Patient transfer devices allow to move patients passively in hospitals and care centers. Instead of hoisting the patient, it would be beneficial in some cases to assist their movement, enabling them to move by themselves. However, patient assistance requires devices capable of precisely controlling output forces at significantly higher speeds than those used for patient transfers alone, and a single motor solution would be over-sized and show poor efficiency to do both functions. This paper presents a dual-motor actuator and control schemes adapted for a patient mobility equipment that can be used to transfer patients, assist patient in their movement, and help prevent falls. The prototype is shown to be able to lift patients weighing up to 318 kg, to assist a patient with a desired force of up to 100 kg with a precision of 7.8%. Also, a smart control scheme to manage falls is shown to be able to stop a patient who is falling by applying a desired deceleration.

翻译：患者转移设备可在医院和护理中心被动地移动患者。在某些情况下，辅助患者运动而非将其吊起更为有益，因为这能帮助患者自主移动。然而，患者辅助需要设备能够以远高于单纯患者转移所需的速度精确控制输出力，而单电机方案将需要超大尺寸且效率低下，无法同时实现这两种功能。本文提出了一种适用于患者移动设备的双电机执行器及其控制方案，该设备可用于转移患者、辅助患者运动并帮助预防跌倒。原型机能够提升重达318公斤的患者，以7.8%的精度辅助施加高达100公斤的所需力。此外，一种用于管理跌倒的智能控制方案能够施加所需减速度来阻止正在跌倒的患者。