The document discusses the interior design of ambulances. It begins by defining an ambulance and describing different types, including road, air, and water ambulances. It then discusses the need for standardized ambulance design in India according to international standards. The document outlines various ambulance types based on level of care (A-D), structure (winger flat roof vs. high roof), and required vehicle equipment like doors, windows, stretchers, oxygen cylinders, and seating. It provides CAD models and drafting of designed ambulance parts like seats, upper storage boxes, shells, and oxygen cylinders. It concludes that redesigning ambulances according to proper specifications and medical devices would improve conditions with minimal costs.
1. INTERIOR DESIGN OF AMBULANCE
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF:-
Dr. AMERANDRA KUMAR DAS
DEPARTMENT OF DESIGN
IIT GUWAHATI
PRESENTED BY:-
NEHEM TUDU
ROLL NO.- 11/ME/39
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
NIT DURGAPUR
2. INTRODUCTION
WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY AMBULANCE?
A specially equipped and ergonomically designed vehicle for transportation / emergent
treatment of sick or injured people and capable of providing out of hospital medical care
during transit / when stationary
.
The term ambulance comes from the Latin word "ambulare" as meaning “to walk or
move about” which is a reference to early medical care where patients were moved by
lifting or wheeling .
There are so many modes of ambulance:-
1. Road going ambulance:-vans, motorcycle, bicycles,buses.
2. Air going ambulance:- helicopters. Aircraft.
3. Water going ambulances:-boat, hospital ships.
3. NATIONAL ROAD SAFETY COUNCIL(NRSC)
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Govt. of India introduced 4E’s of road
safety i.e, Education , Engineering (vehicles),Enforcement, and Emergency
SOME POINTS REGARDING NRSC:-
The real concept of ambulance is missing in India.
Existing ambulances are more like a transport vehicle used to transport patients
without having consideration to actual ambulance design.
A need to formulate the “National Ambulance Code” with necessary amendments
in Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR) that defines the Constructional and
Functional Requirements for Road Ambulance.
4. 1 ISO 3795-1989 Road vehicles, and tractors and machinery for
agriculture and forestry - Determination of
burning behaviour of interior materials
2 ISO 11851-1986 Method of evaluation of acceleration of
automotive vehicle.
3 ISO 15001-2010 Anaesthetic and respiratory equipment -
Compatibility with oxygen
4 ISO 16750-5-2010 Road vehicles - Environmental conditions and
testing for electrical and electronic equipment
5 ISO 14971-2007 Medical devices - Application of risk
management to medical devices
NATIONAL AMBULANCE CODE
5. TYPES OF ROAD AMBULANCES
BASED ON THE LEVEL OF CARE
1.Type A Road Ambulance /Medical First Responder:-
a) designed as per CMVR
b)unable to transport patients in supine states
c)not to avail medical facilities inside vehicle
2.Type B Road Ambulance/ Patient Transport Vehicle:-
a)not expected to become emergency patients.
b)usually crewed by staff with fewer qualifications than the crew of emergency
ambulances
c)job of transporting patients to, from or between places of medical treatment, such
as hospital
6. 3.Type C Road Ambulance: Basic Life Support Ambulance:- A vehicle
ergonomically designed, suitably equipped and appropriately staffed for the transport
and treatment of patients requiring non-invasive airway management / basic
monitoring.
4.Type D Road Ambulance: Advanced Life Support Ambulance:- A vehicle
ergonomically designed, suitably equipped and appropriately staffed for the transport
and treatment of emergency patients requiring invasive airway management / intensive
monitoring
7. BASED ON THE STRUCTURE.
1.Winger flat roof.
