Pivotable Jaw Bedrail Clamp for Surgical Beds
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bedrail clamps for surgical/medical beds are cumbersome and lack stability when multiple accessories need to be attached, requiring frequent repositioning and potentially causing damage to the bedrails due to acute forces.
Innovation Solution
A bedrail clamp with pivotable jaw members that can be moved away from the bedrail to accommodate different widths and securely engage both inner and outer surfaces, allowing for stable attachment without the need to slide the clamp along the bedrail, thus distributing clamping load across larger areas and preventing damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional bedrail clamps are slid from the end of the bedrail to position accessories, then accessories can be attached to the bedrail, but the clamps require frequent removal and repositioning when multiple accessories need to be attached, reducing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp features a movable jaw that can be opened and closed to release or secure the bedrail. This dynamic mechanism allows the clamp to be quickly opened, positioned on the bedrail, and secured without sliding from the end, enabling efficient attachment of multiple accessories at different locations
Solution Approach 2:
The clamp is divided into separate components including a clamp body, a movable jaw, and a release mechanism. This segmentation allows the jaw to be independently actuated to open and close the clamp around the bedrail, facilitating quick positioning and attachment without moving the entire clamp assembly
2Reliability
If bedrail clamps apply concentrated forces to secure accessories, then the clamps can hold accessories firmly, but the acute forces can cause damage to the bedrails
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp incorporates a padded contact surface at the jaw that distributes the clamping force across a larger area of the bedrail. This local quality modification prevents concentrated acute forces from damaging the bedrail while maintaining secure attachment of the accessory
Solution Approach 2:
The clamp includes a cushioning element or pad between the jaw and the bedrail surface. This beforehand cushioning protects the bedrail from damage by absorbing and distributing the clamping force, preventing direct acute contact while ensuring reliable accessory attachment
3Adaptability or versatility
If fixed jaw position clamps are used, then the structure is simple, but the clamps cannot accommodate bedrails of different widths
Solution Approach 1:
The jaw is designed to be movable relative to the clamp body through a simple release mechanism. This dynamic adjustment allows the opening width of the clamp to be varied to accommodate different bedrail widths, providing versatility without requiring a complex multi-component adjustment system
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2C
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A bedrail clamp (5) is provided for attaching an accessory to a bedrail of a surgical/medical bed at a desired location without having to slide the bedrail clamp from an end of the bedrail until the accessory is in the desired location. The bedrail clamp can include a clamp housing (15), an actuating member (20) coupled to the housing and configured to move relative to the clamp housing, and one or more jaw members (25) coupled to the actuating member and housed by the clamp housing. In preferred embodiments, when a bedrail is within the clamp housing's throat area, the actuating member moves away from the bedrail to move the jaw member (s) toward the bedrail and the pull the jaw member (s) rearwardly into contact with the bedrail to secure the bedrail against the clamp housing.