Wireless medical room control arrangement for control of a plurality of medical devices

• US 20090300507A1
• Filed: 05/20/2009
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stryker Corporation
• Original Assignee: Stryker Corporation
• Inventors: Raghavan, Prabhu, Morgan, Travis
• Granted Patent: US 9,740,826 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/738
• 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: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A wireless medical room control arrangement includes a wireless controller having a wireless router. A room identifier and a device identifier are stored in the controller. A communication interface sends commands to and receives commands from the wireless controller. In response to commands from the interface, the wireless controller sends wireless control signals to operate medical devices in the room. A room monitor adjacent a doorway provides room identifiers to medical devices and wireless controllers entering the room and provides dummy identifiers to medical devices and controllers exiting the room. The room monitors may connect to a global network processor that determines the location of the medical devices in a medical facility.

Claims

1. A wireless control arrangement for medical devices in a medical room comprising:

a plurality of controllable medical devices including portable medical devices located in the medical room, each said medical device including a device identifier stored therein;

a wireless controller located in the medical room, said wireless controller including device identifiers stored therein; and

a communication interface for providing control commands to the wireless controller;

wherein said arrangement automatically determines said medical devices located in the medical room, including said portable medical devices entering or exiting the room, and

wherein said wireless controller, in response to control commands from said communication interface, sends wireless control commands recognized by one of said medical devices located in the medical room to operate the one said medical device.

2. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein each said portable medical device and said wireless controller include a room identifier identifying the medical room, and wherein said wireless controller located in the medical room transmits the room identifier to said medical devices to automatically determine which said controllable medical devices are located in the medical room, said wireless controller comprising a portable wireless controller.

3. The arrangement of claim 2, wherein said wireless controller provides said identified medical devices to said communication interface for display thereon.

4. The arrangement of claim 2, further including a room monitor disposed adjacent a doorway for monitoring said portable medical devices entering and exiting the medical room, said room monitor having the room identifier and a dummy identifier stored therein,

wherein each said portable medical device includes a room identifier storage device;

wherein said portable wireless controller comprises one of a plurality of portable wireless controllers, each said portable wireless controller including a room identifier storage device,

wherein said room monitor senses entry of a powered or unpowered said portable medical device or a powered or unpowered said portable wireless controller into the medical room and wirelessly provides the room identifier to the entering portable medical device or the entering portable wireless controller for storage in the respective room identifier storage device, and

wherein said room monitor senses exit of a powered or unpowered said portable medical device or a powered or unpowered said portable wireless controller from the medical room and wirelessly provides the dummy identifier to said powered or unpowered exiting portable medical device or said powered or unpowered exiting wireless controller to prevent unintended operation thereof.

5. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the device identifiers of said medical devices comprise unique device identifiers so that said wireless controller automatically identifies the exact medical device, and

wherein the unique device identifiers enable control of two said medical devices of the same type in the medical room.

6. The wireless control arrangement of claim 1, including at least two transceiver locator devices provided in the medical room for sensing the device identifiers stored in the respective medical devices located in the medical room, and for notifying said wireless controller of said medical devices located in the medical room.

7. The wireless control arrangement of claim 6, wherein said transceiver locator devices comprise time-of-flight devices for determining the presence of said medical devices in the medical room depending on time-of-flight signals.

8. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said communication interface comprises a tablet, said tablet including a tablet identifier and said wireless controller including the tablet identifier, wherein said tablet provides wireless control commands that include the tablet identifier to said wireless controller and receives information that includes the tablet identifier from said wireless controller.

9. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said medical devices comprise at least one of operating room lights, operating room cameras, a pole pump system, an arthroscopic pump system and a waste management system.

10. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said communication interface comprises at least one of a wireless tablet having a touch screen, a tablet having a control cord connected to said wireless controller and a voice recognition device.

