Automated systems, devices, and methods for transporting and supporting patients

• US 8,886,383 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hyde, Roderick A., Malaska, Stephen L.
• Primary Examiner(s): CAMBY, RICHARD M
• Application Number:
  US13/630,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20140090172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23, 701/24, 701/25, 701/26, 701/400, 701/408, 701/409, 701/420, 701/450, 701/451, 701/468, 701/487, 701/488
• US Class Current: 701/24
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 1/0275 having driven wheels, e.g. motorised
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 1/0281 having a steering device
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 1/0287 having brakes, e.g. slowing down and/or holding details of brake actuators on castors B60B33/0078; brakes on hand carts B62B5/04; brakes in general F16D49/00 - F16D65/853
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/04 motor-driven A61G5/06 takes precedence; motor-operated rests A61G5/12; for vehicles with handlebars, equipped with three or more wheels B62K5/003, B62K5/023
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/05 Parts, details or accessories of beds devices for prevention against falling out A47C21/08, A47D7/00 ; mattresses A47C27/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0527 Weighing devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/0528 Steering or braking devices for castor wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/08 Apparatus for transporting beds
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0217 in accordance with energy consumption, time reduction or distance reduction criteria
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0227 using mechanical sensing means, e.g. for sensing treated area
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0234 using optical markers or beacons optical beacons per se G01S1/70
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0238 using obstacle or wall sensors G05D1/0246 and G05D1/0289 take precedence; lidar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S17/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

Systems, devices, and methods are described for moving a patient to and from various locations, care units, etc., within a care facility. For example a transport and support vehicle includes a body structure including a plurality of rotatable members operable to frictionally interface the vehicle to a travel path and to move the vehicle along the travel path, and a surface structured and dimensioned to support an individual subject. A transport and support vehicle can include, for example, an imager operably coupled to one or more of a power source, a steering assembly, one or more of the plurality of rotatable members, etc., and having one or more modules operable to control the power source, steering assembly, one or more of the plurality of rotatable members, etc., so as to maintain an authorized operator in the image zone.

Claims

1. A remotely guided omnidirectional self-propelled patient-support vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle navigation controller including

a communication module having at least one of a receiver, a transmitter, and a transceiver operable to communicate with a remote navigation network and to receive control command information from the remote navigation network, and

a route-status module including circuitry operable to provide one or more of travel route image information, patient-support vehicle geographic location information, patient-support vehicle travel direction information, patient-support vehicle travel velocity information, patient-support vehicle propulsion information, or patient-support vehicle braking information; and

a body structure operably coupled to the vehicle navigation controller, the body structure including

a surface configured to support a patient,

a plurality of rotatable members operable to frictionally the patient-support vehicle to a travel path and to move the patient-support vehicle along the travel path,

a steering assembly operable to vary a steering angle of at least one of the plurality of rotatable members,

a power source operably coupled to one or more of the plurality of rotatable members, and

a motor to drive one or more of the plurality of rotatable members;

the vehicle navigation controller including a patient destination module for generating one or more control commands for navigating the remotely guided self-propelled patient-support vehicle to at least a first patient destination along a patient travel route based on the control command information from the remote navigation network.

2. The remotely guided omnidirectional self-propelled patient-support vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle navigation controller is configured to navigate to a target patient destination satisfying a threshold criterion responsive to receipt of the control command information responsive to control command information received from the remote navigation network.

4. The remotely guided omnidirectional self-propelled patient-support vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle navigation controller is configured to switch from an automatic controlled state, a manual controlled state, an operator-guided state, or a remote controlled state to a different one of the automatic controlled state, the manual controlled state, or the remote controlled state, responsive to control command information received from the remote navigation network.

5. The remotely guided omnidirectional self-propelled patient-support vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more travel route sensors operably coupled to the vehicle navigation controller, the one or more travel route sensors configured to detect a travel distance of at least one travel increment along the patient travel route;

the vehicle navigation controller configured to

determine one or more of a total travel distance, a travel direction, or a travel velocity based on the travel distance of the at least one travel increment along the patient travel route; and

to

generate one or more control commands for varying one or more of propulsion, braking, or steering to direct the self-propelled operator-guided vehicle along the target patient travel route based on the travel distance of the at least one travel increment along the patient travel route.

