Room monitoring and lighting system

• US 7,268,682 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2004
• Issued: 09/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Original Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois
• Inventors: Mazumder, Sudip K., Bialecki, George Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): GOINS, DAVETTA WOODS
• Application Number:
  US10/785,734
• Publication Number:
  US 20040257237A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,296 Days
• Field of Search: 315/158, 315/159, 315/149, 315/308, 362/276, 362/642, 362/802
• US Class Current: 340/565
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A system for improving the safety of a room occupied by a patient includes a sensor for monitoring when the patient is out of bed. The sensor sends a signal that gives an alert to a care giver that the patient is out of bed. Lights in the room are slowly illuminated to provide light for the patient. A second sensor may sense when the patient has returned to bed and correspondingly dim the lights. The history of the patient being in and out of bed, and of the care giver responding to alerts may be recorded in a log. A programmable micro controller is used to control the system.

Claims

1. A system for improving the safety of a room occupied by a patient in a bed, particularly when the room is dark and the room is provided with artificial lighting, the system comprising:

a first sensor for detecting when the patient has gotten out of bed, said first sensor activating the artificial lighting upon detecting that the patient is out of bed;

wherein the artificial lighting can be varied in intensity, and further wherein upon said first sensor activating the artificial lighting the artificial lighting is activated at a dim level and slowly increased in intensity; and

a recording device in connection with said first sensor, said recording device making a log entry of times when said first sensor was activated.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said first sensor is a motion sensor.

3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a second sensor for sensing when the patient has returned to bed, said second sensor sending a second signal upon detecting that the patient has returned to bed, said second signal causing said artificial lighting to dim.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an indicator light outside the room, said indicator light being activated when said sensor detects that the patient has gotten out of bed, said indicator light remaining activated until manually deactivated.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said recording device also makes a log entry when said indicator light has been manually deactivated.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said recording device is connected to a personal computer so that data from the recording device can be transferred to the personal computer.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the connection between said personal computer and said recording device is a fiber optic cable.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the connection between said recording device and said first sensor is a fiber optic cable.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein said recording device is a wavelet board.

10. The system according to claim 6, wherein said personal computer has software which enables it to record and manage data from numerous recording devices.

11. The system according to claim 6, wherein said personal computer has software that enables it to control the recording device.

12. A system for improving the safety of a room occupied by a patient in a bed, particularly when the room is dark and the room is provided with artificial lighting, the system comprising:

a first sensor for detecting when the patient has gotten out of bed, said sensor activating the artificial lighting upon detecting that the patient is out of bed; and

wherein the artificial lighting can be varied in intensity, and further wherein upon said first sensor activating the artificial lighting the artificial lighting is activated at a dim level and slowly increased in intensity;

a second sensor for sensing when the patient has returned to bed, said second sensor sending a second signal upon detecting that the patient has returned to bed, said second signal causing said artificial lighting to dim; and

a bathroom light, wherein said bathroom light is also activated when said first sensor detects that the patient is out of bed.

13. A system for improving the safety of a room occupied by a patient in a bed, particularly when the room is dark and the room is provided with artificial lighting, the system comprising:

a first sensor for detecting when the patient has gotten out of bed, said first sensor activating the artificial lighting upon detecting that the patient is out of bed; and

a recording device in connection with said first sensor, said recording device making a log entry of times when said first sensor has been activated and a log entry when an indicator light outside the room has been activated when said sensor detects that the patient has gotten out of bed, said indicator light remaining activated until manually deactivated.

14. A system for improving the safety of a room occupied by a patient in a bed, particularly when the room is dark and the room is provided with artificial lighting, the system comprising:

a first sensor for detecting when the patient has gotten out of bed, said first sensor activating the artificial lighting upon detecting that the patient is out of bed;

wherein said first sensor provides a radio frequency signal to a first transceiver when it detects that the patient has gotten out of bed;

a first power line interface and a micro controller;

said power line interface being connected between said first transceiver and said micro controller;

said micro controller further being connected to said artificial lighting, said first transceiver sending an activation signal to said micro controller when said first transceiver receives a radio frequency signal from said first sensor; and

said micro controller sending a signal that activates said artificial lighting upon receiving said activation signal from said micro controller; and

wherein the artificial lighting can be varied in intensity, and further wherein upon said first sensor activating the artificial lighting the artificial lighting is activated at a dim level and slowly increased in intensity.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein said micro controller controls the activation and dimming of said artificial lighting through power modules connected between said micro controller and said artificial lighting.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein said micro controller provides notice to a remote system when it receives an activation signal.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein said notice to said remote system includes information regarding a location of said first remote sensor.

18. A system for improving the safety of a room occupied by a patient in a bed, particularly when the room is dark and the room is provided with artificial lighting, the system comprising:

a first sensor for detecting when the patient has gotten out of bed, said first sensor activating the artificial lighting upon detecting that the patient is out of bed;

wherein the artificial lighting can be varied in intensity, and further wherein upon said first sensor activating the artificial lighting the artificial lighting is activated at a dim level and slowly increased in intensity; and

a second sensor for sensing when the patient has returned to bed, said second sensor sending a second signal upon detecting that the patient has returned to bed, said second signal causing said artificial lighting to dim.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein a bathroom light is also activated when said first sensor detects that the patient is out of bed.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein an alert is provided to a caregiver by a remote device for receiving information when said first sensor detects that the patient is out of bed.

21. The system according to claim 18, wherein said first sensor provides a radio frequency signal to a first transceiver when it detects that the patient has gotten out of bed.