Patient transport apparatus with controlled drive member deployment

A patient transport apparatus moveable over a floor surface, the patient transport apparatus comprising:

• a support structure;
• a drive member coupled to the support structure to influence motion of the patient transport apparatus over the floor surface;
• a drive system coupled to the drive member to drive the drive member relative to the support structure;
• an actuator coupled to the support structure and to the drive member, with the actuator operable to move the drive member between a plurality of positions including a deployed position engaging the floor surface and a retracted position spaced from the floor surface;
• a throttle assembly to operate the drive system, the throttle assembly including a throttle moveable between a neutral throttle position and one or more operating throttle positions, and a user interface sensor to determine engagement by a user with the throttle assembly;
• a status indicator operable in a first output state to indicate that the drive member is in the retracted position, a second output state to indicate that the drive member is moving between the plurality of positions, and a third output state to indicate that the drive member is in the deployed position;
• and
• a controller coupled to the drive system, the actuator, the throttle assembly, and the status indicator, with the controller being configured to operate the status indicator in the first output state during an absence of engagement by the user with the throttle assembly determined by the user interface sensor, to operate the actuator to move the drive member from the retracted position to the deployed position in response to engagement by the user with the throttle assembly determined by the user interface sensor, to operate the status indicator in the second output state in response to movement of the drive member, and to operate the status indicator in the third output state in response to the drive member moving to the deployed position.