Device to Assist a Patient out of A Hospital Bed
By Kahle, Jason; Nisonger, Kyle; Smith, Kory; Taulbee, Amy; Hefzy, Mohamed Samir; Pourazady, Mehdi; NSF 2008 Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons With Disabilities, pp. 270-273Publication Date: 2011
Description of a mechanism that assists a patient with limited mobility to get out of a hospital bed. The system lifts the patient’s shoulder to help him or her grasp the opposite hand rail of the bed and swing the legs over the bed. Once the sitting position is achieved, the patient is lifted from the rear and pushed in a lateral motion to a standing position. This is accomplished by using two air cylinders that lie under the left shoulder and right rear of the patient and inflate to provide lift assistance. A board is placed on the rear cylinder to provide extra leverage. A pump designed to inflate air mattresses is incorporated into the design. Three solenoids and three switches are used to direct the air flow properly. To operate, the patient flips the shoulder cylinder switch that turns on the pump and opens the first solenoid, allowing air to pass to the shoulder cylinder. Similarly, the rear cylinder switch is used to pass air to the rear cylinder. The third switch is used to evacuate the cylinders. An analog timer is added to prevent prolonged use and damage to the pump. The switches are housed in a small plastic enclosure and wires are run to a wooden box that contains the solenoid valves, timer, air pump, and air tubing. Metal brackets are used to hang the box off the back side of the headboard. The lifting system was designed by mechanical engineering students at Ohio’s University of Toledo at a project cost of 500 dollars.
Published by: Creative Learning Press, Inc. (Website:http://www.creativelearningpress.com)
Link to text: http://nsf-pad.bme.uconn.edu/2008/Chapter%2014,%20University%20of%20Toledo.pdf
ISBN: 1-931280-15-0
