Patent Application
20240058190
The present disclosure relates to hospital beds, and particularly to hospital beds that have alert indicators such as lights. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to hospital beds that alert caregivers to different alert conditions of the hospital bed.
Hospital beds having lights to alert caregivers of undesirable conditions are known. For example, the CENTRA™ bed marketed by Hill-Rom Company, Inc. starting in the early 1980's had four light emitting diodes (LED's) at the foot end of the bed in a vertical arrangement which indicated, respectively, an electrical ground loss, bed not in low position, bed motors locked out, and foot brake not set. The LED's were rather small and thus, caregivers needed to view these close up, such as on the order of two feet or closer, in order to read the explanatory text next to each of the LED's.
In recent times, alert lights on beds have been made much larger and conspicuous so that caregivers can easily see these lights from a distance of ten feet or more. Thus, a caregiver is able to view the alert light status from a hallway by looking through a doorway of a patient room. See, for example, U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2012/0105233 A1, 2011/0277242 A1 and 2010/0073168 A1. These more recent types of alert lights typically are illuminated green to indicate that multiple monitored bed conditions are all in a desired state and are illuminated some other color, such as amber or red, to indicate that at least one of the monitored bed conditions is in an undesirable state. However, the caregiver does not know which of the monitored conditions is causing the alert light or lights to be illuminated the color other than green. Instead, the caregiver must know what the monitored conditions are and to make a visual inspection of various bed features to determine which feature needs attention to correct the alert situation.
Based on the foregoing, it will be appreciated that there is room for improvement in connection with alert lights on hospital beds.
A patient support apparatus may comprise one or more of the features recited in the appended claims and/or the following features which, alone or in any combination, may comprise patentable subject matter:
A patient support apparatus may include a base frame and an upper frame that may be supported above the base frame and that may be configured to support a patient. The upper frame may have a head end, a foot end, and a pair of laterally spaced apart sides. The head end and foot end may be spaced apart in a longitudinal dimension of the patient support apparatus and the upper frame may have a lateral frame member at the foot end. The patient support apparatus may further have an alert light assembly which may be attached to the lateral frame member. The alert light assembly may have separate zones that may be individually illuminated to convey information regarding respective alert conditions. The alert light assembly may be sufficiently large to occupy at least about one third the distance between the laterally spaced apart sides of the upper frame and to occupy at least about half the distance between a top and a bottom of the lateral frame member without extending beyond the top and bottom of the lateral frame member.
The patient support apparatus may further have a footboard that may be removably coupleable to the foot end of the upper frame. The alert light assembly may remain attached to the lateral frame member when the footboard is removed from the upper frame. The footboard may have a lower end that may be formed with a laterally extending opening through which the alert light assembly may be visible when the footboard is attached to upper frame. In some embodiments, the footboard may include a clear lens that may cover the laterally extending opening. Alternatively, the footboard may have a bottom edge that may be situated atop the lateral frame member when the footboard is attached to the upper frame so that the alert light assembly may be visible beneath the bottom edge of the footboard.
According to this disclosure, the separate zones of the alert light assembly may each include a lens and the lenses of the separate zones may be spaced horizontally from one end of the alert light assembly to the other. In some embodiments, there may be four separate zones and the lens of each separate zone may have indicia associated therewith to indicate a particular alert condition when the associated zone is illuminated a color other than green. For example, a first indicia associated with a first lens may relate to a patient position monitoring system, a second indicia associated with a second lens may relate to an angle at which a head section of the upper frame is raised, a third indicia associated with a third lens may relate to a position of the upper frame relative to the base frame, and a fourth indicia of a fourth lens may relate to a position of a siderail that may be coupled to the upper frame. The indicia on each lens of the separate zones may be etched or printed thereon.
In some embodiments, the alert light assembly may include an elongated bar that may serve as a housing for the separate zones. Thus, the elongated bar may have openings around the separate zones through which light may pass. The alert light assembly may include a set of tabs that may be formed integrally with the elongated bar The set of tabs may be used to fasten the alert light assembly to the lateral frame member. Optionally, the elongated bar may be situated inside an interior region of the lateral frame member. In some such embodiments, the lateral frame member may have a substantially vertically oriented wall that has a laterally extending hole that receives a portion of the elongated bar. Alternatively or additionally, the elongated bar may be attached to the lateral frame member with adhesive. If desired, a bezel that may frame an outer periphery of the elongated bar may be provided.
According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the lateral frame member may have a cut out midway between the laterally spaced apart sides of the upper frame and the alert light assembly may include electrical conductors that may pass through the cut out into an interior region of the lateral frame member. Each of the separate zones of the alert light assembly may include a lens that may be located in a respective opening of the elongated bar and at least one light emitter that may be located behind the respective lens. The at least one light emitter may include, for example, a first light emitter that may emit green light and a second light emitter that may emit amber light. In some embodiments, portions of the elongated bar may serve as partitions between the lenses.
According to an aspect of this disclosure, a patient support apparatus may have an alert light module extending downwardly from a bottom surface of the lateral frame member. The alert light module may be an alternative to the alert light assembly or may be in addition to the alert light assembly. The alert light module may have separate zones that may be individually illuminated to convey information regarding respective alert conditions. In some embodiments, the alert light module may have a housing with partition walls that may be located between the separate zones.
The separate zones of the alert light module may each include a lens and the lenses of the separate zones may be spaced horizontally from each other by respective ones of the partition walls. In some embodiments, there may be four separate zones and the lens of each separate zone may have indicia associated therewith to indicate a particular alert condition when the associated zone is illuminated a color other than green. For example, a first indicia associated with a first lens may relate to a patient position monitoring system, a second indicia associated with a second lens may relate to an angle at which a head section of the upper frame is raised, a third indicia associated with a third lens may relate to a position of the upper frame relative to the base frame, and a fourth indicia of a fourth lens may relate to a position of a siderail that is coupled to the upper frame.
