Translucent Liquid Tilt Indicator for Hospital Beds
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing angle indicators in hospital beds are not clearly legible, especially under poor lighting conditions, and require complex electric circuits, making them costly and difficult to monitor the tilt of the bed positioning section accurately.
Innovation Solution
A low-cost, translucent liquid-filled tilt indicator with a reference system and a light source connected to a control unit, allowing for adjustable illumination and visibility, integrated into the bed siderail or patient support, which remains horizontal regardless of tilt, enabling clear angle readings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a liquid tilt indicator with a bubble is used, then the indicator is simple in structure, but it is not clearly legible and rather obsolete
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color changes by using a translucent colored liquid instead of a simple bubble indicator. The colored liquid provides better visual contrast and legibility while maintaining the simplicity of the liquid indicator mechanism. The light source further enhances visibility by illuminating the colored liquid from behind.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic action through the light source that can be activated or deactivated, and whose color or intensity can be changed. This allows the indicator to be enhanced during periods when better visibility is needed (such as in low light conditions) while maintaining simplicity during normal operation.
2Loss of information
If an electric tilt sensor connected to a control unit is used, then the bed state can be monitored, but the implementation is costly and requires complicated electric circuits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex electric sensing systems with a mechanical/physical liquid indicator system. The translucent colored liquid naturally responds to tilt changes through gravity, providing monitoring capability without requiring electric circuits, sensors, or power consumption for the indication mechanism itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid indicator system is self-service in that it automatically indicates tilt angle through the natural behavior of the translucent colored liquid under gravity. No external power source, control unit, or complex electronics are needed for the indication function, making it cost-effective and simple.
3Device complexity
If a specially shaped recess indicator is used, then the indicator mechanism is simple, but it is almost unnoticeable under poor light condition and from a distance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a translucent colored liquid that provides inherent visual contrast and color visibility. This allows the indicator to be noticed from a distance and in poor light conditions without requiring complex illumination mechanisms, maintaining simplicity while improving visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a light source as an intermediary element that illuminates the translucent colored liquid from behind. This mediator enhances the visibility of the indicator under poor light conditions and from a distance, while the liquid itself remains the simple indicating mechanism.
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
Provides a clear, low-cost, and easily readable indication of the bed's tilt angle, even in low light conditions, ensuring accurate positioning of patients, particularly in cardiac positions, with adjustable lighting for enhanced visibility and distance readability.
Implementation Method 1
a coloured liquid, which moves freely inside the housing with every change of tilt of a positioning section of a bed so that the level of the liquid is always horizontal
Implementation Method 2
The bed tilt indicator includes a light source which is in advantageous solution connected to the bed control unit to enable changing the light settings
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
An angle indicator (2) incorporated in a siderail (3) of a bed (1) for maintaining a patient in horizontal position, including a light source (8) connected to a processor unit (9). The processor unit (9) processes signals from sensors (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16) of the bed (1), such as a patient support height sensor (10), a weight sensor (11), an accelerometer (13), the siderail (3) position sensor (12), an external power sensor (14), a brake sensor (15) or a monitor (16) of vital signs and evaluates the predefined states of these sensors by switching off, changing the colour or adjusting the intensity of the backlight of the angle indicator (2). The angle indicator (2) provides to hospital staff the information of the inclination of the movable section of the bed (1) according to the horizontal plane. The staff can easily position the bed (1) for example at 30° angle, when position the patient in the cardiac position.