Sliding Support Arm for Patient Mobility Device Rehabilitation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional patient lifts can hinder rehabilitation by allowing patients to rely solely on the device for standing and sitting, potentially leading to loss of muscle memory and impaired daily functioning.
Innovation Solution
A mobility device with a frame, lift assembly, and support arm that allows for real human sit-to-stand trajectories, featuring a slidable support arm and pivot linkage for adjustable support, along with a smart device for personalized movement control based on patient identity, enabling muscle training and rehabilitation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional patient lift with a sling is used to transfer a patient, then the patient can be easily lifted and transferred, but the patient loses muscle memory to stand up or sit down
Solution Approach 1:
The support arm is made movable relative to the lift assembly, allowing it to slide between retracted and extended positions. This dynamic adjustment enables the support arm to provide varying degrees of assistance during the sit-to-stand movement, allowing patients to actively engage their muscles while receiving necessary support, thus preventing muscle atrophy and maintaining muscle memory
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of support level by adjusting the support arm's extension position. By controlling the extent to which the support arm extends, the system can provide partial weight support rather than complete support, enabling patients to progressively exercise their leg muscles during transfers and maintain muscle memory
2Reliability
If a sling is used to support the entire weight of the patient, then the patient can be safely lifted, but the patient cannot perform rehabilitation exercises
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using the sling to support the entire weight of the patient (excessive action), the support arm provides partial weight support. This partial action allows the patient's leg muscles to remain engaged and perform rehabilitation exercises while still receiving sufficient support to maintain safety during transfers and standing
3Device complexity
If the support arm is fixed to the lift assembly, then the structure is simpler, but the support is not adjustable for different patients or movements
Solution Approach 1:
The support arm is designed to slide along the lift assembly between retracted and extended positions, transforming a fixed structure into a dynamic one. This allows the same device to adapt to different patient needs and movement requirements without significantly increasing structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The support arm is separated from the lift assembly as a distinct, movable component rather than being fixed integrally. This segmentation allows independent adjustment of the support arm position while maintaining the structural integrity of the overall device
Data Source
AI summary
A mobility device for assisting a patient includes a frame having a wheel arranged to maneuver the mobility device; a lift assembly coupled to the frame and movable between a lowered position and a raised position; and a support arm coupled to the lift assembly for movement with the lift assembly and arranged to support an upper part of a body of the patient and to support at least part of his weight on the mobility device when the lift assembly is raised from the lowered position to the raised position and when maneuvering the mobility device.