Medical Recliner Chair Control for Coordinated Position Transitions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical recliner chairs lack the ability to seamlessly transition between various positions to accommodate different patient needs, such as standing and Trendelenburg positions, with inefficient actuator coordination and limited user control.
Innovation Solution
A medical recliner chair equipped with a base, seat, backrest, leg rest, and lift actuator, controlled by a controller that coordinates the movement of actuators to achieve multiple predefined positions, including stand assist, seated, recline, and Trendelenburg states, with a control panel for user input and visual feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple actuators are used to achieve different chair positions, then the adaptability and versatility of the chair is improved, but the device complexity and coordination difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The chair positioning system is divided into multiple independent actuators, each responsible for a specific degree of freedom (seat tilt, backrest angle, leg rest position, height). This segmentation allows each actuator to be controlled independently while collectively achieving complex positioning states, resolving the contradiction between versatility and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller coordinates multiple actuators by monitoring their individual positions and adjusting their operation to achieve simultaneous arrival at target positions. This feedback mechanism manages the complexity of coordinating multiple actuators while maintaining the ability to reach diverse chair configurations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If actuators move at different speeds to cover different distances, then the ability to reach various positions is improved, but the coordination control difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller pre-calculates the required movement distance for each actuator based on the target position, and activates actuators at different speeds in advance to ensure they all arrive at their target positions simultaneously. This preliminary planning simplifies the real-time control complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the speed of each actuator during operation based on its current position and remaining distance to the target. This dynamic speed adjustment allows the chair to transition smoothly between positions while maintaining coordinated arrival, making the system easier to operate despite multiple moving parts.
3Ease of operation
If simultaneous arrival of actuators at target positions is ensured, then the smoothness of position transition is improved, but the control precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The controller continuously monitors the position of each actuator and provides real-time feedback to adjust their movement, ensuring they arrive at the target position simultaneously. This feedback loop compensates for variations in actuator speed and positioning precision, achieving smooth transitions without requiring extremely high manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses stored position data for each actuator to create a reference model of the desired final state. The controller compares actual actuator positions against this copied reference and makes adjustments to ensure simultaneous arrival, reducing the need for high precision in the physical actuator components themselves.
Data Source
AI summary
A chair includes a seat, a backrest, and a leg rest. A tilt actuator and lift actuator tilt and lift the seat, respectively. A leg rest actuator extends and retracts the leg rest. A backrest actuator pivots the backrest with respect to the seat. A controller simultaneously controls the actuators such that they move sequentially between multiple predefined states. A control panel enables a user to automatically move the chair to any of the predefined states. A controller controls the actuators such that they simultaneously arrive at each state. One or more functions on a control panel may also be automatically disabled and/or automatically enabled as the chair moves into or out of certain ones of the predefined states. When transitioning between some states, all of the actuators are activated, and when transitioning between other states, only a subset of the actuators is activated.