Smart Sling Pneumatic Expansion Limiting Unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional patient transfer assist devices with pneumatically driven growth mechanisms require significant labor and time for sling insertion or removal, lack stability due to isotropic expansion, and are difficult to apply for lifting persons due to circular cross-sections.
Innovation Solution
A smart sling device with a body, support rods, and a sling member featuring an expanding unit that accommodates air to expand pneumatically, and an expansion limiting unit to control expansion direction, allowing for easy insertion and stable lifting of patients with a wide, low cross-section.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the growth mechanism uses only a flexible layer and expands isotropically by pneumatic pressure, then the structure is simple, but the cross section becomes circular and height increases excessively, making it unsuitable for lifting persons
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible sheet structure with integrated expansion limiting units that constrain the growth mechanism's expansion. The flexible sheet allows pneumatic expansion while the embedded limiting units guide the expansion into a controlled wide-low configuration rather than unrestricted spherical expansion, achieving both simplicity and desired shape.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the expansion parameters by introducing expansion limiting units that modify how pneumatic pressure translates into dimensional changes. Instead of isotropic expansion in all directions, the limiting units constrain expansion to specific directions, transforming the cross-sectional shape from circular to wide-low while controlling height increase.
2Ease of operation
If the growth mechanism expands without direction control, then insertion is simple, but stability is compromised due to excessive height and lack of flat structure
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible sheet structure with integrated expansion limiting units provides both ease of insertion and lifting stability. The sheet can be easily inserted in a compact state, then expands to a stable wide-low configuration when inflated, maintaining flatness and low profile for stable patient support.
Solution Approach 2:
The expansion limiting units create asymmetric expansion constraints that prevent uniform spherical growth. By limiting expansion in the vertical direction while allowing horizontal expansion, the system achieves a wide-low asymmetric shape that provides stable base support for lifting persons.
3Area of stationary object
If pneumatic pressure is applied to a large area by using the growth mechanism alone, then coverage area increases, but height increases excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The expansion limiting units fundamentally change the pressure-area-height relationship by constraining vertical expansion. When pneumatic pressure is applied, the limited units redirect the expansion force horizontally, allowing large support area coverage while maintaining low height profile suitable for patient lifting applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible sheet structure with expansion limiting units allows the system to achieve large horizontal coverage area while maintaining low vertical profile. The flexible material distributes pneumatic pressure across the wide area, and the limiting units prevent vertical bulging, achieving wide-low configuration for stable support.
4Device complexity
If the sling requires manual insertion or removal, then the structure is simple, but labor and time consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies pneumatic expansion to automatically deploy the sling from a compact state to an expanded support configuration. This eliminates manual insertion labor while maintaining relatively simple structure. The pneumatic system inflates the flexible sheet with expansion limiting units, causing automatic expansion into the wide-low support shape.
Solution Approach 2:
The sling is prepared in a compact inserted state before use, and pneumatic expansion automatically performs the deployment action. This preliminary compact state preparation combined with automatic pneumatic expansion significantly reduces both insertion and removal time while keeping the overall structure relatively simple.
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 automatic, comfortable sling insertion and removal, providing stability for patient lifting by preventing vertical expansion, thus simplifying the application and reducing the risk of injury or discomfort.
Implementation Method 1
an expanding unit having an accommodation space for accommodating air therein, the expanding unit expanding due to a pneumatic pressure generated by the accommodated air to support the patient therebelow
Data Source
AI summary
A smart sling device includes a body; a support rod installed at the body; and a sling member installed at the support rod and inserted under a patient to support the patient therebelow, and the sling member includes an expanding unit having an accommodation space for accommodating air therein, the expanding unit expanding due to a pneumatic pressure generated by the accommodated air to support the patient therebelow; and an expansion limiting unit installed at the expanding unit to limit expansion of the expanding unit in one direction.