Vehicle Litter Support Arms for Faster Patient Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Emergency vehicles lack effective systems to securely support and manage litters during transportation, requiring frequent loading and unloading of patients, which is inefficient and cumbersome.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable litter support system for vehicles, featuring a support framework with rotatable and extendable upper and lower litter support arms or beds, connected to the vehicle's wall, allowing for secure storage, easy loading/unloading, and efficient use of space within the vehicle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If litters are manually loaded and unloaded in emergency vehicles, then patient transport is possible, but the process is inefficient and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The litter support arms are designed to be rotatable and extendable, allowing dynamic adjustment between storage and operational positions. The arms can rotate from a retracted position to an extended position, and extend horizontally to facilitate easy loading and unloading of litters without manual handling, thereby improving patient transport efficiency and reducing time loss.
2Ease of operation
If litter support arms are extended outwardly, then loading and unloading is facilitated, but space within the vehicle is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The support arms are designed with rotatable and extendable capabilities, allowing them to be positioned in an extended configuration during loading and unloading operations to facilitate ease of operation. When not in use, the arms can be retracted to a compact position, optimizing vehicle interior space utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The support arms utilize rotational movement to transition between positions, adding a dimensional aspect to space utilization. By rotating the arms between retracted and extended positions, the system achieves ease of operation when needed while minimizing space occupation during transport.
3Quantity of substance
If multiple litters are stored in the vehicle, then more patients can be transported, but the complexity of the support system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support system is divided into multiple independent support arms, each capable of supporting a litter. The framework includes multiple vertical supports and base frames that can independently accommodate separate litter beds, allowing multiple litters to be stored without requiring a monolithic complex structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The support framework and arms are designed with universal functionality to accommodate multiple litters simultaneously. The same structural elements (vertical supports, base frames, connecting arms) serve multiple purposes by supporting different litter beds, thereby increasing litter storage capacity without proportionally increasing system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A litter support system for a vehicle including a support framework connectable to a wall of the vehicle, an upper litter support arm for holding a litter, the upper litter support arm connected to the support framework, a lower litter support arm for holding a litter, the lower litter support arm connected to the support framework, wherein the upper and lower litter support arms are connected to the support framework such that the upper and lower litter support arms are rotatable between a store position and a first support position and movable substantially horizontally between the first support position substantially adjacent to and near the support framework and a second support position substantially extended outwardly from the support framework.