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.
Claims22
A mobile support comprising
- a 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;
- 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.
13-15. (canceled)
An mobile support comprising
- a set of rolling elements comprising at least a left rear rolling element and a right rear rolling element;
- a sensor system adapted to sense displacement force applied to the mobile support;
- a deceleration system arranged to apply a decelerating influence to a subset of the rolling elements;
- a processor;
- machine readable instructions which, when executed by the processor, and provided the bed is moving in a forward direction, command the deceleration system to apply the decelerating influence to selected members of the set of rolling elements in response to substantially equal left and right pull forces.
23-27. (canceled)
A mobile support comprising
- a set of rolling elements comprising a left front rolling element, a right front rolling element, a left rear rolling element and a right rear rolling element;
- 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;
- 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 tends to follow a desired trajectory.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.