11. A wireless control arrangement for medical devices in a medical room comprising:

a plurality of controllable medical devices located in the medical room, each said medical device including a room identifier stored therein;

a wireless controller located in the medical room, said wireless controller including a room identifier stored therein; and

a communication interface for providing control commands to said wireless controller,

wherein said wireless controller, in response to control commands from said communication interface, sends control commands that include the room identifier to a selected one of said medical devices to operate the selected medical device, and

wherein the room identifier prevents said wireless controller from controlling a medical device located in an area other than the medical room.

12. The arrangement of claim 11, wherein said communication interface comprises a tablet including a tablet identifier, wherein the wireless controller includes a tablet identifier, wherein said tablet provides wireless control commands that include the tablet identifier to said wireless controller and receives information from said wireless controller that includes the tablet identifier, the tablet identifier preventing operation of said wireless controller by a different wireless tablet associated with a different wireless controller.

13. The arrangement of claim 11, wherein each said medical device includes a device identifier identifying the type of medical device, wherein said wireless controller transmits the room identifier to the medical devices to automatically determine said medical devices located in the medical room, and wherein said medical devices provide the device identifier to said wireless controller for display of a list of the available medical devices on said communication interface.

14. The arrangement of claim 13, further including a room monitor adjacent a doorway of the medical room for monitoring the entering and exiting of said medical devices and said wireless controllers from the medical room, said room monitor having the room identifier and a dummy identifier stored therein,

wherein said medical devices comprise portable medical devices, each said portable medical device including a room identifier storage device,

wherein said wireless controllers comprise portable wireless controllers, each said portable wireless controller including a room identifier storage device,

wherein said room monitor senses entry of a said portable medical device or a said portable wireless controller into the medical room and wirelessly provides the room identifier to said entering portable medical device or said entering portable wireless controller for storage in the respective room identifier storage device, and

wherein said room monitor senses exit of a said portable medical device or a said portable wireless controller from the medical room and wirelessly provides the dummy identifier to said exiting portable medical device or said exiting wireless controller to prevent unintended operation thereof.

15. The arrangement of claim 13, wherein the device identifiers of said medical devices comprise unique device identifiers so that said wireless controller automatically identifies the type and exact model of said medical devices;

and

wherein the unique device identifiers enable control of two said medical devices of the same type in the medical room.

16. The arrangement of claim 11, wherein said medical devices comprise at least one of operating room lights, operating room cameras, a pole pump system, an arthroscopic pump system, and a waste management system.

17. The arrangement of claim 11, wherein said communication interface comprises at least one of a wireless tablet having a touch screen, a tablet having a control cord connected to said wireless controller and a voice recognition device.

18. The arrangement of claim 11, including at least two transceiver locator devices provided in the medical room for sensing the device identifiers stored in the respective medical devices, and for notifying the wireless controller of said medical devices located in the medical room.

19. The arrangement of claim 18, wherein said transceiver locator devices comprise time-of-flight devices for comparing and determining the presence of said medical devices in the medical room depending on time-of-flight signals.

20. The arrangement of claim 19, wherein said transceiver locator devices comprise at least five said transceiver locator devices to determine the exact location of the devices for display on a room map.

21. A global network system for monitoring wireless controllers and wirelessly controllable medical devices in at least two rooms of a medical facility comprising:

at least two room monitors, each said room monitor being provided for a respective said medical room in the medical facility, and each said room monitor determining device data comprising the presence or absence of said wireless controllers and said medical devices in the respective medical room;

a network processor for receiving the device data from each said room monitor;

a data storage for storing the device data received by said network processor; and

a control interface for enabling a user to request said network processor to compile the device data, to determine the presence or absence of said medical devices and said controllers in any one or more of the medical rooms.

22. The global network system of claim 21, including a display connected to said network processor for displaying the device data.

23. The global network system of claim 22, wherein a user operating said control interface is capable of determining the number of and locations of a particular type of said medical device throughout the medical facility.

24. The global network system of claim 22, wherein a said network processor is capable of obtaining a location of a specific unique one of said medical devices or a unique one of said wireless controllers within the medical facility.