Patent ID: 7836531

Claim:
A patient support apparatus having a head end and a foot end comprising: a base; a frame; an elevation mechanism coupled to said base and said frame, said elevation mechanism adapted to raise and lower said frame with respect to said base; a patient support deck adapted to support a patient, said patient support deck including a pivotable head section adapted to pivot about a horizontal pivot axis oriented generally perpendicular to a direction extending from said head end of said patient support apparatus to said foot end of said patient support apparatus, said pivotable head section pivotable between a generally horizontal orientation and a raised orientation; an actuator coupled to said frame and adapted to pivot said pivotable head section about said pivot axis, said actuator including an electrical motor; a controller in electrical communication with said actuator; a foot pedal coupled to said base and moveable between a first position and a second position; an electrical link between said foot pedal and said controller, said electrical link adapted to communicate an activation signal to said controller when said foot pedal moves from said first position to said second position; a mechanical link between said foot pedal and said actuator, said mechanical link adapted to communicate mechanical motion to said actuator when said foot pedal moves from said first position to said second position; and an angle sensor adapted to detect an angular orientation of said head section and to forward the detected angular orientation of said head section to said controller, said controller adapted to compare said angle to a predetermined angle upon receiving said activation signal and to utilize the comparison in lowering said head section.