WO2007003350A1

WO2007003350A1 - Patient transporting device for passenger vehicles

Info

Publication number: WO2007003350A1
Application number: PCT/EP2006/006343
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kai-Uwe Umbach; Hans-Christian Ahrenstorf; Arnd Bielefeld; Bernhard Falk
Original assignee: Lufthansa Technik Ag
Priority date: 2005-07-01
Filing date: 2006-06-30
Publication date: 2007-01-11
Also published as: EP1738731A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a patient transporting device for passenger vehicles, particularly passenger aircraft. Said passenger transporting device can be mounted above rows of seats and comprises a basic frame (10) with substantially vertical or inclined supports (4, 5), said basic frame (10) being adjustably fixed to vehicle seat rails, and a reclining device that is provided with a supporting structure (8) and removable fixing elements, by means of which the reclining device can be fastened to the basic frame. The fixing elements are fitted with sheet metal corner plates (11) for deflecting horizontal forces from the supporting structure of the reclining device to the substantially vertical supports (4, 5) of the basic frame. Said sheet metal corner plates (11) extend into the clear space of the transporting device between the supporting structure (8) and the substantially vertical supports (4, 5) while being fixed to the supporting structure (8) and the substantially vertical supports, the sheet metal corner plates (11) reducing the clear space of the transporting device between the supporting structure (8) and the substantially vertical supports (4, 5) by a maximum of 10 percent. The invention further relates to an adapter for joining a reclining device of a patient transporting device to a supporting frame and/or a basic frame. Said adapter encompasses at least two fastening mechanisms for selectively fixing the adapter to at least two different supporting frames and/or basic frames.

Description

Patient transport device for passenger vehicles

The invention relates to a patient transport device for passenger vehicles, in particular passenger aircraft, which can be set up over rows of seats, with a base frame with substantially vertical or oblique supports, which is adjustably fixed to seat rails of the passenger vehicle or aircraft, and with a reclining device with a support structure and releasable fixing elements with which the reclining device can be fixed to the base frame. Another object of the invention is an adapter for connecting a lying device of a patient transport device with a support frame and / or base frame.

For ambulance transport of patients in the air, there are specially equipped ambulance aircraft. These aircraft often have special carrying frames for receiving stretchers. These carriers are then used both for transporting patients into and out of the aircraft and as couch surfaces during the flight. If a patient requires intensive care during a flight, the stretcher may be transferred from this support frame to a so-called Intensive Care Unit aboard the aircraft.

It is also known to use commercial passenger aircraft for patient transport. To install Intensive Care Units (also called medical units) rows of seats must be removed, the Medivaeeinheit as a mobile intensive care unit is then inserted into the seat rails on the aircraft floor and locked there. For the transport of patients without intensive care one tries, however, to avoid the elaborate expansion of the seats. In a standard economy seat configuration, the seat backrests of the seats are folded forward and the stretchers are placed over the seats. A base frame is placed between two seats in the seat rails. kert and picks up on the seats arranged stretcher. The problem is that in a tightly-seated economy configuration between two seats only little space for a base is available, but on the other hand, must have a sufficient height to bridge the seats. Another problem is that, depending on the seat distance and type of seat, the folded-down backrest projects beyond the rear seat leg of the seat in front of it. An assembled stretcher with a patient lying on top of it must withstand a load factor of 9g for aviation approval.

From EP 0 885 604 B1 a patient transport device is known, which is constructed very expensive.

The invention has for its object to provide a patient transport device of the type mentioned, which is easy to handle and inexpensive. According to another aspect of the invention, a possibility is to be created for easily umzubetten a patient on a reclining device (stretcher), for example, from a support frame to a Medivaeeinheit.

According to a first aspect of the invention, a patient transport device of the type mentioned is provided, which is characterized in that the fixing elements gussets for deriving horizontal forces from the support structure of the reclining device in the substantially vertical or oblique supports of the base frame, which in the light space of Transport means between the support structure and substantially vertical or oblique supports and are fastened to the support structure and the substantially vertical or oblique supports, wherein the light space of the transport means between the support structure and substantially vertical supports through the gusset plates is reduced by at most 10%.

First, some terms used in the invention are explained. The patient transport device according to the invention permits the transport of patients in passenger vehicles, such as rail vehicles or buses, in particular in aircraft. It can be set up over rows of seats. This means that it can be mounted without first having the passenger seats in the area where the Assembly should be done, must be removed. The lying device with the lying surface is arranged above the seats, where possibly the backrest can be folded forward to reduce the seat height.

