Translatable Upper Body Section to Limit Bed Occupant Migration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Articulated hospital beds cause occupants to migrate towards the foot end, increasing caregiver workload and risk of injury, and leading to skin chafing and abrasion, due to unregulated articulation.
Innovation Solution
An occupant support system with a motion control system that rotates and translates the upper body section based on anthropometric considerations, resisting occupant migration by adjusting the articulation to maintain the occupant's trochanter position, using a suite of actuators and kinematic linkages to control the bed's sections, including the upper body, seat, and leg sections, to ensure the occupant remains stable during bed articulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the bed segments are articulated to allow position adjustment, then the adaptability and comfort for different patients is improved, but the occupant migrates toward the foot end of the bed causing increased caregiver workload and potential injury
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses sensors to detect occupant position and migration tendency, then automatically activates actuators to counteract migration and maintain proper positioning without requiring caregiver intervention. The bed essentially positions itself to prevent occupant migration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors occupant position through sensors and uses this feedback to automatically adjust bed segment positions via actuators, creating a closed-loop control system that prevents migration without caregiver input.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the bed segments are articulated to allow position adjustment, then the adaptability for different patients is improved, but the physical demands of repositioning cause injury to the caregiver
Solution Approach 1:
The automated system performs all positioning adjustments without caregiver physical intervention, eliminating the physical demands that lead to caregiver injury while maintaining full adaptability for different patient needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical repositioning by caregivers with an automated actuation system driven by motors or other actuators, substituting human physical effort with mechanical automation.
3Ease of operation
If the bed segments are articulated to allow position adjustment, then the comfort and support for the occupant is improved, but the articulation causes chafing and abrasion of the occupant's skin
Solution Approach 1:
The system proactively detects early signs of occupant migration and automatically adjusts positioning before significant migration occurs, preventing the friction and skin damage that would result from larger movements and repositioning events.
Solution Approach 2:
Continuous monitoring of occupant position provides real-time feedback that enables small, incremental adjustments rather than large movements, reducing friction and skin stress during repositioning.
Data Source
AI summary
An occupant support system for supporting an occupant comprises a frame, an articulable assembly which includes an upper body section, and a motion control system arranged to rotate the upper body section by an amount Δα relative to the frame, to translate the upper body section along the frame by an amount ΔCS, and to translate the upper body section by an amount ΔBS in a direction parallel to the upper body section. Both ΔBS and ΔCS are a function of Δα.