Portable Patient Lift With Battery-Powered Geared-Spool Drive
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing patient lift systems are typically ceiling-mounted, requiring complex installation and may lack ergonomic emergency stop mechanisms, making them cumbersome and inefficient for use in home or institutional settings.
Innovation Solution
A portable patient lift system with a geared spool mechanism, electric motor, and battery-powered DC motor, allowing for easy installation and operation, featuring ergonomic emergency stop functionality integrated into the design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a ceiling-mounted track system is used, then the patient lift can be suspended and positioned at various locations, but the installation becomes complex and the system becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the lift system from the fixed ceiling-mounted track configuration and creates a standalone portable unit. The housing contains all necessary components (motor, spool, battery) internally, eliminating the need for external track installation while maintaining the ability to move the patient to different locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The portable housing integrates multiple functions into a single unit: it serves as the structural enclosure, houses the power system (battery), contains the drive mechanism (motor and spool), and provides mounting points for the sling. This multi-functional design replaces the separate track, motor, and support structures of ceiling-mounted systems.
2Reliability
If a ceiling-mounted track system is used, then the patient lift can be suspended, but the system becomes cumbersome and inefficient for home use
Solution Approach 1:
The portable patient lift system is designed to be self-contained with an integrated battery power system that operates independently of external power sources or installation infrastructure. The system serves itself by containing all necessary components within the housing, making it easy to deploy and operate without complex installation procedures.
3Reliability
If traditional patient lift systems are used, then lifting capability is provided, but emergency stop mechanisms are lacking or non-ergonomic
Solution Approach 1:
The emergency stop button is merged with the power button into a single multifunctional component. This integration ensures that the emergency stop function is always accessible at the same location as the power control, eliminating the need for separate emergency stop mechanisms and improving both safety and ease of operation.
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
Facilitates easy and efficient patient lifting and mobilization with minimal caregiver effort, ensuring balanced operation and safe emergency stops, enhancing usability in home and institutional environments.
Implementation Method 1
an electric motor having a drive shaft associated with a gear arranged to cooperate with the geared spool to, responsive to activation of the motor, turn the geared spool
Implementation Method 2
The second carry bar is attached to the frame and extending external to the housing, the second carry bar enclosing a battery to provide electrical power to the electric motor
Data Source
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AI summary
A patient lift system helps to lift and mobilize a disabled person in a home or in an institution with minimal effort from a caregiver. The patient lift system includes a housing enclosing a frame, a geared spool mounted within the frame, a strap, a first carry bar and a second carry bar. The first carry bar attaches to the frame and extends external to the housing. The first carry bar encloses an electric motor having a drive shaft. The dive shaft is associated with a gear arranged to cooperate with the geared spool to, responsive to activation of the motor, turn the geared spool, thereby altering an amount of strap on the geared spool, thereby altering a distance between the housing and the connector. The second carry bar attaches to the frame and extends external to the housing. The second carry bar encloses a battery to provide electrical power to the electric motor.