In some embodiments, the indicia associated with each lens may be printed or etched on the respective lens. Alternatively or additionally, the indicia associated with each lens may be located on the lateral frame member above the respective lens of the alert light module. For example, the indicia located on the lateral frame member may be included on a sticker that may be adhered to the lateral frame member above the alert light module. In some embodiments, the alert light module may be situated about midway between the pair of laterally spaced apart sides of the upper frame. In some such embodiments, the alert light module may occupy at least about a third of a distance between the pair of laterally spaced apart sides of the upper frame. In other embodiments, the alert light module may be situated adjacent a first lateral side of the pair of lateral sides of the upper frame and a second alert light module may be provided and may be situated adjacent a second lateral side of the pair of lateral sides of the upper frame.
According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the housing of the alert light module may have a peripheral housing portion that may form a shell. The partition walls may be formed integrally with the shell. The housing may further have a translucent lens that may couple to the shell and that may bridge across spaces defined between the partition walls. In such embodiments, each of the partition walls may have an outer edge that may abut an inner surface of the translucent lens. A set of indicia may be provided, such as being printed or etched on the translucent lens, so as to be positioned generally centrally within each of the zones that may be illuminated.
The housing of the alert light module may further include a backing plate that may have a back wall that may couple to the shell behind the partition walls. The alert light module may also include a light emitting diode (LED) board that may be situated between the back wall and the shell. The backing plate may have a top wall that may overlie the shell and that may have at least one aperture for accommodating a fastener which may attach the alert light module to the bottom surface of the lateral frame member. In some embodiments, the at least one aperture may be provided generally in a central region of the top wall and which may permit the alert light module to be rotated about a generally vertical axis relative to the lateral frame member to reorient the alert light module into a desired viewing angle. In other embodiments, the alert light module may not be permitted to rotate relative to the lateral frame member.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a patient support apparatus may include a bed frame that may have a head end, a foot end, and a pair of laterally spaced part sides. The bed frame may be configured to support a person and the bed frame may have a lateral frame member at the foot end. A set of alert lights may be coupled to the lateral frame member and may be arranged to emit light upwardly. The patient support apparatus may further have a footboard that may be coupled to the bed frame. The footboard may have a set of light pipes that may overlie the alert lights and that may extend from a bottom of the footboard toward a top of the footboard. Upper ends of the light pipes may be visible and may emit light from a light emitting region at the top of the footboard.
In some embodiments, a translucent lens may overlie the upper ends of the light pipes. In some embodiments, the set of alert lights may be included as part of a light emitting diode (LED) strip. In such embodiments, the lateral frame member may have a top wall that may be formed to include an elongated opening and the LED strip may emit light upwardly through the elongated opening. The LED strip may include four zones and each zone may be capable of emitting two different colors. In some embodiments, the two different colors may include green and either amber or red. In embodiments having four zones, the set of light pipes may include four light pipes and each light pipe may be situated over a respective zone of the four zones.
According to some embodiments, the set of alert lights may comprise four alert lights and the set of light pipes may comprise four light pipes. Each light pipe may overlie a respective one of the alert lights. A plurality of indicia may be provided on the footboard beneath the light emitting region. Each indicia may relate to a particular feature of the patient support apparatus associated with a respective alert light. For example, a first indicia may relate to a patient position monitoring system, a second indicia may relate to an angle at which a head section of the upper frame is raised, a third indicia may relate to a position of the upper frame relative to the base frame, and a fourth indicia may relate to a position of a siderail that may be coupled to the upper frame. In some embodiments, the plurality of indicia on the footboard may be included on a sticker that may be adhered to the footboard beneath the light emitting region.
According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a patient support apparatus may include an electronic display coupled to the lateral frame member in lieu of the alert light assembly or the alert light module or, if desired, in addition to the alert light assembly or the alert light module. The electronic display may be operable to display messages including messages that may relate to alert conditions of the patient support apparatus. In some embodiments, the alert light assembly may be sufficiently large to occupy more than half the distance between the laterally spaced apart sides of the upper frame and to occupy a space between a top and a bottom of the lateral frame member without extending beyond the top and bottom of the lateral frame member.
In some embodiments, the electronic display may comprise a two-dimensional grid of light emitting diodes (LED's) which may be illuminated to form messages. If desired, the messages may scroll horizontally on the electronic display but this need not be the case. In other embodiments, the electronic display may comprise a liquid crystal display (LCD). The LCD may be illuminated predominantly green in color when a set of monitored conditions of the patient support apparatus all have a satisfactory status. The LCD may be illuminated predominantly amber in color when at least one of the set of monitored conditions of the patient support apparatus does not have a satisfactory status. Of course other colors associated with either or both of the satisfactory and unstatufactory statuses may be used on the LCD if desired.
In some embodiments, the LCD may display a message identifying the particular monitored condition that may not have a satisfactory status. The electronic display may be situated inside an interior region of the lateral frame member and the lateral frame member may have a substantially vertically oriented wall that may have a laterally extending hole that may receive a portion of the electronic display. The patient support apparatus may further include a footboard that may be removably coupleable to the foot end of the upper frame. The footboard may have a lower end that may be formed with a laterally extending opening through which the electronic display may be visible when the footboard is attached to upper frame.
According to still further aspect of the present disclosure, the patient support apparatus may include another type of alert light module that may be coupled to the lateral frame member. The alert light module may have a housing and a plurality of light emitters that may be situated in an interior region of the housing. The housing may have a bottom wall that includes a plurality of shaped cutouts. Each light emitter may emit light through a respective one of the shaped cutouts to project onto the floor a lighted image that may have a shape matching a respective one of the shaped cutouts.
The shaped cutouts may comprise graphical images that correspond to respective features of the patient support apparatus. In some embodiments, the housing may have a set of openings spaced from the shaped cutouts. Lenses may be provided and each lens may cover a respective one of the openings. Each lens may have a graphical image thereon and each graphical image may have a shape that may be substantially similar to a shape of a respective one of the shaped cutouts. The housing may have a front wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall and the openings may be formed in the front wall.
