The project brief
The project brief was to design a 'rugged' arm-mounted patient entertainment terminal and handset that could be scaled. A custom made driver board was designed for this system by a team of engineers to ensure the unit remained as thin as possible but maintained its ruggedness. Several input/output devices were incorporated into the design. It had to have provision for utilising some or all of these components with minimal assembly changes. The design also incorporated a touch screen and an IP65 rating to the front.
The unit was designed for use in hospital environments, so the display had to have an easy to clean contour with minimal join lines between components to increase its hygiene rating. The elimination of visible fixings was made possible thanks to the clip together assembly construction. Small holes were carefully positioned around the edges of the display for a release tool which was designed to press the internal clips and release them where components were likely to require change or customisation.
The positioning of ventilation slots was considered carefully. They were strategically located around the unit to ensure adequate cooling but maintain the hygiene rating.
To compliment the terminal design, an attractive remote control handset was also designed by me to suit both display variants. Integrated into the handset was an IR reader.