The patient transport device has a base frame. The term base frame is to be understood functionally and includes any device that carries the lying device of the lying surface above the rows of seats and in particular during acceleration and deceleration (takeoff or landing) acting on the couch device forces can be diverted into the floor of the vehicle or aircraft. The base frame has for this purpose substantially vertical or oblique supports. "Essentially vertical or oblique" in the context of the invention is not limited to supports that enclose an angle of 90 ° with the vehicle or aircraft floor. Rather, it should be expressed by this feature that the vertical or oblique supports project from the reclining device between two seats or two rows of seats down to the vehicle or aircraft floor, without being hindered by the arranged below the reclining seats. The lying device has a support structure, which may be, for example, a frame of a stretcher. By means of releasable fixing elements, the reclining device can be fastened to the base frame. The term fixation includes in the context of the invention, those components that occur for the derivation of, for example, when starting and landing of an aircraft high acceleration forces in the horizontal direction (approximately parallel to the lying surface) of the reclining device or its support structure in the base frame. In the prior art according to EP 0 885 604 B1, additional oblique struts (reference numeral 19 in FIG. 1 of this document) are provided for deriving these acceleration forces, which are disadvantageous in several respects. They complicate and increase the cost of construction and assembly and in particular severely limit the available clear space below the lying device. Under the light space of the transport device between the support structure and the essential vertical supports is that space to understand that is available in the assembled state to accommodate on the vehicle floor below the lying device remaining parts such as seats. In the prior art according to EP 0 885 604 B1, this reduction of the clearance through the truss struts 19 is tolerated, but then forced to construct the base frame so that the vertical supports only span a row of seats. Since the seat pitch of an economy configuration is usually 80 cm or less, the base frame in the longitudinal direction of the aircraft can also span only this length. However, a long lying area (typically at least 1.90 m) must be arranged on this very short base frame, which is structurally complex. In addition, the vertical supports, which are arranged relatively centrally in the longitudinal direction of the lying device, disturb a doctor who wishes to approach the patient on the lying device.

According to the invention, therefore, provision is made for the power to be dissipated from the reclining device or its support structure into the base frame with the aid of so-called gusset plates. The term gusset plate is to be understood functionally and designates those parts or regions of the fixing elements which project into the clearance between the support structure and substantially vertical or oblique supports. According to the invention, it is provided that this free light space, i. the available space, from which massive parts, such as seats, can protrude from underneath, through which gusset plates are reduced by a maximum of 10%. The light space enclosed by the lying device and the substantially vertical supports of the base frame (the light space in the longitudinal direction of the patient transport device is preferably meant here) is thus only slightly limited. The base frame can be designed so that the vertical supports in the longitudinal direction have a much greater distance and span, for example, two economy rows of seats. A maximum of 10% reduction of the clearance space means that it is limited by at most the corresponding proportion, compared to the state without these gusset plates, in which the clearance is defined by the reclining device or its support structure and the substantially vertical supports.

The determination of the light space is carried out in the context of the invention by the following procedure. The lying device or its support structure and the substantially vertical supports include a rectangle in the longitudinal direction, the area of which is defined as 100. Without the gusset plates provided according to the invention, the clearance would also amount to 100 or its restriction 0%, because from below (ie from the floor of the aircraft cabin) this clearance could be completely filled, for example, by upwardly projecting seat parts. The gusset plates provided according to the invention protrude into the upper two corners of the rectangle and thereby reduce that portion, the area of the rectangle, which is freely accessible from below. Li this surface portion of the rectangle can not protrude from below towering seat parts or the like, since they would collide with the gusset plates. An at most 10% reduction in the clearance means that the area defined as 100 of the rectangle defined by the reclining device or its support structure and the substantially vertical supports in the longitudinal direction is reduced by the gusset plates to at most 90.

Preferably, the light space is reduced by at most 8%, more preferably at most 5%, more preferably at most 3%.

The gusset plates are preferably designed so that the power dissipation into the basic frame is not punctiform but surface. For example, a plurality of fastening points of the gusset plate may be provided on the supporting structure of the lying device and / or the vertical supports of the base frame. In a preferred embodiment, a gusset plate may at least partially support either the support structure of the lying device or preferably the substantially vertical or oblique supports of the base frame. preferably form-fitting) embrace.

