# US 7,412,311 B2 · Method and apparatus for transporting a patient support

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- Number: US 7,412,311 B2
- Document ID: US7412311B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 10/903,481
- Filed: 2004-08-02
- Published: 2005-03-24
- Granted: 2008-08-12
- Earliest claimed: 2003-07-31
- Assignees: Trumpf Medizin Systeme GmbH + Co. KG
- Inventors: Falk Georgi; Peter Hopfe; Michael Graef; Thomas Reichardt; Carolin Brand
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7412311B2

## CPC

- A61G 5/043: {Mid wheel drive}
- A61G 1/0225: {other configuration, e.g. odd number of wheels}
- A61G 1/0237: {having at least one swivelling wheel, e.g. castors}
- A61G 1/0268: {having deployable or retractable wheels}
- A61G 1/0275: {having driven wheels, e.g. motorised}
- A61G 1/0287: {having brakes, e.g. slowing down and/or holding (details of brake actuators on castors B60B33/0078; brakes on hand carts B62B5/04; brakes in general F16D49/00 - F16D65/853)}
- A61G 1/0293: {stretcher supports with wheels, e.g. used for stretchers without wheels (stretcher supports without wheels A61G1/06)}
- A61G 5/1051: {Arrangements for steering}
- A61G 12/001: {Trolleys for transport of medicaments, food, linen, nursing supplies (carts specially adapted for surgery or diagnosis A61B50/13; hand carts B62B3/00)}
- A61G 13/00: Operating tables; Auxiliary appliances therefor (illumination of operating tables F21L, F21S or F21V {; adjustability of tables in general A47B9/00; tables for radiation diagnosis A61B6/04, drainage or irrigation pans, bags, or attachments A61G7/02, A61G7/0503})
- A61G 15/00: Operating chairs; Dental chairs (barbers' chairs A47C1/04); Accessories specially adapted therefor, e.g. work stands
- B62D 1/283: {for unmanned vehicles}
- A61G 7/08: Apparatus for transporting beds
- A61G 2203/22: for automatically guiding movable devices, e.g. stretchers or wheelchairs in a hospital
- A61G: TRANSPORT, PERSONAL CONVEYANCES OR ACCOMMODATION SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PATIENTS OR DISABLED PERSONS (appliances for aiding patients or disabled persons to walk A61H3/00); OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; FUNERAL DEVICES (embalming corpses A01N1/00)
- B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M)

## Abstract

A transport device for transporting a patient support panel or a medical appliance includes a drive unit, which includes a drive motor, an undercarriage having wheels rotatably mounted on it for driving the undercarriage, and a sensor unit for receiving a signal indicating the position of the transport device with respect to a predetermined path line while the transport device moves along the predetermined path line. One or more of the wheels are rotatably drivable by the drive unit, and one or more wheels are steerable.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of transporting a medical device, the method comprising:
supporting the medical device on a transport device;
moving the transport device along a predetermined path line, wherein the movement of the transport device is not guided by a rail;
receiving a signal indicating the position of the transport device with respect to the predetermined path line while the transport device moves along the predetermined path line;
adjusting the direction of the transport device in response to the signal;
controlling a speed of the transport device to within a first predetermined allowable speed range along a first section of the path line; and
controlling a speed of the transport device to within a second predetermined allowable speed range along a second section of the path line.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the medical device is a patient support panel.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the patient support panel is an operating table panel.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the medical device is a medical appliance.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the transport device is moved automatically along the predetermined path line.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
supplying current through an electrical conductor;
detecting a magnetic or electromagnetic field generated by the current flowing through the electrical conductor; and
adjusting the direction of the transport device automatically to move the transport device along the electrical conductor.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the second section of the path line corresponds to an opposite direction from the first section of the path line.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
controlling an acceleration of the transport device to within at least one predetermined allowable accelerating range.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, further comprising:
controlling an acceleration of the transport device to within a first predetermined allowable acceleration range along a first section of the path line; and
controlling a speed of the transport device to within a second predetermined allowable acceleration range along a second section of the path line.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the second section of the path line corresponds to an opposite direction from the first section of the path line.

### Claim 11

A transport device for transporting a patient support panel or a medical appliance, the transport device comprising:
a drive unit, the drive unit comprising a drive motor;
an undercarriage having wheels rotatably mounted thereon for driving the undercarriage, wherein one or more wheels are rotatably drivable by the drive unit and wherein one or more wheels are steerable;
a sensor unit for receiving a signal indicating the position of the transport device with respect to a predetermined path line while the transport device moves along the predetermined path line; and
a control unit, connected to the drive unit, configured to control movement of the transport device to within a first predetermined allowable speed range along a first section of the path line, and to control movement of the transport device to within a second predetermined allowable speed range along a second section of the path line.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The transport device of claim 11, wherein the transport device forms a self-propelled and self-steering operating table.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The transport device of claim 11, wherein the transport device is adapted to be steered either in response to a signal from the sensor unit or manually.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The transport device of claim 11, wherein the transport device comprises a drive wheel arranged in a height-adjustable manner on the undercarriage.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The transport device of claim 11, further comprising an operating element, associated with the control unit, for selecting at least one particular range of speeds to be associated with a desired path line.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The transport device of claim 15, further comprising a memory, associated with the control unit, for storing path line-dependent predetermined ranges of speeds.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The transport device of claim 16, wherein the path line-dependent predetermined ranges of speed are automatically stored in the memory during a learning run of the transport device.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The transport device of claim 16, further comprising an input element, associated with the control unit, for receiving input of at least one path line-dependent range of speeds.

### Claim 19 (depends on 11)

The transport device of claim 11, said control unit being configured to control movement of the transport device to within at least one predetermined range of accelerations.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The transport device of claim 19, further comprising an operating element, associated with the control unit, for selecting at least one particular range of accelerations to be associated with a desired path line.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The transport device of claim 20, further comprising a memory, associated with the control unit, for storing path line-dependent predetermined ranges of accelerations.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The transport device of claim 21, wherein the path line-dependent predetermined ranges of accelerations are automatically stored in the memory during a learning run of the transport device.

### Claim 23 (depends on 21)

The transport device of claim 21, further comprising an input element, associated with the control unit, for receiving input of at least one path line-dependent range of accelerations.

### Claim 24 (depends on 11)

The transport device of claim 11, further comprising a steering unit coupled to the one or more steerable wheels and interacting with the sensor unit to steer the one or more steerable wheels to control movement of the transport device along the predetermined path line.

### Claim 25 (depends on 24)

The transport device of claim 24, wherein the sensor unit is adapted for detecting a path marker disposed on the predetermined path line.

### Claim 26 (depends on 24)

The transport device of claim 24, wherein the sensor unit is adapted for detecting a path marker extending along the predetermined path line.

### Claim 27 (depends on 24)

The transport device of claim 24, wherein the sensor unit comprises a light-sensitive sensor.

### Claim 28 (depends on 24)

The transport device of claim 24, wherein the sensor unit comprises an electronic camera.

### Claim 29 (depends on 24)

The transport device of claim 24, wherein the sensor unit comprises a magnetic field-sensitive sensor.

### Claim 30 (depends on 24)

The transport device of claim 24, wherein the sensor unit comprises a sensor that detects an electromagnetic field.

### Claim 31 (depends on 24)

The transport device of claim 24, further comprising:
a comparator for comparing an actual position detected by the sensor unit with a predetermined set position; and
said control unit being connected to the steering unit, the sensor unit, and the comparator, wherein the control unit is adapted for supplying a steering signal to the steering unit upon deviation of the actual position from the set position.