Bed status information system for hospital beds

• US 6,897,780 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2002
• Issued: 05/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Scott, Tom, Ulrich, Daniel J., Novak, Joe, Weismiller, Matthew W., Myers, Julie, Jennings, Bob
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu, Julie
• Application Number:
  US10/083,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20020151990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,183 Days
• Field of Search: 340/286.02, 340/286.07, 340/286.11, 340/573.1, 340/573.3
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1115 Monitoring leaving of a patient support, e.g. a bed or a wheelchair
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 12/00 Accommodation for nursing, e.g. in hospitals, not covered by groups A61G1/00 - A61G11/00, e.g. trolleys for transport of medicaments or food service or tea-tables, trolleys or wagons A47B31/00; Prescription lists
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/12 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/70 with special adaptations, e.g. for safety or comfort
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0446 worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0461 integrated or attached to an item closely associated with the person but not worn by the person, e.g. chair, walking stick, bed sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/222 Personal calling arrangements or devices, i.e. paging systems selective calling systems and call receivers H04W84/00, H04W68/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

An apparatus is configured to control at least one function of a bed located in a room from a remote location outside of the room. The apparatus includes a controller configured to control the at least one bed function, an interface device coupled to the controller, and an input device located at the remote location. The input device is configured to generate a message signal to control the at least one bed function. The message signal is transmitted from the input device to the interface device and from the interface device to the controller to control the at least one bed function from the remote location.

Claims

1. An information distribution system for a hospital, including:

a patient bed having a signal generator for generating a first signal indicative of a condition of the bed;

an interface device coupled to the signal generator for generating a second signal in response to receipt of the first signal, the second signal being indicative of the condition of the bed;

a plurality of transmitters, each transmitter transmitting a third signal indicating an identity of the transmitter;

a plurality of patient stations located in a plurality of patient rooms, each patient station including a receiver for receiving the third signals from the transmitters; and

a processing station at a location remote from the bed, the precessing station being coupled to the interface device and the plurality of patient stations to receive the second signal and a fourth signal generated by a patient station receiving a third signal from a transmitter, the fourth signal indicating the identity of the transmitter and the location of the patient station corresponding to the location of the transmitter;

wherein the processing station processes the second signal to determine the condition of the bed, and the fourth signal to determine the identity and location of the transmitter, the processing station including a display for displaying indications of the condition of the bed and the identity and location of the transmitter for viewing by personnel at a location remote from the bed.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the processing station is coupled to the interface device by a datalink.

3. The system of claim 1 further including a plurality of patient beds having a corresponding plurality of signal generators for generating first signals indicative of a condition of the corresponding bed, and a plurality of respective interface devices coupled to the plurality of signal generators for generating second signals in response to receipt of the first signals, the second signals being indicative of the conditions of the plurality of beds.

4. The system of claim 1 further including a plurality of signal generators associated with the patient bed for generating a plurality of status signals, each status signal being indicative of a status of a different condition of the bed.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the second signal includes a data field identifying the patient bed, the processing station determining the identity of the bed from the data field upon processing the second signal.

6. The system of claim 1 further including a controller configured to control a bed function, the processing station further including an input device configured to generate a fifth signal to control the bed function, the fifth signal being transmitted from the processing station and from the interface device to the controller to control the bed function from the remote location.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the interface device includes a bed interface device coupled to the controller and a wall interface device coupled to the bed interface device, the wall interface device being coupled to the input device located at the remote location.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the bed function is one of a patient exit detection system, a position adjustment apparatus, and a mattress firmness adjustment apparatus.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the condition of the bed includes one of a physical position of a mattress on the bed, an operation condition of a brake of the bed, a physical position of a siderail of the bed, a position of a component of the bed, and whether a patient exit detection system is activated.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the interface device is electrically isolated from the processing station by an optical isolator.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of transmitters include battery powered badges worn by caregivers to be identified and located, the identity of each transmitter corresponding to an identity of a caregiver.

12. The system of claim 1 further including an audio network interconnecting the patient stations and the processing station, each station including controls for initiating an audio interconnection with any other station.

13. An information distribution system for a hospital, including:

a plurality of signal generators associated with a plurality of patient beds located in a corresponding plurality of patient rooms, each signal generator generating a status signal indicative of a condition of the associated bed;

a plurality of patient stations respectively located in the plurality of patient rooms, each patient station being coupled to a plurality of devices for generating different hospital calls;

a master station coupled to the plurality of signal generators and the plurality of patient stations for receiving the status signals and the hospital calls, the master station including a display for displaying an indication of the bed conditions corresponding to the status signals;

each patient station further including a control to initiate retrieval of the hospital calls from the master station, thereby disseminating the hospital calls from other patient stations upon a request from any patient station.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the master station is coupled to the interface device by a datalink.

15. The system of claim 13 further including a plurality of signal generators associated with each of the plurality of patient beds for generating a plurality of status signals, each status signal being indicative of a status of a different condition of the bed.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the status signal includes a data field identifying the associated bed, the master station determining the identity of the associated bed from the data field upon processing the status signal.

17. The system of claim 13 including a plurality controllers associated with the plurality of patient beds, each controller being configured to control a function of the associated bed, the master station being located at a location remote from the plurality of beds further including an input device configured to generate a control signal for transmission from the master station to a controller to control a bed function from the remote location.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the bed function is one of a patient exit detection system, a position adjustment apparatus, and a mattress firmness adjustment apparatus.

19. The system of claim 13 wherein the condition of the bed includes one of a physical position of a mattress on the bed, an operation condition of a brake of the bed, a physical position of a siderail of the bed, a position of a component of the bed, and whether a patient exit detection system is activated.

20. The system of claim 13 further including a plurality of transmitters, each transmitter communicating an identification signal identifying the transmitter to a patient station when in proximity of the patient station, the patient station communicating the identity of the transmitter to the master station for display on the display.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the transmitters include battery powered badges worn by caregivers to be identified and located, the identity of each transmitter corresponding to an identity of a caregiver.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the master station also displays the location of the patient station communicating the identity of the transmitter, thereby displaying the location of the transmitter.

23. The system of claim 13 wherein the master station includes a memory for storing and subsequent retrieval of the hospital calls according to priority and when the calls were received.

24. The system of claim 13 further including an audio network interconnecting the patient stations and the master station, each station including controls for initiating an audio interconnection with any other station.