System and method for determining a location and a status of an asset

• US 9,619,617 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2010
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: St Engineering Aethon Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Aethon
• Inventors: Skirble, Barry, Molingowski, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Afrifa-Kyei, Anthony D
• Application Number:
  US12/856,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20110037565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,433 Days
• Field of Search: 340 81, 340 101- 106, 34053912, 3405731, 901 1, 901 35, 901 44, 901 46
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• 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: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A method. The method includes, at a computing system, receiving information associated with an asset. The method also includes determining a location of the asset based on the received information, and determining a status of the asset based on the received information and/or the determined location of the asset. The determining of the location and the determining of the status are performed by the computing system.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at a computing system, receiving patient information associated with an asset via a hospital network and information from a RFID tag connected to the asset;

populating a database with data associating the RFID tag with the asset and associating the asset with a patient;

determining a location of the asset, wherein determining the location is performed by the computing system and comprises;

continuously determining a location of an autonomous mobile robot; and

based directly on the determined location of the autonomous mobile robot,

determining a location of the RFID tag relative to the determined location of the autonomous mobile robot;

determining a status of the asset based on the following;

the received patient information; and

the determined location of the asset, wherein determining the status is performed by the computing system;

wherein determining the status of the asset comprises determining the following;

that the asset is in use;

that the asset is not in use and is not available for use; and

that the asset is not in use and available for use;

wherein when the patient is discharged, the status of the asset associated with the patient automatically changes from in use to not in use and not available for use; and

wherein when the asset is at least one of cleaned, sterilized, and reset, the status of the asset automatically changes from not in use and not available for use to not in use and available for use; and

utilizing the patient information received from the hospital network to update the data stored in the database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the location of the RFID tag comprises determining a location of a passive RFID tag associated with the asset.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the location of the RFID tag comprises determining a location of an active RFID tag associated with the asset.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the location of the RFID tag comprises determining the location of the RFID tag relative to a location of a RFID reader.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the location of the RFID tag comprises determining the location of the RFID tag relative to a location of a fixed RFID reader.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating a map to indicate the determined location of the asset, wherein the updating is performed by the computing system.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing at least one of the following in a database:

information representative of the determined location of the asset; and

information representative of the determined status of the asset, wherein the storing is performed by the computing system.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising updating the information stored in the database, wherein the updating is performed by the computing system.

9. A system, comprising:

an autonomous mobile robot;

a computing system communicably connected to the autonomous mobile robot via a hospital network, wherein the computing system comprises;

a processor;

a storage device communicably connected to the processor;

an asset location module communicably connected to the processor, wherein the asset location module is configured to determine a location of an asset based on;

a continuously determined location of the autonomous mobile robot; and

a determined location of an RFID tag relative to the determined location of the autonomous mobile robot, wherein the RFID tag is connected to the asset; and

an asset status module communicably connected to the processor, wherein the asset status module is configured to determine a status of an asset based on;

the determined location of the asset; and

patient information associated with the asset; and

a database populated with data associating the RFID tag with the asset and associating the asset with a patient;

wherein determining the status of the asset comprises determining the following;

that the asset is in use;

that the asset is not in use and is not available for use; and

that the asset is not in use and available for use;

wherein when a patient is discharged, the status module is configured to automatically change the status of the asset associated with the patient from in use to not in use and not available for use;

wherein when the asset is at least one of cleaned, sterilized, and reset, the status module is configured to automatically change the status of the asset from not in use and not available for use to not in use and available for use; and

wherein the computer system is capable of receiving the patient information, in part, from the hospital network to update the data stored in the database.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the autonomous mobile robot is communicably connected to the computing system via a wireless communication link.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising an RFID reader connected to the autonomous mobile robot.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising a fixed RFID reader communicably connected to the computing system.