Therapy Fluid Source With Adaptive Hanging and Spill-Shedding Housing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid sources for therapy devices, such as patient supports, are inefficient and costly due to the need for different configurations for various therapies, and they often fail to accommodate varying footboard thicknesses, leading to improper hanging and difficulty in viewing indicator lights, and are not designed to handle liquid spills effectively.
Innovation Solution
A fluid source with a modular connector system that automatically adjusts to different therapy configurations and can be easily hung on various footboard thicknesses, featuring a hanger assembly with adjustable hooks and a watershed panel to prevent liquid damage, along with intuitive indicator lights that can be remotely viewed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If different fluid sources are manufactured for different patient support configurations, then each fluid source can be optimized for its specific therapy type, but manufacturing efficiency decreases and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid source is designed with a universal housing and hanger assembly that can accommodate multiple therapy configurations (low air loss, turn assist, etc.) through a single standardized design, eliminating the need to manufacture separate fluid sources for each therapy type while maintaining optimized performance for each configuration
2Adaptability or versatility
If the hanger assembly is sized to accommodate the thickest footboard, then it can hang from any footboard thickness, but the fluid source hangs askew on thinner footboards causing visual components to be difficult to see
Solution Approach 1:
The hanger assembly incorporates adjustable elements that allow it to dynamically adapt to different footboard thicknesses, enabling the fluid source to hang vertically and properly orient visual components toward the room regardless of the specific footboard thickness encountered
3Volume of moving object
If the housing is designed for compactness, then it saves space, but it becomes difficult to effectively shed liquid spills and protect internal components
Solution Approach 1:
The housing incorporates integrated watershed panels that segment and channel liquid spills away from internal components through dedicated pathways, allowing the compact housing design to maintain effective liquid shedding capability by organizing fluid flow management within the limited space
Data Source
AI summary
A fluid source comprises a connector assembly for connecting a fluid supply device to either a first therapy device or to a second therapy device. A controller automatically provides a first configuration of a user interface associated with a first therapy when a supply connector is operatively coupled to the first therapy device and provides a second configuration of the user interface associated with a second therapy, different than the first configuration, when the supply connector is operatively coupled to the second therapy device. A hanger assembly is provided to hang the fluid source on different support structures. The fluid source also comprises a housing with a watershed region to shed liquid away from the user interface.