Modular Surgical Table with RFID Attachment Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing patient support apparatuses face challenges such as difficulty in accurately measuring weight distribution, cumbersome maneuverability, instability, high manufacturing costs, and hydraulic system leaks, while also lacking ergonomic control over patient positioning and movement.
Innovation Solution
A modular, multicomponent surgical table system with adjustable support columns, drive assist mechanisms, and integrated user interface modules that allow for precise control and efficient movement of patients, incorporating linkage systems and actuators for stable and compact operation, along with wireless sensing technologies for attachment detection and orientation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional weight sensors are used in prior art devices, then weight measurement capability is provided, but accurate measurement of changes in weight distribution is difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the patient support apparatus into multiple independently controllable segments or sections, each equipped with its own sensors and actuators. This segmentation allows for localized weight distribution measurement across different zones of the support surface, enabling accurate detection of weight changes in specific regions rather than providing only a global weight measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback control system where sensors continuously monitor weight distribution and provide real-time data to a controller. The controller processes this information and adjusts the support surface or provides alerts based on detected weight changes, creating a closed-loop system that improves measurement accuracy and reliability through continuous monitoring and verification.
2Ease of operation
If patient support apparatuses are designed to provide unencumbered access to surgical site, then medical team access is improved, but the equipment becomes cumbersome to maneuver
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic adjustment mechanisms that allow the patient support apparatus to change its configuration, height, and orientation during procedures. Motors and actuators enable the table sections to be raised, lowered, tilted, or positioned at various angles, providing optimal surgical access while maintaining the ability to be repositioned as needed without requiring complete disassembly or complex manual manipulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patient support apparatus is designed with multi-functional capabilities, integrating patient positioning, surgical access accommodation, weight monitoring, and maneuvering functions into a single system. The apparatus can adapt to different surgical procedures and patient positions while providing standardized control interfaces, reducing the need for multiple separate devices and simplifying overall operation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If patient support apparatuses provide ability to maneuver and reposition patient, then patient positioning flexibility is improved, but stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates counterweight mechanisms and stability control systems that compensate for the shifting center of gravity as the patient is repositioned. Sensors detect changes in weight distribution, and the system automatically adjusts support forces or engages stabilization features to maintain balance and prevent tipping, allowing flexible positioning while preserving overall apparatus stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patient support apparatus includes self-stabilization features that automatically adjust to maintain stability during patient repositioning. The system monitors its own state through integrated sensors and makes real-time corrections to positioning, support forces, or base orientation without requiring external intervention, thereby maintaining stability while enabling flexible patient maneuvering.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system for supporting or positioning a patient, comprising: a platform (102) of a surgical table (100) configured to support at least a portion of a patient, the platform (102) comprising one or more sockets (850a, 850b); a first attachment (800) connected to the platform (102) of the surgical table (100), the first attachment (800) comprising one or more extensions (852a, 852b), the first attachment (800) being removably connected to the surgical table (100) by having the one or more sockets (850a, 850b) engage the one or more extensions (852a, 852b); and a second attachment (500), wherein the first and second attachments (800, 500) are serial distal segments to the platform (102) such that the first attachment (800) is positioned between the platform (102) and the second attachment (500), wherein the platform (102) is configured to use a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag to determine whether the first and/or second attachments (800, 500) are connected to the surgical table (100), and determine an orientation of the first and/or second attachments (800, 500) relative to the platform (100).