2.Winger high roof
Special features Winger flat roof Winger high roof
Stretcher Single Single
Bench seats for paramedics Yes Yes
Special doctor seat NA Yes
Oxygen cylinder cage Single Single
IV bottle holding hooks Yes Yes
First aid box Yes Yes
Electric plug point Yes Yes
Overhead revolving beacon Yes Yes
Wide 180 opening rear door Yes Yes
Factory-fitted NA Yes
Fan for patient Yes NA
Cabin lights 2 2
Co-driver sittings 2 2
Attendance seats 4 5
Table
Fig.-top view of standard WINGER FLAT ROOF
Fig.-Top view of standard WINGER HIGH ROOF
8. VEHICLE EQUIPMENTS
DOORS:-
Each external door of the patient’s compartment shall be fitted with a security system
which enables the following:
a)Lock and unlock from inside without use of a key;
b)Lock and unlock from outside with use of a key;
c)This security system may be integrated with an optional central locking system.
d)An audible or visual signal shall warn the driver when any door is not completely
closed when the vehicle is in motion
STRETCHERS:
a)A stretcher is an apparatus used for moving patients who require medical care.
b)A basic type (cot or litter) must be carried by two or more people.
c)wheeled stretcher (known as a gurney, trolley, bed or cart)
The name comes from a horse-drawn cab patented in the USA by J. Theodore Gurney in 1883
which bore a similarity to early wheeled stretchers
9. WINDOWS :
•In the patient’s compartment, there shall be a minimum of two external windows.
•There shall be one on each side or one on the side and other at the rear
•Windows shall be fitted with safety glasses
OXYGEN CYLINDER
One or more than cylinders can installed of the variable sizes (medium or long) as per the
requirements of the patients comfort.. It must installed inside the patients compartment
and beyond basin chamber so that it would be easy for the ward boy to avail oxygen
pipes to the emergency suffering patients.
SEAT :
a) Designing for the comforts ,and non-sophisticated .
b) It also may used as the storage for the goods such as ropes, screw-drivers, rinch , etc.
10. PATIENT COMPARTMENT ENVIRONMENTAL EQUIPMENTS
The patient compartment shall be heated, ventilated, and air conditioned as required:-
AIR CONDITIONING
The inner temperaturature should be 25 degree celcius. if it is above than this, it shold low
down to 25
INTERIOR LIGHTING :
The color temperature of the light will change the appearance of skin and organs. Therefore it is
Important that the interior lighting is suitable for patient care during transport.
INTERIOR NOISE LEVEL :
During the test, the Siren of the Ambulance shall be kept in the off position.
INGRESS OF DUST AND RAIN WATER
All doors, windows and hatches shall not allow ingress of dust and rain water when in the fully
closed position
11. CONSTRUCTION AND DESIGN OF PARTS
DESIGN OF SEAT :
A.DESIGN APPROACH:-
a) Design should be in such a way that it should proper comfort to the attendant as well as
patient’s relatives.
b) It should neither long nor too short.
c) It should not also occupy more spaces of the patient’s compartment.
d) The design of seats should be as per standard.
12. B. OPTIMIZATION APPROACH:-
It must not only provide comfort but also provide such storage place within it. So, the following
optimizations have been made relating to this:-
The space beneath the attendant seat should not be kept open. Instead it should be closed one.
Now ,if we have the space to store things .So ,it also mandatory to open out the things at need .
In order to avail such facility, the design of the closed box has been made as follows:-
* Opening the seat panel from front to top so as to take out the things properly.
* Opening the front part of the closed box in two halves.
The latter idea is better than the former one as seen from the order of comfort or space.
a) The front part should be designed inward tilt. Because it’s the human tendency to fold the legs while
sitting to feel comfort and should be optimize keeping in mind not to consume more storage space within
box.
b) The angle from the main supporting panel joined to the car’s wall to the seat panel shouldn’t be neither
minimum nor maximum in view of comfort.
13. DESIGN OF UPPER HEAD BOX
appreciable load capacity
appreciable strength
may be one way door open system
two way door open system
tilt at the base zone
appreciable length
DESIGN OF CYLINDER
one cylinder system
two cylinder system
sizes may differ as per requirements
minimum flow rate of 100 m/s^2 at outlet
27. CONCLUSION
Ambulances in this country lacks the standardization as most of ambulance specifications
are written by medical specialists who are unable to translate their requirement into
automotive terminology, resulting in huge gap between user expectations & industry
deliverability
Also existence of inherent limitations in transport laws allowing goods vehicles to be used
as ambulance without incorporating safety features, especially in patient compartment. etc
Thus redesigning the ambulance with proper specifications, interior and medical devices
improves the condition of the existing ambulances with very minimal expenditure
.
