Structural design and research of multifunctional auxiliary defecation nursing bed

ObjectiveA multifunctional nursing bed that can adjust the body position and assist the defecation was developed to solve the problem of defecation care for disabled people when they were bedridden for a long time.MethodsFirstly, three motion mechanisms were designed. Among them, the back lifting-leg bending linkage mechanism can realize the back-lifting and leg-bending angles from 0° to 70°, the leg-splitting mechanism could achieve a leg-splitting angle of 0°-45°, and the hip plate movable mechanism could have a working height of less than 160 mm. Secondly, kinematics models of above mechanisms were constructed. Then kinematics simulations were carried out to obtain curves of angular velocity, angular acceleration and electric actuator displacement. Finally, a physical prototype of the nursing bed was produced for the test verification of mechanism design.ResultsThe results show that the nursing bed could help disabled persons achieve a sitting-lying posture transition within 11.5 seconds through combined movement of the three mechanisms. Movement of mechanisms is gentle and meets design requirements, providing a new idea for solving the problem of urinary and defecation care for disabled people.