a load cell.