Stowable Foot Section and Mattress Articulation for Chair Beds
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional patient support systems face challenges in transitioning from a bed configuration to a chair configuration, particularly in accommodating the mattress and foot section, which often results in difficulty folding and limited vertical orientation of the foot section, hindering patient mobility and comfort.
Innovation Solution
The patient support apparatus incorporates a lift system with actuators that allow the foot section to articulate and translate relative to the seat section, enabling a smooth transition between configurations, with a mattress assembly that adjusts tension to maintain patient comfort and a footboard that collapses to facilitate floor access, ensuring the foot section can be fully extended or retracted without obstructing the patient's exit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the foot section is lowered to a generally vertical orientation to enable chair configuration, then patient mobility is improved, but the foot section obstructs patient exit and limits lowering of the litter
Solution Approach 1:
The foot section is designed to dynamically change its orientation and position. It can be lowered to a vertical orientation to facilitate patient mobility and then retracted or folded to clear the exit path. The articulation actuators enable the foot section to move between different positions (extended, retracted, folded) depending on the operational phase, resolving the contradiction between needing the foot section in vertical position for mobility versus needing it out of the way for patient exit.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the litter is reconfigured from bed configuration to chair configuration, then patient mobility is enhanced, but the mattress encounters difficulty in folding with the foot section
Solution Approach 1:
The mattress is divided into multiple segments or sections that can independently fold and articulate. This segmentation allows different portions of the mattress to move at different rates and in different directions during the configuration transition, enabling smooth folding of the foot section with the mattress without creating excessive complexity in the overall system.
3Ease of operation
If the footboard is removed from the foot section to allow patient floor access, then patient exit is facilitated, but the structural integrity and support are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The footboard is designed as a dynamic component that can be selectively positioned. It can be in a removed or lowered position to facilitate patient floor access, and can be raised or extended when structural support is needed. The footboard's position is adjusted based on the operational phase, resolving the contradiction between needing it removed for access and needing it present for structural integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
A patient support system comprises a patient support apparatus for patients. The patient support apparatus comprises a base and a litter supported by the base via a lift system. The litter comprises a seat section and a foot section movable relative to the seat section. The lift system comprises lift members. The lift system moves the litter from a first configuration in which the seat and foot sections are generally horizontal relative to a floor surface to a second configuration where the foot section is below the seat section and between the lift members. The patient support apparatus also comprises a mattress assembly integrated with the foot section to move with the foot section between the first and second configurations.