Bed exit night light

• US 8,810,379 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2012
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daniel R. Murphy
• Original Assignee: Daniel R. Murphy
• Inventors: Murphy, Daniel R.
• Primary Examiner(s): CRAWFORD, JASON
• Application Number:
  US13/598,568
• Publication Number:
  US 20140062342A1
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 340/286.07, 340/575
• US Class Current: 340/286.07
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1115 Monitoring leaving of a patient support, e.g. a bed or a wheelchair
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/0442 activated by means of a sensor, e.g. motion or photodetectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/208 for hospital wards
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0461 integrated or attached to an item closely associated with the person but not worn by the person, e.g. chair, walking stick, bed sensor
• 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

The invention is a Bed Exit Night Light System designed to illuminate a hospital room if a patient leaves his bed, but is not activated by the presence of hospital staff or casual movement of equipment.

Claims

1. A Bed-Exit Lighting System, comprising:

a. a sensor that provides a signal to a control unit when a user leaves a bed;

b. a room light in the same room as the bed;

c. a means other than a photoelectric cell for detecting light in the vicinity of the bed which is connected to a control unit;

d. a relay between the room light and a power source to the room light that connects the power source to the room light upon receiving a control signal;

e. a control unit connected to the relay, that controls the relay so as to provide power to a room light when a user in the bed gets out of the bed when the room is dark; and

f. the control unit delays the monitoring of the bed sensor after the room light is turned off for a period of time, allowing a user to get into the monitored bed.

2. A method of controlling room lighting a room with a bed, comprising:

a. monitoring the room light around a target bed until the room is dark; and

,

b. monitoring a bed sensor that indicates the presence of a person in the bed; and

,

c. energizing a control relay to provide power to the room light when the bed sensor detects that a person is leaving the bed and the room is dark; and

,

d. ceasing operation once the room light is on, until the room light is independently turned off by an outside actor; and

then,

e. waiting a period of time before beginning to monitor the bed sensor after the light is turned off by the outside actor; and

then,

f. repeating this cycle.