Wheelchair-Bed Support Switching for Back and Knee Lifting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional beds for nursing care cannot achieve the necessary postures such as back lifting and knee lifting, as only the center bed plate can perform these postures, limiting their functionality compared to general nursing care beds.

Innovation Solution

A bed with a support switching mechanism that allows the wheelchair to integrate with the bed main body, enabling the bed to change postures by switching the support member between the chair bottom support member and the bed bottom support member, allowing for flat, back lifting, and knee lifting postures.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the bed is composed of a side bed plate, center bed plate, and side bed plate with a rotation mechanism, then the bed can be assembled and the platform truck can be separated for wheelchair use, but the side bed plates cannot be lifted and thus back lifting posture and knee lifting posture cannot be achieved

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveposture change capabilityVSAvoidbed structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The bed bottom is divided into multiple independently controllable segments: bed back bottom member, bed waist bottom member, bed knee bottom member, and bed leg bottom member. Each segment can be lifted or lowered independently through its own support member, enabling various posture changes including back lifting and knee lifting postures that were not achievable in conventional beds.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The wheelchair is designed with a seating bottom portion that can function both as an independent wheelchair and as part of the bed structure. When combined with the bed main body portion, the seating bottom portion becomes integrated into the bed bottom, allowing the system to provide both wheelchair mobility and nursing care bed functionality with full posture adjustment capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Adaptability or versatility

If the wheelchair is separable from the bed, then the platform truck can be used as a wheelchair, but the wheelchair lacks the posture change mechanism of a nursing care bed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemulti-functionalityVSAvoidposture adjustment capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The wheelchair and bed main body portion are designed to be combinable through a support switching mechanism. When combined, the support member switches from supporting only the wheelchair to supporting both the wheelchair and bed main body portion together, allowing the integrated system to achieve posture changes that benefit the care-receiver whether in wheelchair or bed mode.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The support member is designed to dynamically switch between two support modes: supporting the wheelchair independently when separated, and supporting the combined wheelchair and bed main body portion when integrated. This dynamic switching capability allows the system to adapt its functionality based on whether the components are combined or separated.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Adaptability or versatility

If only the center bed plate can perform back lifting and knee lifting, then the structure remains simple, but the entire bed surface cannot achieve uniform posture change

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebed surface posture controlVSAvoidnumber of support members

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS9414980B2Bed, and combining method and separating method of bed

Publication Date: 2016.08.16 PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO LTD

AI summary

A bed is composed of combining a wheelchair and a bed main body portion. The wheelchair has a seating bottom portion composed of bendably coupling a plurality of divided members, a chair bottom support member supporting the seating bottom portion, a chair base portion for fixing the chair bottom support member, and traveling wheels supporting the chair base portion. The bed main body portion has a bed bottom portion composed of bendably coupling a plurality of divided members, a bed bottom support member supporting the bed bottom portion, and a bed base portion for fixing the bed bottom support member. In a case where the wheelchair and the bed main body portion are combined, a support member supporting the seating bottom portion is switched from the chair bottom support member to the bed bottom support member.