Patent Grant
10235845
The present disclosure relates to patient support apparatuses, such as beds, cots, stretchers, operating tables, recliners, wheelchairs, or the like. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to patient support apparatuses that are adapted to communicate with an existing nurse call system and/or one or more room controls.
Existing hospital beds often include an exit detection system that detects when the patient leaves the bed and notifies a nurse call system that the patient has left the bed. Existing hospital beds also often include a nurse call button and speaker that allow the patient to communicate with a remote nurse using the nurse call system. Still other features and/or information regarding the bed may also be communicated to and/or through the nurse call system, or to a room control system that controls various aspects of the room in which the patient support apparatus is positioned (e.g. volume, channel, and power of a television, room temperature, room lights, etc.)
In order for the bed to communicate this information to the nurse call system or the room controls, the bed must be configured in a manner that corresponds to the particular nurse call system and room controls that have been installed in a particular healthcare facility, or a particular room of a healthcare facility. This is because different manufacturers of nurse call systems and room control systems handle communications in different manners. Further, communication between the bed and these systems typically is carried out via a cable running from the bed to a port in a headwall, and the configuration of the headwall port may vary from room to room and/or from healthcare facility to healthcare facility.
According to various embodiments, the present disclosure provides one or more improved features for expediting and/or reducing the labor associated with configuring a patient support apparatus to enable it to communicate with a particular nurse call system, headwall, and/or room control system. In some aspects, the present disclosure includes a patient support apparatus that is automatically configured according to a predefined configuration setting based on the location of the patient support apparatus. In other aspects, the patient support apparatus may communicate with an off-board device in order to determine its proper configuration. In still other aspects, a user interface may be provided that enables a user to quickly and easily configure the patient support apparatus to communicate with a desired nurse call system and/or headwall.
According to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, a patient support apparatus is provided that includes a frame, a support surface for supporting a patient thereon, an interface, a plurality of switches, a location detector, and a controller. The interface is adapted to couple to a cable having a plurality of electrical conductors. The plurality of switches are electrically coupled to the interface. The controller selects a configuration for the plurality of switches based on a current location of the patient support apparatus within a healthcare facility.
According to other aspects, the location detector includes a wireless transceiver adapted to communicate with a short-range beacon positioned within the healthcare facility at a fixed location off-board the patient support apparatus.
In some embodiments, the patient support apparatus also includes an exit detection system adapted to detect when a patient exits from the support surface. In such embodiments, the controller changes a state of at least one of the switches in response to detecting a patient exiting from the support surface.
A nurse call control is included in some embodiments. The nurse call control is adapted to be activated by the patient and to prompt communication with a remotely positioned nurse when so activated. The controller changes a state of at least one of the switches in response to the nurse call control being activated.
According to other aspects, the patient support apparatus includes a memory having a plurality of configuration settings stored therein; a plurality of location identifiers stored therein; and an index indicating which configuration settings correspond to which location identifiers. A transceiver may also be included that communicates with an off-board device. The controller may be adapted to perform one or more of the following: (1) receive additional location identifiers from the off-board device via the transceiver and to update the index indicating which of the configuration settings correspond to the additional location identifiers; (2) receive additional configuration settings from the off-board device via the transceiver and update the index indicating which of the location identifiers correspond to the additional configuration settings; and/or (3) receive an updated index indicating which of the configuration settings correspond to which of the location identifiers.
In some embodiments, the patient support apparatus further comprises a memory having a plurality of predefined configuration settings stored therein wherein each predefined configuration setting corresponds to a particular commercially available headwall interface.
The interface is adapted to receive a multi-pin connector in some embodiments. The multi-pin connector electrically communicates with the plurality of switches such that a nurse call system off-board the patient support apparatus is able to determine a status of at least some of the switches via signals sent through the multi-pin connector.
According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a patient support apparatus is provided that includes a frame, a support surface for supporting a patient, an interface adapted to couple to a cable having a multiple electrical conductors, a plurality of switches, a user interface with a display, and a controller. The switches are electrically coupled to the interface. The controller is adapted to display on the display a plurality of identifiers. Each identifier identifies a predefined configuration setting for the plurality of switches. The controller allows a user to select one of the identifiers and to configure the plurality of switches according to the selected one of the identifiers.