At the substantially vertical or oblique supports a positioning device may be arranged, which has a lower stop for the support at least partially embracing fastening means or forms. This facilitates the mounting of the reclining device on the base frame, since after the attachment of the gusset plates they are held in the intended mounting position before the final attachment by the positioning device. In addition, it is advantageous if the positioning device has a clamping device for clampingly receiving at least part of the lower edge of the attachment at least partially surrounding the support. This clamping device can, for example, include a space narrowing in the direction of attachment of the gusset plate between the vertical support and the inner edge and thus guide and clamp the lower edge of the fastening device of the gusset plate. The vertical supports of the base frame and the support structure of the lying device may have continuous casting profiles, in particular aluminum extruded sections, with undercut grooves. In these grooves, sliding blocks can be arranged with threaded holes, which serve to fasten the gusset plates to the support structure of the lying device and / or the substantially vertical or oblique supports. Such continuous casting profiles are produced commercially in large quantities and are therefore very inexpensive as standard parts. The gusset plate may be bolted to both the support structure of the reclining device and the vertical supports in the manner mentioned. It is advantageous, however, if the gusset plate is bolted to only one of these two assemblies and for attachment to the other module (preferably on the vertical or oblique columns) the support at least partially embracing attachment means and the support itself with each other in the mounting state aligned holes for receiving at least one Verrieglungsstifllt have. Since the fastening device already embraces the support in a form-fitting manner, a secure connection can be established by means of one, possibly by means of two locking pins.

As already explained above, a patient transport device according to the invention is usually set up in commercial passenger aircrafts in the area of the economy cabin. According to a further particularly advantageous aspect of the invention, the substantially vertical or oblique supports of the base frame relative to the support structure 8 are horizontally adjustable. This horizontal adjustability makes it possible to change the horizontal distance between the vertical supports to each other in the longitudinal direction of the patient transport device. In this way, a particularly simple adaptation to different seat distances in the aircraft is possible because the vertical or oblique supports can always be fitted regardless of the seat configuration and the seat spacing by the horizontal adjustability in a space between two rows of seats.

It is particularly advantageous if the horizontal positioning of vertical or oblique supports and support structure can be determined during placement. In this procedure, first the vertical or oblique supports in the Aufhahmeschienen mounted on the floor of the aircraft between the rows of seats. Subsequently, the support structure is placed with the reclining device from above on the vertical supports and the node plates arranged thereon. Advantageously, by this placement or lowering of the support structure on the vertical supports and the node plates arranged thereon, a form-locking connection is produced which fixes the vertical or inclined supports and the support structure lowered thereon relative to one another and secures them against displacement. For example, the support structure may have two or more downwardly facing recesses which are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the reclining device and may optionally be inserted into an associated projection on the vertical supports or the gusset plates from above. The horizontal position to each other is fixed in this embodiment at the moment of placement and can then be moved only by lifting the support structure and changed touchdown. The particular advantage of this embodiment lies in the fact that the patient transport device according to the invention already acquires basic stability at the moment of placement of the support structure with lying device on the vertical supports by entering into the form-locking connection. Since a backup against horizontal displacement to each other is done here only by the weight of the support structure, reclining device and possibly aufeinandergelagertem patient, an additional releasable locking of the support structure is preferably provided on the vertical or oblique columns and the gusset plates arranged thereon. These may be, for example, locking pins or the like.

The described embodiment of the invention offers significant advantages. If, due to the design of a patient transport device, the vertical or oblique supports must have a fixed horizontal distance to each other (in the longitudinal direction of the couch and thus of the aircraft), it must be checked prior to installation whether the seating configuration of the aircraft is to fit the vertical supports between Rows of seats allows. If necessary, rows of seats must be moved or removed before assembly.

In contrast, in the described variant of the invention, it is possible to initially install the vertical or oblique columns between rows of seats, without the to check exact seating distances and configurations beforehand. The resulting depending on the type of aircraft and air different resulting horizontal distances of the vertical or oblique columns is then taken into account when placing the support structure with reclining device by the invention according to the invention variable horizontal positinability to each other.

Another object of the invention is an adapter for connecting a lying device of a patient transport device with a support frame or base frame. This adapter can be used in the context of a patient transport device according to the invention, but can also be used independently of this for connecting other couch devices or carrying other base frames.

