The present disclosure relates to a bed assembly for use during at-home care. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a bed assembly that elevates the head section and foot section of a traditional consumer mattress.
The present disclosure is related to a bed assembly. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to a bed assembly that is compatible with a traditional consumer bed and can enhance the traditional consumer bed so it provides features of a traditional hospital bed. Such features include the ability to elevate the head section and foot section of the traditional consumer mattress using inflatable air bladders, contactless sensing of the occupant, and a siderail with integrated point-of-care monitoring.
Extended hospitalization of a patient is an ongoing challenge due to the high cost incurred by the patient and the hospital. At-home care is also challenging due to the high cost, difficulty, and complexity of equipping the home for patient care. While several systems and methods exist for equipping the home for patient care, opportunity exists for continued development in this area.
Still further, a need exists for an assembly for at-home use capable of providing a caregiver, such as a nurse, information regarding vital signs of a patient without requiring the caregiver to disturb the patient.
The present disclosure includes one or more of the features recited in the appended claims and/or the following features which, alone or in any combination, may comprise patentable subject matter.
According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a bed assembly comprises a frame, a mattress supported by the frame, and patient-care system. The patient-care system includes a support system and an elevation system and is positioned selectively between the frame and the mattress and configured to provide means for raising at least one movable section of the mattress from a fully-lowered position, in which the mattress is arranged generally parallel to the frame, to a fully-raised position, in which the at least one movable section of the mattress is arranged at an angle relative to the frame.
In some embodiments, the support system includes a top plate, a base plate, and a hinge positioned between a free end of the support system and a fixed end of the support system. The elevation system may be coupled to the support system and configured to move the support system to raise the at least one movable section of the mattress in response to an activation of the elevation system.
In some embodiments, the elevation system includes at least one pneumatic bladder positioned between the top plate and the base plate and at least one valve coupled to the at least one pneumatic bladder. The elevation system further includes at least one pneumatic actuator coupled to the at least one pneumatic bladder and configured to change the at least one pneumatic bladder from a deflated state to and inflated state to move the movable section of the mattress towards the fully-raised position.
In some embodiments, the at least one pneumatic actuator includes a housing, a canister of fluid, and an activator, the housing defines an internal space and the canister is positioned in the internal space and coupled to the pneumatic bladder with a conduit such that the canister is configured to release the fluid into the pneumatic bladder in response to triggering the activator. The pneumatic actuator may be a manual hand pump. The pneumatic actuator may be an automatic air-pump.
In some embodiments, the bladder has a sheet that defines an internal space and the elevation system further includes a foam insert positioned within the internal space of the bladder and the foam insert is configured to apply an outward force on the sheet to expand the bladder to the inflated state.
In some embodiments, the elevation system includes an inlet valve, an outlet value, and a valve cap configured to cover the outlet valve, and the inlet valve and the outlet valve are both one way valves such that the bladder is configured to remain inflated while the valve cap covers the outlet valve. The bladder is configured to deflate when the valve cap is removed from the outlet valve and a force is applied on the bladder and the foam insert to compress the foam insert.
In some embodiments, the elevation system includes a plurality of bladders each having a sheet that defines an internal space and plurality of foam inserts, at least one foam insert is positioned within the internal space of the bladders, and wherein each foam insert is configured to apply an outward force on the bladders to expand each bladder to the inflated state. The elevation system may further include at least one fastener between adjacent bladders to couple each of the bladders together.
In some embodiments, the elevation system includes a first pneumatic pump coupled to a first pneumatic bladder in a head section of the mattress and a second pneumatic pump coupled to a second pneumatic bladder in a foot section of the mattress, and the at least one valve is configured to open to manually release air contained within at least one of the pneumatic bladders.
In some embodiments, the elevation system includes a single pneumatic pump coupled to a first pneumatic bladder in a head section of the mattress and a second pneumatic bladder in a foot section of the mattress, and a first valve is configured to selectively switch between the first and second pneumatic bladders to inflate one of the first and second pneumatic bladders while a second valve is configured to open to manually release air contained within at least one of the pneumatic bladders.
In some embodiments, the bed assembly further includes a control panel and the elevation system includes a first pneumatic pump coupled to a first pneumatic bladder in a head section of the mattress and a second pneumatic pump coupled to a second pneumatic bladder in a foot section of the mattress, and a first valve is configured to open to manually deflate the first bladder upon activation of a first button on the control panel and a second valve is configured to open to manually deflate the second bladder upon activation of a second button on the control panel.
