Anthropometrically governed occupant support

• US 8,555,438 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2009
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Turner, Jonathan D, Heimbrock, Richard H, Ernst, Joseph A
• Primary Examiner(s): Santos, Robert G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sosnowski, David E
• Application Number:
  US12/618,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20100122415A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: 561/3, 5616-618
• US Class Current: 5/618
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 19/04 Extensible bedsteads, e.g. with adjustment of length, width, height for children's beds A47D7/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/74 for anti-shear when adjusting furniture
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/015 divided into different adjustable sections, e.g. for Gatch position
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/018 Control or drive mechanisms

Abstract

An articulable occupant support system for supporting an occupant, includes an upper frame, an articulable assembly comprising at least one section articulable relative to the upper frame and a motion control system. The motion control system is arranged to govern motion of the articulable assembly based on a relationship relating scheduled motion of the sections to anthropometric information.

Claims

1. An articulable occupant support system for supporting an occupant, comprising:

an upper frame;

an assembly articulable relative to the upper frame;

a motion control system arranged to govern the motion of the articulable assembly between a starting configuration at which the occupant'"'"'s greater trochanter is at a starting spatial location relative to the articulable assembly and an end configuration at which the occupant'"'"'s greater trochanter is at an ending spatial location such that upon return to the starting configuration the occupant'"'"'s greater trochanter is at a spatial location substantially the same as the starting spatial location wherein the motion control system schedules motion of the articulable assembly based on anthropometric characteristics including at least dimensions B_{ANTHRO-FEMALE}, C_{ANTHRO-FEMALE}, B_ANTHRO-MALE and C_ANTHRO-MALE.

2. The support system of claim 1 wherein

the articulable assembly comprises at least one articulable section;

and

the motion control system is arranged to move each of the at least one section in at least one mode, the modes including translation along the upper frame, rotation relative to the upper frame and translation parallel to an existing orientation of the section.

3. The support system of claim 2 wherein the at least one articulable section comprises at least two articulable sections and wherein:

one of the at least two articulable sections is an upper body section movable by the motion control system in the rotational, translational and parallel translational modes; and

another of the at least two articulable sections is a leg section movable by the motion control system in the translational mode.

4. The support system of claim 3 wherein the upper body section and the leg section are the only sections of the articulable assembly.

5. The support system of claim 3 comprising a translatable seat section longitudinally intermediate the upper body section and the leg section, motion of the seat section being ungoverned by the motion control system.

6. The support system of claim 3 wherein the leg section comprises a thigh section and a calf section, the thigh and calf sections each being pivotable relative to the upper frame in response to the motion control system.

7. The support system of claim 1 wherein the motion control system schedules motion of the articulable assembly based on one and only one relationship relating the scheduled motion of the sections to anthropometric information, the relationship being an occupant non-specific relationship prescribed by a designer.

8. The support system of claim 1 wherein the motion control system schedules motion of the articulable assembly based on multiple, occupant specific relationships relating the scheduled motion of the sections to occupant anthropometric characteristics.

9. The support system of claim 8 wherein the anthropometric characteristics are determined from occupant gender, height and weight.

10. The support system of claim 8 wherein the occupant anthropometric characteristics are determined at least in part from a bed on-board system.

11. The support system of claim 8 wherein the occupant specific relationships relate the scheduled motion of the sections to B_{ANTHRO-FEMALE} and C_{ANTHRO-FEMALE} for a female occupant and to B_ANTHRO-MALE and C_ANTHRO-MALE for a male occupant .

12. The support system of claim 11 wherein B_{ANTHRO-FEMALE}, C_{ANTHRO-FEMALE}, B_ANTHRO-MALE and C_ANTHRO-MALE are linearly related to occupant weight/height ratio.

13. The support system of claim 8 wherein at least some of the anthropometric characteristics are determined from occupant gender, height and weight.

14. The support system of claim 1 wherein B_{ANTHRO-FEMALE}, C_{ANTHRO-FEMALE}, B_ANTHRO-MALE, and C_ANTHRO-MALE are linearly related to occupant weight/height ratio.

15. The support system of claim 1 wherein:

the articulable assembly comprises at least an upper body section movable by the motion control system in rotational, translational and parallel translational modes;

the motion control system is arranged to translate and parallel translate the upper body section headwardly in conjunction with rotating the upper body section in a positive rotational direction about a pivot axis, the positive rotational direction being a direction that increases an angle between the upper body section and the upper frame; and

the motion control system is also arranged to translate and parallel translate the upper body section footwardly in conjunction with rotating the upper body section in a negative direction about the pivot axis, the negative rotational direction being a direction that decreases the angle between the upper body section and the upper frame.

16. The support system of claim 15 wherein the magnitude of the translation is Δ

C_S, and the magnitude of the parallel translation is Δ

B_S, both Δ

B_S and Δ

C_S being a function of the angle between the upper body section and the frame and also being based on anthropometric considerations.

17. The support system of claim 15, comprising:

a translatable leg section;

wherein the motion control system is adapted to;

rotate the upper body section in a positive direction, the positive direction being a direction that increases an angle between the upper body section and the upper frame;

parallel translate the upper body section headwardly a desired distance B_S;

translate the upper body section headwardly a distance C_ACT where C_ACT is less than a desired distance C_S by an amount h; and

translate the leg section footwardly by an amount h.

