A power ambulance cot having a cot control system operably connected to a cot actuation system to control independent raising and lowering of front and back legs thereof, and which detects a presence of a signal requesting a change in elevation of a support frame thereof and causes the cot actuation system to raising or the lowering of the front and/or back legs automatically upon detecting a condition during loading/unloading a patient from an emergency vehicle or transporting the patient up or down an escalator and methods thereafter are disclosed.

The invention relates to a control and to a method for controling rollers (2) mounted on a movable part such as, for example, a hospital bed (1), wherein one, several or all of the rollers (2) have a brake mechanism which can be set to a brake position and a release position, further preferably also to a direction-setting position, wherein, further, all the rollers (2) can be actuated electrically and one or several or all of the rollers (2) can in addition be actuated manually, and wherein, furthermore, an additional roller (3) with a wheel having a travel drive is provided, which additional roller (3) is preferably movable between a lowered position and a raised position. In order to obtain an advantageous control of the rollers in combination with the additional roller and also to provide an advantageous control method for this purpose, it is proposed that the travel drive can be activated only when the rollers (2) are located in the release position or the direction-setting position.

Patient transport apparatus with defined transport height comprises a support structure and a litter that are interconnected by a lift mechanism. The support structure comprises a base frame and a plurality of articulable support members or legs. The litter comprises a litter frame and a patient support surface with articulating back and leg sections. The lift mechanism may comprise one or more actuators configured to raise and lower the litter between a lowered position and one or more defined raised positions. The Patient transport apparatus may further comprise a controller coupled to one or more sensors and the lift mechanism. The controller may be configured to define a transport height for the litter based, at least in part, on a characteristic detected by the one or more sensors, and to manipulate the lift mechanism to adjust the litter to the defined transport height.

A patient transport apparatus comprises a support structure. The support structure comprises a base, a frame, and a patient support surface to support a patient. The patient transport apparatus also includes a first and a second caster assembly respectively coupled to the support structure to facilitate movement of the support structure along a floor surface, with the first caster assembly comprising a first brake assembly and the second caster assembly comprising a second brake assembly. The patient transport apparatus also includes an actuator assembly operatively coupling the first and second brake assemblies, with the actuator assembly comprising a first and second actuator respectively operatively coupled to the first and second brake assemblies. The actuator assembly further comprises a cable assembly interconnecting the first and second actuator that places the operatively coupled first and second brake assemblies in the braked state or the unbraked state.

A power ambulance cot having a cot control system operably connected to a cot actuation system to control independent raising and lowering of front and back legs thereof, and which detects a presence of a signal requesting a change in elevation of a support frame thereof and causes the cot actuation system to raising or the lowering of the front and/or back legs automatically upon detecting a condition during loading/unloading a patient from an emergency vehicle or transporting the patient up or down an esculator and methods thereafter are disclosed.

An electrically actuated wheeled stretcher system which is adapted to provide electrically actuated raising or lowering of a stretcher mounted on a gurney. The system is primarily composed of a stretcher and a gurney, and may be used to transport patients and load and unload the patients by automated transfer of the stretcher from the gurney to other medical equipment, for example, a hyperbaric chamber, and automated transfer from the other medical equipment back on to the gurney. The system further includes an additional electrically actuated fifth wheel configured to provide smoother turning and rotation in place of the system. The system further includes continuous treatment items, such as intravenous fluid and medical gasses to travel with the system.

Roll-in cots having wheel alignment mechanisms. According to one embodiment, a roll-in cot includes a support frame, a pair of legs pivotably and slidably coupled to the support frame, and a pair of hinge members that are pivotably coupled to the support frame and to one of the legs. The roll-in cot also includes a wheel linkage pivotably coupled to the pair of legs and a wheel alignment mechanism. The legs and the hinge members pivot relative to one another in a relative angular rotation ratio and the wheel alignment mechanism rotates the wheel alignment mechanism relative to the hinge members at a reduction ratio. The relative angular rotation ratio of the legs and the hinge members is approximately inverse to the reduction ratio of the wheel alignment mechanism.

A directional wheel lock assembly includes, a pedal, a linking rod coupled to the pedal such that the pedal is configured to be offset from a wheel, an actuation plunger comprising an upper opening, an actuation pin disposed through the upper opening of the actuator plunger, wherein the linking rod is coupled to an end of the actuation pin. The directional wheel lock assembly further includes an actuation plate having a recess and an opening within the recess, wherein the actuation plunger is positioned within the opening, and a wheel lock plate comprising a lock opening. The wheel lock plate is operable to be coupled to a wheel.

A handle assembly for a cot includes a handle body configured to be attached to a cot, a handle actuator slidably coupled to the handle body, a first link arm and a second link arm pivotally attached to a surface of the handle body at a pivot point, wherein the second link arm is slidably coupled to the handle actuator, an actuator assembly, wherein a first end of the actuator assembly is coupled to the first link arm, and a locking linkage assembly including a locking pin, wherein a second end of the actuator assembly is coupled to the locking linkage assembly. When the handle actuator is pulled, the first link arm and the second link arm rotate about the pivot point to pull the actuator assembly and transition the locking pin from an extended state to a retracted state to enable a changing of a length of the cot.

A fastener post assembly for securing an emergency cot to a fastener of an emergency vehicle includes a rear plate, a front plate, a post body comprising a post and a pair of arms, a first locking tab and a second locking tab, each of the first locking tab comprising a hook at a first end, and an actuator body. The rear plate is secured to the front plate such that the pair of arms, the first locking tab, the second locking tab, and the actuator body are disposed between the rear plate and the front plate. The first locking tab and the second locking tab are pivotally coupled to the rear plate such that they are inwardly biased toward each other. Movement of the actuator body in a direction toward the post body outwardly pivots the first locking tab and the second locking tab away from each other.