Hospital signaling and communications system

• US 4,967,195 A
• Filed: 05/08/1986
• Issued: 10/30/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: John D. Hollingsworth On Wheels, In
• Original Assignee: Fisher Berkeley Corporation
• Inventors: Shipley, Robert T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yusko, Donald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Holloway, III, Edwin C.
• Application Number:
  US06/861,090
• Time in Patent Office: 1,636 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.52, 340/825.08, 340/825.07, 340/311.1, 340/573, 340/286 R, 340/286.06, 340/286.07, 379/37, 379/94, 379/106, 379/172, 379/173, 370/85, 370/90, 370/96, 370/67, 370/94, 370/58, 370/60, 370/85.1, 370/94.1
• US Class Current: 340/9.13
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 26/001 with individual interrogation of substations connected in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/027 Annunciator systems for hospitals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 9/025 Time division multiplex systems, e.g. loop systems

Abstract

Computer controlled, multiplexed hospital signaling and communications system. All station functions are controlled by a computer in a central station which continuously interrogates the other stations to verify that the system is functioning properly and to determine what actions are to be taken. The system includes a plurality of buses connected to the master station, with a plurality of remote stations with peripheral devices connected to each of the buses. A plurality of master stations can communicate with any of the remote stations on any of the buses. Time domain multiplexing is employed in the transmission of both data and audio signals in the system.

Claims

1. In a hospital signaling and communications system:

a bus having separate data and twisted pair low frequency audio lines extending about the hospital, a central station including a central audio power amplifier, said central station being connected to the bus for transmitting and receiving data and audio signals over the separate data and audio lines, a plurality of remote stations having unique address codes connected to the bus at different locations within the hospital for transmitting and receiving data and audio signals over the separate data and audio lines whereby amplified audio signals are received at the remote stations and unamplified audio signals are transmitted by the remote stations, a master station connected to the central station for communicating with the remote stations through the central station, means at the central station for transmitting address codes for the remote stations over the data line in a serial sequence, means responsive to the address codes at each of the remote stations for enabling the station whose address code is transmitted to receive and transmit data and audio signals over the separate data and audio lines for a predetermined interval of time by time division multiplexing after the address code is transmitted, a plurality of peripheral devices including a call switch for summoning aid connected to the remote stations, means at the remote stations responsive to data signals from the central station for controlling operation of at least some of the peripheral devices, means at the remote stations for storing data from at least some of the peripheral devices for transmission to the central station, and means operable from the remote stations and in response to signals from the central station for clearing data from the storage means.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the data is transmitted and received in packets containing a predetermined number of data bits.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein a plurality of master stations are connected to the central station for communication with the remote stations.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein a plurality of buses having data and audio lines are provided, and the central station includes means for interconnecting the master station with successive ones of the buses during successive transmitting and receiving intervals.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the peripheral devices include a corridor dome light.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein one of the peripheral devices comprises a staff presence switch having a latch circuit and manually operable switch means for setting the latch circuit in a signaling state and resetting the latch circuit in a rest state, and the central station includes means for transmitting a signal over the data line to the receiving station to which the staff presence switch is connected for resetting the latch circuit to the rest state in response to a command from the master station.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein one of the peripheral devices includes a latch circuit, manually operable switch means for setting the latch circuit in a signaling state, and a pair of unmarked switches which must be actuated simultaneously to reset the latch circuit from the signaling state to a non-signaling state.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the master station includes means for initiating call signals and instructing the central station to transmit the call signals to the remote stations.

9. The system of claim 1 including output devices connected to the remote stations, and means at the remote stations for storing signals received from the central station for actuating the output devices.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the output devices include means for generating audible calling tones.