The housing may have a set of partition walls in an interior region of the housing. Each partition wall being may be situated between a respective pair of the light emitters such that each light emitter may emit light through a respective one of the lenses and a respective one of the cutouts. Each of the shaped cutouts may have associated therewith a pair of the light emitters. A first light emitter of the pair of light emitters may emit green light, for example, and a second light emitter of the pair of light emitters may emit either amber light or red light.
According to yet a further aspect of this disclosure, a patient support apparatus may include a siderail coupled to the upper frame. The siderail may be movable between a raised position situated higher in elevation than the upper frame and a lowered position in which a majority of the siderail may be lower in elevation than the upper frame. An alert light assembly may be attached to the siderail. The alert light assembly may have separate zones that may be individually illuminated to convey information regarding respective alert conditions. The separate zones may be arranged side-by-side in series and the series may be horizontally oriented when the upper frame is in a horizontal position.
In some embodiments, the alert light assembly may be situated closer to a bottom of the siderail than to a top of the siderail. The siderail may have a first end and a second end and the series of separate zones may occupy more than half the distance between the first and second ends of the siderail. In some embodiments, the alert light assembly may comprise a polypropylene light emitting diode (LED) strip. In such embodiments, the polypropylene LED strip may have an adhesive backing that may be used to attach the polypropylene LED strip to the siderail. If desired, the alert light assembly may be embedded in a cavity that may be formed in the siderail.
As is the case with some other embodiments disclosed herein, each of the separate zones of the alert light assembly attached to the siderail may include a lens that has indicia associated therewith to indicate a particular alert condition when the associated zone is illuminated a color other than green. For example, a first indicia that may be associated with a first lens may relate to a patient position monitoring system, a second indicia that may be associated with a second lens may relate to an angle at which a head section of the upper frame may be raised, a third indicia that may be associated with a third lens may relate to a position of the upper frame relative to the base frame, and a fourth indicia that may be associated with a fourth lens may relate to a position of the siderail relative to the upper frame. Each of the zones may be illuminated green in color when an associated condition of the patient support apparatus has a satisfactory status and each of the zones may be illuminated either amber or red when the associated condition of the patient support apparatus has an unsatisfactory condition.
According to still further embodiments, a patient support apparatus may have a graphical user interface (GUI) attached to a siderail in addition to or in lieu of the alert light assemblies and the alert light modules discussed elsewhere herein. In such embodiments having a GUI, a screen saver may appear on the GUI after a period of inactivity of use of the GUI. The screen saver may include a set of enlarged graphical icons that may be colored to indicate a status of an associated feature of the patient support apparatus.
In some embodiments, the set of enlarged graphical icons may include an icon that may relate to one, two or all three of the following: a patient position monitoring system, an angle at which a head section of the upper frame is raised, and a position of the upper frame relative to the base frame. For example, a first icon of the set of graphical icons on the screen saver may relate to whether an angle of a head section is above a threshold angle. If desired, an angle at which the head section is raised relative to one of the upper frame and horizontal may be displayed on the screen saver near the first icon. The screen saver may also display information pertaining to a patient supported by the patient support apparatus. The information may include textual information indicating that the patient is a falls risk, just to list one example.
According to still a further aspect of this disclosure, a patient support apparatus may include a pole coupled to the upper frame. The pole may have a pole axis that may be defined along its length. An alert light assembly may be supported by the pole. The alert light assembly may have separate zones that may be individually illuminated to indicate respective alert conditions. The separate zones may be stacked along the pole axis.
In some embodiments, each of the separate zones has a tri-lobed configuration. The pole may be movable relative to the upper frame between a use position extending generally vertically upwardly from the upper frame and a storage position extending generally horizontally and in proximity to a frame member of the upper frame. A footboard may be coupled to the upper frame and a mattress may be supported by the upper frame. When the pole is in the storage position, one of the lobes of the tri-lobe configuration of each of the separate zones may be tucked into a crevice that may be defined between the mattress and the footboard.
In some embodiments, each of the separate zones may include a lens that may encompass the pole axis. Each lens may have indicia associated therewith to indicate a particular alert condition when the associated zone is illuminated a color other than green. The indicia on each lens may include three graphical icons spaced equally around the pole axis. The separate zones may comprises four separate zone. The three graphical icons of the respective lens of a first zone of the four separate zones may relate to a patient position monitoring system, the three graphical icons of the respective lens of a second zone of the four separate zones may relate to an angle at which a head section of the upper frame is raised, the three graphical icons of the respective lens of a third zone of the four separate zones may relate to a position of the upper frame relative to the base frame, and the three graphical icons of the respective lens of a fourth zone of the four separate zones may relate to a position of a siderail that is coupled to the upper frame.
In some embodiments, the alert light assembly supported on the pole may include separation walls between each of the separate zones so that light emitted from one of the separate zones may be prevented from bleeding into an adjacent zone. Each zone of the separate zones may include a first light emitter that may emit light of a first color and a second light emitter that may emit light of a second color. For example, the first color may be green and the second color may be either amber or red.
According another aspect of the present disclosure, a patient support apparatus may include a frame that may be configured to support a patient, at least one sensor that may be coupled to the frame and that may produce a signal that may be used to monitor a sleep state of the patient, and an alert light coupled to the frame. The alert light may be illuminated based on the sleep state of the patient so as to indicate an optimal time for a caregiver to take at least one vital sign of the patient.
In some instances, the optimal time for the caregiver to take the at least one vital sign may be when the signal from the sensor indicates that the sleep state of the patient may be a deep sleep state. In other instances, the optimal time for the caregiver to take the at least one vital sign may be when the signal from the sensor indicates that the sleep state of the patient may be an alert state of sleep. In some embodiments, the alert light may be changed from a first color to a second color to indicate the optimal time for the caregiver to take the at least one vital sign of the patient. In other embodiments, the alert light may be changed from an off state to an on state to indicate the optimal time for the caregiver to take the at least one vital sign of the patient.