In some embodiments, each of the identifiers corresponds to a particular location within a healthcare facility. The identifiers may indicate a name of a particular location within the healthcare facility.
According to other aspects, a transceiver is included that communicates with an off-board device. The controller is adapted to receive additional identifiers via the transceiver. The additional identifiers correspond to additional predefined configuration settings for the plurality of switches. The controller displays on the display the additional identifiers and allows a user to select one of the additional identifiers. The transceiver is a wireless transceiver in some embodiments. The transceiver may also or additionally communicate with a server on a healthcare facility local area network. The server may, in turn, be in communication with a geographically remote server and be adapted to receive from the geographically remote server the additional identifiers and additional predefined configuration settings.
In some embodiments, one or more of the identifiers correspond to a particular commercially available nurse call system.
The user interface may be adapted to allow a user to modify one or more individual switch settings of the predefined configuration settings.
According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a patient support apparatus is provided that includes a frame, a support surface for a patient, a plurality of switches, an interface, a transceiver, and a controller. The interface is adapted to receive a multi-pin connector that electrically communicates with the plurality of switches such that a nurse call system off-board the patient support apparatus is able to determine a status of at least some of the switches via signals sent through the multi-pin connector. The transceiver is adapted to communicate with a plurality of fixed transmitters. The controller configures the plurality of switches according to a first setting when the transceiver receives a first message from a first one of the fixed transmitters and configures the plurality of switches according to a second setting when the transceiver receives a second message from a second one of the fixed transmitters. The first and second settings are different.
According to other aspects, the patient support apparatus further comprises an exit detection system adapted to detect when a patient exits from the support surface. The controller opens a first one of the switches when configured according to the first setting in response to detecting the patient exiting from the support surface, and the controller closes the first one of the switches when configured according to the second setting in response to detecting the patient exiting from the support surface.
The first message may identify a first location and the second message may identify a second location. The second location is different from the first location.
In some embodiments, the first fixed transmitter includes a unique patient support apparatus identifier in the first message that corresponds to the patient support apparatus and the second fixed transmitter also includes the unique patient support apparatus identifier in the second message.
In any of the embodiments disclosed herein, the patient support apparatus may be one of a bed, a stretcher, a chair, a recliner, a wheelchair, an operating table, or a cot.
Before the various embodiments disclosed herein are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the claims are not to be limited to the details of operation or to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The embodiments described herein are capable of being practiced or being carried out in alternative ways not expressly disclosed herein. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items and equivalents thereof. Further, enumeration may be used in the description of various embodiments. Unless otherwise expressly stated, the use of enumeration should not be construed as limiting the claims to any specific order or number of components. Nor should the use of enumeration be construed as excluding from the scope of the claims any additional steps or components that might be combined with or into the enumerated steps or components.
An illustrative patient support apparatus 20 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in
In general, patient support apparatus 20 includes a base 22 having a plurality of wheels 24, a pair of lifts 26 supported on the base 22, a litter frame 28 supported on the lifts 26, and a support deck 30 supported on the litter frame 28. Patient support apparatus 20 further includes a footboard 34 and a plurality of siderails 36. Siderails 36 are all shown in a raised position in
Lifts 26 are adapted to raise and lower litter frame 28 with respect to base 22. Lifts 26 may be hydraulic actuators, pneumatic actuators, electric actuators, or any other suitable device for raising and lowering litter frame 28 with respect to base 22. In the illustrated embodiment, lifts 26 are operable independently so that the tilting of litter frame 28 with respect to base 22 can also be adjusted. That is, litter frame 28 includes a head end 37 and a foot end 39, each of whose height can be independently adjusted by the nearest lift 26. Patient support apparatus 20 is designed so that when an occupant lies thereon, his or her head will be positioned adjacent head end 37 and his or her feet will be positioned adjacent foot end 39.
