EP1530959B1 - Motorised operating table - Google Patents

Abstract

The table has a control block (7) for controlling the movement of the table and coupled to a base comprising a motor unit (8) fixed to the table. The control block controls the movement by activating or stopping the motor unit and is electrically or optically coupled with the motor unit. The control block is constituted of guide arms (6) that are fixed on respective lateral rails (3) of a platen (2). An independent claim is also included for an operating system comprising a set of operating tables.

Description

The present invention relates to a motorized operating table of the type comprising a horizontal plate for supporting a patient, provided at least in part with a side rail for accessories, said plate being fixed on a wheel-mounted frame.

The operating table of the present invention is intended in particular, but not exclusively, for surgical procedures.

During surgical operations, patients are transferred from one place to another, and more particularly from their room to the operating room where they must undergo surgery. The transfer of patients is done conventionally by means of transport trolleys which are moved manually by the medical staff. Patients are transferred from their bed to the transport cart to be taken to the operating room, where they are transferred from the transport cart to the operating table. Such patient transfers remain relatively uncomfortable and present medical staff with the risk of injury. Similarly, depending on the condition of the patient, such a transfer may also cause or aggravate the patient's injuries.

It is described in the application for European patent EP0917868 an operating table top removably connected to a wheel frame. Advantageously, the plate can be transferred successively from the mobile frame to a fixed support column, and vice versa. Although the transfer of the patient to the operating table is no longer performed by direct manipulation on the patient, the described system however requires several people to move the tray from one support to another. Such Moreover, this system has the disadvantage of being relatively unwieldy.

It is also known in the prior art trolleys comprising a motorized base. However, the systems for controlling the motor are manual control systems. The handling of such trolleys then remains relatively laborious for the medical staff by the fact of having to guide the trolley with one hand, the other hand holding the control system.

From the international patent application WO0151910 there is known a radiotherapy treatment table configured to support and position a patient during treatment and mounted on a frame comprising column means which are mounted on a movable wheel frame. The table includes a positioning and steering device for detecting the position of said table relative to a radiotherapy station and driving and directing said table to a desired position at said station in response to the measurement. of its current position. Such a table, however, has limitations in that its movement is directly conditioned by the processing equipment. In order to be moved, the treatment table must in fact necessarily be placed near the radiotherapy station.

The request for DE-2260140 door on a surgical table which includes all the features of the preamble of claim 1.

The present invention intends to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.

To do this, the present invention is of the type described in claim 1 and is remarkable, in its broadest sense, in that said table comprises a control block of the displacement of the operating table fixed on the lateral rail and coupled a base comprising an engine block attached to said operating table, said control block comprising control means for operating the operation or stopping of said motor unit.

The control block is fixed on the lateral rail removably.

Advantageously, said control block constitutes guide arms of said operating table.

Advantageously, the coupling of the control block and the motor unit is made electrically or optically.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the coupling of the control block and the motor unit is achieved by means of infrared, said motor unit comprising an infrared sensor. In such a configuration, the infrared emitted by said control block are advantageously directional, so as to have a transmission zone limited to a surface surrounding the infrared sensor of the motor unit, said surface being inscribed in the upper surface of said base.

Advantageously, the control means transmit to the engine block coded displacement orders that are not specific to said operating table. Thus, the control block, which is configured to be removably attached to the lateral rail formed around the tray of the operating table, can adapt and operate with any operating table equipped with a base comprising a block motor with which said control block can be coupled.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, said table further comprises a detector for fixing said control block on said operating table. Said fixing sensor has the function of disabling the motor unit in the absence of fixing said control block on said operating table.

Advantageously, said engine block is fixed under the support of said operating table, preferably centrally with respect to said support.

Said motor unit controls at least one of the wheels of said operating table, and preferably a wheel disposed centrally with respect to said support.

• la figure 1 illustre une vue en perspective d'une table opératoire selon l'invention ; et
• la figure 2 illustre une vue agrandie en perspective des bras de guidage selon l'invention.

The invention will be better understood from the following description, given purely for explanatory purposes, of one embodiment of the invention, with reference to the appended figures:

• the figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of an operating table according to the invention; and
• the figure 2 illustrates an enlarged perspective view of the guide arms according to the invention.

The figure 1 illustrates an operating table (1) according to the invention, intended in particular for surgical procedures.

Said operating table (1) is of the type comprising a horizontal tray (2) for supporting a patient, which is fixed on a frame (9) mounted on wheels.

Said plate (2) is advantageously formed of four parts (2a to 2d) for respectively receiving the patient's head, back, pelvis and legs. In addition, said parts (2a to 2d) are connected to each other so as to allow a respective adjustment of the inclination of each of said parts (2a to 2d).

Each part (2a to 2d) of said plate (2) is provided with lateral rails (3). Advantageously, the portions (2a and 2d) respectively constituting the front and rear of said plate (2) are also provided, respectively on their front and rear faces, with a lateral rail. Said rails thus arranged around said plate (2) allow to attach the necessary accessories to the surgeon during a surgical procedure. Said rails are in particular intended for attaching the surgeon's tools.

