Patient support apparatuses with reconfigurable communication

• US 10,460,575 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2019
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stryker Corporation
• Original Assignee: Stryker Corporation
• Inventors: Bhimavarapu, Krishna Sandeep, Trepanier, Jerald A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Murillo Garcia, Fabricio R
• Application Number:
  US16/272,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20190172322A1
• Time in Patent Office: 260 Days
• Field of Search: 3405731
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1115 Monitoring leaving of a patient support, e.g. a bed or a wheelchair
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6887 mounted on external non-worn devices, e.g. non-medical devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7465 Arrangements for interactive communication between patient and care services, e.g. by using a telephone network telemetry of measured physiological signal A61B5/0002
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/30 characterised by sensor means
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/32 for force
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/44 for weight
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0524 characterised by integrated accessories, e.g. bed control means, nurse call or reading lights
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0527 Weighing devices
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/228 combined with other devices having a different main function, e.g. watches
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring

Abstract

A patient support apparatus includes a frame, support surface, cable interface, switches, a location detector, and a controller. The switches are electrically coupled to the interface and the controller selects a configuration for the plurality of switches based on a current location of the patient support apparatus within a healthcare facility. Alternatively or additionally, a user interface may display a plurality of identifiers that each identifies a predefined configuration for the switches wherein the controller configures the switches according to an identifier selected by the user. A transceiver on board the patient support apparatus may communicate with different fixed transmitters and the controller may implement different switch configurations based on messages from the different fixed transmitters.

Claims

1. A patient support apparatus adapter for processing communication between a patient support apparatus and a nurse call system wall outlet, the nurse call system wall outlet being coupled to a nurse call system, the adapter comprising:

a receiver adapted to receive communication signals from the patient support apparatus;

an interface adapted to receive a multi-pin connector that electrically communicates with a cable coupled to the nurse call system wall outlet, the interface including a plurality of electrical leads, each lead of the plurality of electrical leads being electrically coupled to a particular pin of the multi-pin connector when the multi-pin connector is received by the interface;

a plurality of switches, each of the plurality of switches electrically coupled to a corresponding pair of the plurality of electrical leads;

a memory storing mapping data indicating how the communication signals received from the patient support apparatus are to be mapped to the plurality of electrical leads, as well as whether each of the plurality of switches should be in a normally open state or a normally closed state;

configuration circuitry adapted to map the communication signals received from the patient support apparatus to the plurality of electrical leads in accordance with the mapping data, the configuration circuitry further adapted to set each of the plurality of switches to the normally open state or the normally closed state in accordance with the mapping data; and

a controller adapted to store the mapping data in the memory upon receipt of a message from an off-board source, the controller further adapted to change a state of at least one of the plurality of switches from the normally open state to a closed state, or from the normally closed state to an open state, based upon the communication signals from the patient support apparatus.

2. The patient support apparatus adapter of claim 1 wherein the receiver is a cable connector adapted to receive a multi-pin cable from the patient support apparatus.

3. The patient support apparatus adapter of claim 2 wherein the mapping data maps signals from various pins of the multi-pin cable to the plurality of electrical leads.

4. The patient support apparatus adapter of claim 1 wherein the receiver is a wireless transceiver adapted to wirelessly receive the communications signals from the patient support apparatus.

5. The patient support apparatus adapter of claim 4 wherein the receiver is one of an infrared receiver or Bluetooth receiver.

6. The patient support apparatus adapter of claim 1 further comprising a wireless transceiver, the wireless transceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with a wireless access point of a healthcare facility network, and wherein the off-board source is a server coupled to the healthcare facility network and able to communicate with the wireless transceiver via the wireless access point.

7. The patient support apparatus adapter of claim 1 wherein the off-board source is the patient support apparatus and the receiver is adapted to receive the mapping data from the patient support apparatus.

8. The patient support apparatus adapter of claim 7 wherein the controller is further adapted to receive new mapping data from the patient support apparatus and store the new mapping data in the memory.

9. The patient support apparatus adapter of claim 1 wherein the receiver is part of a transceiver adapted to send messages to the patient support apparatus.

10. The patient support apparatus adapter of claim 9 wherein the controller is further adapted to transmit the mapping data to the patient support apparatus.

11. The patient support apparatus adapter of claim 9 wherein the memory includes a unique identifier and the controller is adapted to send the unique identifier to the patient support apparatus via the transceiver, the unique identifier providing location information to the patient support apparatus indicative of a location of the patient support apparatus within a healthcare facility.

12. A patient support apparatus adapter for processing communication between a patient support apparatus and a nurse call system wall outlet, the nurse call system wall outlet being coupled to a nurse call system, the adapter comprising:

a first transceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with the patient support apparatus via short range communication;

a second transceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with the patient support apparatus via long range communication;

an interface adapted to receive a multi-pin connector that electrically communicates with a cable coupled to the nurse call system wall outlet, the interface including a plurality of electrical leads, each lead of the plurality of electrical leads being electrically coupled to a particular pin of the multi-pin connector when the multi-pin connector is received by the interface;

a plurality of switches, each of the plurality of switches electrically coupled to a corresponding pair of the plurality of electrical leads;

a memory storing mapping data indicating how communication signals received from the patient support apparatus via at least one of the first or second transceivers are to be mapped to the plurality of electrical leads, as well as whether each of the plurality of switches should be in a normally open state or a normally closed state;

configuration circuitry adapted to map the communication signals received from the patient support apparatus to the plurality of electrical leads in accordance with the mapping data, the configuration circuitry further adapted to set each of the plurality of switches to the normally open state or the normally closed state in accordance with the mapping data; and

a controller adapted to replace the mapping data with new mapping data upon receipt of a message from an off-board source, the controller further adapted to control the configuration circuitry to re-map the communication signals received from the patient support apparatus to the electrical leads in accordance with the new mapping data and to reset each of the plurality of switches to the normally open state or the normally closed state in accordance with the new mapping data, the controller further adapted to change a state of at least one of the plurality of switches from the normally open state to a closed state, or from the normally closed state to an open state, based upon the communication signals from the patient support apparatus.

13. The patient support apparatus adapter of claim 12 wherein the first transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver and the second transceiver is an infrared transceiver.

14. The patient support apparatus adapter of claim 13 further comprising a third transceiver, the third transceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with a wireless access point of a healthcare facility network, and wherein the off-board source is a server coupled to the healthcare facility network and able to communicate with the third transceiver via the wireless access point.

15. The patient support apparatus of claim 14 wherein the server is in communication with a geographically remote server and adapted to receive from the geographically remote server the new mapping data.

16. The patient support apparatus adapter of claim 12 wherein the off-board source is the patient support apparatus and the first transceiver is adapted to receive the new mapping data from the patient support apparatus.

17. The patient support apparatus adapter of claim 12 wherein the memory includes a unique identifier and the controller is adapted to send the unique identifier to the patient support apparatus via at least one of the first or second transceivers, the unique identifier providing location information to the patient support apparatus indicative of a location of the patient support apparatus within a healthcare facility.

18. The patient support apparatus adapter of claim 12 wherein the controller is further adapted to transmit the new mapping data to the patient support apparatus via at least one of the first or second transceivers.

19. The patient support apparatus adapter of claim 12 wherein at least one of the first and second transceivers is adapted to receive an exit detection message from the patient support apparatus indicating that a patient has exited from the patient support apparatus, and the controller is further adapted to change a state of at least one of the switches in response to the receipt of the exit detection message.