Litter frame 28 provides a structure for supporting support deck 30, footboard 34, and siderails 36. Support deck 30 provides a support surface for a mattress (not shown in
Patient support apparatus 20 further includes a user interface 32 that enables a user of patient support apparatus 20, such as a caregiver associated with the patient who occupies patient support apparatus 20, to control one or more aspects of patient support apparatus 20. Such aspects include, but are not limited to, changing a height of support deck 30, raising or lowering head section 42, activating and deactivating a brake for wheels 24, arming and disarming an exit detection system 56 (
User interface 32 is implemented in the embodiment shown in
The mechanical construction of patient support apparatus 20, as shown in
Load cells 54 are part of an exit detection system 56 (
Other manners for functioning as an exit detection system are also possible. These include, but are not limited to, any of the manners disclosed in the following commonly assigned patent applications: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/873,734 filed Oct. 2, 2015, by inventors Marko Kostic et al. and entitled PERSON SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH MOTION MONITORING; U.S. patent publication 2016/0022218 filed Mar. 13, 2014, by inventors Michael Hayes et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH PATIENT INFORMATION SENSORS; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/266,575 filed Sep. 15, 2016, by inventors Anuj Sidhu et al. and entitled PERSON SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH EXIT DETECTION SYSTEMS, the complete disclosures of all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Further, in some embodiments, load cells 54 may be part of both exit detection system 56 and a scale system that measures the weight of a patient supported on support deck 30. The outputs from the load cells 54 are processed, in some embodiments, in any of the manners disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 62/428,834 filed Dec. 1, 2016, by inventors Marko Kostic et al. and entitled PERSON SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH LOAD CELLS, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Patient support apparatus 20 is coupled to a data port 80 on headwall 60 by way of a cable 82. Data port 80, in turn, is coupled to one or more cables or other conductors 84 that electrically couple the data port 80 to nurse call system 62 and to one or more room controls 86. Conductors 84 are typically located behind headwall 60 and not visible. In some healthcare facilities, conductors 84 may first couple to a room interface board that includes one or more conductors 84 for electrically coupling the room interface board to room controls 86 and/or nurse call system 62. Still other communicative arrangements for coupling data port 80 to nurse call system 62 and/or one or more room controls 86 are possible.
Room controls 86 are conventional room controls that control one or more aspects of the particular room 64 in which the corresponding data port 80 is located. The particular aspects controlled by room controls 86 may vary from healthcare facility to healthcare facility depending upon the particular manufacturer of the room controls 86 and/or the manner in which the room controls have been installed, but generally include such items as controls for an in-room television (e.g. volume, channel, and power), controls for heating or air conditioning, controls for one or more room lights, and/or controls for opening and closing window coverings. Still other room controls may be included. Further, in some embodiments, patient support apparatus 20 may be communicatively coupled to IT infrastructure that includes no room controls 86, and/or that includes room controls 86 in only some rooms, and/or that includes different types of room controls 86 in different rooms.
Cable 82 enables patient support apparatus 20 to communicate with nurse call system 62 and/or room controls 86. A patient supported on patient support apparatus 20 who activates a nurse call control on patient support apparatus 20 causes a signal to be conveyed via cable 82 to the nurse call system 62, which forwards the signal to a one or more remotely located nurses (e.g. nurses at one of the nurses' stations 66). If the patient activates one or more room controls, a signal is conveyed via cable 82 to the room controls 86 that changes one or more aspects of the room in which he or she is located (e.g. change the volume of a television). In order for patient support apparatus 20 to properly communicate with room controls 86 and nurse call system 62, patient support apparatus 20 needs to be configured in a manner that matches the particular room controls 86 and nurse call system 62 that are installed in the particular healthcare facility 58 in which patient support apparatus 20 is located. In other words, different healthcare facilities 58 may utilize different brands and/or models of nurse call systems 62, as well as different brands and/or models of room control equipment. Still further, different healthcare facilities may utilize different types of data ports 80 for communicating with nurse call system 62 and room controls 86. In addition, in some healthcare facilities, different rooms of the healthcare facility may have different types of data ports 80, different room controls 86, and/or be connected to different types of nurse call systems 62.
Patient support apparatus 20 is designed to be more easily configured such that it can communicate with the different data ports 80, room controls 86, and/or nurse call systems 62 that are present in different healthcare facilities and/or in different locations of a particular healthcare facility. In the past, hospital beds and other patient support apparatuses are typically configured for communication with a particular hospital's IT infrastructure at the factory where the beds are made. The configuration often involves choosing the right states for each one of a set of dipswitches that are integrated into the bed. The dipswitches are often not placed at an easily accessible location, are not easily changed if they are inadvertently configured incorrectly, and are not intuitive to set. As will be explained in greater detail below, patient support apparatus 20 is designed to overcome these and/or other disadvantages associated with the configuration of prior art patient support apparatuses.