Said operating table (1) further comprises guide arms (6) which are respectively fixed on the side rails of the portion (2b) of said plate (2).

Said guide arms (6) constitute a control block (7) for controlling the movement of the operating table (1). To do this, said control block (7) is coupled to a base comprising a motor unit (8), said base forming part of said operating table (1). More particularly, said base, placed under the plate (2), constitutes a part of the frame supporting said plate (2).

It should be noted that, by the use of the term "displacement control", it is meant to start the engine, stop the engine and control the speed of movement of said operating table (1).

Similarly, by moving the operating table (1), the advancement or retreat thereof to move from one location to another. Thus, when the motor unit (8) is activated by means of the control block (7), the operating table (1), according to the command operated via said control block (7), will advance or retreat automatically. Stopping the motor unit will lead to stopping the automatic movement of said operating table (1). It is of course obvious that stopping said motor unit (8) will not prevent voluntary manual movement of said operating table (1).

The coupling of said control block (7) with said motor unit (8) is performed electrically or optically.

More precisely, the control block (7) is coupled with a receiver intended to receive the electrical or optical signals emitted by said control block (7), said receiver being itself connected to an on-board computer controlling said engine block (8).

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the coupling is performed optically, and advantageously by infrared. For this purpose, the motor unit (8) comprises an infrared sensor (not shown).

In order to avoid any interaction with operating tables also equipped with an engine block provided with an infrared sensor, said tables being arranged in the infrared receiving field emitted by said control block (7), the infrared emission is directive. More specifically, the emission zone is limited to a surface surrounding the infrared sensor of the engine block (8), said surface being inscribed in the upper surface of said base. More specifically, the emission zone is a conical zone whose intersection with the upper surface of the base forms the detection surface containing the infrared sensor.

The figure 2 illustrates an enlarged view of the control block of the guide arms (6) fixed on the operating table (1) of the figure 1 .

The guide arms (6) are respectively provided at one of their ends with a fastening element (10) intended to be fixed on the accessory rails surrounding said plate (2). Advantageously, the fastening elements (10) are fixed on the lateral rails (3) of the part (2b) of said plate (2).

In this embodiment, said fixing element (10) has a cavity configured to allow clipping of said fastener element on said side rail (3).

Said guide arms (6) have at their free ends a handle zone. One of the handles is advantageously provided at its end with a button of safety pivotable about an axis identical to the longitudinal axis of the handle zone. Said safety button makes it possible to activate the movement of the operating table (1) (forward or reverse), and to control its speed. In order to facilitate its handling, said safety button has an imprint substantially corresponding to the shape of the thumb of a hand.

Said guide arms are connected to each other by a transverse bar (11) which supports the control block (7) for controlling the movement of said operating table (1).

Advantageously, said operation comprises a fixing detector (not shown) of said control block (7). Thus, in the absence of attachment of said control block (7) on the side rails (3) of said plate (2), said attachment detector will disable the motor unit (9).

One of the main advantages of the present invention is to offer guide arms (6) that can be adapted to any operating table (1) equipped with a motor that can be electrically or optically coupled with said guide arms (6). As a result, it will be advantageous for the commands issued by the control block (7) to said motor block (8) to consist of coded displacement commands whose coding will not be specific to an operating table (1). Thus, in the case of a system comprising several operating tables (1), it will therefore not be necessary to provide necessarily as many guide arms (6) as operating tables (1).

The invention is described in the foregoing by way of example. It is understood that the skilled person is able to realize different variants of the invention without departing from the scope of the patent.

Claims (9)

1. Motorized operating table (1), including:

   - a horizontal platform (2) for supporting a patient and having at least in some parts a lateral rail (3) for accessories,

   - a chassis to which said platform (2) is attached, the chassis being mounted on wheels, the chassis comprising a motor unit (8) connected to at least one of the wheels of said operating table (1),

   - a base including said motor unit (8), and

   - a unit (7) for controlling the movement of the operating table (1), said control unit (7) comprising actuating means for starting and stopping said motor unit,

   characterized in that the control unit (7) is attached removably to the lateral rail (3) and coupled to the base.
2. Operating table (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that said control unit (7) constitutes arms (6) for guiding said operating table.
3. Operating table (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control unit (7) and the motor unit (8) are coupled electrically or optically.
4. Operating table (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the control unit (7) and the motor unit (8) are coupled by means of infrared, said motor unit (8) including an infrared sensor.
5. Operating table (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the infrared radiations emitted by said control unit (7) are directional and have an emission zone limited to a surface surrounding the infrared sensor of the motor unit (8), said surface being inscribed in the upper surface of said base.
6. Operating table (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the command emitted by said control unit (7) to the motor unit (8) consists of coded movement orders which are not specific to said operating table (1).
7. Operating table (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said table (1) also comprises a detector for detecting the attachment of said control unit (7) to said operating table (1), said attachment detector deactivating the motor unit (8) if said control unit (7) is not attached to said operating table (1).
8. Operating table (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said motor unit (8) is located under the platform (2) of said operating table (1), and preferably centrally with respect to said platform (2).
9. Operating table (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said motor unit (8) is connected to a wheel located centrally with respect to said platform (2).

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