Wireless tracking system and method for backhaul of information

• US 8,040,238 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2010
• Issued: 10/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Centrak Incorporated (Halma PLC)
• Original Assignee: Awarepoint Corporation
• Inventors: Perkins, Matthew R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alizada; Omeed
• Application Number:
  US12/982,832
• Publication Number:
  US 20110084809A1
• Time in Patent Office: 292 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.12, 340/539.13, 340/573.1, 340/10.1, 340/572.1
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0271 using a remote monitoring unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1113 Local tracking of patients, e.g. in a hospital or private home
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6889 Rooms
• 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: H04Q 2209/25 using a mesh network, e.g. a public urban network such as public lighting, bus stops or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

The present invention provides a solution to backhauling health information. The present invention utilizes a mesh network to backhaul the health information. The system includes a plurality of first tags, a mesh network, and an information engine. Each of the tags represents a first object. The mesh network preferably includes a plurality of plug-in sensors located within the facility. At least one node in the mesh network operates as healthcare device. The information engine is in communication with the mesh network and determines a position location of the healthcare device and an operation of the healthcare device.

Claims

1. An Enhanced-Accuracy Enterprise-Wide Real-Time Locating System (RTLS), the system comprising:

a plurality of tags, each of the plurality of tags representing a mobile object, each of the plurality of tags transmitting a periodic signal using a first wireless communication format;

a mesh network comprising a plurality of sensors located within a facility, each sensor of the plurality of sensors communicating with other sensors of the plurality of sensors utilizing the first wireless communication format; and

a plurality of end points in the mesh network that operate as healthcare devices using a second wireless communication format selected from one of ultrasound, infrared, and a radiofrequency medium, wherein each of the plurality of end points transmit only to at least one of a plurality of sensors in the mesh network utilizing the second wireless communication format to backhaul information over the mesh network;

wherein the mesh network routes RTLS information from each of the plurality of end points and each of the plurality of tags to an information engine for processing to track each mobile object represented by each of the plurality of tags and to collect data on each of the healthcare devices from the backhaul information transmitted over the mesh network, the data comprising at least one of a status of a healthcare device, a healthcare device service date, a chemical in the healthcare device, a temperature of the healthcare device, a chemical level of the healthcare device, a motion signature of a healthcare device, and a last person that accessed a healthcare device;

wherein each of the plurality of end points in the mesh network that operate as a healthcare device has a priority of operating as a healthcare device and the backhauling of information over the second wireless communication format allows for real-time communication from the healthcare device to the information engine.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the healthcare devices are at least one of a fluid pump, heart monitor, ventilation pump, weight scale, blood pressure monitor, glucose monitor and electrocardiogram.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the mesh network routes healthcare information from at least one of the healthcare devices.