HOSPITAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 3,872,440 A
• Filed: 07/10/1974
• Issued: 03/18/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Albert Figel, Dieter Klein, Leo Benz, Manfred Bauer, Rolf Treutlin
• Original Assignee: Albert Figel, Dieter Klein, Leo Benz, Manfred Bauer, Rolf Treutlin
• Inventors: Benz, Leo, Klein, Dieter, Bauer, Manfred, Figel, Albert, Treutlin, Rolf
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitts, Harold I.
• Application Number:
  US05/487,171
• Time in Patent Office: 251 Days
• Field of Search: 340/171R,171A,286R 178/5.6
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/027 Annunciator systems for hospitals

Abstract

Signals are transmitted in a hospital communication system between sub-units of room units and a central nurses station over a common high frequency line, each room unit having an identifying high frequency assigned thereto which simultaneously comprises the address signal of the room unit and the carrier for address signals of sub-units.

Claims

1. Communication system for hospitals and the like, said system transmitting communications signals between sub-units of room units and a central station over a common high-frequency line, each of said room units having a characteristic frequency assigned thereto which serves both as a room unit address signal and a carrier for the address signals of the sub-units, said system including:

a receiving device coupled to said high-frequency line for receiving communicatIons signals from said room units; and

means said receiving device to the respective characteristic frequencies assigned to said room units in timed sequence.

2. The system according to claim 1 further comprising:

means for transmitting a synchronization signal over said high-frequency line from said central station to said room units; and

means, associated with each of said room units, for receiving said synchronization signal and for generating sub-unit address signals and control signals in synchronism with said synchronization signal.

3. The system according to claim 2 wherein said room units are functionally combined into groups, and said system further comprises:

a plurality of discrete high-frequency lines, one for each of said groups of room units, each of the room units in a given group having a different characteristic frequency assigned thereto from a sequence of characteristic frequencies, said sequence being repeated for each of said groups of room units.

4. The system according to claim 3 wherein the system further includes, for each room unit:

a high-frequency transmitter tuned to a first, predetermined transmitting frequency; and

a high-frequency receiver tuned to a second, predetermined receiving frequency, the difference between said first and second frequencies being identical for each room unit in a given group of room units.

5. The system according to claim 4 wherein each of the sub-units within a given room unit is assigned a unique address signal selected from a sequence of address signals, said sequence being repeated for each of said room units.

6. The system according to claim 5 further including, for each of said sub-units:

means for generating a low-frequency address signal and a low-frequency control signal, each having a unique frequency.

7. The system according to claim 6 wherein said address and control signal generating means generates said address signal and said control signal as a coded sequence of pulses, said synchronization signal receiving means synchronizing said sequence of pulses with said synchronization signal.

8. The system according to claim 7 further including means for generating a rank-indicating signal modulated upon the low-frequency output of said address and control signal generating means, said rank-indicating signal being generated subsequent to each address or control signal.

9. The system according to claim 8 wherein said rank-indicating signal generating means generates said rank-indicating signals as a coded sequence of pulses, and said address and control signal generating means generates said signals on a low-frequency signal common to a plurality of sub-units.

10. The system according to claim 7 further comprising, at said central station:

a decoding receiver for each group of sub-units, said decoding receiver recovering the sub-unit addresses and control functions from the coded sequences of pulses transmitted from said sub-units to said central station.

11. The system according to claim 2 wherein said receiving device comprises:

a plurality of individual high-frequency receivers coupled to said high-frequency line, one receiver being provided for each room unit, said receiver being tuned to the characteristic frequency of the corresponding room unit, the system further comprising;

switching means, coupled to the outputs of said individual receivers, for selectively connecting the output of said receivers to a detecting device.

12. The system according to claim 11 further including means, connected to said switching means, for synchronizing said switching means with the synchronization signal.

13. The system according to claim 2 further comprising:

a clock generator; and

a frequency synthesizer, connected to and driven by said clock generator, the output of said synthesizer providing the intermediate frequencies necessary for tuning said receiving device to the several characteristic frequencies of said room units.

14. The system according to claim 13 further comprising means for synchronizing the sequential tuning of said receiving device with said synchronization signal.

15. The system according to claim 2 wherein said central station further comprises a plurality of low-frequency receivers for detecting low-frequency sub-unit address and control signals transmitted to said central station from said sub-units.

16. The system according to claim 2 wherein said central station further includes:

a low-frequency receiver; and

means for sequentially tuning said low-frequency receiver to the low-frequency sub-unit addresses and low-frequency control signals from said sub-units.

17. The system according to claim 2 further including, at said central station, signallling means for indicating to an attendant that an address signal has been received from a room unit or a sub-unit, or that a control signal has been received therefrom.

18. The system according to claim 2 further comprising:

means for storing room unit and sub-unit address signals and control signals received at said central location; and

indicating means for sequentially interrogating said storing means and displaying to an attendant all address and control signals so received.

19. The system according to claim 18 further comprising:

a computer for converting the room unit and sub-unit addresses stored in said storing means from a base corresponding to their position in the sequence of characteristic signals to a base corresponding to the actual physical location of said room units and sub-units in the hospital.

20. The system according to claim 8 further including a rank-testing device, which comprises:

means for separating the rank indicating signal from each incoming address signal;

means for ordering the incoming address signals according to their rank; and

means for determining the sequence in which said address signals are to be displayed to an attendant.

21. The system according to claim 1 further including means for switching calls from a first room unit to a second room unit, through said central station, which comprises:

first and second scanning transceivers connected to said high-frequency line, the transmitter of said first transceiver being connected by a low-frequency line to the output of the receiver associated with said second transceiver, and the transmitter of said second transceiver being connected by a low-frequency line to the output of the receiver associated with the first scanning transceiver; and

means for tuning the transmitting and receiving frequencies of said first and second scanning transceivers to the respective characteristic frequencies of said first and second room units.

22. The system according to claim 21 further including first and second frequency synthesizers respectively connected to the receivers and transmitters of said first and second scanning transceivers, each frequency synthesizer generating an intermediate frequency determinative of said receiving and transmitting frequencies.

23. The system according to claim 22 further including means, responsive to the room unit address signals received at said central station, for determining the intermediate frequencies generated by said first and second frequency synthesizers.

24. The system according to claim 1 further including a telemetry control device at said central station responsive to an accessory control signal transmitted with a room unit address signal for interrogating an accessory device associated with said room unit.

25. The system according to claim 1 further including means for switching an incoming telephone call at said central station to a patient in a room unit or sub-unit via said high-frequency line.

26. The system according to claim 4 further comprising, for each room unit:

a clock generator; and

a frequency synthesizer connected to and driven by said clock generator, said synthesizer generating the characteristic transmItting frequency for said room unit and the intermediate frequency determinative of the receiving frequency of said room unit.