System and method to detect an event associated with a person relative to a bed

• US 9,495,569 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Theurer, Charles, Guzzo, Judith, Forman, Douglas, Good, Brandon, Scarola, Todd, Liu, Shaopeng, Wallace, Robert, Smith, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Holloway, III, Edwin
• Application Number:
  US14/135,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20150178529A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/90 Identification means for patients or instruments, e.g. tags
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/98 using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• 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 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A system and method to detect an event associated with a first object relative to a second object and a support is provided. The system can include an antenna at a support to receive the first object, a tag reader in communication with the antenna and a tag located on the second object. In response to detecting a change in impedance of the antenna associated with the presence of the first object, the tag reader communicates a presence signal. In response to detecting the tag within a threshold proximity of the tag reader, the tag reader generates a tag signal. A remoter server is operable to detect an association of the first and second objects based on a comparison a time associated with each of the tag signal and the presence signal, and in response then creates an output indicative of a detected event based on the association for illustration.

Claims

1. A system to detect an event associated with a first object relative to a second object and a support, the system comprising:

an antenna provided on a support to receive the first object;

a tag reader in communication with the antenna and a tag located on the second object;

where in the tag reader can detect a change in a test signal generating a resonant frequency; and

a remote server in communication with the tag reader,

wherein in response to detecting a change in impedance of the antenna associated with the presence of the first object, the tag reader communicates a presence signal to the remote server, and wherein in response to detecting the tag within a threshold proximity of the tag reader, the tag reader generates a tag signal for communication to a remote server, and wherein the remote server is operable to detect an association of the first and second objects based on a comparison of time associated with each of the tag signal and the presence signal and in response then create an output indicative of the association for illustration indicative of occurrence of the event.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first object is a person and the support is a bed.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second object is a mobile asset.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the second object is a caregiver.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the support is one of the group consisting of:

a chair, a wheelchair, a gurney, a wall, and a door frame.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote server detects an identification of one of multiple different events dependent on association of at least one tag associated with each object detected within proximity of tag reader within a threshold time period of detecting the presence of the first object relative to the support.

7. The system of claim 1, further including a second tag associated with the first object.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first object is a person having a patient tag, the support is a bed having a bed tag, and the second object is a caregiver having a caregiver tag, and wherein the remote server is operable to identify one from a plurality of different events in a delivery of healthcare to the person based on a comparison of a time of detecting the patient tag and the caregiver tag within a threshold proximity of the tag reader and a time of detecting the presence of the person relative to the bed.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the tag reader detects an equipment tag associated with a unique identifier of an equipment within threshold proximity of the tag reader, and the remote server detects a second event associated with a unique identifier of the person relative to the bed based on the unique identifier of the caregiver associated with the caregiver tag and the unique identifier of the equipment associated with the equipment, and compares the event to determine a compliance to a predefined healthcare delivery step assigned to be provided to the person, the predefined healthcare delivery step stored at the system for retrieval by the remote server.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein in response to detecting the event, the remote server is operable to create an invoice to bill the person associated with a predefined charge for the event.

11. A method to detect an event associated with a first object relative to a second object and a support, the method comprising the steps of:

providing an antenna to receive the first object relative to the support;

detecting a change in impedance of the antenna associated with the presence of the first object via a tag reader;

where in the tag reader can detect a change in a test signal generating a resonant frequency;

communicating a presence signal to the remote server in response to detecting the change in impedance;

detecting the tag within a threshold proximity of the tag reader;

generating a tag signal for communication to a remote server in response to detecting the tag within threshold proximity of the tag reader;

detecting an association of the first and second objects at a remote server based on a comparison of time associated with each of the tag signal and the presence signal; and

creating an output by the remote server indicative of the association for illustration indicative of the event.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the remote server detects an identification of one of multiple different events dependent on association of at least one tag associated with each object detected within proximity of tag reader within a threshold time period of detecting the presence of the first object relative to the support.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first object is a person having a patient tag, the support is a bed having a bed tag, and the second object is a caregiver having a caregiver tag, and wherein the remote server identifies one from a plurality of different events in a delivery of healthcare to the person based on a comparison of a time of detecting the patient tag and the caregiver tag within a threshold proximity of the tag reader and a time of detecting the presence of the person relative to the bed.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the tag reader detects an equipment tag associated with a unique identifier of an equipment within threshold proximity of the tag reader, and the remote server detects a second event associated with a unique identifier of the person relative to the bed based on the unique identifier of the caregiver associated with the caregiver tag and the unique identifier of the equipment associated with the equipment, and compares the event to determine a compliance to a predefined healthcare delivery step assigned to be provided to the person, the predefined healthcare delivery step stored at the system for retrieval by the remote server.