Retractable Overhead Grab Handle for PRM Transfer in Tight Lavatories
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional grab handles in transportation vehicles, particularly in tight spaces like lavatories, do not adequately accommodate individuals with reduced mobility, as they are often inaccessible, unsafe, or require assistance, and existing solutions like removable handles are cumbersome and impractical.
Innovation Solution
A retractable, load-bearing overhead grab handle system that attaches to the ceiling, adjusts to various heights, and deploys from a stowed position to a deployed position using a driving mechanism, allowing easy transfer for individuals with reduced mobility, while retracting to avoid obstructing non-PRM users.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional fixed grab handle is installed in tight spaces like lavatories, then it provides support for transfer, but it obstructs the movement and access of non-PRM users
Solution Approach 1:
The grab handle is designed to be retractable rather than fixed, allowing it to extend when needed for PRM support and retract when not in use to clear the walkway. The driving mechanism enables the handle to move between extended and retracted positions based on detected need, resolving the contradiction between providing support and avoiding obstruction.
2Ease of operation
If a retractable grab handle with driving mechanism is implemented, then it avoids obstructing non-PRM users, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates sensors that automatically detect when a PRM needs assistance and trigger the driving mechanism to extend the grab handle without requiring manual operation. This self-activating feature reduces the need for complex control interfaces and manual operation mechanisms, simplifying the overall system despite the presence of the driving mechanism.
3Reliability
If the grab handle is positioned overhead to be accessible to seated PRMs, then it provides adequate support, but it may not be accessible to all PRM device heights
Solution Approach 1:
The grab handle system incorporates height adjustability, allowing the handle to be positioned at multiple vertical levels. This enables the handle to be extended to appropriate heights for different PRM devices and seating arrangements, maintaining accessibility and support effectiveness across various configurations while keeping the overhead mounting position that clears walkway space.
Data Source
AI summary
An overhead handle system that accommodates a person with reduced mobility (PRM) in a PRM device (wheelchair) in an interior space such as an aircraft lavatory. More specifically, the system is provided which includes a grab handle and a driving mechanism. The grab handle is configured to be attached to a ceiling of a housing and to move from a stowed position in which the grab handle is positioned along a wall of the housing to a deployed position in which the grab handle is configured to extend vertically from the ceiling of the housing to be accessible overhead by a person in a seated position. The driving mechanism is configured to slide the grab handle between the stowed position and the deployed position.