Night table
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bedside tables are inadequate for beds with deep lying surfaces, as the table top becomes too high and cannot be lowered to an ergonomic height, posing challenges in the healthcare sector.
Innovation Solution
A bedside table design featuring a movable bed table top that can be slid or pivoted into a bed position, with a locking mechanism allowing manual release without tools, enabling easy cleaning and adjustment to a low overall height, and a vertically adjustable table top using guide modules and height actuators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If the bedside table is designed with a low overall height to match low sleeping surfaces, then the table can be used with low beds, but the bedside tabletop cannot be lowered further and becomes too high for ergonomic use
Solution Approach 1:
The bedside tabletop is designed to be dynamically adjustable in height through a telescopic mechanism with guide modules, allowing it to move vertically between a raised position (when the bed tray is retracted) and a lowered position (when the bed tray is extended). This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by enabling the tabletop to adapt its height to match both low sleeping surfaces and ergonomic requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The bedside table is segmented into separate functional components: a base, an adjustable tabletop support system with guide modules, and a movable bed tabletop. This segmentation allows independent adjustment of the tabletop height relative to the base, enabling the tabletop to be positioned at an ergonomic height even when the overall table height is reduced for low beds.
2Device complexity
If the bedside tabletop is made fixed and non-removable, then the structure is simpler, but cleaning and disinfection become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The bedside tabletop is designed as a separable component that can be easily detached from the tabletop support using a tool-free locking mechanism. This segmentation enables complete removal of the tabletop for thorough cleaning and disinfection, while the locking mechanism maintains structural simplicity by using a straightforward latch system rather than complex fasteners.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism is designed to be operable without tools, allowing nursing staff to easily remove and reattach the tabletop themselves during routine cleaning. This self-service capability eliminates the need for specialized tools or complex assembly procedures, maintaining ease of manufacture while enabling easy cleaning.
3Reliability
If a locking mechanism is provided to secure the tabletop, then the tabletop can be firmly fixed, but the mechanism adds complexity and may require tools for operation
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism uses a simple latch system that can be operated manually without tools. The latch engages with a corresponding receptacle to provide firm fixation of the tabletop, while its simple design allows nursing staff to easily lock and unlock the tabletop themselves during assembly or cleaning operations.
4Ease of operation
If the bed tabletop is positioned above the tabletop, then it is easier to access, but items on the tabletop may interfere with the movement of the bed tray
Solution Approach 1:
The bed tabletop is positioned below the main tabletop, utilizing the vertical space underneath rather than above. This dimensional arrangement allows the bed tabletop to be accessed independently while preventing any interference with items placed on the main tabletop, as the two surfaces are separated vertically rather than competing for the same horizontal space.
Data Source
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AI summary
A bedside table 1 comprises a tabletop 10 and a bed tabletop 20, the bed tabletop 20 being movable into a bed position by means of a horizontal sliding or pivoting movement, in which the center of gravity of the bed tabletop 20 is outside the bedside table 1. A locking mechanism 12, 14 is provided, wherein, after its release, the tabletop 10 and the bed tabletop 20 can be removed from the bedside table 1 and the locking mechanism can be released manually without the use of tools.