US 11,944,577 B2
Patient transport apparatus with controlled drive member deployment
Anish Paul, Kalamazoo, MI (US); Richard A. Derenne, Portage, MI (US); Fanqi Meng, Bentonville, AR (US); Krishna Sandeep Bhimavarapu, Kalamazoo, MI (US); and Jeffrey Alan Kennedy, Kalamazoo, MI (US)
Assigned to Stryker Corporation, Kalamazoo, MI (US)
Filed by Stryker Corporation, Kalamazoo, MI (US)
Filed on Dec. 20, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/084,679.
Application 18/084,679 is a continuation of application No. 17/743,814, filed on May 13, 2022, granted, now 11,559,442.
Application 17/743,814 is a continuation of application No. 17/021,086, filed on Sep. 15, 2020, granted, now 11,357,675, issued on Jun. 14, 2022.
Application 17/021,086 is a continuation of application No. 16/222,506, filed on Dec. 17, 2018, granted, now 10,799,403, issued on Oct. 13, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/611,065, filed on Dec. 28, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2023/0118237 A1, Apr. 20, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61G 7/05 (2006.01); A61G 1/02 (2006.01); A61G 5/04 (2013.01); A61G 5/10 (2006.01); A61G 7/08 (2006.01)
CPC A61G 1/0268 (2013.01) [A61G 1/0237 (2013.01); A61G 1/0275 (2013.01); A61G 1/0287 (2013.01); A61G 5/041 (2013.01); A61G 5/1005 (2013.01); A61G 7/05 (2013.01); A61G 7/0528 (2016.11); A61G 7/08 (2013.01); A61G 2203/10 (2013.01); A61G 2203/14 (2013.01); A61G 2203/30 (2013.01); A61G 2203/32 (2013.01); A61G 2203/36 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A patient transport apparatus comprising:
a support structure including a base supporting a plurality of wheels arranged for movement along a floor surface;
a drive member coupled to the support structure and being configured to influence motion of the patient transport apparatus along the floor surface;
a drive system coupled to the drive member to drive the drive member relative to the support structure;
an actuator coupled to the support structure and to the drive member, with the actuator operable to move the drive member between a plurality of positions including a deployed position engaging the floor surface and a retracted position spaced from the floor surface;
a throttle assembly including a handle body coupled to the support structure and configured to be gripped by a user, and a throttle rotatable relative to the handle body between a neutral throttle position and one or more operating throttle positions to influence motion of the patient transport apparatus over the floor surface;
a user interface sensor coupled to the handle body of the throttle assembly and configured to generate one or more signals responsive to user engagement with the handle body of the throttle assembly; and
a controller coupled to the actuator and the user interface sensor, with the controller configured to:
operate the actuator to move the drive member to the deployed position in response to the one or more signals generated by the user interface sensor indicating user engagement with the handle body of the throttle assembly, and
operate the drive system to drive the drive member based on rotation of the throttle from the neutral throttle position to one of the one or more operating throttle positions to drive the patient transport apparatus over the floor surface.