Frame for a patient-support apparatus
View Patent ↗A patient-support apparatus includes a patient-support deck having a head deck section, seat deck section, and foot deck section each of which is supported on a frame. The head deck section pivots and translates relative to the frame when driven. The drive systems of the deck sections are configured such that movement of links driving the deck sections occurs above the lowest point on the frame.
1. A patient-support apparatus comprising
a support frame having a longitudinal axis,
a first deck section coupled to the support frame,
a first carriage movable along the longitudinal axis of the support frame, the first carriage including pivot supports defining a first pivot axis,
a second deck section pivotable relative to the support frame about the first pivot axis, and
an actuator having a longitudinal axis generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the support frame, the actuator coupled to the first carriage and the support frame, wherein the actuator is operable to move the first carriage along the longitudinal axis of the support frame such that the first pivot axis moves away from the first deck section in a plane that is generally parallel to both the longitudinal axis of the support frame and the longitudinal axis of the actuator throughout the travel of the first pivot axis.
2. The patient-support apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second deck section is pivotably coupled to the first carriage and is coupled to the support frame by a link that is pivotably coupled to the second deck section and pivotably coupled to the support frame, and wherein the link urges the second deck section to pivot as the carriage moves.
3. The patient-support apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first carriage includes a first pivot support which defines the first pivot axis.
4. The patient-support apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the first deck section is coupled to a second carriage and the first deck section is pivotable relative to the support frame.
5. The patient-support apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a third deck section pivotable relative to the support frame and a second carriage, wherein movement of the second carriage causes the third deck section to pivot relative to the support frame.
6. The patient-support apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the first carriage and second carriage move in a common plane.
7. The patient-support apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the common plane is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the support frame.
8. The patient-support apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the third deck section is pivotably coupled to the first frame.
9. The patient-support apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the third deck section is pivotably coupled to the first frame.
10. The patient-support apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the patient-support further comprises a link pivotably coupled to the second carriage and the first deck section such that as the second carriage moves, the link urges the first deck section to pivot relative to the support frame.
11. A patient-support apparatus comprising
a support frame,
a first carriage movable along a longitudinal axis of the support frame,
a first actuator coupled to the support frame and the first carriage, the first actuator having a longitudinal axis that is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the support frame and the first actuator is operable to move the carriage along the longitudinal axis of the support frame, and
a first deck section pivotably coupled to the carriage at a first pivot support and coupled to the support frame such that movement of the carriage along the longitudinal axis of the support frame translates the first pivot support along the support frame in a plane that is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the actuator and the longitudinal axis of the support frame and the first deck section is urged to pivot about the translating first pivot support.
12. The patient-support apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the first actuator does not pivot relative to the support frame.
13. The patient-support apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the support frame comprises two generally parallel longitudinal channels and a plurality of cross-members coupled to each of the longitudinal channels.
14. The patient-support apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the first carriage moves along the longitudinal channels.
15. The patient-support apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the first actuator is coupled to a first one of the cross-members.
16. The patient-support apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the first carriage comprises a pair of roller brackets, a crossbar coupled to the roller brackets, and a plurality of rollers rotatably coupled to each of the roller brackets, the rollers configured to be received in the longitudinal channels.
17. The patient-support apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the first actuator is coupled to the crossbar such that extension of the first actuator moves the first carriage away from the first cross-member.
18. The patient-support apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the rollers each rotate about a respective rotation axis and wherein the rotation axes cooperate to define a plane and the carriage moves in the plane along a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the support frame.
19. The patient-support apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the first deck section is coupled to the support frame by a link pivotably coupled to the first deck section and pivotably coupled to the support frame.
20. The patient-support apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the first carriage comprises a pair of roller brackets, a crossbar coupled to the roller brackets, and a plurality of rollers rotatably coupled to each of the roller brackets.
21. The patient-support apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the first actuator is coupled to the crossbar such that extension of the first actuator moves the first carriage away from a first cross-member.
22. The patient-support apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the rollers each rotate about a respective rotation axis and wherein the rotation axes cooperate to define a plane and the carriage moves in the plane along a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the support frame.
23. The patient-support apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the patient-support apparatus comprises a second carriage movable along the longitudinal axis of the support frame, a second actuator coupled to the support frame and the second carriage, the second actuator operable to move the second carriage along the longitudinal axis of the support frame, and a second deck section pivotably coupled to the support frame and coupled to the second carriage such that movement of the second carriage along the longitudinal axis urges the second deck section to pivot relative to the support frame.
24. A patient-support apparatus comprising
a support frame,
a first carriage movable along a longitudinal axis of the support frame,
a first actuator coupled to the support frame and the first carriage, the first actuator having a longitudinal axis that is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the support frame and the first actuator is operable to move the carriage along the longitudinal axis of the support frame, and
a first deck section pivotably coupled to the carriage at a first pivot support and coupled to the support frame such that movement of the carriage along the longitudinal axis of the support frame translates the first pivot support along the support frame in a plane that is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the actuator and the longitudinal axis of the support frame and the first deck section is urged to pivot about the translating first pivot support, wherein the support frame comprises two generally parallel longitudinal channels and a plurality of cross-members coupled to each of the longitudinal channels, wherein the first carriage moves along the longitudinal channels, wherein the first actuator is coupled to a first one of the cross-members, wherein the first carriage comprises a pair of roller brackets, a crossbar coupled to the roller brackets, and a plurality of rollers rotatably coupled to each of the roller brackets, the rollers configured to be received in the longitudinal channels
wherein the first actuator is coupled to the crossbar such that extension of the first actuator moves the first carriage away from the first cross-member,
wherein the rollers each rotate about a respective rotation axis and wherein the rotation axes cooperate to define a plane and the carriage moves in the plane along a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the support frame,
wherein the patient-support apparatus comprises a second carriage movable along the longitudinal axis of the support frame, a second actuator coupled to the support frame and the second carriage, the second actuator operable to move the second carriage along the longitudinal axis of the support frame, and a second deck section pivotably coupled to the support frame and coupled to the second carriage such that movement of the second carriage along the longitudinal axis urges the second deck section to pivot relative to the support frame, and
wherein each of the carriages comprise a pair of roller brackets, a cross-section bar coupled to the roller brackets, and a plurality of rollers rotatably coupled to the each of the roller brackets, the rollers configured to be received in the longitudinal channels such that the carriage moves along the longitudinal channels, and wherein the first and second actuators are each coupled to one of the cross-members such that the first and second actuators do not pivot relative to the support frame as the carriage moves along the longitudinal channels.