11. In a hospital communications system:

a plurality of buses having audio lines extending about the hospital, a plurality of master stations for transmitting and receiving audio signals over the audio lines and for providing control signals for controlling the direction in which signals are transmitted and received over the audio lines, a remote station connected to the audio lines in each of the buses for receiving audio signals from the master stations and transmitting audio signals to the master stations, a first pair of multiplexers for passing audio signals from a selected one of the buses to a selected one of the master stations, a second pair of multiplexers for passing audio signals from a selected one of the master stations to a selected one of the buses, switching means for selectively connecting the first or second pair of multiplexers to the buses, a third pair of multiplexers for passing the control signals from a selected one of the master stations to the switching means for a selected one of the buses, means for applying address signals to the multiplexers to address the master stations and the buses in a predetermined sequence, and means for enabling the multiplexers to pass the audio signals when a desired master station and a desired bus are both addressed.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein one of the multiplexers in each pair selects the master station and the other multiplexer in each pair selects the bus, and the means for applying address signals comprises a counter having output bits of greater significance connected to the multiplexers for selecting the master station and output bits of lesser significance connected to the multiplexers for selecting the bus.

13. The system of claim 12 including means connected to the multiplexers and responsive to a counter output bit of lesser significance than the address bits for inhibiting the passage of each signal through the multiplexers for a predetermined time to provide temporal separation between successive signals.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the means for enabling the multiplexers to pass the signals includes means for storing the address of the master station to be connected to each bus, means for comparing the master station address stored for each bus addressed with the current master station address, and means for applying an enabling signal to the multiplexers when the stored address matches the current address.

15. The system of claim 11 including sample and hold circuits connected between the first pair of multiplexers and each of the master stations and between the second pair of multiplexers and each of the buses for sampling and holding signals passed by the respective pairs of multiplexers, the signals held by the sample and hold circuits being applied to the respective master stations and buses.

16. The system of claim 11 including means for amplifying and filtering the audio signals applied to the first pair of multiplexers from the audio lines in the bus.

17. The system of claim 11 including means for amplifying the signals passed to the master station from the first set of multiplexers.

18. The system of claim 11 including means for amplifying the audio signals passed to the buses from the second set of multiplexers.

19. In a call switch for a hospital signaling and communications system:

a latch circuit having rest and signaling output states, a manually operable switch connected to the latch circuit for setting the latch circuit in the signaling state, and two unmarked switches connected electrically in series with a reset input of the latch circuit for resetting the latch circuit to the rest state when the two unmarked switches are actuated simultaneously.

20. In a hospital communications system:

a plurality of buses having audio lines extending about the hospital, a master station for transmitting and receiving audio signals over the audio lines, a remote station connected to the audio lines in each of the buses for receiving audio signals from the master station and transmitting audio signals to the master station, a first multiplexer for selectively passing audio signals from the master station to the buses, a second multiplexer for selectively passing audio signals from the buses to the master station, means for applying address signals to the multiplexers to condition the multiplexers to pass the signals for successive ones of the buses in a predetermined sequence, and switching means controlled by the master station for connecting the first multiplexer to the buses during time intervals when audio signals are to be transmitted by the master station and connecting the second multiplexer to the buses during time intervals when audio signals are to be received by the master station.

21. In a hospital communications system:

a plurality of buses having audio lines extending about the hospital, a master station for transmitting and receiving audio signals over the audio lines, a remote station connected to the audio lines in each of the buses for receiving audio signals from the master station and transmitting audio signals to the master station, a first multiplexer for selectively passing audio signals from the master station to the buses, a second multiplexer for selectively passing audio signals from the buses to the master station, means for applying address signals to the multiplexers to condition the multiplexers to pass the signals for successive ones of the buses in a predetermined sequence, means for sampling the signals passed by the multiplexers and holding the sampled signals for each bus until the next time signals for that bus are passed, and means for applying the respective sampled and held signals to the buses and to the master station.