According to the invention it is provided that this adapter has a fastening device for fixing the lying device, in addition, at least two fastening devices are provided for selectively fastening the adapter to at least two different supporting and / or base frames. With the help of an adapter according to the invention, a reclining device can be easily mounted on different bases, so it is, for example, the transfer of a passenger from a support frame to a Medi vaeeinheit or in an ambulance possible loan, without the patient has to be reburded on another couch. Preferably, the at least two different fastening devices for selective attachment to the different support and / or base frames selected from the group consisting of:

a) horizontal pins for receiving the lying device in a receptacle according to DIN 13025,

b) a carrying handle for receiving the reclining device in a NATO sitter frame,

c) fittings for positive insertion into a receptacle of the support and / or base frame,

d) pin receptacles for receiving locking pins. The horizontal pins for receiving the reclining device in a Aufhahmewanne gem. For example, DIN 13025 can serve to accommodate the reclining device in a standard ambulance, which have such Aufwahmewannen. The pins are horizontal, that is, they extend substantially parallel to the lying surface.

The NATO forces frequently use so-called NATO carriers for transporting ambulances, which have handles with which the NATO stretcher can simultaneously be deployed and stored in a so-called NATO sitter's rack. The adapter according to the invention can likewise have such a carrying handle.

A third variant is a fitting for positive insertion into a receptacle of the support and / or base frame. Such recordings are often found for example on Medivaeeinheiten. Finally, it is also possible to provide pin receptacles for receiving locking pins.

At least one of the at least two fastening devices is preferably detachably connected to the adapter. In this way, this fastening device can only be attached to the adapter when it is actually needed.

The insertion of a reclining device in a NATO litter frame is cumbersome because the end pieces of the carrying handles must be lifted into corresponding receptacles of the litter frame. According to the invention, it can be provided that the carrying handle has a roller at its end region pointing away from the lying device. This facilitates the insertion into the litter frame substantially, since with the help of the rollers, the lying device can be inserted into the frame. In a further embodiment, the Förmstück for positively inserting a receptacle of the support and / or base frame additionally have a role that also offers the possibility of insertion into the corresponding receptacle.

Embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the drawing. Show: Figure 1: Schematically a patient transport device according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view of the gusset plate;

FIG. 3 shows a detailed view of the positioning plate;

Figure 4: an inventive adapter piece;

Fig. 5 to 8: schematically different installation situations using the adapter according to the invention.

FIG. 9 shows schematically the determination of the light space according to the invention

Figure 10 and 11: an embodiment of the invention, in which a horizontal adjustability of supporting structure of the lying device on the one hand and vertical supports on the other hand is present;

FIG. 12 shows a section through the embodiment of FIG. 10.

FIG. 1 schematically shows an overall view of a patient transport device according to the invention. The basic frame designated overall by 1 has locking elements 2 which can be anchored in the seat rails at the bottom of a conventional passenger aircraft. These fasteners 2 carry a transverse

Continuous casting profile 3, which is formed as a double profile and on which the vertical supports 4, 5 are fixed. The vertical supports 4, 5 are stabilized by a diagonal strut 6 and a cross brace 7.

The connection of the individual parts of the base frame with each other and with the still to be explained support structure of the Liegeernrichtung carried by connecting plates which are screwed to arranged in the grooves of the extruded profile sliding blocks. The lying device has a support structure which is ordered from four continuous casting profiles 8 connected at the ends via a corner. The support structure carries a lying surface 9, which may be designed to be adjustable within the scope of the invention. The support structure rests on the upper sides of the vertical or oblique supports 4, 5 and is supported by mounting plates 10. However, these mounting plates are not sufficient to derive the occurring during flight high acceleration or deceleration forces or occurring in possible accidents forces safely on the base frame in the aircraft floor.

According to the invention, therefore, additional gusset plates 11 are provided, which are shown in a single view in FIG. The gusset plate has an elongated region 12 with a plurality of holes, by means of which it is screwed to the inside of the profiles 8 of the support structure of the lying device. In the grooves of these extruded profiles 9 are for this purpose the previously described sliding blocks with threaded holes. For connection to the vertical or inclined supports 4, 5, the gusset plate on a region 13 which surrounds the supports 4, 5 from three sides form fit. A bore 14 in the mounted state is aligned with a corresponding bore in the vertical supports 4 and 5, respectively, so that these aligned bores can receive a locking pin.

The lower edge of the region 13 of the gusset plate 11 abuts in the mounted state on a positioning plate 15 which is mounted on the vertical supports 4, 5. This positioning plate 15 has a clamping device indicated at 16 (FIG. 3) in the form of a clamping plate 16 extending in a curve from the vertical supports 4, 5. The clamping plate 16 includes between itself and the associated vertical support 4, 5 a narrowing due to the curve gap in which the lower edge of the region 13 is clamped and held.

