Techniques For Transporting Autonomous Patient Support Apparatuses And Medical Equipment To An Incident Scene

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025259726-A1
Application number	US-202519195913-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 1, 2025
Priority date	Nov 2, 2018
Publication date	Aug 14, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of transporting equipment modules to an incident scene with an comprises: determining an initial location of the incident scene; dispatching an ambulance loaded with the autonomous mobile response unit and a plurality of equipment modules to the initial location; determining a refined location of the incident scene; selecting a first equipment module; dispensing the first equipment module from the ambulance onto the autonomous mobile response unit; deploying the autonomous mobile response unit from the ambulance at the initial location; communicating the refined location of the incident scene to the autonomous mobile response unit; generating, with the navigation system, a drive path from the initial location to the refined location; and driving, with the drive system, the autonomous mobile response unit loaded with the first equipment module based on the drive path such that the autonomous mobile response unit travels from the initial location to the refined location.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for use with a remote dispatch center configured to dispatch a vehicle to an initial location of an incident scene, the system comprising:
a patient support apparatus including:
a base supporting a plurality of caster wheels,
a support frame disposed above the base,
a patient support surface coupled to the support frame for supporting a patient,
a lift mechanism to move the support frame relative to the base between a plurality of vertical configurations, and
a navigation system configured to generate a path from the initial location to a refined location; and
an unloading system configured to unload the patient support apparatus from the vehicle at the initial location, the unloading system including a trolley and a track, wherein the patient support apparatus is configured to couple to the trolley and the trolley is configured to move along the track.

2 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a portable electronic device configured to communicate the refined location of the incident scene.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the remote dispatch center is further configured to dispatch a first responder to the initial location such that the first responder travels from the initial location and establishes patient contact at the refined location; and
wherein the first responder is equipped with the portable electronic device.

4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the portable electronic device is further defined as at least one of a tracker, a mobile phone, a radio communication device, and a mobile computing device.

5 . The system as set forth in claim 4 , wherein the portable electronic device includes at least one of a GPS tracker configured to determine the location of the tracker based on a GPS signal, a cellular tracker configured to determine the location of the tracker based on a cellular signal, and a WiFi tracker configured to determine the location of the tracker based on a WiFi signal.

6 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the portable electronic device is configured determine the refined location of the incident scene based on a first responder traveling from the initial location and establishing patient contact at the refined location.

7 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the portable electronic device is further configured to transmit, from the refined location, data associated with one or more medical equipment modules.

8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the remote dispatch center is further configured to dispatch a second first responder to the initial location; and
wherein the second first responder manually dispenses the one or more medical equipment modules from the vehicle onto the patient support apparatus in response to receiving the data associated with the one or more medical equipment modules transmitted from the refined location.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the unloading system is further configured to unload the patient support apparatus from the vehicle in response to remote activation.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the remote activation is sent by the remote dispatch center.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein unloading system is further configured to autonomous unload the patient support apparatus from the vehicle in response to the vehicle reaching a predetermined location.

12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the unloading system is further configured for manual operation by a first responder.

13 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the patient support apparatus includes a drive system and a controller configured to control the drive system based on the path such that the drive system drives the patient support apparatus from the vehicle to the refined location.

14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the drive system of the patient support apparatus is fixed to the base and includes at least one auxiliary wheel arranged between the plurality of caster wheels to drive the patient support apparatus.

15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the navigation system is configured to generate the path between the initial location and the refined location for the drive system to drive the patient support apparatus along from the initial location to the refined location with the at least one auxiliary wheel.

16 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the drive system is configured to move the auxiliary wheel to a deployed position.

17 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the patient support apparatus is configured to autonomously drive along the path between the initial location and the refined location with the drive system.

18 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a communication system configured to receive an emergency call at a public safety answering point.

19 . The system, of claim 18 , wherein the communication system is further configured to relay the initial location from the public safety answering point to the remote dispatch center.

20 . A system for use with a remote dispatch center configured to dispatch a vehicle to an initial location of an incident scene, the system comprising:
a patient support apparatus including:
a base supporting a plurality of caster wheels,
a support frame disposed above the base,
a patient support surface coupled to the support frame for supporting a patient, and
a lift mechanism to move the support frame relative to the base between a plurality of vertical configurations, and
a navigation system configured to generate a path from the initial location to the refined location;
an unloading system configured to unload the patient support apparatus from the vehicle at the initial location, the unloading system including a trolley and a track, wherein the patient support apparatus is configured to couple to the trolley and the trolley is configured to move along the track; and a portable electronic device configured to communicate a refined location of the incident scene.

Assignees

• Stryker Corp

Inventors

• Naber Brandon David
• Zufall Scott
• Dunfee Ii Jeffrey S

Classifications

• A61G3/001

  Vehicles provided with medical equipment to perform operations or examinations · CPC title

• G05D1/646

  Following a predefined trajectory, e.g. a line marked on the floor or a flight path · CPC title

• G05D1/695

  for maintaining a fixed relative position of the vehicles, e.g. for convoy travelling or formation flight · CPC title

• G16H40/20

  for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms · CPC title

• G05D1/228

  Command input arrangements located on-board unmanned vehicles · CPC title