In some embodiments, the elevation system further includes a release system coupled to the pneumatic bladder, and wherein the valve is configured to allow fluid to flow out of the bladder at a first flowrate and the release system is configured to allow fluid to flow out of the bladder at a second flowrate, and the second flowrate is greater than the first flowrate. The release system includes a plug coupled to the pneumatic bladder and a cord having a first end coupled to the plug and a second end coupled to a pull tab.
In some embodiments, the elevation system includes a mount system and an actuator system. The mount system may include an upper mount coupled to the top plate and a lower mount coupled to the base plate. The actuator system includes a pair of left support links and a pair of right support links, the left support links coupled for pivotable movement relative to one another about a first support link axis, and the right support links coupled for pivotable movement relative to one another about a second support link axis.
In some embodiments, elevation system further includes an actuator mover coupled to the left support links and the right support links and is configured to move the first support link axis and the second support link axis toward one another to raise the top plate. The elevation system may further include an actuator mover coupled to the lower mount and configured to move the lower mount to raise and lower the top plate.
In some embodiments, the mount system includes a left support rod arranged on a left lateral side of the mattress, a right support rod arranged on a right lateral side of the mattress, and a connector rod underlying the mattress. The left support rod, the right support rod, and the connector rod may be telescopic.
In some embodiments, the actuator system includes an actuator, a belt, and a mount configured to secure the actuator and the belt to the left and right support rods. The belt is arranged to lie under a movable section of the mattress and the actuator is configured to actuate the belt to decrease a length of the belt and raise the movable section.
In some embodiments, the actuator mover includes a hand crank. The actuator mover may include a motor coupled to a power source.
In some embodiments, the support system further includes a cover having a first end and a second end spaced apart from the first end a predetermined distance so that a length of the cover corresponds to a elevation angle of the top plate relative to the base plate. The cover is configured to retain the top plate at the elevation angle to position the movable section of the mattress in the fully-raised position.
In some embodiments, the cover includes a sheet defining the length of the cover and at least one retainer coupled to the support system to fix the cover to the support system at the predetermined distance. The retainer includes longitudinal strips coupled to the support system and transverse strips coupled to the sheet, and a plurality of indicator marks are provided adjacent to the longitudinal strips. The indicator marks include a first set associated with a first angle of the mattress and a second set associated with a second angle of the mattress and the second end of the sheet is configured to align selectively with one of the sets to restrict the elevation angle of the mattress to one of the first and second angles associated with the first and second set.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an at-home bed assembly comprises a frame, a mattress supported by the frame, and a patient-care system. The patient-care system is positioned selectively above the mattress, the patient-care system including a pillow section and an elevation system, the elevation system configured to adjust at least one movable section from a fully-lowered position, in which the pillow section is arranged generally parallel to the frame and mattress, to a fully-raised position, in which the at least one movable section of the mattress is arranged at an angle relative to the frame and the mattress in response to a patient's body weight distribution on the patient-care system.
In some embodiments, the elevation system includes a primary bladder and a plurality of secondary bladders spaced apart from the primary bladder. A plurality of channels extend from the primary bladder to the secondary bladders to communicate fluid from the primary bladder to the secondary bladders.
In some embodiments, the secondary bladders include a head-section bladder, a foot-section bladder, and a pair of side-bolster bladders. Each of the head-section bladder, foot-section bladder, and side-bolster bladders is independently inflatable.
Additional features, which alone or in combination with any other feature(s), such as those listed above and/or those listed in the claims, can comprise patentable subject matter and will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the embodiments as presently perceived.
The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:
An illustrative bed assembly 10 is shown in
Illustratively, one such bed function provided by the patient care system 16 may be the raising and lowering of the head section 20, foot section 22, and/or other sections between the head section 20 and the foot section 22 of the mattress 14. As such, at least a portion of the patient-care system 16 is arranged to underlie the mattress 14 adjacent to movable sections of the mattress to provide the raising and lowering functions of the mattress 14. The support system 24 and the elevation system 26 are configured to cooperate to adjust a movable section, such as a head section 20 and a foot section 22, of the mattress 14 to an arrangement between a fully-lowered position, as shown in
The support system 24 includes a top plate 28, a base plate 30, and a hinge 32 arranged between a free end 34 of the support system 24 and a fixed end 36 of the support system 24 as shown in
As described above, the elevation system 26 is configured to move the support system 24 to cause a movable section of the mattress 14 to change to various positions relative to the frame 12. The elevation system 26 is coupled to the support system 24 and provides a force on the support system 24 when activated to accomplish this objective. The force may be applied linearly on the support system 24, or the force may be applied on the support surface along a predetermined path.
