Hospital Bed Attachment with Nested Scissor Frames
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Solution Overview
Problem
Elderly and disabled individuals are at risk of developing bedsores due to prolonged immobility, and existing solutions require manual effort and are not easily adaptable to existing hospital beds, posing challenges in independence and safety.
Innovation Solution
A bed system that can be easily attached to hospital beds, featuring sliding frames and actuators with extension rods and a scissor lifting device to move specific body parts independently, allowing for adjustable support and reduced strain on caregivers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual turning methods are used with three people, then patient repositioning is achieved, but large strains are placed on the back of the people turning the patient and the process is inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The bed system is divided into multiple independent frames (first frame and second frame) that can move separately. Each frame can be adjusted independently to reposition the patient, allowing for controlled segmental movement rather than requiring manual lifting and turning by multiple caregivers.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables automatic patient repositioning through motorized actuators that move the frame sections. The patient is repositioned without requiring manual intervention from caregivers, making the system self-servicing in terms of the repositioning function.
2Reliability
If barriers are placed on the sides of the bed to prevent falls, then patient safety is improved, but the barriers may cause injury to the person by striking the barriers
Solution Approach 1:
The side barriers are made movable rather than fixed. They can dynamically adjust their position - rising to provide support when needed and lowering to prevent injury from striking. The barriers can move independently or in coordination with frame movement, adapting to the patient's needs in real-time.
3Ease of operation
If the bed system uses motorized actuators with scissor lifting devices, then independent body part adjustment is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The scissor lifting device uses a nested structure where multiple scissor mechanisms are arranged within each other. The extension rods are nested within the scissor mechanism, allowing for compact packaging while maintaining the full range of motion and lifting capability. This nested arrangement reduces the overall footprint and simplifies the structural organization.
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
Enables efficient and independent adjustment of body positions to prevent bedsores, reducing the need for manual turning and providing stable support, thus enhancing patient safety and independence.
Implementation Method 1
said first and second actuator moves the pivot points horizontally
Implementation Method 2
featuring sliding frames and actuators with extension rods and a scissor lifting device
Data Source
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AI summary
There is provided a bed system that is simple to install on existing hospital beds and which does not require any modification of the existing bed. The bed system has a first and a second frame nested in a common pivot means, and actuators connected thereto in order to establish an angle formed between the frames, where they are rotatable about a longitudinal axis through activation of the actuators. The system is mounted on a base frame, which can be attached to an existing frame of a hospital bed.