While several of the embodiments discussed above have four separate zones for alerting, it is within the scope of this disclosure for an alert light assembly or an alert light module of the types discussed herein to have a number of zones less than or greater than four.
Additional features, which alone or in combination with any other feature(s), such as those listed above and those listed in the claims, may comprise patentable subject matter and will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the embodiments as presently perceived.
The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:
A patient support apparatus, such as illustrative hospital bed 10, includes a bed frame 20 that supports a surface or mattress 22 as shown in
Referring still to
Illustrative hospital bed 10 has four siderail assemblies coupled to upper frame assembly 30 as shown in
Upper frame assembly 30 includes a lift frame 34, a weigh frame 36 supported with respect to lift frame 34, and a patient support deck 38 carried by weigh frame 36. Each of frames 34, 36, 38, either individually of collectively, is considered to be an “upper frame” according to this disclosure. Thus, patient support apparatuses that omit one or more of frames 34, 36, 38 but yet still have an upper frame are within the scope of this disclosure. So, basically, the upper frame is considered to be the portion of bed frame 20 that is moved by lift system 32 relative to base frame 30, regardless of its configuration. Accordingly, upper frame assembly 30 is sometimes referred to herein as simply upper frame 30.
Patient support deck 38 is carried by weigh frame 36 and engages a bottom surface of mattress 22. Patient support deck 38 includes a head section 40, a seat section 42, a thigh section 43 and a foot section 44 in the illustrative example as shown in
In the illustrative embodiment, seat section 42 is fixed in position with respect to weigh frame 36 as patient support deck 38 moves between its various patient supporting positions including a horizontal position, shown in
Bed 10 includes one or more motors or actuators, which in some embodiments, comprise linear actuators with electric motors to move the various sections 40, 43, 44 relative to frame 36 and operate lift system 32 to raise, lower, and tilt upper frame assembly 30 relative to base frame 28. These actuators are well-known in the hospital bed art and thus, are not illustrated herein. Alternative actuators or motors contemplated by this disclosure include hydraulic cylinders and pneumatic cylinders, for example. Further details of the various aspects of bed 10 can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,658,680; 6,611,979; 6,691,346; 6,957,461; and 7,296,312, each of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein to the extent not inconsistent with the present disclosure which shall control as to any inconsistencies.
In the illustrative example, bed 10 has four foot pedals 84a, 84b, 84c, 84d coupled to base frame 28 as shown in
Each siderail 48 includes a first user control panel 66 coupled to the outward side of the associated barrier panel 54 and each siderail 48 includes a second user control panel 67 coupled to the inward side of the associated barrier panel 54. Control panel 66 includes various buttons that are used by a caregiver (not shown) to control associated functions of bed 10 and control panel 67 includes various buttons that are used by a patient (not shown) to control associated function of bed 10. For example, control panel 66 includes buttons that are used to raise and lower the head section 40, buttons that are used to operate knee motor to raise and lower the thigh section 43, and buttons that are used to raise, lower, and tilt upper frame assembly 30 relative to base frame 28. In the illustrative embodiment, control panel 67 includes buttons that are used to raise and lower the head, thigh, and foot sections 40, 43, 44. In some embodiments, the buttons of control panels 66, 67 comprise membrane switches.
In the illustrative embodiment, a scale/ppm control panel 68 is also provided on the outward side of at least one barrier panel 54 of siderails 48 as shown in
Referring now to
When footboard 12 is coupled to upper frame assembly 30, as shown in
Alert light assembly 100 has four separate zones 101, 102, 103, 104 that are individually illuminated to convey information regarding respective alert conditions of bed 10. According to this disclosure, alert light assembly 100 is sufficiently large to occupy at least about one third of the distance between the longitudinally extending, laterally spaced apart sides 118 of the upper frame 30 and to occupy at least about half the distance between a top surface 112 and a bottom surface 114 of the lateral frame member 110 without extending beyond top surface 112 and bottom surface 114 of the lateral frame member 110. In fact, in the illustrative example, alert light assembly 100 occupies roughly three fourths of the distance between the longitudinally extending sides 118 of upper frame 30. Thus, alert light assembly 100 is on the order of about two to three feet in length across the lateral dimension of upper frame 30 between sides 118.
Alert light assembly 100 has an elongated bar or housing 120 that carries the zones 101, 102, 103, 104 that are illuminated. Thus, alert light assembly 100 is sometimes referred to as a “light bar.” In the illustrative example, opening 96 is shaped as an elongated, narrow, horizontally extending rectangle defined by a rectangular edge 116 as shown best in
In the example of
In the illustrative example of
Inside housing 120, behind each of the lenses 122 is at least one light emitter. In some embodiments, the at least one light emitter behind each lens 122 includes a first LED 78 that emits green light and a second LED 80 that emits amber or yellow light as shown diagrammatically in
Other light emitters for assembly 100, including light bulbs of suitably small size, are within the scope of this disclosure. In lieu of two separate LED's 78, 80, a bi-color or tri-color LED is used in other embodiments of alert light assembly 100. Organic light emitting diodes (OLED's), including light-emitting electrochemical cells (LEC's), are used as the light emitters in still other embodiments contemplated by this disclosure. Thus, the term light emitter is intended to cover all devices that are capable of emitting light. A flexible light strip that carries a set of LED's is attached to a rear of housing 120 in some embodiments such that LED's on the flexible light strip are positioned within the openings of housing 120 behind respective lenses 122.
Each of lenses 122 is translucent such that light appears to be emitted from each lens 122 across the entire surface area of the lens 122, with one exception in some embodiments. In the example of
In the illustrative example shown in
In the illustrative example shown in
It is not uncommon for doctors to order that the HOB angle be raised to at least the threshold angle as a preventative measure for ventilated assisted pneumonia (VAP) from occurring in the patient. Thus, when the HOB angle monitoring feature is armed, zone 102 is illuminated green to indicate a satisfactory status when the head section 40 is raised above the threshold angle and zone 102 is illuminated a color other than green to indicate an unsatisfactory status when head section 40 is below the threshold angle. The indicia of zone 102 is an icon of a patient's torso raised up through an arc. If the HOB monitoring function of bed 10 is disarmed, then zone 102 is not illuminated any color.
