Patent ID: 8514093

Claim:
A hospital bed comprising: a frame for supporting a patient; a mechanical component attached to the frame operable to cause movement of a moving component of the bed; a crush zone defined between the frame and the moving component; a signaling device for detecting a presence of an object positioned within the crush zone said signaling device comprising, a first top sheet having a substantially planar configuration, a second bottom sheet having a substantially planar configuration, one or more spacers positioned between said first and said second sheets for maintaining said first and said second sheets a predetermined distance apart, a first conductor mounted to said first sheet, a second conductor mounted to said second sheet, a power source for establishing an electrical potential between said first conductor and said second conductor at a first level, when said first and said second sheets are maintained said predetermined distance apart, wherein, in response to said object exerting forces against a top of said first sheet or a bottom of said second sheet, resulting in physical contact of said first conductor and said second conductor, said electrical potential changes to a second level measurably different from said first level; a microprocessor on the bed configured to operably control movement of the moving component; wherein said change in electrical potential provides a signal indicative of the presence of an object within the crush zone to the microprocessor and wherein the microprocessor is configured to generate an output signal in response to the signal.