A first embodiment of the elevation system 26, in accordance with the present disclosure, is illustratively shown in
In the illustrative embodiment, a single pneumatic bladder 40 is provided between the top plate 28 and the base plate 30. However, in other embodiments, multiple bladders 40 may be used. Such bladder or bladders 40 may have any shape suitable to provide adequate force on the top plate 28 to cause the movable section of the mattress 14 to elevate.
In the illustrative embodiment, the fluid source 42 is configured to provide an air source to inflate the bladder 40. However, in other embodiments, any suitable fluid source may be used to inflate the bladder 40. The bladder 40 may be automatically inflated or deflated based on predetermined parameters. These parameters may be sensed by a series of sensors (not shown). The sensors may be coupled to a controller to determine if sensed values exceed predetermined thresholds that may require inflation or deflation of the bladder 40. One or more valves may be provided to allow fluid to flow selectively out of the bladder 40 so that the bladder 40 deflates as will be described in greater detail below.
As shown in
The control system 66 includes a control interface 68, a control housing 70, and a valve circuit 72 positioned within the control housing 70 as shown in
A schematic illustration of an illustrative valve circuit 72 is shown in
The head-section circuit 76 is coupled to the fluid source 42 and includes an inlet valve 80 and an outlet valve 82 as shown in
The foot-section circuit 78 is coupled to the fluid source 42 and includes an inlet valve 84 and an outlet valve 86 as shown in
The valve circuit 72 may further include an emergency-release system 88 coupled to the bladder 40 as shown in
Referring now to
The hand pump 44 includes a housing 46 and a diaphragm 48 positioned in a space defined by the housing 46 as shown in
Referring now to
Referring now to
The bladder 240 further includes an inlet valve 248 and an outlet valve 250 coupled to the sheet 244 as shown in
The foam insert 242 is made from any suitable foam material such as, for example, polyethylene or polyurethane. The foam insert 242 is configured to provide an outward force on the sheet 244. A caregiver or patient may raise and lower the movable section of the mattress 14 by removing selectively one or both of the caps 252 covering the valves 248, 250. For example, the outward force provided by the foam insert 244 maintains the bladder 240 in an inflated state when the cap 252 covering the inlet valve 248 is removed. The caregiver or patient may remove the cap covering the outlet valve 250 and apply an opposite force on the bladder 240 and the foam insert 242 to deflate the bladder 240. Once the movable section of the mattress 14 is arranged at the desired angle, both caps 252 may be resecured to the valves 248, 250 to block further ingress/egress of air to/from the internal space 246 of the sheet 244. In other embodiments, fluid source 42 or 54 may be used to help inflate and/or deflate the bladder 240. In other embodiments, a vacuum (not shown) may be used to provide suction to remove fluid from the bladders.
In the illustrative embodiment, the bladder 240 is divided into a first bladder section 254, a second bladder section 256, and a third bladder section 258 by respective dividers 266 and 268 as shown in
The dividers 266, 268 are coupled to the sheet 244 of the bladder 240 such that bladder sections are independent of one another. Additionally, an inlet valve 248 and an outlet valve 250 are coupled to each bladder section 254, 256, 258. In this way, each bladder section may be inflated and deflated independently of the other bladder sections to allow for more adjustment of the movable section of the mattress 14. Although three bladder sections and three foam sections are included in elevation system 226, it should be appreciated that any suitable number of bladder sections and foam sections may be used.
Referring now to
The elevation system 326 includes a first bladder 341, a second bladder 343 and a plurality of foam inserts 342. Each bladder 341, 343 includes a sheet 344, 345 that are shaped to define internal spaces 346, 347. The foam inserts 342 are positioned in respective internal spaces 346, 347 and each has a shape that matches the shape of the internal spaces 346, 347 defined by the sheets 344, 345 when the bladders 341, 343 are inflated.
The first bladder 341 includes a bottom surface 372 and a top surface 374 that is angled relative to the bottom surface by an angle 376. The second bladder 343 includes a bottom surface 378 and a top surface 380 that is angled relative to the bottom surface by an angle 382. The first and second bladders 341, 343 are stacked to increase a total angle 384 of the elevation system 326 that corresponds to the elevation angle of the movable section of the mattress 14. In the illustrative embodiment, angle 376 is equal to angle 382, however, in other embodiments, the angle 376 may not be equal to angle 382. It should be appreciated that additional bladders 340 may be added to elevation system 326 to further increase the elevation angle of the movable section of the mattress 14.