For mounting the patient transport device according to the invention, the fastening elements 2 of the base frame are anchored to the aircraft floor, for example between two rows of seats. In the light space between the base frame and the support structure of the lying device, the rows of seats (preferably with Vorklappter back- rest), disassembly is not required. The gusset plates 11 scarcely restrict this clearance, but can absorb the forces required for aviation certification and transmit them to the base frame.

FIG. 4 shows schematically an adapter according to the invention. This has a base plate 17, which serves for attachment to the support structure of a reclining device. Vertical uprights of the base plate 18 serve to secure anchoring of the base plate 17 on a second surface of the support structure.

The base plate 17 carries on its side facing away from the support structure underside of a rail 19 in which various fasteners for attachment to different support and / or base racks can be used. A carrying handle 20 is inserted into this rail 19 and locked therein by means of a locking pin 21. The carrying handle 20 is used for manual carrying and for receiving the lying device in a NATO litter frame. A roller 22 on the side facing away from the reclining end portion of the carrying handle 20 facilitates insertion into a NATO litter frame.

The reference numeral 23 denotes a shaped piece for positive insertion into a receptacle of the support and / or base frame. A roller 24 arranged thereon can facilitate the insertion. The reference numeral 25 denotes a pin receptacle for receiving a locking pin 26th

The fourth attachment is a horizontal pin for receiving in a receiving tray according to DIN 13025. This pin is not visible in Figure 4, it extends parallel to the base plate 17 of the fitting 23 and will be explained in more detail below.

FIG. 5 shows the use of the adapter for fastening a lying device on a so-called medivae unit by means of the pin receivers 25. The adapter is mounted on the underside of the support structure 8 of a lying device. The pin holder 25 and the pin 26 lock the adapter with a corresponding device 27 which is arranged on the Medivaeeinheit. FIG. 6 shows the mounting of the lying device in a so-called NATO litter frame using the carrying handles 20. The lying device is mounted in rails 28 of this litter frame. The lateral insertion is facilitated by the rollers 22.

Figure 7 shows the holder on a Medivaeeinheit means of the fittings 23. These are positively against corresponding mating pieces 29, 30 of the recording and are held therein.

FIG. 8 shows the use of the adapter for fastening the lying device in a receptacle according to DIN 13025. Here one recognizes the horizontal pin 31, by means of which the lying device is inserted into the associated receptacle 32 standardized according to DIN 13025.

Figure 9 shows schematically the determination of the clearance of the transport device between the support structure and the vertical supports 4, 5. The vertical supports 4, 5 and the support structure 8 span a rectangle whose area is set equal to 100. The surface of the rectangle is reduced by the gusset plates 11 (shown hatched here). As long as this hatched reduction of the rectangular area is 10% or less (the area of the rectangle is thus restricted to at most 90%), the light space is restricted by only 10% or less.

The light space in the sense of the invention is only that space which is freely accessible from below for protruding parts such as seats. In the comparative example shown in FIG. 9, there are two diagonal struts which restrict the light space to 25. This variant serving merely for explanation is not erfϊndungsgemäß.

Figure 10 shows schematically an embodiment of the invention, in which the lying device can be placed in horizontally different positions on the vertical supports 4, 5. A vertical support 4 carries on both sides two gusset plates 11 (see FIG. 11). In the representation of FIG. 10, only one of these gusset plates 11 is shown for better visibility. The gusset plates 11 are attached to the vertical supports 4 in the manner described above.

In the upper region, two gusset plates 11 enclose between them two horizontally spaced-apart guide blocks 33. In the longitudinal direction of the lying device, each guide block 33 has a guide groove which can be seen in FIG. The guide groove 34 has at the respective ends a crosspiece indicated at 35.

To assemble the lying device on the vertical supports 4, 5, a total of 36 designated Abdaptereinrichtung is placed on each of the supports 4, 5. This adapter device has an upper, horizontal adapter plate 37 which serves for connection to the couch device or its support structure 8. For reasons of better representability, the support structure 8 is not shown in FIGS. 10 to 12.

At the bottom of the adapter plate 37 two spaced apart vertical webs 38 are arranged. These vertical webs 38 can be inserted into the grooves 34 in a form-fitting manner. In this case, a positioning takes place such that the raised transverse web 35 engages at the end of each groove 34 in a lower recess 39 of the vertical web 38. In this way, the adapter device 36 is fixed immediately after placement by its own weight and secured against further horizontal displacement of the vertical web 38 in the groove 34.

An additional fixation after placement is done by inserting locking pins 39.

