Patient transport method and apparatus
First Claim
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1. A patient transport device, comprising:
- a patient support;
one or more passive energy devices coupled to the patient support and adapted to absorb at least a portion of an external energy input to the patient transport device; and
a force generator controllably coupled to the patient support and configured to provide a second energy input into the device to reduce the effect of the external energy input on the patient support.
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Abstract
A transport method and apparatus is provided capable of reducing the accelerations encountered by an item or patient due to an external energy input to the transport device, by utilizing an active control system adapted to input a second energy to offset the effect of the external energy input.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A patient transport device, comprising:
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a patient support;
one or more passive energy devices coupled to the patient support and adapted to absorb at least a portion of an external energy input to the patient transport device; and
a force generator controllably coupled to the patient support and configured to provide a second energy input into the device to reduce the effect of the external energy input on the patient support. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for reducing the effect of an external energy input to a patient during transport, comprising:
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providing a patient transport device having a patient support coupled to an active control system that includes a sensor in electrical communication with a controller that is in electrical communication with a force generator, the force generator adapted to at least generate and control linear motion of the patient support;
sensing a response characteristic of the patient support as a result of the external energy input;
sending a sensor signal representative of the response characteristic to the controller;
generating a control signal based on the sensor signal that is representative of a second energy input required;
sending the control signal to a force generator; and
inputting a second energy into the patient transport device to reduce the amount of the external energy that is transmitted to the patient support. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A transport device adapted to reduce the impact of an external energy transmitted to the device on an item being transported, comprising:
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a support member;
one or more passive energy devices coupled to the support member and adapted to absorb at least a portion of the external energy; and
a force generator controllably coupled to the support member and configured to provide a second energy input into the device to reduce the effect of the external energy input on the support member, the force generator being controlled through a feedback control loop.
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Specification