Electric Bed Lumbar Support Assembly with Planar Four-Bar Linkage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric beds with lumbar support assemblies lack efficient mechanisms for providing adjustable lumbar support and foldability for storage and transport, compromising user comfort and convenience.
Innovation Solution
An electric bed design featuring a bed frame with a bed board unit and a lumbar support assembly, utilizing a planar four-bar linkage system and electric actuators to move the lumbar support member between positions, allowing for adjustable lumbar support and foldability, enabling comfortable use and easy storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the lumbar support member is allowed to move freely to provide adjustable support, then user comfort is improved, but the mechanism becomes complex and difficult to control
Solution Approach 1:
The lumbar support member is designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing it to dynamically adjust to user needs. The member can move vertically within the through-hole to provide different levels of lumbar support, transforming a static structure into a dynamic one that adapts to user comfort requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The bed structure is segmented into distinct functional modules: the bed board unit, the lumbar support assembly, and the linkage units. This segmentation allows each component to be independently controlled and adjusted, simplifying the overall control mechanism while maintaining functionality.
2Strength
If the bed structure is made rigid for stability, then structural strength is improved, but foldability for storage and transport is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The bed structure incorporates dynamic elements that allow it to transition between rigid and flexible states. During use, the bed maintains a rigid structure for stability and strength. For storage or transport, the bed can be folded by actuating the linkage units, demonstrating adaptability between these two states.
Solution Approach 2:
The bed is divided into separable modules connected by linkage units, allowing the structure to be disassembled or folded without compromising the integrity of individual components. This modular segmentation enables both structural strength during use and foldability for storage.
3Reliability
If the lumbar support member moves in a curved path, then the mechanism is simpler, but the support effectiveness is reduced due to sliding
Solution Approach 1:
The through-hole in the bed board is designed with a specific curved trajectory that guides the lumbar support member's movement. This curved path ensures the member moves precisely along the desired trajectory for effective lumbar support, eliminating unwanted sliding while maintaining support reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The through-hole acts as an intermediary element that constrains and guides the lumbar support member's movement. By designing the hole's trajectory appropriately, it mediates between the simple mechanical movement and the complex requirement for effective support, ensuring the member follows the correct path without requiring additional complex constraint mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
An electric bed includes a bed board assembly movably disposed on a bed frame and having a through hole, a lumbar support member movably disposed on the bed board assembly and corresponding in position to the through hole, and a plurality of linkage units each including a drive rod assembly. The drive rod assemblies of the linking units are pivotally connected to a horizontal rod of a lumbar support drive assembly. The lumbar support drive assembly is electrically actuated to drive the horizontal rod to move the drive rod assemblies between first and second positions, in which the lumbar support member is moved toward and away from the through hole, respectively.