Stairlift Safety System Using Physiological Sensors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing stairlift systems face challenges in providing comfortable operation and ensuring safety, particularly for frail users, due to the need for continuous hand control and the complexity of using multiple sensors to prevent collisions with obstructions, which increases production and maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
A stairlift system equipped with sensors to detect physiological parameters such as heart rate, breathing, and eye activity, allowing the carriage to start or halt based on user conditions, reducing the need for extensive monitoring and enabling safer operation by preventing collisions and detecting potential hazards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If continuous hand control is required for operation, then safety is improved by preventing unintended movement, but user comfort deteriorates due to the need for constant pressure on controls
Solution Approach 1:
The stairlift system monitors the user's physiological state autonomously without requiring continuous manual input. The control unit automatically detects changes in heart rate, breathing frequency, and body position through sensors, and independently decides when to start or halt movement based on safety criteria, freeing the user from constant control engagement.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors physiological parameters (heart rate, breathing frequency, body position) and uses this feedback to automatically adjust operation. The control unit processes sensor data in real-time and makes decisions about starting or halting the stairlift based on detected changes in the user's state, creating a closed-loop safety system.
2Reliability
If multiple sensing devices are used to monitor path obstructions, then collision safety is improved, but device complexity and production costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the safety monitoring function from complex external path scanning systems and relocates it to the user's body. Instead of using multiple cameras and sensors to scan the environment, the system uses physiological sensors attached to or integrated with the user to detect their state, which indirectly indicates potential collision risks.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces mechanical and optical path scanning devices with physiological sensing. Instead of using cameras, LIDAR, or ultrasonic sensors to detect obstructions in the environment, the system uses biological signals (heart rate changes, breathing patterns, body position) from the user themselves as indicators of potential hazards.
3Reliability
If extensive monitoring of body parts and path is implemented, then safety is improved by detecting dangerous conditions, but manufacturing and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit serves multiple functions: it manages motor control for stairlift operation, processes physiological sensor data, determines user state (awake/asleep, safe/dangerous), and decides when to start or halt movement. The physiological sensors serve dual purposes by monitoring both health status and position, eliminating the need for separate monitoring systems.
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 system effectively monitors user safety, reduces the effort required for safety measures, and prevents collisions by automatically halting the stairlift in case of detected hazards, enhancing user safety and reducing costs compared to prior art solutions.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor for detecting cardiac activity, especially a heart rate of a user
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a stairlift system comprising a stairlift carriage (110), adapted to travel along a defined path (120), which comprises at least one sensor (198, 199) for detecting at least one physiological parameter of a user, and a controller (200) adapted to start and/or halt travel of the stairlift carriage (110) in dependence of the nature and/or a value of the at least one detected physiological parameter.