Each bladder 341, 343 further includes an inlet valve 348 and an outlet valve 350 coupled to the sheets 344, 345 as shown in
The elevation system 326 further includes fasteners 370 that are configured to couple the first bladder 341 to the second bladder 343 as shown in
Another embodiment of an elevation system 426, in accordance with the present disclosure, is shown in
The mount system 440 couples the actuator system 442 to the top plate 28 and the base plate 30 as shown in
The actuator mover 444 extends transversely from the left link-pivot axis 458 to the right link-pivot axis 460 as shown in
Another embodiment of an elevation system 526, in accordance with the present disclosure, is shown in
The mount system 540 couples the actuator system 542 to the top plate 28 and the base plate 30 as shown in
The actuator mover 544 is configured to rotate about a actuator-mover axis 556 to raise or lower the top plate 28 relative to the base plate 30 depending on the rotation direction. The actuator mover 544 rotates to move the second end 554 of the actuator system 542 and the lower mount 548 toward the fixed end 36 of the support system 24 to raise the top plate 28 and thus movable section of the mattress 14. The actuator mover 544 rotates oppositely to move the second end 554 of the actuator system 542 and the lower mount 548 away from the fixed end 36 of the support system 24 to lower the top plate 28 and thus movable section of the mattress 14.
The actuator mover 544 may be rotated by a powered device 560 such as, for example, a drill or a motor as shown in
Another embodiment of an elevation system 626, in accordance with the present disclosure, is shown in
The mount system 640 includes a head-section support 644 and a foot-section support 646 that is substantially similar to the head-section support 644 as shown in
The actuator system 642 is coupled to the left and right support rods 648, 650 vertically above the mattress 14 and is configured to lift a movable section of the mattress 14 upwardly as shown in
In the illustrative embodiment, the actuator 654 includes a manual hand crank 664 that may be turned to decrease a length of the belt 656 and raise the movable section of the mattress 14. However, in other embodiments, any suitable device may be used to actuate the belt 656 such as, for example, a powered motor.
As previously described, the support system 24 may further include a cover 94 that may be used with any of the elevation systems 26, 226, 326, 426, 526, 626 previously described as shown in
In the illustrative embodiment, the retainer 98 includes Velcro® strips coupled to the sheet 96 and the support system 24 as shown in
The sheet 96 may be sized and/or located via the retainer 98 to restrict the elevation angle of the movable section of the mattress 14 by limiting the distance the top plate 28 may pivot relative to the base plate 30 about the hinge 32 as shown in
Another embodiment of a patient-care system 716, in accordance with the present disclosure, is shown in
The mattress topper 718 is arranged to overlie the mattress 14 and includes one or more movable sections to provide elevation for various parts of the patient. The mattress topper 718 includes a pillow section 724 and an elevation system 726 that are configured to cooperate with the patient to provide elevation for a patient at a head section 20 and a foot section 22 of the mattress topper 716.
The pillow section 724 includes a pillow-top overlay 728 and a pillow midsection 730 as shown in
The elevation system 726 includes a plurality of bladders formed in the mattress topper 716 and is configured to cooperate with the patient's body weight distribution to raise and lower the head section 20 and the foot section 22 of the mattress topper 716. The elevation system 726 includes a primary bladder 734 coupled to a fluid source 736 and a plurality of secondary bladders 738 as shown in
The plurality of secondary bladders 738 includes a head-section bladder 740, a foot-section bladder 742, and left and right side-bolster bladders 744, 745 as shown in
For example, the primary bladder 734 may be filled with fluid while the secondary bladders 738 contain no fluid. In this situation, the patient may be laid flat on the mattress topper 716. Additional fluid may be added to the primary bladder 734 from the fluid source 736. The added fluid may flow from the primary bladder 734, through the channels 732 and into one or more of the secondary bladders 738 depending on the patient's body weight distribution over the mattress topper 716. The patient may control or adjust the elevation of the bladders 740, 742, 744, 745 by changing his/her weight distribution.
The fluid source 736 may include fluid source 42, fluid source 54, or any other suitable fluid source. Additionally, the elevation system 726 may further include control system 66 to control input and output of fluid from the primary bladder 734.
Although this disclosure refers to specific embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the subject matter set forth in the accompanying claims.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/739,337, filed Sep. 30, 2018, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62739337 | Sep 2018 | US |