Cable 82 includes a first end having a first connector 88 and a second end having a second connector 90 (
Configuring patient support apparatus 20 for proper communication with nurse call system 62 and/or room controls 86 involves supplying patient support apparatus 20 with the knowledge of what data is communicated on each of the pins of data port 80 (and interface 92), what electrical state each of the pins is in when data is not being communicated (e.g. normally open or normally closed), and/or what pins, if any, are not electrically coupled together. One or more of these factors may change when patient support apparatus 20 is used with a different nurse call system 62, a different data port 80, and/or a different set of room controls 86.
Patient support apparatus 20 includes a control system 98 (
It will be understood that cable interface 92 is shown in
Each pin of interface 92 is adapted to convey certain information from patient support apparatus 20 to nurse call system 62 and/or room controls 86.
In addition to room controls, the various pins of cable interface 92 also communicate information to nurse call system 62. This information is likewise often communicated by opening or closing the electrical connection between two pins. For example, when a patient presses a nurse call control, such as nurse call control 108 (which may be a button, switch, or the like), the electrical connection between pins 19 and 28 is typically changed. These pins indicate to the nurse call system 62 that a nurse call request has been initiated by the occupant of patient support apparatus 20. Depending upon the particular nurse call system 62, it responds by illuminating one or more lights (e.g. a light in the hallway of the healthcare facility and/or a light at one or more of the nurses' stations 66). For some nurse call systems, the connection between pins 19 and 28 should be open when no light is desired and closed when a light is desired, while in other nurse call systems 62 the connection between pins 19 and 28 should be open when a light is desired and closed when no light is desired. Accordingly, patient support apparatus 20 should be configured properly based upon the particular nurse call system 62 with which it is going to communicate.
It will be appreciated that the particular pin numbers illustrated in
In order to configure the normally open or normally closed state of the switches 118 coupled to the pins of cable interface 92, control system 98 utilizes one or more configuration settings 116 stored in memory 112 (
The term “neutral state” used herein refers to the state of a switch 118 when no condition has been detected, or no desired action has been requested by the patient, caregiver, or patient support apparatus 20 itself. Thus, for example, for those pins that communicate an exit detection alert (as detected by exit detection system 56), the neutral state of the corresponding switch 118 is the state of the switch (open or closed) when no patient exit from patient support apparatus 20 has been detected. As another example, for those pins that communicate a change to a room television (channel, volume, power, etc.) or a room light, the neutral state of the corresponding switches 118 refers to the state of those switches 118 when no change is being requested by a user (e.g. the patient has not pressed, or otherwise activated, one of room controls 110).
In the embodiment illustrated in
Each XOR gate 132 also has an input connected to a control line 134 whose voltage is determined by controller 100. The voltage on each of control lines 134 is changed by controller 100 in response to a condition that has changed (e.g. a patient exit is detected) or a request being activated (e.g. a nurse call button being pressed). In the absence of any change or request, controller 100 sets control lines 134 to a low voltage. In such a state, the output from each XOR gate 132 is determined by the input that is fed into the XOR gate from configuration lines 130. Configuration lines 130 thus determine the neutral state of the corresponding switch 118. More precisely, configuration lines 130 determine the inverse of the neutral state of the corresponding switch 118 due to the presence of inverters 136.
For example, if line 130a is a logic high and control line 134a is a logic low, then the output from XOR gate 132a will be a logic high and the signal applied to the gate of switch 118a will be a logic low (due to inverter 136a). On the other hand, if line 130a is a logic low and control line 134a is a logic low, then the output from XOR gate 132 will be a logic low and the signal applied to the gate of switch 118a will be a logic high due to inverter 136a. Still further, regardless of whether line 130a is high or low, the output from XOR gate 132 will change whenever the state of control line 134a changes. That is, if configuration line 130a is high and controller 100 changes control line 134a, the output from XOR gate 132 will change, and if the configuration line 130a is low and controller 100 changes the control line 134a, the output from XOR gate 132 will also change. Controller 100 therefore uses control lines 134 to change the state of a switch 118 in response to a change in a condition being detected or a request being activated by a user of patient support apparatus 20.
