Slingbar Attachment Closure for One-Handed Secure Strap Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lift systems for patients with compromised mobility lack effective one-handed operation closure elements for sling straps, which are crucial for ensuring secure attachment and preventing accidental release during patient transfer.
Innovation Solution
The development of attachment members for slingbars featuring innovative closure elements such as 'Double Gate', 'Swivel Style', and 'Funnel Style' designs, allowing one-handed operation and secure engagement/disengagement of sling straps, utilizing springs and rotational mechanisms to maintain strap attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a closure element is designed to securely engage sling straps, then reliability of attachment is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in one-handed manipulation
Solution Approach 1:
The closure element is divided into two separate gates (first gate and second gate) that can be independently operated. Each gate can be opened and closed separately, allowing the user to manipulate one gate at a time with a single hand while the other gate remains secured, thus enabling one-handed operation while maintaining overall attachment security.
Solution Approach 2:
The gates are designed to be movable between open and closed positions rather than fixed. The dynamic nature of the gates allows them to be easily manipulated into the closed position to secure the sling strap, and opened when needed for adjustment or removal, providing both security and ease of operation.
2Reliability
If a closure element prevents accidental release, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the closure element into two separate gates rather than using a single complex locking mechanism, the design achieves accidental release prevention through redundancy (both gates must be opened to release the strap) while keeping each individual gate structurally simple and easy to manufacture.
3Ease of operation
If the closure element allows easy engagement and disengagement, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to potential accidental detachment
Solution Approach 1:
The gates are designed to be easily movable into the closed position for quick engagement, but once closed, they provide secure retention. The dynamic design allows rapid opening when disengagement is needed, while the closed position ensures reliable attachment during patient lifting and transport.
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
Enables secure, one-handed manipulation of sling straps, ensuring patient safety by preventing accidental detachment and allowing caregivers to stabilize the slingbar with one hand, enhancing operational efficiency and safety during patient transfers.
Implementation Method 1
the closure element includes a spring which biases the closure element to the open orientation
Data Source
AI summary
A slingbar includes a sling attachment member. The sling attachment member includes a frame including a base having a top end and a bottom end, and a hook extending from the bottom end to a hook terminus. The hook terminus and the top end of the base define an opening. The hook, base, and opening bound an interior of the attachment member. A closure element includes an outboard gate hinged to the hook terminus and an inboard gate hinged to the base. The gates have a default state in which each gate extends laterally only part way across the opening.