US 11,679,045 B2
Patient transport apparatus user interface
Isaac A. Schaberg, Kalamazoo, MI (US); Daniel V. Brosnan, Kalamazoo, MI (US); Cory P. Herbst, Shelbyville, MI (US); Nathan W. Matheny, Portage, MI (US); Brandon David Naber, Portage, MI (US); Kevin M. Patmore, Plainwell, MI (US); Trey Thomas Pfeiffer, Portage, MI (US); Kelly Sandmeyer, Kalamazoo, MI (US); Melvin Gottschalk, Jr., Byron Center, MI (US); Jason Anthony Vanderplas, Kalamazoo, MI (US); Scott Zufall, Troy, MI (US); Erik P. Eagleman, Madison, WI (US); Jeffrey R. Staszak, Deerfield, WI (US); and John Wallace, Kalamazoo, MI (US)
Assigned to Stryker Corporation, Kalamazoo, MI (US)
Filed by Stryker Corporation, Kalamazoo, MI (US)
Filed on Dec. 23, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/131,957.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/954,889, filed on Dec. 30, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0196537 A1, Jul. 1, 2021
Int. Cl. A61G 5/06 (2006.01); A61G 5/10 (2006.01); A61G 5/08 (2006.01); A61G 5/02 (2006.01)
CPC A61G 5/061 (2013.01) [A61G 5/026 (2013.01); A61G 5/0891 (2016.11); A61G 5/1032 (2013.01); A61G 2203/20 (2013.01); A61G 2203/46 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A patient transport apparatus operable by a user for transporting a patient along stairs, the patient transport apparatus comprising:
a support structure;
a seat section coupled to the support structure for supporting the patient;
a track assembly extending from the support structure and having a belt for traversing stairs;
a motor coupled to the track assembly to selectively generate torque to drive the belt;
a user interface arranged for engagement by the user, the user interface having a direction input control for selecting a drive direction of the motor, and an activation input control for operating the motor to drive the belt; and
a controller in communication with the motor and the user interface, the controller being configured to limit operation of the motor in response to user engagement of the activation input control preceding user engagement of the direction input control to prevent driving the belt, and to permit operation of the motor in response to user engagement of the activation input control following user engagement of the direction input control to drive the belt in a selected drive direction; and
wherein the controller is further configured to determine a speed of the motor and, in response to determining user engagement of the direction input control occurring during operation of the motor, to delay switching the drive direction of the motor until the activation input control is disengaged and the speed of the motor is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold.