Bed apparatus having movable heater assembly

• US 9,333,140 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2012
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Bharadwaj, Sanjay, Edavana, Roopesh, Das, Samik
• Primary Examiner(s): Santos, Robert G
• Application Number:
  US13/984,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20130312179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,547 Days
• Field of Search: 542/1, 528/4, 565/5, 560/3, 561/0, 560/0, 600/22
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/00 Baby-incubators; Couveuses
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/008 tiltable about a horizontal axis, e.g. oscillating
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2210/90 for heating
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/005 tiltable around transverse horizontal axis, e.g. for Trendelenburg position rocking beds for physical therapy A61H1/003; hanging patient inclined downwardly for drawing him out A61H2203/0493

Abstract

An improved bed apparatus (4) includes a bed (12) and a movable heater assembly (16). The bed (72) is movably disposed on a support (8), and the heater assembly (76) is movable to enable alignment between the bed (72) and the heater assembly (76) to promote uniformity of irradiance on a patient situated on the bed (72). In an embodiment, the bed (72) and heater assembly (76) are movable together to maintain alignment between the bed (72) and the heater assembly (76). In another embodiment, the bed (72) and the heater assembly (76) are independent, but one or more indicators (244, 254) are provided to enable manual alignment between the bed (72) and the heater assembly (76).

Claims

1. A bed apparatus comprising:

a support;

a bed disposed on the support and movable about a pivot axis among a plurality of bed positions; and

a radiant heater assembly movable about the pivot axis among a plurality of heater positions, the radiant heater assembly in a first heater position being oriented to face toward the bed in a first bed position, the radiant heater assembly in a second heater position being oriented to face toward the bed in a second bed position;

wherein

the support comprises a strut that extends between and above the bed and below the radiant heater assembly and wherein the strut pivots about the pivot axis.

2. The bed apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of the bed and the support comprises a first indicator structured to indicate a position of the bed, the radiant heater assembly comprising a second indicator structured to indicate a position of the radiant heater assembly, the radiant heater assembly being oriented to face toward the bed when the first indicator and the second indicator indicate the same position.

3. The bed apparatus of claim 2 wherein the radiant heater assembly is manually movable among the plurality of heater positions.

4. The bed apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bed has a surface that is generally planar and wherein the radiant heater assembly is elongated, the radiant heater assembly in the first heater position being oriented substantially parallel with the surface in the first bed position, the radiant heater assembly in the second heater position being oriented substantially parallel with the surface in the second bed position.

5. The bed apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bed and the radiant heater assembly are affixed to the strut.

6. The bed apparatus of claim 1 wherein the support further comprises a base, the strut being movably disposed on the base.

7. The bed apparatus of claim 6 wherein the strut is pivotably disposed on the base, the pivot axis extending through the base.

8. The bed apparatus of claim 6 wherein at least a portion of the strut is of an arcuate configuration, the at least portion of the strut being slidably disposed on the base, the pivot axis being the spaced from the base.

9. The bed apparatus of claim 8 wherein the pivot axis is situated between the base and the radiant heater assembly.

10. The bed apparatus of claim 1 wherein the support further comprises a locking mechanism connected with the strut.

11. The bed apparatus of claim 10 wherein the locking mechanism comprises a lead screw.

12. The bed apparatus of claim 10 wherein the locking mechanism comprises a gas-pressurized structure to bias the strut.