Several solutions are described for making it easier to move a surgical robotics patient table, either from rest or to turn it. The table has a base, a support, and a table top on which the patient is supported. A number of casters are mounted to a body of the base. In one case, controllable jacks lift the body to release the casters thereby allowing them to swivel to a desired orientation. In another case, a drive assembly is rotatably coupled to the body of the base and includes an electric drive motor and a drive wheel to drive the table across the floor. Other aspects are also described and claimed.

An emergency cot includes a litter frame, a base, and a lift assembly supporting the litter frame relative to the base. The lift assembly includes load bearing members pivotally coupled to the litter frame by head-end upper pivot connections and foot-end upper pivot connections and to the base by head-end lower pivot connections and foot-end lower pivot connections for raising or lowering the base or the litter frame with respect to the other. The foot-end upper pivot connections or head-end upper pivot connections are movable toward or away from the longitudinal axis of the litter frame to allow one end of the litter frame to be tilted upwardly.

Systems and methods for facilitating movement of a patient transport apparatus. The patient transport apparatus has a support structure comprising a patient support surface. A wheel assembly comprises a base wheel having an outer periphery rotatably coupled to the support structure about a base rotational axis. The wheel assembly also comprises a plurality of peripheral wheels disposed about the outer periphery to rotate about a plurality of peripheral rotational axes. The wheel assembly comprises a motion control device configured to selectively control rotation of the peripheral wheels independent of rotation of the base wheel about the base rotational axis.

A patient support apparatus comprises a support structure comprising a base and a patient support surface to support a patient. An actuator system facilitates movement of the patient support surface relative to a floor surface. One or more sensors are responsive to changes in position of the patient support surface caused by the actuator system. A controller is operably coupled to the one or more sensors and the actuator system. The controller is configured to operate the actuator system to move the patient support surface and to monitor the movement of the patient support surface by sensing positions of the patient support surface over time. The controller is further configured to identify a frictional load event on the actuator system during movement in a present cycle and associate the frictional load event with a sensed position of the patient support surface in the present cycle.

A patient transport apparatus for transporting a patient over a floor surface is described herein. The patient transport apparatus includes an auxiliary wheel assembly including an auxiliary wheel, an auxiliary wheel drive system, and a control system for operating the auxiliary wheel drive system based on user commands. The control system includes a processor that is programmed to receive a user command to operate the auxiliary wheel drive system in a drive mode and responsively operate a motor control circuit to transmit power signals to a motor to rotate the auxiliary wheel. The processor is also programmed to receive a user command to operate the auxiliary wheel drive system in a free wheel mode and responsively operate the motor control circuit to enable the auxiliary wheel to rotate relatively freely with the auxiliary wheel in a deployed position.

A system for loading a patient transport apparatus into a vehicle is described. The system includes a loading and unloading system including a track and a trolley supporting a receiver movable between locked and unlocked configurations. The system also includes a patient transport apparatus for attachment to the loading and unloading system including a base, a litter, and a lift mechanism to facilitate arranging the litter at different heights relative to the base with an actuator movable between fully-retracted and fully-extended configurations, a coupler for engaging the receiver to secure the patient transport apparatus, first and second sensors configured to output a first signal and second signal and a controller to determine a target lift configuration during unloading from the emergency based on first and second values and to drive the actuator to the target lift configuration to limit relative movement between the patient transport apparatus and the trolley.

A patient transport apparatus for transporting a patient over a floor surface is described herein. The patient transport apparatus includes a throttle assembly, an auxiliary wheel assembly including an auxiliary wheel, an auxiliary wheel drive system, and a control system for operating the auxiliary wheel drive system based on user commands received from the throttle assembly. The control system includes a controller configured to detect a position of the throttle assembly, determine a desired rotational speed value associated with a current operating throttle position, determine a current rotational speed of the auxiliary wheel, select an acceleration rate based on the current rotational speed of the auxiliary wheel, generate an output signal based on the selected acceleration rate, and transmit the generated output signal to the motor control circuit to operate the motor to rotate the auxiliary wheel at the selected acceleration rate.

A patient support apparatus supports a patient and includes a litter. A base is disposed below the litter. A lift mechanism is configured to move the litter and the base relative to one another between extended and collapsed positions. The lift mechanism includes first and second frame assemblies each including an outer frame member and an inner frame member arranged to move within the outer frame member. First and second rollers and first and second slide members are disposed between the outer and inner frame members. The first and second rollers are arranged to roll along at least one of the outer and inner frame members with a load exerted on the lift mechanism from the litter. The first and second slide members are arranged to slide along at least one of the outer and inner frame members with a load exerted on the lift mechanism from the base.

A patient support apparatus includes a base having a length and including a plurality of caster wheels enabling movement of the patient support apparatus across a floor surface. An auxiliary wheel support structure is secured to the base and rotatably supports at least one non-castered auxiliary wheel. A drive mechanism including a motor may be configured to drive the auxiliary wheel. A braking system including at least one brake member may be configured to apply a braking force to decelerate the auxiliary wheel and is movable between a first position wherein the at least one brake member is disengaged from the auxiliary wheel and a deployed position wherein the at least one brake member is frictionally engaged with the auxiliary wheel to restrict rotation of the auxiliary wheel. The braking system may be configured to synchronize the braking forces applied to first and second auxiliary wheels.

A person handling apparatus includes a deck with a seat section, a leg section, and a back section. The back section is pivotally mounted to the seat section. The leg section has a proximal end pivotally mounted to the seat section and a cantilevered end spaced a first distance from its proximal end. The seat section, the leg section, and the back section are arranged to lie in a common plane when the deck is in a supine configuration to support a person in a supine position. First and second leg assemblies are pivotally mounted to the deck to move between (1) first deployed positions wherein the first and second leg assemblies are angled relative to the deck when the deck is in the supine configuration to support the deck in a raised composition and (2) second deployed positions when the deck is supported in the chair configuration.