Control system 98 allows a user to easily change the configuration of switches 118 so that the connections between pairs of pins in their neutral state matches the neutral interpretation made by nurse call system 62 and/or room control system 86. This is accomplished by changing the contents of NVM 120. Thus, for example, if memory element 126a is set to cause an output on configuration line 130 that creates a high impedance between the source and drain of switch 118a (an effectively open state) when switch 118a indicates a neutral state for the parameter reported via pins 19 and 28, and if it is desired to change this neutral configuration of switch 118a, this is accomplished by loading a new configuration setting into NVM that changes memory element 126a to its opposite (e.g. from high to low, or low to high). This change to memory element 126a causes the signal on configuration line 130 to create a low impedance between the source and drain of switch 118a (effectively a closed state) for the neutral state. When a condition is detected, or a request is received, by controller 100 that is to be conveyed to nurse call system 62 or room controls 86 via pins 19 and 28, controller 100 changes the state of control line 134a, thereby changing the state of the switch 118a. It can therefore be seen that NVM 120 determines the neutral states of all of the switches 118 via the logical state of configuration lines 130 while controller 100 changes those neutral states via control lines 134 to the opposite state whenever a condition is detected, or a request is made, that is to be communicated to a corresponding nurse call system 62 or room control 86.
Controller 100 is further programmed to know which control line 134 corresponds to which switch 118 (and its associated pin) so that controller 100 knows which control line 134 to change whenever a condition is detected or a request is made. Thus, for example, if a patient exits patient support apparatus 20, exit detection system 56 sends an exit detection signal to controller 100. In response controller 100 switches the output on whichever control line 134 is coupled to the switch 118 and pin that indicates when an exit alert has been detected. With reference to
As evident from
By storing a configuration setting 116 in NVM 120, it is not necessary for controller 100 to retrieve a configuration setting 116 from memory 112 every time controller 100 is powered or rebooted. This enables the state of patient support apparatus 20 to be properly communicated to cable interface 92 without having to wait for controller 100 to read a configuration setting 116 from memory 112 and install the configuration setting in NVM 120. Further, by storing multiple configuration settings 116 in memory 112, controller 100 is able to easily change the configuration settings of patient support apparatus 20 with minimal effort on the part of a user. This enables patient support apparatus 20 to not only be easily configured for a particular healthcare facility, or a particular location of a particular healthcare facility, but also to have its configurations changed when the patient support apparatus 20 is moved to a different location having a different type of nurse call system 62 and/or different room controls 86.
The different ways in which the configuration of cable interface 92 can be easily changed will now be described in more detail with respect to
Screen shot 138a of
For example, if patient support apparatus 20 is moved to the maternity ward of a healthcare facility 58, in order to configure patient support apparatus 20 properly for communicating with the nurse call system 62 and room controls 86 installed in that location of the healthcare facility, a user only needs to select identifier 140b (maternity). In some embodiments, display 38 is a touch screen display and the selection of identifier 140b is accomplished by touching the area of display 38 where identifier 140b is located. In other embodiments display 38 may be implemented differently and a different manner of selecting maternity identifier 140b may be used.
In response to a user selecting a particular identifier 140 from screen shot 138a, user interface 32 sends a signal to controller 100 indicating which identifier 140 was selected by the user. Controller 100 consults an index 142 stored in memory 112 that identifies which identifier 140 corresponds to which configuration setting 116. In some embodiments, such as shown in
It will be understood that, although
Control system 98 therefore facilitates the movement of patient support apparatus 20 to different locations within a healthcare facility 58 that communicate with differently configured nurse call systems 62, headwalls 60, and/or room controls 86. This is accomplished by selecting the identifier 140 from screen shot 138 that matches the current location of patient support apparatus 20. Once selected, controller 100 automatically reconfigures patient support apparatus 20 according to the selected location, thereby enabling patient support apparatus 20 to properly communicate with the nurse call system 62, headwall 60, and room controls 86 in that selected location.
