There is provided an extendable and retractable gurney mountable to a rescue vehicle and configured to receive and hold a rescue basket thereon. The gurney has a base for fixed mounting to a floor area of the rescue vehicle. The gurney has a rescue basket cradle that slides (relative to the base) outward from a stowed configuration on a rescue vehicle to an extended configuration to receive a rescue basket, and then moves back inward to a stowed configuration in the emergency vehicle. Rollers are arrayed along a side of a longitudinally extending slat to facilitate rolling contact with an underside of a rescue basket, when it is placed on the cradle, thereby allowing the basket to be readily moved into appropriate position on the cradle for securing it to, and immobilizing it on, the gurney.

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 deployable gurney ramp assembly with a retractable ramp deployment apparatus having two deployment tracks extending parallel, parallel first and second base tracks terminating in stops, the deployment tracks slidably engage the base tracks, with ramp guides slidably pivotally engaging a ramp at the end permitting the ramp to pivot when raised or lowered. Extension devices are utilized to advance the deployment ramps and the ramp guides.

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 method and an alignment system which auto-levels and/or auto-centers a loading platform (104) to load and unload a wheeled stretcher (106) to and from an emergency transport vehicle (100) are disclosed. A controller (114) of the alignment system receives a command to extend the loading platform from the emergency vehicle and extends the loading platform under power from the emergency transport vehicle. The controller recognizes an approaching wheeled stretcher, and aligns automatically the loading platform with a leading edge of the approaching wheeled stretcher to compensate automatically for any alignment issues between the loading platform and loading wheels (130) of the wheeled stretcher.

In one embodiment, a cot loading and unloading system includes a fixed rail having a track, wherein the fixed rail is operable to be fixed to a floor, and a carriage directly coupled to the track and operable to travel along the fixed rail on the track, wherein the carriage is further operable to travel to an extended position such that at least a portion of the carriage extends beyond a length of the fixed rail.

In one embodiment, a system includes a cot loading and unloading system having a fixed rail including a track, wherein the fixed rail is operable to be fixed to a floor, a carriage having a carriage wireless chip, wherein the carriage is coupled to the track and operable to travel along the fixed rail on the track, and a master controller having a master wireless chip. The system further includes a cot having a cot wireless chip. The master wireless chip is operable to transmit a broadcast address to the cot, and the cot wireless chip is operable to receive the broadcast address and transmit a cot address signal. The carriage wireless chip is operable to receive the cot address signal and transmit a strength signal based on the cot address signal. The master controller receives the strength signal from the carriage wireless chip.

In one embodiment, a carriage of a cot loading and unloading system includes a plurality of wheels for engaging a track defined by a fixed rail of the cot loading and unloading system, a power drive assembly operable to drive the carriage to travel along the track of the fixed rail, and a pair of lift arms for supporting a cot.

In one embodiment a support beam for supporting a carriage of a cot loading and unloading system includes a support beam member operable to translate within a fixed rail that is fixed to a vehicle, and operable to support the carriage beyond a length of the fixed rail when the support beam is in an extended position.

In one embodiment, a carriage of a cot loading and unloading system, the carriage includes a plurality of wheels for engaging a track defined by a fixed rail of the cot loading and unloading system, wherein the carriage is operable to travel to an end of the fixed rail such that a portion of the carriage extends beyond a length of the track, and a pair of load arms for supporting a cot.