Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology Seeks to License Electric Transport Bed Booster for RMB 300,000
Recently, Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology released a public notice on the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, proposing to transfer its“An Electric Booster for Transfer Beds”Patent assigned to Wuhan Hantai Medical Technology Co., Ltd. The assignment fee isRMB 300,000. The inventor of this patent isYu Yao; Tian Chong.
Image source: Official website of Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
“An Electric Booster for Transfer Beds” is a utility model patent product featuring electric power assistance, designed for medical transport stretchers. It is specifically engineered to address the issues of high physical labor intensity, complex steering operations, and poor stability associated with manually pushed traditional transport stretchers. By integrating an electric drive system with an intelligent steering structure, it enables electrically assisted movement and agile steering of the stretcher, significantly reducing the operational burden on healthcare professionals and helping to enhance the efficiency and safety of patient transport.
In the field of medical care, transfer beds are indispensable equipment in hospitals, used to transport patients between different areas such as wards, operating rooms, and examination rooms. In clinical scenarios involving medical transportation, traditional transfer beds and first-generation assisted products have many pain points and difficulties that urgently need to be addressed.
Traditional Transport BedLacking an autonomous propulsion system, the device relies entirely on manual pushing and pulling by medical staff throughout the process. This not only significantly increases the physical workload of healthcare personnel but also poses a risk of secondary injury to patients during transport due to the instability inherent in manual operation. Particularly in complex scenarios such as narrow hospital corridors and turns, the limited precision of manual handling substantially reduces transport efficiency and compromises patient safety.
First-Generation Hospital Bed Booster FrameAlthough the addition of a booster frame and drive wheels provides power assistance, alleviating the physical strain of manual pushing and pulling, the two drive wheels configured in this product have a fixed structure and lack autonomous steering capability. Steering is achieved by locking the drive wheel on the same side as the turn while keeping the drive wheel on the opposite side rotating continuously. This operational procedure is complex, and the design involving locking the drive wheel leads to an imbalance in the center of gravity when the transport bed turns, significantly reducing stability. This makes the bed highly prone to tipping over, posing a potential threat to patient safety and failing to meet the clinical demands for efficient and safe patient transport.
This patented electric booster for transfer beds achieves multiple innovations in both technical design and clinical application, offering significant advantages over traditional products and first-generation booster frames.
First, the integrated design of power steering, the device’s core components consist of a control lever, an angle sensor, a Z-shaped connector, a servo steering motor, and drive wheels. The angle sensor is electrically connected to the steering motor; rotating the control lever transmits angular parameters via the angle sensor to the steering motor, enabling synchronized and precise steering of the drive wheels. This design eliminates the traditional method of locking the drive wheels during steering, ensuring no wheel lock-up occurs during turns and significantly enhancing transfer stability.
Second, precise operation and anti-mistouch design.The operating lever integrates a gear shifter, a limit box with a V-shaped groove, and a connecting rod. Forward and reverse push-button switches are separately arranged within the V-shaped groove. A torsion spring is added between the gear shifter’s rotating shaft and the limit box, enabling the shifter to reset quickly after external force is removed. This effectively prevents accidental switch activation. Additionally, the straight grip handle at the top of the gear shifter allows medical personnel to apply force more easily, significantly simplifying the operational procedures for forward movement, reverse movement, and steering.
Third, high structural compatibility and safety.The Z-shaped connector positions the locking buckle at the top, with the drive wheel located on the inner side of the transfer bed’s base. This design not only prevents the drive wheel from colliding with medical staff during movement but also ensures a secure connection to the center of the bed’s headboard via the locking buckle. The single drive wheel works in conjunction with the transfer bed’s existing caster wheels to provide more balanced power output. Furthermore, the use of servo motors enables more precise steering angles. A telescopic rod can be added between the connector and the steering motor to accommodate transfer beds of varying heights, thereby meeting the demands of diverse clinical scenarios.
Fourth, a lightweight design driven by a single wheel,By employing a single steerable drive wheel, the system provides power assistance while effectively controlling the device’s size and weight, facilitating easy installation and removal, and making it suitable for retrofitting and upgrading various existing transport beds.
In the realm of technological innovation and equipment upgrades in medical transportation, a variety of practical and intelligent stretcher products and patented achievements continue to emerge. From optimizing structural design, developing labor-saving technologies, to achieving comprehensive intelligent upgrades across all scenarios, these innovations address various pain points in clinical transportation from multiple dimensions, providing diverse solutions for improving transportation efficiency, ensuring patient safety, and reducing the burden on healthcare professionals.
“Utility Model Patent for an Air-Suspension Transfer Bed with an Inflation Device”(Patent No. CN214679196U) An air-suspension transfer pad is added to the transfer bed, which adjusts the suspension level through precise control of gas flow. This design significantly reduces the suspension load of the air cushion, lowering the effective gravitational load to one-tenth of the original weight. For a patient weighing 100 kg, only a force equivalent to 10 kg is required to facilitate bedside transfer. The air-suspension transfer bed featured in this patent integrates the inflation device into the base of the bed, allowing for rapid inflation of the air-suspension transfer pad during use. This eliminates the need for additional preparation and carrying of external air pumps and hoses, thereby effectively improving clinical transfer efficiency.
“Utility Model Patent for a Medical Transfer Bed”(Patent Publication No. CN223746581U), designed to address the difficulty in existing technologies where medical personnel must manually stabilize the transfer bed. Through the coordinated interaction of mounting components, telescopic rods, and connectors, the main body of the transfer bed is effectively secured. This not only ensures the stability of the transfer bed but also reduces the workload of medical staff and improves operational efficiency. Furthermore, the coordinated interaction of moving rods, connecting rods, positioning holes, limit through-holes, and pins allows the hook to be more securely attached to crossbars on operating tables, hospital beds, or other equipment, while accommodating varying gaps between the transfer bed and such equipment. Additionally, the inclusion of suction cups expands the applicability of the fixed connection between the transfer bed and other devices.
Shandong Lening Medical Technology's 10th-Generation Electric Smart Transfer BedThis is an intelligent device that revolutionizes traditional medical patient transport. Featuring a core 5mm ultra-thin dual-layer board design, it enables "seamless patient transfer," fundamentally eliminating secondary injuries and back friction abrasions caused by manual lifting. With a maximum load capacity of 200kg, it easily handles the transport of patients weighing up to 500 jin (250kg). The entire process requires only one operator using a remote control. Equipped with a function for rapid 10-second replacement of sterile sheets, it effectively prevents cross-infection. Additionally, its advanced battery technology supports up to 200 transfers on a single charge, meeting the full-scenario transport needs of nine major departments, including Orthopedics, ICU, and CT Rooms.