Techniques for determining a pose of a patient transport apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12208045-B2
Application number	US-202318381726-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2023
Priority date	Feb 9, 2018
Publication date	Jan 28, 2025
Grant date	Jan 28, 2025

Abstract

A patient transport apparatus comprising a support frame, a base, a bracket coupled to the support frame and comprising a channel being non-linear, a frame assembly coupled between the support frame and the base and comprising a slidable member disposed in the channel, the slidable member being moveable between a plurality of different positions in the channel to place the support frame in a plurality of different poses relative to the base. The patient transport apparatus also comprises a sensor configured to detect the slidable member in the channel and produce a reading, as well as a controller coupled to the sensor and configured to receive the reading from the sensor, determine the position of the slidable member in the channel based on the reading, and determine the pose of the support frame relative to the base based on the determined position of the slidable member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A patient transport apparatus comprising:
a wheel assembly with a wheel arranged for movement along ground surfaces;
a support frame with a patient support deck defining a patient support surface;
a channel formed extending along the support frame between a first end and a second end, with the channel being at least partially curved;
a frame assembly coupled between the support frame and the wheel assembly and comprising an actuator coupled to a slidable member disposed in and movable along the channel to place the support frame in a plurality of different positions relative to the wheel assembly via operation of the actuator, the plurality of different positions including a maximum raised position defined with the slidable member arranged adjacent to the first end of the channel, and a maximum lowered position defined with the slidable member arranged adjacent to the second end of the channel;
a sensor configured to detect the slidable member in the channel and produce a reading; and
a controller coupled to the sensor and to the actuator to move the support frame between the plurality of different positions relative to the wheel assembly, with the controller configured to receive the reading from the sensor, determine the position of the slidable member in the channel based on the reading, and determine the position of the support frame relative to the wheel assembly based on the determined position of the slidable member.

2. The patient transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is disposed in the channel.

3. The patient transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises one or more of an optical sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a Hall effect sensor, a laser sensor, a proximity sensor, a velocity sensor, a displacement sensor, an Eddy-current sensor, a capacitive displacement sensor, a magnetic sensor, and an inductive non-contact position sensor.

4. The patient transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each position of the slidable member in the channel corresponds to one position of the support frame.

5. The patient transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each position of the support frame corresponds to one position of the slidable member in the channel.

6. The patient transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each position of the support frame defines a unique pose including an orientation of the support frame relative to the wheel assembly.

7. The patient transport apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the support frame comprises a length and a width, wherein the length is longer than width, with the support frame further comprising two opposing sides along the width coupled to two opposing sides along the length, and wherein the channel is defined in a bracket coupled to the support frame at one of the sides along the length.

8. The patient transport apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the slidable member is moveable between the plurality of different positions in the channel and wherein the slidable member is moveable in the channel whereby a distance between the slidable member and the one of the sides along the length is variable.

9. The patient transport apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a base supporting the wheel assembly for movement along ground surfaces, with the frame assembly being coupled between the support frame and the base.

10. The patient transport apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the support frame and the base each comprise a head-end and a foot-end and wherein the frame assembly comprises:
a first frame member having a first end pivotally coupled adjacent to the foot-end of the support frame and a second end pivotally coupled adjacent to the head-end of the base; and
a second frame member having a first end pivotally coupled adjacent to the head-end of the support frame and a second end pivotally coupled adjacent to the foot-end of the base.

11. The patient transport apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the slidable member is coupled to the first end of the first frame member.

12. The patient transport apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the first frame member is configured to move the slidable member between the plurality of different positions in the channel.

13. The patient transport apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the actuator is coupled to at least one of the first frame member and the second frame member and configured to move at least one of the first frame member and the second frame member to place the support frame in the plurality of different positions, wherein a distance between the first end of the first frame member and the second end of the second frame member and a distance between the second end of the first frame member and the first end of the second frame member each being maximized in the maximum raised position and minimized in the maximum lowered position.

14. The patient transport apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a magnet coupled to the slidable member; and
wherein the sensor comprises a magnetostrictive sensor configured to detect the slidable member in the channel by producing the reading in response to an interaction of the magnetostrictive sensor and the magnet.

15. The patient transport apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the magnetostrictive sensor comprises a waveguide comprising magnetostrictive material.

16. The patient transport apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a bracket coupled to the support frame; and
wherein the channel is defined in the bracket.

Assignees

• Stryker Corp

Inventors

• Furman Aaron Douglas
• Souke Chad Conway
• Puvogel Thomas Alan
• Mansfield Joshua Alan

Classifications

• A61G13/06

  raising or lowering of the whole table surface (A61G13/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61G13/02

  Adjustable operating tables; Controls therefor · CPC title

• A61G7/012

  raising or lowering of the whole mattress frame (A61G7/005, A61G7/008 take precedence) · CPC title

• A61G7/018

  Control or drive mechanisms · CPC title

• A61G7/1013

  Lifting of patients by · CPC title