In the illustrative example of
Thus, when the height monitoring system of bed 10 is armed, zone 103 is illuminated green to indicate a satisfactory status when lift frame 34 is in its lowermost position (sometimes referred to as a “lowered position”) and zone 103 is illuminated a color other than green to indicated an unsatisfactory status when some or all of lift frame 34 is moved out of the lowered position. The indicia of zone 103 is an icon of a patient lying horizontally with a down arrowhead icon beneath the patient. If the bed height monitoring system of bed 10 is disarmed, then zone 103 is not illuminated any color.
In the illustrative example of
For each of the monitored siderails, when the siderail monitoring system is armed, a satisfactory status is considered to exist when all of the monitored siderails 48, 50 are in the raised position as shown in
For each lens 122 of zones 101, 102, 103, 104 the associated indicia is printed, such as being screen printed, or etched on the lens in some embodiments. In other embodiments, the indicia are printed on a clear or transparent sticker that is adhered to the respective lens 122. In still other embodiments, the area on lens 122 forming the respective icon is frosted more heavily (e.g., is made more opaque by frosting) than the remaining areas of lens 122. Thus, the present disclosure contemplates all manner of providing lenses 122 with their respective icons.
With regard to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Rather than being a “light bar” like alert light assembly 100, alert light assembly 100″ is a “light strip” that has a very thin substrate 124 which carries bi-color light emitting diode (LED) regions 126 which serve as the respective zones 101, 102, 103, 104 that are illuminated to convey information regarding respective alert conditions as shown best in
In some embodiments, substrate 124 has an adhesive backing such that assembly 100″ is adhered to an outer surface of vertical wall 115 of lateral frame member 110. Thus, in the illustrative example, substrate 124 and regions 126 are situated outside the interior region of frame member 110. Assembly 100″ has a ribbon 128 of electrical conductors which terminate at an electrical connector 130 as shown in
Circuitry 72 controls the illumination of regions 126 depending upon the status associated with the signals received by circuitry 72 from sensors 70, 88, 91, 93. In some embodiments, regions each comprise a single bicolor LED and three conductors of ribbon 128 are associated with the bicolor LED of each region 126. When circuitry 72 causes current to conduct through a first pair of the three conductors of ribbon 128 associated with a respective region 126, the region 126 is illuminated green in color to indicate a respective satisfactory status. When circuitry 72 causes current to conduct through a second pair of the three conductors of ribbon 128 associated a respective region 126, the region 126 is illuminated a color other than green, such as amber or red, to indicate a respective unsatisfactory status. When no current is conducted by any of the three conductors, the respective region emits no light.
In the illustrative embodiment, substrate 124 has a set of connector tabs 132 that receive fasteners, such as rivets, screws, or bolts, to couple alert light assembly 100″ to lateral frame member 110. Tabs 132 may be used in addition to, or in lieu of, the adhesive backing of substrate 124. In the illustrative example, four tabs 132 are provided and extend from the top, bottom and opposite ends of substrate 124. Tabs 132 are formed integrally with substrate 124 and have the same thickness (e.g., 0.06 inches) in the illustrative example. Referring again to assembly 100 of
In the illustrative example of
In the example of
Referring now to
Module 160 has a housing 162 with a planar top wall 164, sloped side walls 166, and a bottom wall 168 that is generally parallel with top wall 164 as shown in
Housing 160 is coupled to bottom surface 114 of frame member 110 with suitable fasteners such as screws, bolts, or rivets, for example. Thus, in some embodiments, top wall 164 of housing 160 and the bottom wall of frame member 110 both include holes (not shown) that receive such fasteners. Top wall 164 of module 160 and the bottom wall of frame member 110 also both include openings (not shown) through which conductors are routed from the light emitters or associated circuitry of module 160 into the interior region of frame member 110.
Housing 162 includes a set of internal partition walls 172, the end edges of which are shown in
Behind the portions of lens 174 of each of zones 101, 102, 103, 104 are one or more light emitters, such as green and amber LED's 78, 80 shown diagrammatically in
Lens 174 includes indicia for each of zones 101, 102, 103, 104. The indicia of lens 174 are the same as described above in connection with alert assemblies 100, 100′, 100″. In some embodiments, lens 174 is made of multiple layers of polypropylene with one of the subsurface layers having the indicia printed thereon. Thus, the indicia of lens 174 are subsurface indicia. The indicia of lenses 122 and regions 126 discussed above may be formed similarly in some embodiments. That is, lenses 122 and regions 126 may also comprise multiple layers of polypropylene material if desired.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Bed 10′ has a sticker 180 adhered to vertical wall 115 of lateral frame member 110 directly above module 160′ as shown in
In the illustrative example of
With regard to alert light assemblies 100, 100′, 100″ and alert light modules 160, 160′, in some embodiments, multiple green LED's 78 and multiple amber LED's 80 (or red LED's or orange LED's, etc.) are provided in each of zones 101, 102, 103, 104. Having multiple LED's 78, 80 in each zone 101, 102, 103, 104 is desirable, for example, when assemblies 100, 100′, 100″ and modules 160, 160′ are larger and extend two thirds or more of the distance between lateral sides 118 of upper frame assembly 30. See U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0073168 A1 which discusses the use of multiple LED's as alert lights and which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein to the extent not inconsistent with the present disclosure which shall control as to any inconsistencies.
