Maternity bed

A hospital bed including:

• a litter frame having a longitudinal axis;
• a seat section securely fastened to said litter frame;
• a Fowler carriage adjustably mounted to said litter frame so as to be adjacent said seat section and so as to be able to move along said longitudinal axis of said litter frame relative to said seat section;
• a first, selectively actuatable drive unit connected to said Fowler carriage for selectively moving said Fowler carriage relative to said seat section;
• a Fowler section attached to said Fowler carriage so as to be located adjacent said seat section, said Fowler section being pivotally attached to said Fowler carriage so that said Fowler section can move from a horizontal position wherein said Fowler section is aligned with said seat section to an inclined position wherein said Fowler section is angled relative to said seat section;
• and
• a second, selectively actuatable drive unit connected to said Fowler section for selectively pivoting said Fowler section from the horizontal position to the inclined position.

A hospital bed including:

• a litter frame having a longitudinal axis;
• a seat section securely fastened to said litter frame;
• a Fowler section positioned on said litter frame so as to have a horizontal position wherein said Fowler section is aligned with said seat section;
• and
• a Fowler transport assembly mounted to said litter frame and attached to said Fowler section for moving said Fowler section along said longitudinal axis and pivoting said Fowler section relative to said seat section, said Fowler transport assembly including:
• a Fowler carriage attached to said litter frame to move along said longitudinal axis of said litter frame relative to said seat section;
• a first motor connected to said Fowler carriage for displacing said Fowler carriage;
• a first clutch connected between said first motor and said Fowler carriage for transferring power developed by said first motor to said Fowler carriage, said first clutch being configured to normally transfer power between said first motor and said Fowler carriage;
• a follower frame attached at one end to said Fowler carriage and at a second end to said Fowler section, wherein said follower frame is configured to pivot relative to said Fowler carriage so as to move said Fowler section between horizontal and inclined positions relative to said seat section;
• a second motor connected to said follower frame for pivoting said follower frame so as to incline said Fowler section;
• a second clutch connected between said second motor and said follower frame for transferring power developed by said second motor to said follower frame, said second clutch being configured to normally transfer power between said second motor and said follower frame;
• and
• a clutch disengagement plate connected to said first clutch and said second clutch for simultaneously disengaging said first motor from said Fowler carriage and said second motor from said follower frame.

A hospital bed including:

• a litter frame having a longitudinal axis;
• a seat section securely fastened to said litter frame;
• a Fowler section positioned on said litter frame so as to have a horizontal position wherein said Fowler section is aligned with said seat section;
• and
• a Fowler transport assembly mounted to said litter frame and attached to said Fowler section for moving said Fowler section along said longitudinal axis and pivoting said Fowler section relative to said seat section, said Fowler transport assembly including:
• a Fowler carriage attached to said litter frame to move along said longitudinal axis of said litter frame relative to said seat section;
• a follower frame attached at one end to said Fowler carriage and at a second end to said Fowler section, wherein said follower frame is configured to pivot relative to said Fowler carriage so as to move said Fowler section between horizontal and inclined positions relative to said seat section;
• a drive unit attached to said litter frame and a drive shaft that is actuated by said drive unit and that is connected to said follower frame for pivoting said follower frame so as to hold said Fowler section in the inclined position;
• a clutch connected between said drive unit and said drive shaft, wherein when said clutch is in an engaged state, said drive shaft is attached to said drive unit so that said drive shaft only moves in response to actuation of said drive unit and when said clutch is in a disengaged state, said drive shaft is disconnected from said drive unit so that said drive shaft moves independently of the actuation of said drive unit so that said drive shaft allows said follower frame and said Fowler section to pivot downwardly so that said Fowler section returns to the horizontal position;
• and
• a release assembly connected to said clutch to displace said clutch from the engaged state to the disengaged state.

A hospital bed including:

• a litter frame having a longitudinal axis;
• a seat section securely fastened to said litter frame;
• a Fowler section positioned on said litter frame so as to have a horizontal position wherein said Fowler section is aligned with said seat section;
• and
• a Fowler transport assembly mounted to said litter frame and attached to said Fowler section for moving said Fowler section along said longitudinal axis and pivoting said Fowler section relative to said seat section, said Fowler transport assembly including:
• a Fowler carriage attached to said litter frame to move along said longitudinal axis of said litter frame relative to said seat section;
• a biasing member connected between said litter frame and said Fowler carriage for normally urging said Fowler carriage away from said seat section;
• a follower frame attached at one end to said Fowler carriage and at a second end to said Fowler section, wherein said follower frame is configured to pivot relative to said Fowler carriage so as to move said Fowler section between horizontal and inclined positions relative to said section;
• a drive member extending between said litter frame and said follower frame for holding said follower frame and said Fowler section in the inclined position;
• a coupling assembly connected between said litter frame and said drive member, said coupling assembly having an engaged state for coupling said drive member to said litter frame so that said drive member maintains said follower frame and said Fowler section in the inclined position and a disengaged state for allowing movement of said drive member relative to said litter frame so that said drive member allows said follower frame and said Fowler section to pivot downwardly so that said Fowler section can return to the horizontal position;
• and
• a release assembly connected to said coupling assembly to move said coupling assembly from the engaged state to the disengaged state.

A hospital bed including:

• a litter frame having a longitudinal axis;
• a seat section securely fastened to said letter frame;
• a Fowler section positioned on said litter frame so as to have a horizontal position wherein said Fowler section is aligned with and located adjacent to said seat section;
• and
• a Fowler transport assembly mounted to said litter frame and attached to said Fowler section, said Fowler transport assembly being configured to incline said Fowler section upwardly from the horizontal position so that said Fowler section pivots around an axis adjacent said seat section and moves said Fowler section along said litter frame longitudinal axis, wherein said Fowler section is coupled to said litter frame so as to undergo a translating motion so that when said Fowler section is inclined, said Fowler section simultaneously engages in a translating motion relative to said seat section.