Operating handle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10384539-B2
Application number	US-201815905734-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2018
Priority date	Aug 25, 2015
Publication date	Aug 20, 2019
Grant date	Aug 20, 2019

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an operating handle for a bearing surface transporter for accommodating an object to be transported, for example, the bearing surface of a surgical table, comprising at least two motorized drive rollers, wherein the operating handle comprises a handle piece that can be rotated around its longitudinal axis, an angle of rotation sensor for detecting an angle of rotation and a direction of rotation of the handle piece and for providing a sensor signal to a control unit of the at least two drive rollers, and a force sensor for detecting a force exerted onto the handle piece in the direction of its longitudinal axis and for providing a sensor signal to the control unit of the at least two drive rollers.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An operating handle for a bearing surface transporter for accommodating an object to be transported, wherein the object to be transported comprises a bearing surface of a surgical table, the bearing surface transporter comprises at least two motorized drive rollers, and wherein the operating handle comprises:
a release switch, which is designed such that motors of the drive rollers are powered off when the release switch is not actuated, wherein a sound alert is emitted upon the actuation of the release switch;
a handle piece that can be rotated around its longitudinal axis;
an angle of rotation sensor for detecting an angle of rotation and a direction of rotation of the handle piece and for providing a sensor signal to a control unit of the at least two drive rollers; and
a force sensor for detecting a force exerted onto the handle piece in the direction of its longitudinal axis and for providing a sensor signal to the control unit of the at least two drive rollers.

2. An operating handle according to claim 1 , wherein the release switch on the handle piece comprises a lever which is pressed by a user gripping the handle piece.

3. An operating handle according to claim 1 , wherein the release switch is actuated by a manually applied force.

4. An operating handle according to claim 3 , wherein the release switch is configured as a switch chosen from a group of a pivotable switch, a depressable button, and a pressure sensor.

5. An operating handle according to claim 3 , wherein on the handle piece comprises a lever pressable by a user gripping the handle piece.

6. A bearing surface transporter comprising an operating handle according to claim 1 .

7. A bearing surface transporter according to claim 6 , further comprising a control unit that controls the drive rollers depending on the signals of the angle of rotation sensor and the force sensor as an electronic differential.

8. A bearing surface transporter of claim 7 , wherein the control unit is designed to determine a target speed of the bearing surface transporter from the signals of the angle of rotation sensor and a target rotation of the bearing surface transporter from the signals of the force sensor, the rotating speed of at least one drive roller being determined by adding the target speed to the target rotation, and the rotation speed of at least one other drive roller being determined by subtracting the target speed from the target rotation.

9. A bearing surface transporter according to claim 6 , wherein the control unit is further designed to limit a value and/or a sudden change of the rotation speed of at least one drive roller to predetermined maximum values.

10. An operating handle according to claim 1 , wherein the force sensor comprises a first element connected with the handle piece, a second element connected with the bearing surface transporter, and a connecting bridge arranged between the first and the second element which can be deformed by exerting a force in at least one of the direction of the longitudinal axis of the handle piece.

11. A method of controlling a bearing surface transporter, the bearing surface transporter configured for providing wheeled transport to a patient bearing surface of a surgical table, the bearing surface transporter comprises at least two motorized drive rollers and a plurality of castor wheel sets, the method comprising the steps of:
activating a release switch of the operating handle, wherein the handle piece is configured to rotate about an axis of the handle piece, wherein a sound alert is emitted upon an activation of the release switch;
analyzing one or more sensors of the operating handle;
analyzing the movement of the bearing surface transporter;
controlling rotation of the motorized drive rollers.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising the step of:
releasing the release switch of the operating table, thereby permitting the motorized drive rollers to spin freely.

13. The method of claim 11 , comprising using the one or more sensors of the operating handle to sense a rotational position of the handle piece with respect to a base of the handle piece.

14. The method of claim 11 , comprising using the one or more sensors of the operating handle to sense a force applied in a direction of the axis of the handle piece.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the one or more sensors of the operating handle comprises a first sensor and a second sensor, comprising using the first sensor to sense a force applied in a direction of the axis of the handle piece, and using the second sensor to sense a rotational position of the handle piece with respect to a base the handle piece may rotate with respect to.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of analyzing one or more sensors of the operating handle involves analyzing (a) a force applied to the handle piece along the axis of the handle piece, (b) a degree of rotation of the handle piece with respect to a base the handle piece may rotate with respect to, or both (a) and (b).

17. An operating handle for a frame comprising at least two motorized drive rollers, wherein the operating handle comprises:
a handle piece that can be rotated around its longitudinal axis;
an angle of rotation sensor for detecting an angle of rotation and a direction of rotation of the handle piece and for providing a sensor signal to a control unit of the at least two drive rollers; and
a force sensor for detecting a force exerted onto the handle piece in the direction of its longitudinal axis and for providing a sensor signal to the control unit of the at least two drive rollers, the force sensor comprising a deformable portion arranged between the handle piece and a frame, the deformable portion configured to be deformed by a force applied along the longitudinal axis of the handle piece.

18. An operating handle according to claim 17 :
the operating handle being configured for use with a frame which is part of a bearing surface transporter;
wherein the handle piece is configured to be gripped and controlled with one hand of a user.

19. A bearing surface transporter comprising an operating handle according to claim 17 .

20. A bearing surface transporter comprising an operating handle according to claim 17 , further comprising a control unit that controls drive rollers of the bearing surface transporter in response to the signals from the angle of rotation sensor and from the force sensor.

21. A frame comprising at least two motorized drive rollers and the operating handle according to claim 17 ;
further comprising a release switch configured such that, when present, motors of the drive rollers are powered off when the release switch is not actuated, and wherein a sound alert is emitted upon the actuation of the release switch.

Assignees

• MAQUET GmbH

Inventors

• Steinhauser Florian

Classifications

• A61G7/05 Primary

  Parts, details or accessories of beds (devices for prevention against falling out A47C21/08, A47D7/00 {; mattresses A47C27/00}) · CPC title

• A61G7/08

  Apparatus for transporting beds · CPC title

• B60K26/02 Primary

  of initiating means or elements · CPC title

• A61G2203/42

  for inclination · CPC title

• B62D1/12

  Hand levers · CPC title