Screen shot 138a also includes a custom icon 144. Custom icon 144 is selected by a user whenever the user wishes to change index 142 or one or more of the configuration settings 116 associated with the locations identified by identifiers 140a-d, and/or if the user wishes to add new locations or delete existing locations. For example, if a user with the proper administrative access (control system 98 may be designed so that custom icon 144 is only accessible to certain authorized individuals) wishes to change one or more of the switch 118 settings associated with configuration setting 116a, he may select custom 144 and proceed to a screen shot like that shown in
In addition to, or as an alternative to, loading an individual configuration setting 116 using the custom icon 144, patient support apparatus 20 may be adapted to receive configuration settings 116 in different manners. For example, in some embodiments, control system 98 is adapted to receive configuration settings 116, an index 142, and/or identifiers 140 from an off-board device 106 (
When patient support apparatuses 20 are configured based upon configuration information sent from bed server 72, it may not be necessary to individually configure each patient support apparatus 20. For example, some healthcare facilities 58 include only a single type of nurse call system 62, headwall 60, and room controls 86. In such embodiments, bed server 72 is able to send the corresponding configuration setting 116 to all patient support apparatuses 20 with instructions to implement that particular configuration setting 116. In situations where healthcare facility 58 includes two or more types of nurse call systems 62 (or variations in headwalls 60 or room controls 86), bed server 72 may be configured to send both of the configuration settings 116 that are used in that particular healthcare facility along with an instruction as to which of those multiple configuration settings 116 each particular patient support apparatus 20 is supposed to load into its NVM 120. The instruction of which configuration setting 116 to implement is based upon the current location of each patient support apparatus 20, and this location may be determined in multiple different manners. Examples of some such suitable manners are disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/559,458 filed Dec. 3, 2014, by inventors Michael Hayes et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Other suitable manners for determining the locations of each patient support apparatus 20 are disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 8,461,982 issued Jun. 11, 2013, to David Becker et al, the complete disclosure of which is also incorporated herein by reference. Still other manners for determining the location of each patient support apparatus 20 may be used.
Bed server 72 is in communication with one or more user interfaces (e.g. computer terminals, keyboards, displays, etc.) that enable an administrator of the healthcare facility, or an authorized representative, to send the appropriate configuration settings 116 to each of the patient support apparatuses 20. This enables all of the patient support apparatuses 20 to be configured from one central location by inputting information into bed server 72 a single time. This greatly simplifies prior art methods of configuring patient support apparatuses 20 wherein a technician was often required to physically change dipswitch settings on each individual patient support apparatus.
In addition to sending configuration settings 116 to patient support apparatus 20 and an instruction as to which one of the configuration settings 116 to implement, bed server 72 may be further modified to send additional instructions to patient support apparatuses 20 to switch their configuration settings 116, as necessary, as they move throughout the healthcare facility 58. In other words, in some embodiments, bed server 72 is programmed to automatically cause patient support apparatuses 20 to switch from one configuration setting 116 to another configuration setting 116 based upon changes in the location of the patient support apparatus 20. When bed server 72 is programmed in this manner, it is no longer necessary for a user to bring up screen shot 138a on user interface 32 and manually select one of the location identifiers 140a-d when patient support apparatus 20 is moved from one of those locations to another. Instead, the location of the patient support apparatus 20 is repetitively monitored by bed server 72 (using any of the methods mentioned above) and if patient support apparatus 20 moves from a first location to a second location that has a differently configured nurse call system 62, headwall 60, and/or room controls 86, bed server 72 automatically sends a message to that patient support apparatus instructing it to load the configuration settings 116 into NVM 120 that corresponds to the second location. Manual changes of a patient support apparatuses' headwall configuration are therefore automatically made from a centralized location (bed server 72) rather than manually made at each individual patient support apparatus 20 via user interface 32.
Screen shot 138b of
After a user selects the particular manufacturer and/or model identifier 140e-k (
Control system 98 may include multiple indexes 142. In some embodiments, control system 98 includes a first index 142 that matches together configuration settings 116 with location identifiers 140, and a second index 142 that matches together configuration settings 116 with manufacturer/model identifiers 140. In still other embodiments, index 142 may also or alternatively match locations with manufacturers and models, or vice versa. In such embodiments, controller 100 may first determine (or be told by another device or instructed by a user) the current location of patient support apparatus 20 within healthcare facility 58. Using this location data, controller 100 consults a first index 142 to determine that that particular location has a particular nurse call system 62. After determining the particular nurse call system, controller 100 may then consult a second index that matches that particular nurse call system 62 to a particular configuration setting 116.
