Patient support table

• US 20070200396A1
• Filed: 02/16/2007
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthineers AG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Heinl, Dieter, Dirauf, Franz, Baumann, Berthold, Bier, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,683,628 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/135
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/704 Tables
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/0487 Motor-assisted positioning
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 13/02 Adjustable operating tables; Controls therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/38 for torque
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/40 for distance

Abstract

A patient support table is provided. The patient support table includes a table plate that may be moved manually or by at least one motor having a control facility. At least one sensor is provided on the table plate. The at least one sensor is operable to determine a force exerted by a user on the table plate for table plate movement and produce a sensor signal. The at least one sensor is operable to communicate with the control facility of the motor. The control facility is operable to control the motor as a function of the sensor signal that is based on a predetermined reference force value such that the reference force value is not exceeded during the table movement.

Claims

1. A patient support table comprising:

a table plate operable to be moved manually and by at least one motor having a control facility; and

at least one sensor provided on the table plate, the at least one sensor being operable to determine a force exerted by a user on the table plate for table plate movement and operable to produce a sensor signal,

wherein the at least one sensor is operable to communciate with the control facility of the motor, and

wherein the control facility is operable to control the motor as a function of the sensor signal based on a predetermined reference force value such that the reference force value is not exceeded during the table movement.

2. The patient support table as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is a multi-axis sensor.

3. The patient support table as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor is operable to determine the manually exerted force and manually exerted torque on the table plate that is able to be tilted around one or more axes, the control facility being operable to control the motor based on a predetermined reference torque such that the reference torque is not exceeded.

4. The patient support table as claimed in claim 3, wherein the sensor is a multi-axis sensor.

5. The patient support table as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control facility is operable to determine a collision between the table plate and another object, and control the motor depending on the result of the collision determination.

6. The patient support table as claimed in claim 1, wherein different recorded directions of movement of the table plate are assigned to different reference force or reference torque values.

7. The patient support table as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is disposed on a handle held by the user to move the table plate.

8. The patient support table as claimed in claim 7, wherein the handle is a knob-type hand grip.

9. The patient support table as claimed in claim 7, wherein a number of handles are distributed on the table plate.

10. The patient support table as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor is up to a 6-axis force sensor.

11. The patient support table as claimed in claim 4, wherein the sensor is a 6-axis force sensor.

12. The patient support table as claimed in claim 7, wherein the at least one sensor is releasable from the handle.

13. The patient support table as claimed in claim 4, wherein the at least one sensor is disposed on a handle to be held by the user to move the table plate.

14. The patient support table as claimed in claim 13, wherein the at least one sensor is releasable from the handle.

15. The patient support table as claimed in claim 7, wherein the handle is a railing that extends along the table plate.

16. The patient support table as claimed in claim 9, wherein each handle includes at least one sensor.

17. The patient support table as claimed in claim 1, wherein a collision device is operable to determine a collision between the table plate and another object, and wherein the control facility controls the motor depending on the result of the collision determination.

18. The patient support table as claimed in claim 5, wherein different recorded directions of movement of the table plate are assigned to different reference force or reference torque values.

19. The patient support table as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor is operable to determine the manually exerted force or a manually exerted torque on the table plate that is able to be tilted around at least one axis, the control facility being operable to control the motor based on a predetermined reference torque such that the reference torque is not exceeded.

20. The patient support table as claimed in claim 19, wherein the sensor is a multi-axis sensor.