Medical support apparatus with stand assistance

• Main Author: Paul, Anish
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 27.10.2020
• Subjects: CHAIRS FOR DENTISTRY; FUNERAL DEVICES; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; OPERATING TABLES OR CHAIRS; TRANSPORT OR ACCOMODATION FOR PATIENTS

A chair includes a control system for moving the chair between seated and standing configurations to thereby help facility an occupant's egress out of, or ingress into, the chair. One or more controls are provided on the chair that enable the occupant to control the timing of when the chair's movement between the configurations starts, what speed the chair moves at, and when the chair stops. A caregiver control panel provides the caregiver with multiple options for dictating what aspects of the chair's movement between the configurations the occupant is able to control. In some embodiments, a controller dynamically adjusts the speed of the chair based on shifts in the occupant's weight during the transition between the standing and seated configurations, as detected by one or more force sensors. The force sensors may be integrated into the armrests, the seat, the backrest, a combination of these, or elsewhere.