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US 12,370,096 B2Granted
Braking and steering system for a mobile support
AssigneeHill-Rom Services, Inc.
InventorNeal Wiggermann
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mobile support such as a stretcher includes a left rear rolling element and a right rear rolling element. The support also includes a sensor system adapted to sense displacement force applied to the support, and a deceleration system. Provided the bed is moving in a forward direction, machine readable instructions executed by a processor cause the deceleration system to apply a decelerating influence to selected members of the set of rolling elements in response to the sensed displacement force in order to assist braking and steering maneuvers.
Claims16
A mobile support comprising:
- a set of unpowered rolling elements supporting a stretcher including adjustable side rails and a mattress, the set of rolling elements comprising a left rear rolling element and a right rear rolling element;
- a sensor system adapted to sense displacement force applied to the support;
- a deceleration system arranged to apply a decelerating influence to a subset of the rolling elements;
- a processor;
- an energy conversion device disposed between at least one rolling element and a frame of the support, the energy conversion device including an extended axle coupled with the at least one rolling element;
- machine readable instructions which, when executed by the processor, and provided the mobile support is moving in a forward direction, cause the deceleration system to apply the decelerating influence to selected members of the set of rolling elements in response to the sensed displacement force as set forth below:
- Displacement
- Force
- Combination
- Application of
- Left
- Right
- Force Relationship
- Decelerating Influence
- Push
- Push
- Right push > Left Push
- Dominant on Left Side
- Push
- Push
- Left push > Right Push
- Dominant on Right Side
- Push
- Pull
- Dominant on Right Side
- Pull
- Pull
- Substantially Equal on Left
- and Right
- Pull
- Push
- Dominant on Left Side,
- wherein a determination of displacement force inequality is subject to an inequality tolerance, and wherein the inequality tolerance increases with increasing displacement force.
30 more elements
A mobile support comprising:
- a framework including a base and a mattress elevatable relative to the base;
- a set of unpowered rolling elements coupled to the framework and comprising a left front rolling element, a right front rolling element, a left rear rolling element and a right rear rolling element;
- a support frame;
- a set of energy conversion devices, each individual energy conversion device having a drive shaft, wherein one energy conversion device is disposed between each rolling element and the support frame;
- a sensor system adapted to sense displacement forces applied to the support;
- a deceleration system arranged to apply a decelerating influence to a subset of the rolling elements, wherein the subset of the rolling elements includes at least one of the left front rolling element, the right front rolling element, the left rear rolling element, and the right rear element;
- a control system which commands application of a decelerating influence to selected members of the set of rolling elements, the selected members being chosen as a function of a lateral imbalance between two displacement forces so that the mobile support follows a desired trajectory, wherein a determination of displacement force inequality is subject to an inequality tolerance.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.