Wall-Mounted Lift Controls With Wireless Feedback Display
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current overhead lifts are hindered by tethered hand controls that obstruct movement, lack data connectivity and feedback, and do not provide adequate information display for caregivers, making it difficult to operate and track usage effectively.
Innovation Solution
A lift communications system featuring a wireless, wall-mounted control that communicates with lifts, allowing for untethered operation, data transmission, and a remote display to provide operational information, enabling better control and feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a tethered hand control is used to operate the lift, then the control can be directly connected to the lift unit, but the hand control and its attachment point create obstacles in the room during non-operation and cannot be stored at unreachable heights
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the control interface from the tethered hand control and relocates it to a wall-mounted control unit. This separates the control function from the lift unit itself, allowing the lift to move freely without a physical tether while maintaining reliable wireless communication between the control unit and lift unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical tethered connection with a wireless communication system. The wall-mounted control unit communicates with the lift unit via wireless signals, eliminating the physical cord and attachment point that created obstacles in the room.
2Loss of information
If a small screen is provided on the corded hand control, then some information can be displayed, but the screen is too small to provide relevant and easily readable information for caregivers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a small one-dimensional display on the hand control to a large wall-mounted display unit. This dimensional change provides significantly more display area, enabling comprehensive information presentation including operational status, weight measurements, and usage data in easily readable formats.
3Quantity of substance
If overhead lifts generate data pertaining to use, location, and status, then comprehensive information is collected, but the lifts do not include components for providing the data in a usable manner for feedback and compliance tracking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback system where the wall-mounted control unit receives data from the lift unit and displays it in real-time. The system provides visual feedback on operational status, weight measurements, and usage information, enabling caregivers to monitor lift operations and track compliance with proper usage procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces the wall-mounted control unit as an intermediary between the lift unit and the user. This intermediary component collects data from the lift unit, processes it, and presents it in a usable format through the wall-mounted display, making the generated data accessible and actionable for caregivers.
4Device complexity
If current lifts do not offer connectivity to support devices, then the system remains simple, but visual support for the caregiver is limited beyond LED light alerts
Solution Approach 1:
The wall-mounted control unit serves multiple functions: it acts as a control interface for operating the lift, a display unit for showing operational status and data, and a communication hub for connectivity with support devices. This multi-functional design provides comprehensive visual support while maintaining system integration.
Data Source
AI summary
Lift communications systems, wall-mounted controls, and methods of using and configuring the same are disclosed. A lift communications system includes one or more lifts, each one of the one or more lifts is movable within a space. The lift communications system further includes a wall-mounted control coupled to a wall of the space. The wall-mounted control is configured to communicatively couple to the one or more lifts via a wireless connection. When the wall-mounted control is communicatively coupled to a lift of the one or more lifts, the wall-mounted control is configured to direct operation of the lift and receive data from the lift.