Motorized Patient Transport Device with Oscillating Tracks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing patient transport devices face challenges in efficiently transporting patients up and down stairs and over various surfaces, particularly for overweight or obese individuals, leading to operator fatigue due to the need for multiple trips and encounters with obstacles.
Innovation Solution
A patient transport device featuring a rigid structural member, a patient support member, a propulsion assembly with oscillating motor-driven continuous tracks, and a power source, along with a controller that executes machine-readable instructions to facilitate easier control and transport over inclined surfaces like stairs, reducing the need for manual assistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual patient transport is used for stairs and obstacles, then operator control is simple, but operator fatigue increases and multiple trips are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical transport with an automated motorized system. The motorized patient transport device uses electric motors to propel the patient chair, eliminating the need for operators to manually lift and carry patients up and down stairs and over obstacles, thereby reducing operator fatigue while maintaining transport capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The motorized system enables the patient transport device to move itself and the patient autonomously. The device includes self-propulsion capabilities through motorized wheels or tracks, allowing it to navigate stairs and obstacles without requiring external manual assistance for each movement, thus improving transport efficiency.
2Productivity
If motorized propulsion is added to reduce operator fatigue, then transport efficiency improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The motorized propulsion system is designed to perform multiple functions: it propels the device forward, climbs stairs, overcomes obstacles, and controls descent. This multi-functional design consolidates various transport needs into a single integrated system, improving efficiency without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The device incorporates dynamic control systems that adjust motor power output based on real-time conditions such as slope, patient weight, and terrain. This dynamic adaptation allows the motorized system to handle varying transport scenarios efficiently, maximizing productivity while minimizing the complexity of control mechanisms through intelligent regulation.
3Weight of moving object
If the device is designed for bariatric patients, then patient weight capacity increases, but device weight and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The device is pre-configured with a robust motorized propulsion system and reinforced structural components designed from the outset to accommodate bariatric patients. This preliminary design approach integrates weight-bearing capabilities into the core architecture rather than adding them as separate components, thereby supporting higher patient weights without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The motorized system parameters such as power output, torque, and speed are specifically adjusted to match the requirements of bariatric patient transport. The structural parameters including frame strength and material selection are optimized to support increased loads. These parameter changes are made in a coordinated manner to achieve high weight capacity while controlling device complexity through efficient design.
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
The device provides efficient propulsion and control, reducing operator fatigue by enabling easier transport of patients up and down stairs and over surfaces, including those with obstacles, while maintaining stability and safety for bariatric patients.
Implementation Method 1
a motor operable to oscillate between frontward rotation and backward rotation
Implementation Method 2
the oscillation of the motor causing the first continuous track and the second continuous track to stop
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
Embodiments of a patient transport device comprise a rigid structural member; a patient support member coupled to the rigid structural member, a propulsion assembly coupled to the rigid structural member, wherein the rigid structural member comprises a motor operable to oscillate between frontward rotation and backward rotation, first and second continuous tracks responsive to the motor and rotatably coupled to the rigid structural member, and a power source configured to energize the motor and exchange electrical energy with the motor, and at least one controller communicatively coupled with the power source and programmed to execute machine readable instructions to oscillate the motor between frontward rotation and backward rotation, the oscillation of the motor being operable to cause the first continuous track and the second continuous track to stop.