Pendent with safety features for patient handling apparatus

摘要

The application describes a control pendant for controlling a multi-segment patient table to assume a variety of different positions or configurations. The pendant has safety features including automatic shutoff of power to the keys under selected conditions and backlighting of the keys when power is being supplied (e.g., when keys are operational) to provide improved visibility in low-light environments. The control pendant further has an ergonomically effective shape and key board layout. An icon representing the table and its segments is located on the keyboard, and the keyswitches are arranged with respect to the icon to facilitate rapid and accurate visual identification of keys which operate particular table segments.