18. The support system of claim 15, comprising:

a translatable leg section;

wherein the motion control system is adapted to;

rotate the upper body section in a positive direction, the positive direction being a direction that increases an angle between the upper body section and the upper frame;

parallel translate the upper body section headwardly a desired distance B_S;

translate the upper body section headwardly a distance C_ACT where C_ACT is more than a desired distance C_S by an amount k; and

translate the leg section headwardly by an amount k.

19. The support system of claim 1 wherein the articulable assembly comprises an upper body section movable by the motion control system in the rotational, translational and parallel translational modes.

20. An articulable occupant support system for supporting an occupant, comprising:

an upper frame;

an articulate assembly comprising at least one section articulable relative to the upper frame;

a motion control system arranged to govern motion of the articulable assembly based on a relationship relating scheduled motion of the sections to anthropometric characteristics which includes at least dimensions B_{ANTHRO-FEMALE}, C_{ANTHRO-FEMALE}, B_ANTHRO-MALE, and C_ANTHRO-MALE.

21. The support system of claim 20 wherein the motion control system is arranged to move each of the at least one section in at least one mode, the modes including translation along the upper frame, rotation relative to the upper frame and translation parallel to an existing orientation of the section.

22. The support system of claim 20 comprising at least two articulable sections and wherein:

one of the at least two sections is an upper body section movable by the motion control system in rotational, translational and parallel translational modes; and

another of the at least two sections is a leg section movable by the motion control system in the translational mode.

23. The support system of claim 22 wherein the upper body section and the leg section are the only sections of the articulable assembly.

24. The support system of claim 22 comprising a translatable seat section longitudinally intermediate the upper body section and the leg section, motion of the seat section being ungoverned by the motion control system.

25. The support system of claim 22 wherein the leg section comprises a thigh section and a calf section, the thigh and calf sections each being pivotable relative to the upper frame in response to the motion control system.

26. The support system of claim 20 wherein the motion control system schedules motion of the articulable assembly based on one and only one relationship relating the scheduled motion of the sections to anthropometric information, the relationship being an occupant non-specific relationship prescribed by a designer.

27. The support system of claim 20 wherein the motion control system schedules motion of the articulable assembly based on multiple, occupant specific relationships relating the scheduled motion of the sections to occupant anthropometric characteristics.

28. The support system of claim 27 wherein the anthropometric characteristics are determined from occupant gender, height and weight.

29. The support system of claim 27 wherein the occupant anthropometric characteristics are determined at least in part from a bed on-board system.

30. The support system of claim 27 wherein the occupant specific relationships relate the scheduled motion of the sections to B_{ANTHRO-FEMALE} and C_{ANTHRO-FEMALE} for a female occupant and to B_ANTHRO-MALE and C_ANTHRO-MALE for a male occupant.

31. The support system of claim 30 wherein B_{ANTHRO-FEMALE}, C_{ANTHRO-FEMALE}, B_ANTHRO-MALE, and C_ANTHRO-MALE are linearly related to occupant weight/height ratio.

32. The support system of claim 27 wherein the anthropometric characteristics are determined from occupant gender, height and weight.

33. The support system of claim 20 wherein B_{ANTHRO-FEMALE}, C_{ANTHRO-FEMALE}, B_ANTHRO-MALE, and C_ANTHRO-MALE are linearly related to occupant weight/height ratio.

34. The support system of claim 20 wherein:

the articulable assembly comprises at least an upper body section movable by the motion control system in rotational, translational and parallel translational modes;

the motion control system is arranged to translate and parallel translate the upper body section headwardly in conjunction with rotating the upper body section in a positive rotational direction about a pivot axis, the positive rotational direction being a direction that increases an angle between the upper body section and the upper frame; and

the motion control system is also arranged to translate and parallel translate the upper body section footwardly in conjunction with rotating the upper body section in a negative direction about the pivot axis, the negative rotational direction being a direction that decreases the angle between the upper body section and the upper frame.

35. The support system of claim 34 wherein the magnitude of the translation is Δ

C_S, and the magnitude of the parallel translation is Δ

B_S, both Δ

B_S and Δ

C_S being a function of the angle between the upper body section and the frame and also being based on anthropometric considerations.

36. The support system of claim 34, comprising:

a translatable leg section;

wherein the motion control system is adapted to;

rotate the upper body section in a positive direction, the positive direction being a direction that increases an angle between the upper body section and the upper frame;

parallel translate the upper body section headwardly a desired distance B_S;

translate the upper body section headwardly a distance C_ACT where C_ACT is less than a desired distance C_S by an amount h; and

translate the leg section footwardly by an amount h.

37. The support system of claim 34, comprising:

a translatable leg section;

wherein the motion control system is adapted to;

rotate the upper body section in a positive direction, the positive direction being a direction that increases an angle between the upper body section and the upper frame;

parallel translate the upper body section headwardly a desired distance B_S;

translate the upper body section headwardly a distance C_ACT where C_ACT is more than a desired distance C_S by an amount k; and

translate the leg section headwardly by an amount k.

38. The support system of claim 20 wherein the at least one articulable section comprises an upper body section movable by the motion control system in the rotational, translational and parallel translational modes.