Patient position apparatus and method
First Claim
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1. A patient position apparatus, comprising:
- a support surface;
a plurality of sensing conductors made of conductive material, arranged in spaced-apart, elongated strips along a substantially planar surface of the support surface, that are operative to provide sensing information in response to a patient being within proximity of the plurality of sensing conductors; and
a control module, operatively coupled to the plurality of sensing conductors, that is operative to selectively adjust fluid pressure of at least one inflatable cell in response to the sensing information.
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Abstract
A patient position apparatus includes a plurality of sensing conductors and a control module operatively coupled to the sensing conductors. The sensing conductors are arranged along a substantially planar surface. The sensing conductors provide sensing information in response to a patient being within proximity of the sensing conductors. The control module selectively adjusts fluid pressure of at least one inflatable cell in response to the sensing information.
31 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A patient position apparatus, comprising:
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a support surface; a plurality of sensing conductors made of conductive material, arranged in spaced-apart, elongated strips along a substantially planar surface of the support surface, that are operative to provide sensing information in response to a patient being within proximity of the plurality of sensing conductors; and a control module, operatively coupled to the plurality of sensing conductors, that is operative to selectively adjust fluid pressure of at least one inflatable cell in response to the sensing information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A patient support apparatus, comprising:
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a plurality of inflatable cell forming a substantially planar surface; a plurality of sensing conductors made of conductive material, beneath the plurality of one inflatable cells and arranged in spaced-apart, elongated strips along a substantially planar support surface, that are operative to provide sensing information in response to a patient being within proximity of the plurality of sensing conductors; and a control module, operatively coupled to the plurality of sensing conductors, that is operative to selectively adjust fluid pressure of the plurality of inflatable cell based on the sensing information. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method, comprising:
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providing sensing information in response to a patient being within proximity of a plurality of capacitive sensing conductors made of conductive material and arranged in spaced-apart, elongated strips; and selectively adjusting fluid pressure of at least one inflatable cell in response to the sensing information. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A patient position apparatus, comprising:
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a plurality of sensing conductors, arranged along a substantially planar surface, that are operative to provide sensing information in response to a patient being within proximity of the plurality of sensing conductors; a control module, operatively coupled to the plurality of sensing conductors, that is operative to selectively adjust fluid pressure of at least one inflatable cell in response to the sensing information; wherein the control module is operative to; determine a distance between the patient and the plurality of sensing conductors based on the sensing information; determine a relationship between the distance and the sensing information; and determine the relationship by inflating the at least one inflatable cell to a first inflation level and determining a first sensing value based on the sensing information at the first inflation level and then subsequently inflating the at least one inflatable cell to a second inflation level and determining a second sensing value based on the sensing information at the second inflation level.
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23. A patient support apparatus, comprising:
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at least one inflatable cell forming a substantially planar surface; a plurality of sensing conductors, beneath the at least one inflatable cell and arranged along the substantially planar surface, that are operative to provide sensing information in response to a patient being within proximity of the plurality of sensing conductors; a control module, operatively coupled to the plurality of sensing conductors, that is operative to selectively adjust fluid pressure of the at least one inflatable cell based on the sensing information; wherein the control module is operative to; determine a distance between the patient and the plurality of sensing conductors based on the sensing information; determine a relationship between the distance and the sensing information; and determine the relationship by inflating the at least one inflatable cell to a first inflation level and determining a first sensing value based on the sensing information at the first inflation level and then subsequently inflating the at least one inflatable cell to a second inflation level and determining a second sensing value based on the sensing information at the second inflation level.
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24. A method, comprising:
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providing sensing information in response to a patient being within proximity of a plurality of sensing conductors; selectively adjusting fluid pressure of at least one inflatable cell in response to the sensing information; determining a distance between the patient and the plurality of sensing conductors based on the sensing information; determining a relationship between the distance and the sensing information; wherein the relationship is determined by; inflating the at least one inflatable cell to a first inflation level and determining a first sensing value based on the sensing information at the first inflation level; and subsequently inflating the at least one inflatable cell to a second inflation level and determining a second sensing value based on the sensing information at the second inflation level, wherein the first inflation level is greater than the second inflation level.
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Specification