System and Method for Determining a Location and a Status of an Asset

• US 20110037565A1
• Filed: 08/13/2010
• Published: 02/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: St Engineering Aethon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Aethon
• Inventors: Molingowski, Paul, Skirble, Barry
• Granted Patent: US 9,619,617 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/8.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A method. The method includes, at a computing system, receiving information associated with an asset. The method also includes determining a location of the asset based on the received information, and determining a status of the asset based on the received information and/or the determined location of the asset. The determining of the location and the determining of the status are performed by the computing system.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at a computing system, receiving information associated with an asset;

determining a location of the asset based on the received information, wherein determining the location is performed by the computing system; and

determining a status of the asset based on at least one of the following;

the received information; and

the determined location of the asset, wherein determining the status is performed by the computing system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving information comprises receiving RFID tag information associated with the asset.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving information comprises receiving patient data associated with the asset.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the location of the asset comprises:

determining a location of an autonomous mobile robot; and

determining a location of a RFID tag associated with the asset relative to the determined location of the autonomous mobile robot.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the location of the asset comprises determining a location of an RFID tag associated with the asset.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the location of the RFID tag comprises determining a location of a passive RFID tag associated with the asset.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the location of the RFID tag comprises determining a location of an active RFID tag associated with the asset.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the location of the RFID tag comprises determining the location of the RFID tag relative to a location of a RFID reader.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the location of the RFID tag comprises determining the location of the RFID tag relative to a location of a fixed RFID reader.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the location of the RFID tag comprises determining a location of the RFID tag relative to a determined location of an autonomous mobile robot.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the status of the asset based on the received information comprises determining the status of the asset based on patient data.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the status of the asset comprises determining at least one of the following:

that the asset is in use;

that the asset is not in use and is available for use; and

that the asset is not in use and is not available for use.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating a map to indicate the determined location of the asset, wherein the updating is performed by the computing system.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing at least one of the following in a database:

information representative of the determined location of the asset; and

information representative of the determined status of the asset, wherein the storing is performed by the computing system.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising updating the information stored in the database, wherein the updating is performed by the computing system.

16. A system, comprising:

a computing system, wherein the computing system comprises;

a processor;

a storage device communicably connected to the processor;

an asset location module communicably connected to the processor, wherein the asset location module is configured to determine a location of an asset; and

an asset status module communicably connected to the processor, wherein the asset status module is configured to determine a status of an asset.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising an autonomous mobile robot communicably connected to the computing system.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the autonomous mobile robot is communicably connected to the computing system via a wireless communication link.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising an RFID reader connected to the autonomous mobile robot.

20. The system of claim 16, further comprising a fixed RFID reader communicably connected to the computing system.