6. The remotely guided omnidirectional self-propelled patient-support vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

a speech recognition module that causes the vehicle navigation controller to execute one or more control commands for navigating the remotely guided self-propelled patient-support vehicle to a subsequent travel position along a patient travel route responsive to an input from the speech recognition module.

7. The remotely guided omnidirectional self-propelled patient-support vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

a speech recognition module that causes the vehicle navigation controller to execute one or more control commands for toggling between two or more control states.

8. The remotely guided omnidirectional self-propelled patient-support vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more travel route sensors that generate at least one measurand indicative of movement of the remotely guided self-propelled patient-support vehicle relative to a surface region traversed by the remotely guided self-propelled patient-support vehicle and generate vehicle displacement information based on the at least one measurand indicative of movement.

9. The remotely guided omnidirectional self-propelled patient-support vehicle of claim 1, wherein the plurality of rotatable members includes at least one traction wheel for propelling the remotely guided omnidirectional self-propelled patient-support vehicle along a travel route.

10. The remotely guided omnidirectional self-propelled patient-support vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle navigation controller includes one or more system sub-controllers.

11. The remotely guided omnidirectional self-propelled patient-support vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle navigation controller is operably coupled to one or more of propulsion controllers, braking controllers, or steering controllers.

12. The remotely guided omnidirectional self-propelled patient-support vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle navigation controller includes one or more of propulsion controllers, braking controllers, or steering controllers.

13. The remotely guided omnidirectional self-propelled patient-support vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle navigation controller is operably coupled to one or more of a propulsion system, a brake system, or a steering system of the remotely guided omnidirectional self-propelled patient-support vehicle.

14. The remotely guided omnidirectional self-propelled patient-support vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle navigation controller is operably coupled to one or more of a propulsion system, a brake system, or a steering system of the remotely guided omnidirectional self-propelled patient-support vehicle and is operable to switch the state of at least one of the propulsion system, the brake system, and the steering system from an automatic controlled state, a manual controlled state, an operator-guided state, or a remote controlled state, to a different one of the automatic controlled state, the manual controlled state, or the remote controlled state.

15. The remotely guided omnidirectional self-propelled patient-support vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle navigation controller is operable to connect to a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), an enterprise-wide computer network, an enterprise-wide intranet, or the Internet.

3. The remotely guided omnidirectional self-propelled patient-support vehicle 1, wherein the vehicle navigation controller is configured to navigate to a target patient destination responsive to control command information received from the remote navigation network.

16. A remotely guided self-propelled patient-support vehicle, comprising:

a body structure configured to support a patient in need of transport, the body structure including a transport assembly having a steering assembly and a power train; and

a vehicle navigation controller including a communication interface having at least one of a receiver, a transmitter, and a transceiver operable to communicate with a remote navigation network and to receive travel-route information and at least one of propulsion control command information, braking command information, and steering command information from the remote navigation network so as to reach a patient destination along a patient travel route;

the vehicle navigation controller operably coupled to at least one of the transport assembly, the steering assembly, and the power train and configured to generate at least one navigation control command for controlling at least one of propulsion, braking, and steering of the remotely guided self-propelled patient-support vehicle based on the propulsion control command information, the braking command information, or the steering command information from the remote navigation network.

17. The remotely guided self-propelled patient-support vehicle of claim 16, wherein the vehicle navigation controller is configured to generate one or more control commands for navigating the remotely guided self-propelled patient-support vehicle to at least a first patient travel position responsive to the travel-route information and the at least one of propulsion control command information, braking command information, and steering command information from the remote navigation network.

18. The remotely guided self-propelled patient-support vehicle of claim 16, further comprising:

one or more travel route sensors that monitor a distance traveled by the remotely guided self-propelled patient-support vehicle.

19. The remotely guided self-propelled patient-support vehicle of claim 16, wherein the vehicle navigation controller is configured to generate a plurality of target travel increments corresponding to a patient travel route to a patient destination.

20. The remotely guided self-propelled patient-support vehicle of claim 16, further comprising:

a self-propelled patient-support status reporter device including one or more transceivers or transmitters that generate an output indicative of an authorization to operate the self-propelled patient-support and transport vehicle.

21. The remotely guided self-propelled patient-support vehicle of claim 16, wherein the vehicle navigation controller is configured to execute one or more navigation control commands for controlling one or more of propulsion, braking, or steering to direct the self-propelled operator-guided vehicle along the patient travel route responsive to the travel-route information and the at least one of propulsion control command information, braking command information, and steering command information from the remote navigation network.