Referring now to
Bed 200 has a head end 224 and a foot end 226 that is spaced from head end 224 in a longitudinal dimension of bed 200. Hospital bed 200 further includes a footboard 216 at the foot end 226 and a headboard 218 at the head end 224. Upper frame assembly 212 includes a substantially rectangular upper frame 220 and an articulated mattress support deck 222 which, in turn, includes a head section 228, a seat section 230, a thigh section 232, and a foot section 234 as shown in
Illustrative hospital bed 200 has a pair of siderail assemblies 242 (sometimes referred to as siderails 242) coupled to head section 228 as shown in
Bed 200 also includes a hand held bed controller pendant 248 supported at the distal end of a flexible arm portion 250 of an arm assembly 252 as shown in
Sections 228, 232, 234 of deck 222 are each movable relative to upper frame 220. For example, head section 228 pivotably raises and lowers relative to seat section 230 whereas foot section 234 pivotably raises and lowers relative to thigh section 232. Additionally, thigh section 232 articulates relative to seat section 230. In the illustrative embodiment, seat section 230 is fixed in position with respect to upper frame 220. In other embodiments, seat section 230 also moves relative to upper frame 220, such as by pivoting and/or translating.
Bed 200 includes one or more motors or actuators, which in some embodiments, comprise linear actuators with electric motors to move the various sections 228, 232, 234 relative to upper frame 220 and to operate lift system 214 to raise, lower, and tilt upper frame assembly 212 relative to base frame 206. As mentioned above in connection with bed 10, these actuators are well-known in the hospital bed art and thus, are not illustrated herein. Alternative actuators or motors contemplated by this disclosure include hydraulic cylinders and pneumatic cylinders, for example.
Referring now to
A set of light emitters, such as the LED's 78, 80 of
Footboard 216 has a set of light pipes 274 situated in the interior region of main body 260 as shown in
Main body 260 of footboard 216 has a crowned or rounded upper edge 276. Adjacent upper edge 276 is a pair of relatively large openings 278 with each opening 278 being adjacent a respective side 266 of main body 260. Portions of upper edge 276 above each opening 278 serve as grip handles 280 which a caregiver is able to grasp to maneuver bed 200 over the floor when footboard 216 is coupled to frame member 238 of upper frame 220. Main body 260 includes a bridging portion 282 situated laterally between openings 278 as shown in
Light pipes 274 each extend from bottom edge 264 of main body 260 upwardly through bridging portion 282. Furthermore, light pipes 274 each terminate at an upper end beneath respective zones 101″, 102″, 103″, 104″ of lens 284. Zones 101″, 102″, 103″, 104″ correspond to respective zones 101, 102, 103, 104 of opening 272 of lateral frame member 238. Thus, the light emitted upwardly from opening 272 and guided upwardly by light pipes 274 through the interior region of main body 260 of footboard 216 is emitted through lens 284 at the upper edge 276 of main body 260. In some embodiments, lens 284 is made of an injection molded polypropylene material. In some embodiments, main body 260 of footboard 216 is made of a blow molded or injection molded plastics material.
A label 286 is adhered to an outer surface of bridging portion 282 as shown in
Referring now to
The messages shown on electronic display 290 may relate to any aspect of bed 10 at the option of the bed designer. However, it is contemplated that electronic display 290 will, at appropriate times, display messages that relate to alert conditions of bed 10. Thus, control circuitry 72 of bed 10 is programmed to signal display 290 to light up the appropriate LED's 292 to display alert messages related to conditions sensed by sensors 70, 88, 91, 92 of bed 10. Examples of such messages include the following: “Alert—Siderail down,” “Alert— HOB Angle,” “Alert—Bed Not Low,” “Alert—Brake Not Set,” “Alert— PPM,” “Alert—Bed Exit.” These sorts of messages may flash on display 290 or may scroll on display 290 or both. It is contemplated by this disclosure that messages relating to multiple alert conditions are scrolled serially or flashed one after the other on display 290.
In some embodiments, bed 10 connects to a network of the healthcare facility and receives information that results in the display of messages on display 290. Such information may be transmitted from, for example, a computer device of a nurse call system, an electronic medical records (EMR) system, or an admisstion/discharge/transfer (ADT) system. Thus, in some embodiments, the messages shown on display 290 include messages relating to the patient associated with bed 10, such as displaying the patient's name or physiological data like vital signs. It is also contemplated by this disclosure that messages directed to caregivers are displayed on electronic display 290. For example, messages reminding caregivers to wash their hands or providing information of a general nature such as lunch room hours are a couple of possibilities of such messages.
In the illustrative embodiment, electronic display 290 is sufficiently large to occupy more than half the distance between the laterally spaced apart sides 118 of the upper frame 30 and to occupy a space between top 112 and bottom 114 of lateral frame member 110 without extending beyond top 112 and bottom 114. In fact, display 290 spans almost the entire length of lateral frame member 110 as shown best in
Referring now to
In the illustrative embodiment, electronic display 290′ occupies more than half the distance between the laterally spaced apart sides 118 of the upper frame 30 and to occupy a space between top 112 and bottom 114 of lateral frame member 110 without extending beyond top 112 and bottom 114. In fact, display 290′ spans almost the entire length of lateral frame member 110 as shown best in
Referring now to
A housing 306 of alert light module 300 includes a shell 308 and a backing plate 310 as shown best in
Backing plate 310 includes a vertical wall 326 and a top wall 328 as shown in
Top wall 328 of backing plate 310 extends from the wall 326 and overlies top wall 312 of shell 308. Top wall 328 is formed to include apertures 334 that are used to fasten alert light module 300 to bed frame 20 of bed 10, for example, with suitable fasteners (not shown) such as rivets, bolts or screws. In an alternative embodiment, top wall 328 is formed to include an aperture 336, shown in
Rounded end walls 304 of lens 302 cover rounded end walls 338 of shell 308 when lens 302 and housing 306 are coupled together. Shell 308 has a U-shaped rear flange 340 that abuts a U-shaped rear edge 342 of lens 302 when lens 302 and housing 306 are coupled together. Shell 308 also has a U-shaped top flange 344 that abuts a U-shaped top edge 346 of lens 302 when lens 302 and housing 306 are coupled together. A bottom surface of flange 344 is formed to include a groove (not shown) that receives a U-shaped ridge 348 that projects upwardly with respect to edge 346 of lens 302. An additional opening or slot (not shown) is provided in backing plate 310 for conductors, such as a ribbon or cable of wires extending from circuit board 318, to pass through. The light emitters of zones 101, 102, 103, 104 of module 300 are illuminated in the same manner and under the same circumstances as modules 160, 160′ discussed above.
