Single-Shell Hand Control Housing for Watertight Hospital Bed Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric hand controls for hospital and care beds face challenges in achieving a watertight seal due to the difficulty in joining two plastic shells during assembly, which can lead to improper sealing and complications during cleaning and disinfection processes.
Innovation Solution
A single-shell housing design with a cover foil and snap lock connections, along with a two-component plastic material for the plate with keys, ensures a secure and watertight assembly, avoiding the need for screws and providing easy cleaning and mounting features, while the oval cable hole and sealing collar enhance sealing and cable management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If two plastic shells are joined together to form the housing, then the structural integrity and enclosure are improved, but the sealing reliability deteriorates due to difficulty in achieving proper watertight joining
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the two separate plastic shells into a single integrated housing structure. This eliminates the joining interface between two parts, thereby removing the sealing risk associated with assembly while maintaining the structural integrity and enclosure functionality of the original two-shell design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the housing into a main body and a separate cover foil that is attached later. This allows the main housing to be manufactured as a single watertight piece, while the cover foil can be separately sealed to the housing edge, ensuring reliable sealing without the complexity of joining two complex shells together.
2Ease of manufacture
If two plastic shells are joined during assembly, then the manufacturing flexibility is improved, but the assembly complexity increases due to the need for precise joining operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the two-shell structure into a single molded housing, eliminating the need for precise joining operations during assembly. This reduces assembly complexity while maintaining manufacturing flexibility, as the single housing can be produced using standard injection molding techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing is pre-manufactured as a single integrated piece with built-in sealing features and mounting structures. This preliminary integration of functions that would otherwise require separate assembly steps reduces the complexity of the final assembly process while maintaining ease of manufacture through standardized production methods.
3Strength
If screws are used to fasten the plate with keys, then the mechanical strength of the connection is improved, but the surface integrity deteriorates due to holes and interruptions in the cover foil
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical screw fastening system with an adhesive bonding system. This substitution eliminates the need for holes and interruptions in the cover foil, maintaining surface integrity and smoothness, while still achieving sufficient connection strength through adhesive bonding between the plate and the housing.
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 solution provides a reliable, easy-to-assemble, and durable hand control with improved sealing and cleaning capabilities, ensuring effective moisture resistance and ease of assembly, while maintaining a smooth surface and minimizing interruptions for the cover foil attachment.
Implementation Method 1
When the foil is mounted with an adhesive
Implementation Method 2
the plate is held in the housing with inter active snap lock connections
Implementation Method 3
mounting the cover foil on a thread of a step down in the upper edge of the side wall of the shell, the edge of the cover foil is protected from unintended damage
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
An electric hand control, especially for electrically adjustable hospital and care beds and comprising a housing (1) constructed as a single trough shaped shell with a bottom and side walls, and wherein a printed circuit (2) with switches is mounted and above the switches there is a plate with tongue like shaped keys, and finally there is a cover foil (6) with indication of the keys and secured to the upper edge of the sides of the shell. As the housing is a single shell for one thing manufacturing of two difficult parts is avoided, for another assembling of these are avoided in the assembling process, and finally an assembling with a risk of leak is avoided. By further equipping the printed circuit and the cable with a plug (12a) the assembly is made easier. In this connection it is expedient that the spout (10) is equipped with an oval through going hole, so that the plug at the end of the cable can be led through the spout.