Power Assisted wheeled carriage
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A power assisted wheeled carriage includes a patient support having a length, a wheeled base supporting the patient support, and an auxiliary wheel mechanism including an auxiliary wheel spring support for biasing an auxiliary wheel into contact with a floor. The carriage further includes a control apparatus for moving the auxiliary wheel away from the floor. The auxiliary wheel spring support can be a spring steel member having an opening and biased to move the auxiliary wheel into contact with the floor. The control apparatus can include a foot pedal for turning a rotatable shaft that enables a cam apparatus to apply an upward force to the auxiliary wheel. The wheeled carriage also includes a drive handle pivotable about a single axis to control a drive motor for the auxiliary wheel. The drive handle controls driving of the wheeled carriage in forward and rearward directions. Safety sensors on the drive handle require grasping thereof at a specific location to operate the carriage. The wheeled carriage includes a decision/drive circuit that ramps the speed of the wheeled carriage for a few seconds after start-up to prevent a jerking motion. An operating program prevents operation of the carriage when a safety sensor is closed for a predetermined time while the carriage is not being driven. A display/control panel displays the condition of the carriage brake and the condition of the auxiliary wheel to assist an operator placing the wheeled carriage in condition for driving.
88 Citations
56 Claims
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1-39. -39. (Cancelled)
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40. A method for driving a wheeled carriage used for supporting and transporting a person in a substantially horizontal position, the carriage including a patient support having a length, opposing ends of the length comprising a head end and a foot end of said patient support, a wheeled base having a length and supporting said patient support and enabling movement of said patient support, an auxiliary wheel mechanism secured to said wheeled base and for positioning at least one auxiliary wheel into a first position contacting a floor below the wheeled carriage and into a second raised position out of engagement with the floor, a drive motor assembly including a drive motor for driving said auxiliary wheel, the method comprising the steps of, when said carriage is in a rest position and the auxiliary wheel contacts the floor:
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(a) sensing a drive signal input by an operator for driving said at least one auxiliary wheel in a first direction;
(b) calculating a power signal based on the drive signal and a time value measured during a predetermined time period following start of the drive signal;
(c) applying the power signal to the drive motor to drive the auxiliary wheel; and
(d) repeating steps (a)-(d) until the time value measured equals the predetermined time period, the step of calculating the power signal then being based only on the drive signal. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. A method for driving a power assisted wheeled carriage used for supporting and transporting a person in a substantially horizontal position, the carriage including a patient support having a length, opposing ends of the length comprising a head end and a foot end of said patient support, a wheeled based having a length and supporting said patient support and enabling movement of said patient support, castered wheels mounted at each opposing corner at each opposing end of said wheeled base, an auxiliary wheel mechanism secured to said wheeled base and for positioning at least one auxiliary wheel into a first position contacting a floor below the wheeled carriage and into a second raised position out of engagement with the floor, a drive motor assembly including a drive motor for driving said auxiliary wheel in one of a first direction and a second opposing direction, said auxiliary wheel being located at a position toward a central section inwardly with respect to said castered wheels of said carriage, and a battery for supplying power to said drive motor, the method comprising the steps of, when said carriage is in a rest position:
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sensing that a power cable is not connected to an external AC power supply;
sensing that a brake of the wheeled carriage is in a released position;
sensing that the charge of the battery exceeds a minimum charge value;
sensing that the auxiliary wheel is in engagement with the floor;
the method further comprising when
1) the power cable is not connected to the external AC power supply,
2) the brake is in the released position,
3) the charge of the battery exceeds the minimum charge value, and
4) the auxiliary wheel is in engagement with the floor, the steps of;
(a) sensing a drive signal for driving said at least one auxiliary wheel in a first direction;
(b) calculating a power signal based on the drive signal;
(c) applying the power signal to the drive motor to drive the auxiliary wheel; and
(d) repeating steps (a)-(d), until the drive signal is no longer sensed. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52)
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53. A method for driving a power assisted wheeled carriage used for supporting and transporting a person in a substantially horizontal position, the carriage including a patient support having a length, opposing ends of the length comprising a head end and a foot end of said patient support, a wheeled based having a length and supporting said patient support and enabling movement of said patient support, castered wheels mounted at each opposing corner at each opposing end of said wheeled base, an auxiliary wheel mechanism secured to said wheeled base and for positioning at least one auxiliary wheel into a first position contacting a floor below the wheeled carriage and into a second raised position out of engagement with the floor, a drive motor assembly including a drive motor for driving said auxiliary wheel in one of a first direction and a second opposing direction, said auxiliary wheel being located at a position toward a central section inwardly with respect to said castered wheels of said carriage, and a battery for supplying power to said drive motor, the method comprising the steps of, when said carriage is in a rest position and an on/off switch enables driving of said auxiliary wheel:
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sensing that a brake of the wheeled carriage is in a released position;
sensing that the auxiliary wheel is in engagement with the floor;
the method further comprising when
1) the brake is in the released position, and
2) the auxiliary wheel is in engagement with the floor,the step of sensing a drive signal from a drive member controlled by an operator for driving said at least one auxiliary wheel and providing a power signal to said drive member to drive said auxiliary wheel in one of the first direction and the second opposing direction. - View Dependent Claims (54, 55, 56)
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Specification