Dual-Chamber Patient Lifter Mattress for Thermal Control and Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current patient transfer systems lack effective temperature control and air cushion support, leading to patient discomfort and increased strain on hospital personnel during lateral transfers, as they often require elaborate tents or devices that are not portable and can cause injuries.
Innovation Solution
A patient lifter mattress with a heated or cooled air compartment and an ambient air chamber separated by a diaphragm, featuring apertures on the top surface for air delivery and small holes on the bottom for air leakage to create an air cushion, allowing for controlled temperature distribution and reduced friction during lateral movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a tent with enclosure is used to control temperature surrounding the patient, then temperature control is improved, but portability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the temperature control function from the enclosed tent structure and integrates it directly into the mattress through embedded heating and cooling chambers. This allows temperature regulation to be provided without requiring the bulky enclosure, thereby maintaining portability while achieving effective temperature control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the temperature control system with the mattress structure itself, merging the functions of patient support and thermal regulation into a single integrated device. The heating and cooling chambers are built into the mattress layers, eliminating the need for separate tent enclosures.
2Ease of operation
If air pressure in the bottom chamber is increased to create an air cushion for lateral movement, then ease of patient transfer is improved, but air consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic pressure control where the air pressure in the bottom chamber is temporarily increased only during the actual transfer operation to create the air cushion, then reduced to normal levels when transfer is complete. This dynamic adjustment allows easy patient transfer when needed while minimizing air consumption during normal patient support.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses periodic or temporary pressurization of the bottom chamber rather than continuous high pressure. The air cushion is activated periodically during transfer operations and deactivated during normal patient support, reducing overall air consumption while maintaining transfer capability.
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 system provides comfortable temperature control without elaborate structures, reducing the effort required for patient transfer and minimizing the risk of injury to both patients and hospital staff by creating an air cushion for easy lateral displacement.
Implementation Method 1
The bottom chamber is supplied with ambient compressed air at a pre-selected regulated pressure. The bottom surface of the bottom chamber is provided with a plurality of small holes through which the regulated pressure compressed air is discharged to create an air cushion for levitating the air mattress above a supporting surface with minimal friction therebetween to facilitate lateral movement
Implementation Method 2
The top chamber is provided with a low pressure supply of compressed heated or cooled air. The top surface of the top chamber is provided with a plurality of apertures through which the low pressure compressed heated or cooled air is delivered to surround a patient lying on the air mattress
Data Source
AI summary
An air mattress has a top chamber and a bottom chamber separated by a barrier. The patient rests on the top surface of the top chamber, which has a plurality of apertures discharging air through apertures that are not blocked by the patient. The top chamber is provided with temperature-controlled heated or cooled air at a regulated pressure. Heated or cooled air from the top chamber is delivered to an area substantially surrounding the patient. The bottom chamber has a bottom surface containing a plurality of apertures that remain closed due to the weight of the mattress and the patient when the pressure-regulated air is beneath a pre-selected value. When the air pressure is increased, the apertures at the bottom surface of the bottom chamber emit air, creating an air cushion underneath the air mattress that facilitates lateral movement of the mattress over a flat or irregular surface, such as from a hospital bed to a stretcher, or from a stretcher to an operating table.