Hospital bed having multiple touchscreen displays

• US 8,314,781 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2010
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Pittenger, William G., Allen, James M., Huster, Keith A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Application Number:
  US12/714,013
• Publication Number:
  US 20110210925A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-179, 705/2, 561/1, 561/6, 178 1801- 1807, 601/49
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/414 Structure of the control system, e.g. common controller or multiprocessor systems, interface to servo, programmable interface controller
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

Embodiments of an apparatus for controlling a plurality of modules coupled to a communications network of a bed are disclosed. The apparatus may comprise an interface module, a plurality of user interfaces, and a plurality of dedicated data links. The interface module may include a transceiver coupled to the communications network, a processor configured to output graphics data, and a plurality of transmitters configured to receive the graphics data and generate a plurality of synchronous graphics signals. Each of the plurality of user interfaces may include a graphical display. Each of the plurality of dedicated data links may be coupled to one of the plurality of transmitters and to one of the plurality of user interfaces.

Claims

1. A person-support apparatus comprising

a communications network coupling a plurality of modules, each of the plurality of modules configured to control a function of the person-support apparatus,

a first user interface including a first input device and a first graphical display device,

a second user interface including a second input device and a second graphical display device, and

an interface module coupled to the communications network, the interface module configured to transmit a first synchronous graphics signal to the first user interface via a first dedicated serial link and transmit a second synchronous graphics signal to the second user interface via a second dedicated serial link,

wherein the first user interface further comprises a first deserializer configured to convert the first synchronous graphics signal into a graphic and the second user interface further comprises a second deserializer configured to convert the second synchronous graphics signal into the graphic, whereby the graphic is displayed on both the first and second graphical display devices.

2. The person-support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interface module comprises a first serializer configured to convert the graphic into the first synchronous graphics signal and a second serializer configured to convert the graphic into the second synchronous graphics signal.

3. The person-support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interface module is configured to receive a command signal from either the first input device via the first dedicated serial link or the second input device via the second dedicated serial link and generate a network message on the communications network in response to the command signal.

4. The person-support apparatus of claim 3, further comprising an articulated support surface, one of the plurality of modules being operable to reposition the articulated support surface in response to the network message.

5. The person-support apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first user interface is remote from the interface module.

6. The person-support apparatus of claim 5, wherein the second user interface is both remote from the interface module and remote from the first user interface.

7. An interface module comprising a processor, a transceiver configured to communicate with a plurality of bed control modules over a communications network, a plurality of serial interfaces, each serial interface configured to communicate with a touchscreen display device over a dedicated serial link, and a memory including a plurality of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to (i) retrieve graphics data from the memory and (ii) output the graphics data to the plurality of serial interfaces to be synchronously transmitted to the touchscreen display devices;

wherein the memory further comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to (i) receive a first command signal via one of the plurality of serial interfaces, (ii) determine a network message in response to the first command signal, and (iii) instruct the transceiver to transmit the network message.

8. The interface module of claim 7, wherein the memory further comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to (i) receive a second command signal via another of the plurality of serial interfaces and (ii) determine a priority of execution for the first and second command signals.

9. The interface module of claim 7, wherein the first command signal indicates a therapy selected by a user and the network message will cause one or more of the plurality of bed control modules to deliver the selected therapy.

10. The interface module of claim 9, wherein the memory further comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to (i) retrieve updated graphics data from the memory in response to the first command signal and (ii) output the updated graphics data to the plurality of serial interfaces to be synchronously transmitted to the touchscreen display devices.

11. The interface module of claim 10, wherein the updated graphics data includes at least one of a bed status, a description of the selected therapy, and a menu of control options for the selected therapy.

12. An apparatus for controlling a plurality of modules coupled to a communications network of a bed, the apparatus comprising

an interface module including a transceiver coupled to the communications network, a processor configured to output graphics data, and a plurality of transmitters configured to receive the graphics data and generate a plurality of synchronous graphics signals,

a plurality of user interfaces, each user interface including a graphical display device, and

a plurality of dedicated data links, each dedicated data link coupled to one of the plurality of transmitters and coupled to one of the plurality of user interfaces;

wherein each of the plurality of user interfaces further comprises a deserializer configured to receive a serial graphics signal via the dedicated data link coupled to the user interface, convert the serial graphics signal into the graphics data, and provide the graphics data to the graphical display device of the user interface via a parallel signal path.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of user interfaces does not include a transceiver coupled to the communications network.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of transmitters comprises a serializer configured to receive the graphics data from the processor via a parallel signal path, convert the graphics data into a serial graphics signal, and transmit the serial graphics signal via the dedicated data link coupled to the transmitter.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of dedicated data links comprises a twisted pair serial cable.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of graphical displays is configured to output the graphics data to provide a multi-level, menu-driven user interface for the bed.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the graphics data includes at least one of a bed status, a menu of selectable bed therapies, a description of a selected therapy, a menu of control options for the selected therapy, and a record of patient information.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of user interfaces further comprises an input device configured to generate a command signal in response to a user interaction and transmit the command signal to the interface module via the dedicated data link coupled to the user interface.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the input device of each user interface comprises a touchscreen positioned in proximity to the graphical display device of the user interface and a controller coupled to the touchscreen, the controller being configured to generate the command signal in response to a user interaction with the touchscreen.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the processor is configured to evaluate the command signal and instruct the transceiver to generate a network message on the communications network in response to the command signal.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein at least one of the plurality of user interfaces is remote from the interface module.