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

• US 9,241,858 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2014
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• 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:
  US14/525,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20150046019A1
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle, comprising:

a self-guided-vehicle navigation controller including

a route-to-destination control module including circuitry operable to generate route-to-destination information based on one or more patient verification inputs; and

a body structure including

a surface configured to support an individual,

a steering assembly having a plurality of rotatable members operable to frictionally interface the vehicle to a travel path and to move the vehicle along the travel path, the steering assembly operable to vary a steering angle of at least one of the plurality of rotatable members,

a power source, and

a motor for driving one or more of the plurality of rotatable members;

the self-guided-vehicle navigation controller operably coupled to at least one of the plurality of rotatable members, the power source, and the motor, and configured to generate one or more control commands for navigating the self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle to at least a first target location along a travel route based on the route-to-destination information, and wherein the self-guided-vehicle is configured for omni-directional travel.

2. The self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle of claim 1, wherein the route-to-destination control module includes a patient-in-route circuit configured to acquire travel-route status information, the travel-route status information to be acquired including one or more of travel-route traffic information, travel-route obstacle location information, travel-route map information, or travel-route geographical location information;

and to generate updated route-to-destination information responsive to the travel-route status information.

3. The self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle of claim 1, wherein the route-to-destination control module includes a patient-in-route circuit configured to report a self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle location information along target travel-route locations.

4. The self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle of claim 1, wherein the route-to-destination control module includes a patient-in-route circuit configured to report self-guided patient-support and transport location arrival information.

5. The self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle of claim 1, wherein the self-guided-vehicle navigation controller includes one or more module having circuitry operable to generate the first target location along the travel route based on the patient verification input.

6. The self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle of claim 1, wherein the route-to-destination control module includes circuitry operable to generate one or more control commands for navigating the self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle along a multi-floor travel route.

7. The self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle of claim 1, wherein the self-guided-vehicle navigation controller is operably coupled to at least one of the plurality of rotatable members, the power source, and the motor, and configured to generate one or more control commands for navigating the self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle to at least a first target location along a travel route based on a patient verification input.

8. The self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle of claim 1, wherein the self-guided-vehicle navigation controller operably coupled to at least one of the plurality of rotatable members, the power source, and the motor, and configured to generate one or more control commands for navigating the self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle to at least a first target location along a travel route based on one or more inputs indicative of a change in health status of a patient being transported.

9. The self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle of claim 1, wherein the self-guided-vehicle navigation controller further comprising:

a travel-route status acquisition circuit operable to acquire real-time travel-route status information, and

an alternate route-to-destination generation circuit operable to generate route-to-destination information responsive to the travel-route status information indicative of an adverse condition present along the travel route.

10. The self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle of claim 1, wherein the self-guided-vehicle navigation controller further comprising:

a navigation module including one or more sensors to determine a position, velocity, or acceleration of the self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle;

the inertial navigation module configured to generate self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle status information responsive to changes to the position, velocity, or acceleration of the self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle.

11. The self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle of claim 1, wherein the self-guided-vehicle navigation controller further comprising:

a navigation module including one or more sensors to determine a bearing, a direction, a rate-of-change of bearing, or a rate-of-change of direction of the self-guided patient-support vehicle;

the inertial navigation module configured to generate self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle status information responsive to a change to the bearing, the direction, the rate-of-change of bearing, or the rate-of-change of direction of the self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle.

12. The self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle of claim 1, wherein the self-guided-vehicle navigation controller includes an optical guidance system configured to determine the first position of a self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle.

13. The self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle of claim 1, further including:

one or more memory structures having travel route information or object along travel route information stored thereon.

14. The self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle of claim 1, wherein the self-guided-vehicle navigation controller includes a communication interface configured to request real-time path traffic status information and to update the route-to-destination information based on the response to the request real-time path traffic status information.

15. The self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle of claim 1, further including:

one or more memories having reference travel route information stored thereon.

16. The self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle of claim 1, wherein the self-guided-vehicle navigation controller is configured to generate one or more control commands for controlling one or more of propulsion, braking, or steering responsive to an input from one or more sensors operably coupled to the self-guided-vehicle navigation controller and configured to detect a location of a remote object along a travel route.

17. The self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle of claim 1, further including:

a voice-command recognition device operably coupled to the self-guided-vehicle navigation controller and having one or more audio sensors operable to recognize an audio input;

the self-guided-vehicle navigation controller configured to generate one or more control commands based on the audio input.

18. The self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle of claim 1, further including:

a voice-command recognition device including one or more audio sensors operable to recognize an operator-specific audio input; and

to enable an automatic controlled state, a manual controlled state, an operator-guided state, or remote controlled state of the self-guided-vehicle navigation controller based on the audio input;

the voice-command recognition device configured to enable an automatic controlled state, a manual controlled state, an operator-guided state, or remote controlled state of the self-guided-vehicle navigation controller based on the audio input.

19. The self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle of claim 1, further including:

one or more weight sensors or moments of inertia sensor;

the self-guided-vehicle navigation controller is configured to determine weight information or a moment of inertia information, and one or more control commands for navigating the self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle to a second position along a travel route based on at least one of the weight information and the moment of inertia information.

20. The self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle of claim 1, further including:

one or more sensors configured to detect one or more travel path markings along a travel path and to generate travel path markings information,

the self-guided-vehicle navigation controller configured to generate route-to-destination information based on one or more target location inputs and the travel path makings information.

21. The self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle of claim 1, further including:

one or more sensors configured to detect one or more travel path markings along a travel path and to generate travel path makings information, the self-guided-vehicle navigation controller configured to generate registration information for real-time registering of the self-guided patient-support and transport vehicle relative to the one or more travel path markings.