Person support apparatuses with noise cancellation

• US 10,339,911 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2017
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stryker Corporation
• Original Assignee: Stryker Corporation
• Inventors: Bhimavarapu, Krishna Sandeep, Sweeney, Christopher Ryan, Childs, William Dwight
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thang V
• Application Number:
  US15/800,316
• Publication Number:
  US 20180122358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 608 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/178 by electro-acoustically regenerating the original acoustic waves in anti-phase
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/17837 by retaining part of the ambient acoustic environment, e.g. speech or alarm signals that the user needs to hear
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/108 Communication systems, e.g. where useful sound is kept and noise is cancelled
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/1081 Earphones, e.g. for telephones, ear protectors or headsets
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3011 Single acoustic input
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3044 Phase shift, e.g. complex envelope processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1008 Earpieces of the supra-aural or circum-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2400/00 Loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2410/05 Noise reduction with a separate noise microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/05 Detection of connection of loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/01 Hearing devices using active noise cancellation
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones

Abstract

A person support apparatus, such as a bed, cot, stretcher, or the like, includes an active noise cancellation device configured to generate a noise cancelling sound wave that is designed to cancel a noise sound wave. The active noise cancellation device may include speakers and a microphone. In other embodiments, the person support apparatus includes a sound emitting component and a transmitter adapted to send out a notification signal prior to activation of the sound emitting component. The notification signal provides information about a characteristic of the sound to be emitted by the sound emitting device. The recipient of the notification signal may then use the signal to cancel the sound that is to be emitted. In some embodiments, the person support apparatus acts as a conduit for notification signals of upcoming sounds, receiving and forwarding such notification signals from and to other devices.

Claims

1. A person support apparatus comprising:

a support surface configured to support thereon an occupant of the person support apparatus;

a receiving device;

a sound emitting component; and

a transmitter configured to send out a notification signal to the receiving device prior to activation of the sound emitting component, the notification signal providing information about a characteristic of a future sound wave to be emitted by the sound emitting device component when the sound emitting component is activated, the characteristic including information sufficient to enable the receiving device to generate a cancellation sound wave configured to cancel the future sound wave when the future sound wave is emitted by the sound emitting component.

2. The person support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the notification signal ultrasonically to the receiving device and the receiving device is positioned off board the person support apparatus.

3. The person support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the notification signal electromagnetically to the receiving device and the receiving device is positioned off board the person support apparatus.

4. The person support apparatus of claim 3 further including a second transmitter configured to transmit a second notification signal to an active noise cancellation device positioned on board the person support apparatus, the active noise cancellation device configured to generate a second cancellation sound wave configured to cancel the future sound wave emitted by the sound emitting component.

5. The person support apparatus of claim 4 further comprising a receiver configured to receive a notification signal from an off board device, the off board notification signal providing information about a characteristic of a future off board sound wave to be emitted by an off board sound emitting device, and wherein the active noise cancellation device is also configured to generate a third cancellation sound wave configured to cancel the future off board sound wave emitted by the off board sound emitting device.

6. The person support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the receiving device is positioned on board the person support apparatus and includes an active noise cancellation device.

7. The person support apparatus of claim 6 wherein the active noise cancellation device includes a first speaker positioned adjacent a right side of a head end of the person support apparatus and a second speaker positioned adjacent a left side of the head end, the active noise cancellation device uses the first and second speakers to generate the cancellation sound wave, and the cancellation sound wave is configured to cancel the future sound wave in a region adjacent the head end of the support surface.

8. The person support apparatus of claim 6 further including a headphone jack configured to receive a set of headphones, wherein the active noise cancellation device generates the cancellation sound wave in the set of headphones when the set of headphones are plugged into the headphone jack, the cancellation sound wave being configured to cancel the future sound wave.

9. The person support apparatus of claim 6 wherein the information in the notification signal includes at least one of the following:

a pitch of the future sound wave;

a duration of the future sound wave;

a length of a time interval between repetitions of the future sound wave;

a start time of the future sound wave;

synchronization data regarding the future sound wave; and

a phase of the future sound wave.

10. The person support apparatus of claim 6 further including an occupant detection subsystem configured to detect a presence or absence of an occupant in the person support apparatus, wherein the active noise cancellation device does not generate the cancellation sound wave to cancel the future sound wave if the occupant detection subsystem determines that the person support apparatus is unoccupied.

11. The person support apparatus of claim 6 further including a user interface configured to allow a user to select at least one of the following:

(1) a type of future sound wave for which the active noise cancellation device will generate the cancellation sound wave, and (2) a type of future sound wave for which the active noise cancellation device will not generate the cancellation sound wave.

12. The person support apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a receiver configured to receive an off-board notification signal from an off-board device regarding a future noise sound wave emitted from the off-board device.

13. The person support apparatus of claim 12 further comprising an active noise cancellation device configured to generate a noise cancelling sound wave configured to cancel the future noise sound wave, and wherein the off-board notification signal includes at least one of the following:

a pitch of the future noise sound wave;

a duration of the future noise sound wave;

a length of a time interval between repetitions of the future noise sound wave;

a start time of the future noise sound wave;

synchronization data regarding the future noise sound wave; and

a phase of the future noise sound wave.

14. The person support apparatus of claim 13 further including an occupant detection subsystem configured to detect a presence or absence of an occupant in the person support apparatus, wherein the active noise cancellation device does not generate the noise cancelling sound wave if the occupant detection subsystem determines that the person support apparatus is unoccupied.

15. A person support apparatus comprising:

a support surface configured to support thereon an occupant of the person support apparatus;

a sound emitting component; and

a transmitter configured to send out a notification signal prior to activation of the sound emitting component, the notification signal providing information about a characteristic of a sound wave to be emitted by the sound emitting component;

a microphone configured to detect an ambient sound wave;

an active noise cancellation device configured to generate noise cancelling sound waves; and

a controller configured to control whether or not the active noise cancellation device generates an ambient sound cancelling wave configured to cancel the ambient sound wave;

wherein the controller is further configured to analyze characteristics of the ambient sound wave in order to determine if the ambient sound wave is associated with at least one of the following alarms;

a fire alarm, a smoke alarm, a person support apparatus alarm, and a weather emergency alarm; and

wherein the controller controls the active noise cancellation device to not generate the ambient sound cancelling wave if the ambient sound wave is associated with at least one of the aforementioned alarms.