Referring now to
The indicia of zone 411 is a bed not down icon. The indicia for zone 412 is a HOB angle icon. The indicia for zone 413 is a stop sign icon which indicates that the casters 29 of the bed are not braked. Thus, in the example of
Housing 402 of module 400 has a bottom wall 410 that is formed to include cutouts 416 that match the graphical icons or indicia on associated lenses 408 as shown in
Some of the light emitted from the respective light emitters (e.g. green LED and amber LED) passes through the respective cutout 416 and projects an image 418 of the cutout on the floor as shown in
In those embodiments in which two differently colored light emitters are located side-by-side in the interior region of housing 402 of module 400 for each of zones 411, 412, 413, 414, then the position of the image 418 on the floor will shift by a slight amount when module 400 switches from emitting light from the first light emitter to emitting light form the second light emitter, and vice versa. Thus, the spacing between the light emitters of each zone 411, 412, 413, 414 dictates how far the image 418 shifts on the floor. It will be appreciated that the light emitters should be positioned within housing 402 so that there is no overlap on the floor of the images 418 projected from all four zones 411, 412, 413, 414 regardless of which light emitter of each zone is emitting light at any given time. In other embodiments that use a bicolor LED, for example, the issue of a shifting location of image 418 on the floor is avoided because the light is emitted from the bicolor light emitter at the same location within housing 402 regardless of color. In some embodiments, module 400 is operated so that image 418 is flashed on the floor when an alert condition is detected on the bed for a corresponding zone 411, 412, 413, 414. The light emitted from the associated lens 408, of course, also will flash in such embodiments.
In some embodiments, the light emitters of module 400 are arranged within housing 402 so that green colored images 418 are projected onto the floor for each zone 411, 412, 413, 414 a first distance outwardly from foot end 26 of bed 10 in the longitudinal direction of bed 10 and so that amber colored images 418 (or whatever color other than green is used) are projected onto the floor for each zone 411, 412, 413, 414 a second distance outwardly from foot end 26 of bed 10 in the longitudinal direction of bed 10. The second distance is greater than the first distance in some embodiments. Thus, in such embodiments, green images 418 on the floor will be generally aligned with each other at the first distance from foot end 26 of bed 10 and will be generally parallel to the lateral dimension of bed 10. Similarly, amber images 418 on the floor will be generally aligned with each other at the second distance from foot end 26 of bed 10 and will be generally parallel to the lateral dimension of bed 10. For example, green images 418 may be projected onto the floor one foot from foot end 26 of bed 10 and amber images 418 may be projected onto the floor two feet from foot end 26 of bed. Of course, other dimensions for the first and second distances may be chosen in other embodiments at the discretion of the bed designer. Because the amber images are projected further out from foot end 26 of bed 10 and because, in some embodiments, the amber images 418 also flash, the amber images 418 will be readily noticeable to caregivers from afar.
Housing 402 is box-like in structure such that there are side walls and a back wall which cannot be seen in
Referring now to
Alert light assembly 500 comprises a polypropylene LED light strip with an adhesive backing in the illustrative embodiment of
The adhesive backing of substrate 506 is used to adhere assembly 500 to an outer surface of barrier panel 54 of siderail 50. In some embodiments barrier panel 52 is formed with a shallow recess that receives assembly 500 so that the outer surface of regions 508 is substantially coplanar with the outer surface of barrier panel 54. In the illustrative example, assembly 500 is situated on barrier panel 54 adjacent a bottom edge 510 of siderail 50. Assembly 500 extends more than half the distance between a front end 512 and a rear end 514 of siderail 50. In other embodiments, suitable fasteners are used to couple assembly 500 to siderail 50. In still further embodiments, assembly 500 is coupled to siderail 48 rather than siderail 50. Assembly 500 is sufficiently large that zones 501, 502, 503, 504, when illuminated, can be seen and understood by a caregiver at a distance of about ten to twenty feet, or more, from assembly 500.
Assembly 500 has a ribbon 516 of electrical conductors which terminate at an electrical connector 518 as shown in
Referring now to
Screen saver 602 includes a set of enlarged graphical icons that are colored to indicate a status of an associated feature of the bed 10. In the illustrative example, a first icon 604 of the screen saver 602 relates to a position of the upper frame 30 relative to the base frame 28 of bed 10, a second icon 606 of the screen saver 602 relates to the ppm system of bed 10, and a third icon 608 of screen saver 602 relates to an angle at which a head section of the upper frame is raised. In some embodiments, the icons 604, 606, 608 on the screen saver 602 of GUI 600 are provided on bed 10 in addition to the alert light assemblies 100, 100′, 100″ and the alert modules 160, 160′, 300, 400 that are discussed elsewhere herein.
Each of icons 604, 606, 608 is colored green on the screen saver 602 when the associated condition of bed is determined by control circuitry 72 to have a satisfactory status based on inputs from sensors 70, 88, 91. If control circuitry 72 determines that there is an unsatisfactory status of a monitored condition of bed 10, then the associated icon 604, 606, 608 is changed to a color other than green, such as red, amber (i.e., yellow) or orange. In some embodiments, icons 604, 606, 608 associated with unsatisfactory conditions of bed 10 are flashed on screen saver 602.
