Granted Patent B2

US 12,343,292 · App. 17/591,378 · Granted Jul 1, 2025

Inventor: Neal Wiggermann (Batesville, IN)

Assignee: Hill-Rom Services, Inc.

A61G7/018A61G1/04A61G7/015F02C1/02F02C6/12F15B1/024F05D2220/62F05D2220/76

Abstract

Claims (20)

1. An occupant support comprising:

a framework comprised of a frame and an orientation adjustable deck section supported by the frame;

a lockable gas spring whose components include a piston assembly coupled to one of the frame and the deck section and a cylinder coupled to the other of the frame and the deck section, the piston assembly including a piston and a connecting rod, the piston dividing the interior of the cylinder into an isolated compartment that is free of fluid communication with any other component of said occupant support and a non-isolated compartment, the non-isolated compartment having an inlet and an outlet;

an outflow check valve which operates to resist fluid flow out of the non-isolated compartment and to admit ambient fluid into the non-isolated compartment;

an inflow check valve which operates to resist fluid flow into the non-isolated compartment and to enable fluid flow out of the non-isolated compartment;

a turbine which receives fluid which flows out of the non-isolated compartment; and

an electrical generator coupled to the turbine.

2. The occupant support of claim 1 including:

an accumulator flowisely intermediate the outflow check valve and the turbine, the accumulator having an intake which receives fluid from the gas spring outlet and a discharge port.

3. The occupant support of claim 2 wherein lockability of the gas spring is permissive lockability.

4. The occupant support of claim 3 including a second gas spring whose components include a piston assembly coupled to one of the frame and the deck section and a cylinder coupled to the other of the frame and the deck section.

5. The occupant support of claim 4 , wherein the second gas spring operable to resist a change in angular orientation of the deck section from a first orientation to a second orientation which is more horizontal than the first orientation, and to assist a change in angular orientation of the deck section from the second orientation to the first orientation.

6. The occupant support of claim 1 , further comprising:

a reverse flow check valve which operates to resist fluid flow into the accumulator and to enable fluid flow out of the accumulator.

7. An occupant support comprising:

an orientation adjustable deck section supported by a frame;

a lockable gas spring whose components include a piston assembly coupled to one of the frame and the deck section and a cylinder coupled to the other of the frame and the deck section, the piston assembly including a piston and a connecting rod, the piston dividing the interior of the cylinder into an isolated compartment and a non-isolated compartment, the non-isolated compartment being in fluid communication with a turbine;

a reverse flow check valve which resists fluid flow into an accumulator by way of a discharge port and enables fluid flow out of the accumulator by way of the discharge port, wherein the piston moves longitudinally within the cylinder in conjunction with a change of orientation of the deck section thereby changing a volume of the non-isolated compartment, whereby a decrease in the volume of the non-isolated compartment expels air out of the non-isolated compartment and through the turbine in a first direction, and an increase in the volume of the non-isolated compartment draws air through the turbine in a second direction and into the non-isolated compartment; and

an electrical generator coupled to the turbine.

8. The occupant support of claim 7 including a conduit extending from the non-isolated compartment to the turbine.

Continuity (4)

References Cited (27)