22. In a hospital communications system:

a plurality of buses having audio lines extending about the hospital, a plurality of master stations for transmitting and receiving audio signals over the audio lines, a remote station connected to the audio lines in each of the buses for receiving audio signals from the master station and transmitting audio signals to the master station, a first multiplexer for selectively passing audio signals from the master station to the buses, a second multiplexer for selectively passing audio signals from the buses to the master station, additional multiplexers for selectively passing audio signals from the master stations to the first multiplexer and for selectively passing the audio signals from the second multiplexer to the master stations, means for applying address signals to the additional multiplexers in a predetermined sequence, means for enabling the multiplexers to pass the audio signals when a desired master station and a desired bus are both addressed, and a counter having its less significant output bits applied to the first and second multiplexers and its more significant output bits applied to the additional multiplexers.

23. The system of claim 22 including means connected to the multiplexers and responsive to a counter output bit of lesser significance than the output bits applied to the address inputs for interrupting the passage of signals through the multiplexers for a time sufficient to prevent cross-talk between successive ones of the audio signals.

24. In a hospital communications system:

a plurality of buses having audio lines extending about the hospital, a plurality of master stations for transmitting and receiving audio signals over the audio lines, a remote station connected to the audio lines in each of the buses for receiving audio signals from the master station and transmitting audio signals to the master station, a first multiplexer for selectively passing audio signals from the master station to the buses, a second multiplexer for selectively passing audio signals from the buses to the master station, additional multiplexers for selectively passing audio signals from the master stations to the first multiplexer and for selectively passing the audio signals from the second multiplexer to the master stations, means for applying address signals to the additional multiplexers in a predetermined sequence, means for enabling the multiplexers to pass the audio signals when a desired master station and a desired bus are both addressed, switching means connected between the first and second multiplexers and each of the buses for selectively connecting the multiplexers to the buses, and control signal multiplexers for passing control signals from the selected master station to the switching means for the selected bus.

25. In a hospital signaling and communications system:

a bus having separate data and audio lines extending about the hospital, a central station connected to the bus for transmitting and receiving data and audio signals over the separate data and audio lines, a plurality of remote stations having unique address codes connected to the bus at different locations within the hospital for transmitting and receiving data and audio signals over the separate data and audio lines, a master station connected to the central station for communicating with the remote stations through the central station, means at the central station for transmitting address codes for the remote stations over the data line in a serial sequence, means responsive to the address codes at each of the remote stations for enabling the station whose address code is transmitted to receive and transmit data and audio signals over the separate data and audio lines for a predetermined interval of time by time division multiplexing after the address code is transmitted, a plurality of peripheral devices including a staff locator switch connected to the remote stations, means at the remote stations responsive to data signals from the central station for controlling operation of at least some of the peripheral devices, means at the remote stations for storing data from at least some of the peripheral devices for transmission to the central station, and means operable from the remote stations and in response to signals from the central station for clearing data from the storage means.

26. In a facility signaling and communication system, a bus comprised solely of low frequency twisted pair cabling having data and audio lines extending about the facility, a central station connected to the bus for transmitting and receiving data and audio signals over the data and audio lines, a plurality of remote stations having a plurality of functions located at different locations in the facility and connected to said bus for transmitting and receiving data and audio signals over the data and audio lines and a plurality of master stations at the facility connected to the central station whereby each of said master stations is capable of communicating with at least certain of the remote stations, each of said remote stations including circuitry which permits transmission and receiving serial data over the twisted pair cabling, said central station having pulse amplitude modulated power audio switch means controllable from a master station for controlling audio functions at a remote station without the use of amplification at the remote station.

27. A system as in claim 26 wherein said plurality of remote stations is capable of transmitting and receiving data and audio signals in real time over the data and audio lines.

28. A system as in claim 26 wherein one of the functions at the remote station includes means for recognizing a signal sent to it by any other remote station.

29. A system as in claim 26 wherein one of said functions includes means for controlling selected functions at the remote station from the master station.

30. A system as in claim 29 together with means at each of the remote stations for transmitting a request as well as transmitting data from the remote station.

31. A system as in claim 26 together with means for automatically diagnosing when a remote station is not reporting.