The adapter plate 37 has on its underside additionally a rail 40 (see FIG. 12), which serves to receive an additional carrying handle 20. The attachment of the carrying handle 20 in the rail 40 is carried out in exactly the same manner as in connection with the figure 4 for attachment in the rail 19. The embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 10 to 12 makes it possible to mount a lying device on in each case two pairs of vertical supports 4, 5 which are set up at variable horizontal distances from one another.

Claims

claims

1. Patient transport device for passenger vehicles, in particular passenger aircraft, which can be set up over rows of seats, with a base frame (10) with substantially vertical or oblique supports (4,5), which is fixed to adjustable seat rails of the vehicle, and with a reclining device with a support structure (8) and releasable fixing elements, with which the lying device can be fixed to the base frame, characterized in that the fixing dementer node plates (11) for deriving horizontal forces from the support structure of the lying device in the substantially vertical or oblique supports (4, 5) of the base frame, which projects into the light space of the transport device between the support structure (8) and substantially vertical or oblique supports (4, 5) and can be fastened to the support structure (8) and the substantially vertical or oblique supports, the light space of the

Transport device between the support structure (8) and substantially vertical or inclined supports (4, 5) through the gusset plates (11) is reduced by at most 10%.

2. Patient transport device according to claim 1, characterized in that the clearance of the transport device between the support structure (8) and substantially vertical or oblique supports (4, 5) through the gusset plates (11) by at most 8%, preferably at most 5%, more preferably less than 3%.

3. Patient transport device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the fastening device (13) for attachment of the gusset plates (11) on the substantially vertical or oblique supports these supports (4, 5) at least partially surrounds.

4. Patient transport device according to claim 3, characterized in that on the substantially vertical or oblique supports (4, 5) a positioning device (15) is arranged, which has a lower stop for the support we- at least partially encompassing fastening device (13).

5. Patient transport device according to claim 4, characterized in that the positioning device (15) comprises a clamping device (11) for clamping receiving at least a portion of the lower edge of the support at least partially embracing fastening means.

6. Patient transport device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the substantially vertical or oblique supports (4, 5) of the base frame and the support structure (8) of the reclining device continuously cast profiles with undercut grooves.

7. Patient transport device according to claim 6, characterized in that in the undercut grooves Nutensteine are arranged with threaded holes, the attachment of the gusset plates (11) on the support structure (8) of the lying device and / or the essential vertical or oblique supports (4, 5 ) serve.

8. Patient transport device according to one of the claims 4 to 7, characterized gε- indicates that the support (4, 5) at least partially embracing fastening means (13) and the support aligned holes (14) for receiving at least one locking pin.

9. Patient transport device according to one of claims 1 to 8, character- ized in that the substantially vertical or oblique supports (4, 5) relative to the support structure (8) are horizontally adjustable.

10. Patient transport device according to claim 9, characterized in that for the horizontal adjustability of the vertical or oblique supports (4, 5) relative to the support structure (8) this support structure (8) on the one hand and the vertical or oblique supports (4, 5) and the On the other hand arranged thereon node plates (11) on the other hand can assume a positive connection with each other in at least two horizontally shifted positions, by Lowering of the support structure (8) on the vertical or oblique supports (4, 5) and the gusset plates (11) arranged thereon can be produced.

11. Patient transport device according to claim 10, characterized in that an additional releasable locking of the support structure (8) on the vertical or oblique supports (4, 5) and the node plates (11) arranged thereon is provided.

12. Adapter for connecting a lying device of a patient transport device with a support frame and / or base frame, characterized by the following features:

a) a fastening device (17, 18) for fastening the adapter to the lying device,

b) at least two fastening devices for selectively securing the adapter to at least two different support and / or base frames.

13. An adapter according to claim 12, characterized in that the at least two fastening means for selectively fixing the adapter to at least two different support and / or base frames are selected from the group consisting of:

a) horizontal pins (31) for receiving the lying device in one

Receptacle according to DIN 13025,

b) a carrying handle (20) for receiving the reclining device in a NATO litter frame,

c) shaped pieces (23) for positive insertion into a receptacle of the support and / or base frame, d) pin receptacles (25) for receiving locking pins (26).

14. An adapter according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that at least one of the at least two fastening means for selectively fastening the adapter to at least two different support and / or base racks is releasably connected to the adapter.

15. An adapter according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that the carrying handle (20) for receiving the lying device in a NATO litter frame at its end facing away from the lying device end portion a roller (22).

16. An adapter according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that the shaped piece (23) for positive insertion into a receptacle of the support <■> and / or base frame additionally has a roller (24).