Automated home health patient care system

A patient lift and transfer apparatus comprising:

• an elongate transfer frame having first and second vertical posts;
• an elongate bed assembly having a support surface and a first drive adapted to engage a power tool to selectively move said transfer frame sideways between a first position aligned with said bed assembly and a second position at a side of said bed assembly;
• a first lifting system vertically movable along said vertical posts to different height levels including a stowed level near a bottom of said transfer frame;
• and
• a second lifting system vertically movable along said vertical posts and releasably affixed to said first lifting system, said second lifting system having a second drive adapted to engage the power tool to extend a web assembly of said second lifting system and having a third drive adapted to engage the power tool to retract said web assembly,
• wherein said transfer frame further includes
• a fourth drive adapted to engage the power tool to lower said first lifting system to said stowed level independent of said second lifting system, and
• a fifth drive adapted to engage the power tool to lower said second lifting system to a bed level of the support surface of the bed independent of said first lifting system.

An automated home health patient care system comprising:

• a power tool;
• a wheeled transfer accessory having a patient support surface;
• an elongate bed assembly having head and foot ends and a front side, said bed assembly including a transfer frame motor, a mattress and a C-shaped bed frame supporting the mattress and defining first and second channels at said head and foot ends respectively, said C-shaped bed frame having
• a first foot rail at said head end,
• a second foot rail at said foot end generally parallel to said first foot rail,
• a first horizontal lead screw assembly in said first foot rail, and
• a second horizontal lead screw assembly in said second foot rail, wherein said transfer frame motor selectively drives said first and second horizontal lead screw assemblies;
• an elongate transfer device having a rectangular transfer frame, a first lifting web system and a second lifting web system, said transfer frame including
• a first vertical post at a head end of said transfer frame,
• a second vertical post at a foot end of said transfer frame,
• a first roller base slide attached to a bottom end of said first vertical post, said first roller base slide having one or more wheels and being sized and positioned to slidably engage said first foot rail of said C-shaped bed frame during sideways movement of said transfer frame, and
• a second roller base slide attached to a bottom end of said second vertical post, said second roller base slide having one or more wheels and being sized and positioned to slidably engage said second foot rail of said C-shaped bed frame during sideways movement of said transfer frame, wherein said first and second roller base slides have lead screw nuts attached to said first and second horizontal lead screw assemblies respectively, at least one of said lead screw nuts being coupled to a first socket adapted to engage said power tool,
• said first lifting web system including
• a first lifting system frame vertically movable along said vertical posts, having two parallel longitudinal reinforcement beams,
• at least one slide guide bar attached to at least one of said longitudinal reinforcement beams,
• a timing belt running within said at least one of said longitudinal reinforcement beams, a leg of said timing belt positioned adjacent said slider guide bar,
• a first web storage unit attached to said first lifting system frame, said first web storage unit being positioned within said second channel of said C-shaped bed frame when said transfer frame is in said stowed state, wherein said first web storage unit houses an upper web and a lower web each having first and second ends, said first end of said upper web being wound on an upper web spool driven by a web spool motor and said second end of said upper web being anchored inside said first web storage unit, said first end of said lower web being wound on a lower web spool driven by said web spool motor and said second end of said lower web being anchored inside said first web storage unit, a portion of each upper and lower web extending out of a slot of said first web storage unit,
• a roller nose assembly having an upper roller nose and a lower roller nose, said upper web being wrapped around a forward edge of said upper roller nose, said lower web being wrapped around a forward edge of said lower roller nose, said roller nose assembly being attached to a slider which slidably engages said slide guide bar and is clamped to said timing belt, and
• a first vertical lead screw located in said second vertical post coupled to a second socket adapted to engage said power tool to drive vertical movement of said first lifting system frame, and
• said second lifting web system including
• a second lifting system frame vertically movable along said vertical posts, releasably attached to said first lifting system frame,
• a second web storage unit attached to said second lifting system frame, housing a web assembly coupled to a third socket adapted to engage said power tool to extend said web assembly, and coupled to a fourth socket adapted to engage said power tool to retract said web assembly, and
• a second vertical lead screw located in said second vertical post coupled to a fifth socket adapted to engage said power tool to drive vertical movement of said second lifting system frame independent of said first lifting system frame;
• and
• an electronic control system for selectively activating said strap spool motor, said web spool motor, said transfer frame motor and said lifting system motor, said electronic control system having an operator console which allows an operator to program at least five different height levels of said lifting web system including a stowed level near a bottom of said transfer frame, a clearance level near a top of said transfer frame, an acquisition level at a height of said mattress, a transfer level which is lower than the clearance level but higher than the acquisition level, and a delivery level at a height of said patient support surface of said wheeled transfer accessory.