IP Library Granted Patent US 12,496,021
Granted Patent B1
US 12,496,021 · App. 19/234,361 · Granted Dec 16, 2025

Optimized adjustment of a patient couch in the vertical direction

Inventors: Klaus Hruschka (Erbendorf, DE); Harald Graf (Speichersdorf, DE); Lutz Weiss (Bayreuth, DE); Roland Schoecklmann (Kastl, DE); Paul Weidner (Pressath, DE)
Assignee: SIEMENS HEALTHINEERS AG
A61B6/0487A61B5/055A61B5/704A61B6/548
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,496,021
App. No.
19/234,361
Granted
Dec 16, 2025
Kind
B1
Abstract

A medical facility has a patient couch having a position that can be adjusted in the vertical direction via a drive. An operating method for a medical facility with a patient couch having a position that can be adjusted in the vertical direction via a drive includes actuating the drive in response to receiving, by a control facility, a travel command from an operator to move the patient couch upward, the actuating including, moving the patient couch downward during an initial period, and actuating the drive in a lifting period immediately following the initial period such that the drive moves the patient couch upward.

Claims (30)

1 . An operating method for a medical facility with a patient couch having a position that can be adjusted in a vertical direction via a drive, the method comprising:

actuating the drive in response to receiving, by a control facility, a travel command from an operator to move the patient couch upward, the actuating including,

moving the patient couch downward during an initial period, and

actuating the drive in a lifting period immediately following the initial period such that the drive moves the patient couch upward.

2 . The operating method of claim 1 , wherein the moving the patient couch downward includes,

actuating the drive in response to the travel command during a lowering period such that the drive moves the patient couch downward and actuating the drive at least in a final period following the lowering period such that the drive moves the patient couch upward if, during the lowering period, the patient couch is moved downward to a position which is less than a minimum distance from a minimum position.

3 . The operating method of claim 2 , wherein to adjust the patient couch in the vertical direction, the drive drives a helical worm shaft and the control facility terminates the final period when the drive has rotated the worm shaft by a predetermined first angle of rotation.

4 . The operating method of claim 3 , wherein the control facility terminates the initial period when the drive has rotated the worm shaft by a predetermined second angle of rotation and the second angle of rotation is less than or equal to the first angle of rotation.

5 . The operating method of claim 2 , wherein to adjust the patient couch in the vertical direction, the drive drives a helical worm shaft and the control facility terminates the initial period when the drive has rotated the worm shaft by a predetermined angle of rotation.

6 . The operating method of claim 1 , wherein the moving the patient couch downward includes,

actuating the drive in response to the travel command during a lowering period such that the drive moves the patient couch downward and stopping the actuation of the drive when the patient couch reaches a predetermined minimum distance from a minimum position.

7 . A non-transitory computer readable medium for a control facility of a medical facility with a patient couch having a position that can be adjusted in the vertical direction via a drive, wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium comprises machine code, when executed by the control facility, causes the control facility to perform the method of claim 1 .

8 . A control facility of a medical facility with a patient couch having a position that can be adjusted in the vertical direction via a drive, the control facility comprising:

the non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7 .

9 . A medical facility comprising:

a patient couch having a position that can be adjusted in the vertical direction via a drive; and

the control facility of claim 8 .

10 . The medical facility of claim 9 , further comprising:

a self-locking gear configured to be driven by the drive to adjust the patient couch in the vertical direction.

11 . The operating method of claim 1 , the actuating the driving in a lifting period includes,

iteratively actuating the drive such that a lifting speed at which the patient couch is moved upward is increased continuously or in stages,

checking whether the lifting speed reaches a predetermined setpoint speed,

checking whether an electrical operating variable of the drive reaches a predetermined limit value, and

stopping a increase of the lifting speed when the lifting speed reaches the predetermined setpoint speed or the electrical operating variable of the drive reaches the predetermined limit value.

12 . The operating method of claim 11 , wherein the moving the patient couch downward includes,

actuating the drive in response to the travel command during a lowering period such that the drive moves the patient couch downward and stopping the actuation of the drive when the patient couch reaches a predetermined minimum distance from a minimum position.

13 . The operating method of claim 11 , wherein the moving the patient couch downward includes,

actuating the drive in response to the travel command during a lowering period such that the drive moves the patient couch downward and actuating the drive at least in a final period following the lowering period such that the drive moves the patient couch upward if, during the lowering period, the patient couch is moved downward to a position which is less than a minimum distance from a minimum position.

14 . The operating method of claim 13 , wherein to adjust the patient couch in the vertical direction, the drive drives a helical worm shaft and the control facility terminates the final period when the drive has rotated the worm shaft by a predetermined first angle of rotation.

15 . The operating method of claim 14 , wherein the control facility terminates the initial period when the drive has rotated the worm shaft by a predetermined second angle of rotation and the second angle of rotation is less than or equal to the first angle of rotation.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 16, 2025
From: HRUSCHKA, KLAUS; GRAF, HARALD; WEISS, LUTZ; SCHÖCKLMANN, ROLAND; WEIDNER, PAUL
To: SIEMENS HEALTHINEERS AG
Reel/Frame 071724/0430 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 10 2024 205 454.2 · Jun 13, 2024 · national
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