Patient Support Apparatus

• US 20160089283A1
• Filed: 12/10/2015
• Published: 03/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stryker Corporation
• Original Assignee: Stryker Corporation
• Inventors: DeLuca, Richard Thomas, Derenne, Richard A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,004,651 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 1/0243 with lockable swivel action, e.g. fixing castor in certain direction locking of castor swivel action in general B60B33/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 1/0275 having driven wheels, e.g. motorised
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 1/0281 having a steering device
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 1/0287 having brakes, e.g. slowing down and/or holding details of brake actuators on castors B60B33/0078; brakes on hand carts B62B5/04; brakes in general F16D49/00 - F16D65/853
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/22 for automatically guiding movable devices, e.g. stretchers or wheelchairs in a hospital
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/32 for force
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/40 for distance
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2205/60 using magnetic or electronic identifications, e.g. chips, RFID, electronic tags
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0528 Steering or braking devices for castor wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/08 Apparatus for transporting beds
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0457 characterised by control features of the drive means as such

Abstract

Patient support apparatuses—such as beds, cots, stretchers, or the like—include a plurality of user controls that allow a caregiver to control the steering and/or driving of one or more wheels from multiple different locations around the patient support apparatus (e.g. head end, foot end, and/or the sides). The control is carried out by force sensors that detect both an orientation of the applied forces and a magnitude of the applied forces. Translational and/or rotational movement is effectuated, depending upon the magnitude and direction of the forces, as well as the physical location of the applied force relative to a reference point on the support apparatus, such as the center. One or more object sensors may also be included in the support apparatus to assist in steering and/or navigating.

Claims

1. A patient support apparatus comprising:

a base;

non-driven wheels coupled to said base;

a patient support deck supported by said base, said patient support deck adapted to support a patient;

at least one motor adapted to change an orientation of said non-driven wheels;

a user input; and

a controller adapted to determine a direction of desired movement of said patient support apparatus based on information received from said user input and adapted to command said at least one motor to change said orientation of said non-driven wheels based on said direction of desired movement of said patient support apparatus.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one motor is adapted to change said orientation of said non-driven wheels to steer said non-driven wheels and facilitate movement of said patient support apparatus.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said non-driven wheels are further defined as four non-driven wheels.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said at least one motor is further defined as four motors and said controller is adapted to command said four motors to independently change said orientation of each of said four non-driven wheels based on said direction of desired movement of said patient support apparatus.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, further including a driven wheel.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said user input includes a force sensing system arranged to detect forces applied by a user to said patient support apparatus, said controller adapted to command said at least one motor to change said orientation of each of said non-driven wheels based on at least one force applied by the user to said patient support apparatus.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said force sensing system includes at least one sensor selected from the group consisting of load sensors, potentiometers, strain gauges, capacitive sensors, piezoresistive sensors, piezoelectric sensors, and combinations thereof.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said force sensing system is arranged to detect forces applied by the user to said patient support apparatus at a first location and a second location.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said patient support deck includes a head end and a foot end, said first location being adjacent said head end and said second location being adjacent said foot end.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said force sensing system includes at least one sensor located adjacent said head end and at least one sensor located adjacent said foot end.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said force sensing system is adapted to detect a magnitude and direction of the at least one force applied by the user to said patient support apparatus and said controller is adapted to command said at least one motor to change said orientation of each of said non-driven wheels based on the magnitude and direction.

12. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said force sensing system is adapted to detect a magnitude and direction of a horizontal component of the at least one force applied by the user to said patient support apparatus, said force sensing system adapted to determine a location on said patient support apparatus of the at least one force applied by the user relative to a reference location on said patient support apparatus.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said controller is adapted to command said at least one motor to change said orientation of each of said non-driven wheels based on the magnitude and direction of the horizontal component of the at least one force applied by the user to said patient support apparatus and said location on said patient support apparatus of the at least one force applied by the user relative to said reference location.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said reference location is a center of gravity of said patient support apparatus.

15. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said force sensing system is adapted to detect a component of the at least one force applied by the user to said patient support apparatus that is parallel to a longitudinal axis of said patient support apparatus.

16. The apparatus of claim 6, including a litter supported on said base and a headboard and footboard coupled to said litter, wherein said force sensing system includes a sensor mounted to at least one of said headboard and said footboard.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a brake, wherein said controller is adapted to determine whether said brake is turned on or off.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said controller is adapted to command said at least one motor to change said orientation of each of said non-driven wheels if said controller determines that said brake is turned off.

19. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said controller is adapted to command said at least one motor to change said orientation of each of said non-driven wheels based on a second force applied by the user to said patient support apparatus.

20. A patient support apparatus comprising:

a base;

wheels coupled to said base;

a patient support deck supported by said base and including a head end and a foot end, said patient support deck adapted to support a patient;

a force sensing system adapted to detect a direction of a horizontal component of a force applied by a user adjacent said head end or said foot end of said patient support deck, said force sensing system further adapted to determine a location of the force applied by the user relative to a reference location on said patient support apparatus; and

a controller coupled to said force sensing system to receive a signal from said force sensing system, and configured to output commands that facilitate control of at least one of said wheels based on said direction of said horizontal component of the force applied by the user and said location of the force applied by the user relative to said reference location.