Powered roll-in cots

A roll-in cot comprising:

• a support frame comprising a front end, and a back end;
• a pair of back legs slidingly coupled to the support frame;
• a pair of front legs slidingly coupled to the support frame, wherein each of the pair of front legs comprises a front wheel and an intermediate load wheel, and wherein the intermediate load wheel is offset from the front wheel by a load wheel distance;
• and
• a cot actuation system comprising a front actuator that moves the pair of front legs and a back actuator that moves the pair of back legs, wherein:
• the front actuator retracts the pair of front legs such that the front wheel and the intermediate load wheel are aligned along a loading level;
• the intermediate load wheel of each of the pair of front legs is offset, along the loading level, from the pair of back legs by a loading span;
• and
• the load wheel distance is greater than the loading span.

A method for actuating a roll-in cot wherein the roll-in cot comprises a support frame, a pair of legs slidingly and pivotally engaged with the support frame, and an actuator coupled to the pair of legs, and wherein the actuator is operable actuate the pair of legs such that the pair of legs slide and rotate with respect to the support frame, the method comprising:

• receiving from an actuator sensor, automatically with a processor, a load signal indicative of a force acting upon or exerted by the actuator;
• receiving a control signal indicative of a command to change a height of the roll-in cot;
• causing the actuator to actuate the pair of legs relatively slowly;
• determining, automatically with the processor, that the actuator is unloaded based upon the load signal;
• and
• causing, automatically with the processor, the actuator to actuate the pair of legs at a higher rate, wherein the pair of legs is actuated at the higher rate after the actuator is determined to be unloaded.

A roll-in cot comprising:

• a support frame comprising a front end, and a back end;
• a pair of front legs slidingly coupled to the support frame;
• a pair of back legs slidingly coupled to the support frame, each of the pair of back legs comprising a sinuous internal edge that faces the front end of the support frame, wherein the sinuous internal edge forms an upper angle β, and wherein the upper angle β is an obtuse angle;
• a pair of back hinge members, wherein each of the pair of back hinge members are pivotingly coupled to the support frame at a first end and pivotingly coupled to one of the pair of back legs at a second end, and wherein the upper angle β of the sinuous internal edge is located above the second end of one of the pair of back hinge members;
• and
• a cot actuation system comprising a front actuator that moves the pair of front legs and a back actuator that moves the pair of back legs.