Wheelchair Support Bracket With Tethered Quick Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wheelchair users face challenges with existing supports, such as knee and headrests, which require skilled medical personnel for adjustment and repositioning, and often need to be detached for entry and exit, leading to misplacement and difficulty in self-assistance by unskilled caregivers.
Innovation Solution
A releasable bracket system with a coupling mechanism comprising two bodies connected by a link, allowing for secure attachment and easy repositioning of supports on a wheelchair frame, enabling unskilled individuals to maintain optimal support positions without detachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If knee supports are securely attached to the wheelchair frame, then user safety and position stability are improved, but ease of adjustment and repositioning by unskilled caregivers deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket is divided into two separable bodies (first body and second body) connected by a link. The first body attaches to the wheelchair frame while the second body attaches to the knee support. This segmentation allows the support to be securely attached when needed while enabling easy separation for adjustment or repositioning by caregivers without requiring complete detachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The second body is received within the first body through the first bore, creating a nested configuration. The link extends between both bodies and is captured within the bores, allowing the bodies to be securely nested together during use while maintaining the ability to separate them easily when adjustment is needed.
2Ease of operation
If knee supports are completely detached for entry and exit, then ease of operation is improved, but loss of time and risk of misplacement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The nested configuration of the two bodies connected by the link allows the bracket to remain attached to the wheelchair frame while the knee support can be easily detached and reattached. The link acts as a physical connector that prevents complete separation, ensuring the support remains associated with the wheelchair even when detached for entry/exit operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket is pre-configured with the link connecting both bodies, so that when the knee support is detached for entry/exit, it remains physically connected through the link rather than being completely separated. This preliminary connection prevents misplacement and eliminates the need to search for the support afterward.
3Ease of operation
If the bracket allows free movement for adjustment, then ease of operation is improved, but stability of the support position deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The second body is received within the first bore and engaged by the clamp, creating a nested and secured configuration. This nesting provides stability during use while the link allows controlled movement for adjustment. The physical constraint of nesting maintains position stability while permitting intentional repositioning when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The link provides dynamic connectivity between the two bodies, allowing movement and adjustment during the positioning process while maintaining a stable connected state during use. The mechanical connection transitions between a flexible adjustment mode and a stable operational mode.
Data Source
AI summary
A bracket, for attaching a support to a wheelchair frame, includes a coupling with a first body, a second body, and a link. The first body has a first bore with a clamp there around and has one connector for connection to the support or the wheelchair frame. The second body has a section with a second bore and which is received within the first bore and releasably engaged by the clamp. The second body has a second connector for connection to the other one of the support and the wheelchair frame. Releasing the clamp allows the first and second bodies to be separated so that the support can be moved with respect to the wheelchair frame, while the link, captured in the first and second bores, prevents total separation of the bodies. A key and keyway limit assembly of the first and second bodies in only one orientation.