In the illustrative example, an angle at which head section 40 is raised relative to frame 66 or relative to horizontal is displayed in a field 610 adjacent to icon 608 as shown in
It should be understood that the icons and text displayed on screen saver 602 are at the discretion of the bed designer and can relate to any desired aspect of bed 10 or the patient associated with bed 10. The text in field 614 may be generated based on information received by bed 10 over the network of the healthcare facility from a remote computer such as those mentioned above in this disclosure. The icons 604, 606, 608 on screen saver 602 are generally round in the illustrative example and have diameters on the order of about 1 inch to about 2 inches. Thus, the size of icons 604, 606, 608 are sufficiently large to stand out to a caregiver viewing GUI 600 from afar. Furthermore, icons 604, 606, 608 are larger than icons that typically appear on GUI 600 in connection with the bed control screens. In other embodiments, the screen saver icons are larger than, or smaller than, the icons 604, 606, 608 that are used in connection with screen saver 602.
Referring now to
In the illustrative embodiment, each of zones 701, 702, 703, 704 has a tri-lobed configuration as shown best in
In the illustrative embodiment, each of the separate zones 701, 702, 703, 704 includes a lens 718 that encompass the pole axis 708 and that is shaped to define the tri-lobed configuration of assembly 700. Each lens 718 has indicia to indicate a particular alert condition when the associated zone 701, 702, 703, 704 is illuminated a color other than green. The indicia on each lens 718 include three graphical icons spaced equally around the pole axis 708. The three graphical icons of the respective lens 718 of zones 701, 702, 703, 704 are the same as the graphical icons or indicia described above in connection with zones 101, 102, 103, 104 of alert light assemblies 100, 100′, 100″, for example.
Alert light assembly 700 has a top wall 720 and a bottom wall 722, each of which is generally perpendicular to axis 708 and each of which has the tri-lobed shape of the overall assembly 700. Alert light assembly 700 also has separation walls 724 that are each situated between respective pairs of the separate zones 701, 702, 703, 704 so that light emitted from one of the separate zones 701, 702, 703, 704 is be prevented from bleeding into an adjacent zone 701, 702, 703, 704. Like top and bottom walls 720, 722, separation walls 724 are also generally perpendicular to pole axis 708 and also have the tri-lobed shape of light assembly 700.
In some embodiments, each zone 701, 702, 703, 704 includes a first light emitter 78, such as LED 78 (
Electrical conductors, such as conductors 82 (
Optionally, bed 10 includes one or more sensors 800, shown diagrammatically in
A sleep state alert light 802 is also included on bed 10 as indicated diagrammatically in
In some embodiments, the alert light 802 is changed from a first color to a second color to indicate the optimal time for the caregiver to take the at least one vital sign of the patient. In other embodiments, the alert light 802 is changed from an off state to an on state to indicate the optimal time for the caregiver to take the at least one vital sign of the patient. It is contemplated by this disclosure that each of the alert light assemblies and each of the alert light modules described above, as well as the GUI 600, are used to indicate the optimal time for the caregiver to take at least one vital sign of the patient. For example, if a third light emitter of a third color, say blue, is added to the illuminated zones (e.g., zones 101, 102, 103, 104 or zones 501, 502, 503, 504 or zones 701, 702, 703, 704) then when the optimal time for taking patient vitals signs is detected by circuitry 72, then all four of the zones are illuminated the third color. Alternatively, one or more tricolor LED's in each of the illuminated zones of the alert light assemblies and modules described herein are also within the scope of this disclosure for this same purpose.
It is also contemplated by this disclosure that the electronic displays 290, 290′ described herein in connection with
While several of the embodiments discussed above have four separate zones for alerting, it is within the scope of this disclosure for an alert light assembly or an alert light module of the types discussed herein to have a number of zones less than or greater than four. Furthermore, in some embodiments, an ambient room light sensor (not shown), such as a photocell is included as part of circuitry 72 and is placed on bed 10, 10′, 200 at an appropriate location which exposes the sensor to ambient room light. Based on the amount of ambient room light sensed by the ambient room light sensor, the intensity of the illumination of the light emitters of the various alert light assemblies 100, 100′, 100″, 500, 700 and alert light modules 160, 160′, 300, 400, as well as the light pipe 274 embodiment of
Based on the foregoing, it will be appreciated that if the ambient room light is sensed to have relatively high brightness, such as when the room lights are turned on or during the day time, then the light emitters are controlled to emit light more brightly and, if the ambient room light is sensed to have relatively low brightness, such as when the room lights are turned off or during the night time, then the light emitters are controlled to emit light less brightly. Thus, the current flowing to the light emitters, such as LED's 78, 80, is increased or decreased, such as by use of a voltage controller, based on the signal received from the ambient room light sensor. In some embodiments, the voltage applied to the light emitters uses pulse width modulation (PWM) to control the brightness. Thus, the duty cycle of the PWM voltage applied to the light emitters, such as LED's 78, 80, is increased or decreased based on the signal received from the ambient room light sensor to, in turn, adjust the brightness of the light emitters.
Although certain illustrative embodiments have been described in detail above, many embodiments, variations and modifications are possible that are still within the scope and spirit of this disclosure as described herein and as defined in the following claims.
The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/939,053, filed Sep. 7, 2022, now U.S. Pat. No. XXXXXXXX, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/143,264, filed Jan. 7, 2021, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,464,692, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/897,546, filed Jun. 10, 2020, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,918,546, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/679,399, filed Nov. 11, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,709,625, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/513,791, filed Jul. 17, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,512,574, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/499,062, filed Apr. 27, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,413,465, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/200,062, filed Mar. 7, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,655,798, which claims the benefit, under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/781,935, filed Mar. 14, 2013, and each of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61781935 | Mar 2013 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 17939053 | Sep 2022 | US |
| Child | 18499388 | US | |
| Parent | 17143264 | Jan 2021 | US |
| Child | 17939053 | US | |
| Parent | 16897546 | Jun 2020 | US |
| Child | 17143264 | US | |
| Parent | 16679399 | Nov 2019 | US |
| Child | 16897546 | US | |
| Parent | 16513791 | Jul 2019 | US |
| Child | 16679399 | US | |
| Parent | 15499062 | Apr 2017 | US |
| Child | 16513791 | US | |
| Parent | 14200062 | Mar 2014 | US |
| Child | 15499062 | US |