As with screen shot 138a, screen shot 138b includes custom icon 144. When selected, custom icon 144 allows a user to manually change any one or more of the predefined configuration settings 116. Such changes include changes to the neutral switch settings of individual switches 118 for one or more configuration settings 116. In addition, custom icon 144 allows a user to create additional configuration settings 166, as well as the identifiers associated with those configuration settings 116. The created identifiers may be manufacturer and model identifiers, or they may be different types of identifiers. Custom icon 144 further allows a user to enter the data that defines any of the predefined configuration settings 116, although such data may more easily be uploaded to control system 98 during manufacture of patient support apparatus 20. Alternatively, or additionally, the configuration settings 116 associated with the manufacturer/model identifiers (e.g. identifiers 140e-k of
Although screen shot 138c only illustrates four switch identifiers 146a-d, it will be understood that the actual number of switch identifiers 146 displayable on display 38 of user interface 32 will generally be at least as great as the total number of switches 118 that are present on patient support apparatus 20. This allows a user to select the neutral state for each of the switches 118 present on patient support apparatus 20. In the example shown in
In addition to the information shown in
The content of screen shot 138c therefore may change, depending upon which particular set of predefined configuration settings 116 a user has selected. For example, if a user selects maternity identifier 140b from screen shot 138a of
It will be understood by those skilled in the art that control system 98 may be implemented with many different variations, including, but not limited to, one or more of the following. Instead of using MOSFETs for one or more of switches 118, different types of transistors may be used, or relays may be used, or still other types of switches may be used. Instead of communicating configuration information from controller 100 to NVM 120 over an I-Squared-C bus 122, other types of communication busses may be used (e.g. Controller Area Network (CAN) bus, a Local Interconnect Network (LIN) bus, Firewire, RS-232, RS-485, a Universal Serial Bus (USB), Ethernet, and/or a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) bus), as well as non-bus communication. NVM 120 may also be implemented in other manners besides EEPROM. Still other variations are possible.
Controller 100 may take on a variety of different forms. In the illustrated embodiment, controller 100 is implemented as one or more conventional microcontrollers. However, controller 100 may be modified to use a variety of other types of circuits—either alone or in combination with one or more microcontrollers—such as, but not limited to, any one or more microprocessors, field programmable gate arrays, systems on a chip, volatile or nonvolatile memory, discrete circuitry, and/or other hardware, software, or firmware that is capable of carrying out the functions described herein, as would be known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Such components can be physically configured in any suitable manner, such as by mounting them to one or more circuit boards, or arranging them in other manners, whether combined into a single unit or distributed across multiple units. The instructions followed by 100 when carrying out the functions described herein, as well as the data necessary for carrying out these functions, are stored in memory 112 and/or another memory accessible to controller 100.
It will also be understood that the data communicated from patient support apparatus 20 to nurse call system 62 and/or room controls 86 via cable interface 92 may include data beyond what has been explicitly discussed so far. Such data includes all of the data displayed in
Beacons 250 are adapted to wirelessly communicate with patient support apparatuses 20 over a relatively short distance, such as approximately 3-10 feet. Using such short range communication (which may involve infrared communication, Bluetooth, Bluetooth LE, near field communication, combinations of these technologies, and/or other types of short range communication), a patient support apparatus 20 is only able to communicate with a nearby beacon 250 when the patient support apparatus 20 is within a short distance of the beacon 250. The ability of a particular patient support apparatus 20 to communicate with a particular beacon 250 therefore provides a proxy indication that that particular patient support apparatus 20 is located adjacent that particular beacon 250. By assigning each beacon 250 a unique identifier and by mapping the location of each beacon 250 within a particular healthcare facility 58, it is possible to determine the location of a particular patient support apparatus 20 based upon its communication with a nearby beacon 250.
Patient support apparatus 20 is configured, in at least one embodiment, to receive a unique identifier from beacon 250 when the patient support apparatus 20 is positioned nearby. This identifier is received, in some embodiments, via transceiver 104. In other embodiments, the control system 98 of patient support apparatus 20 is modified to include a separate transceiver for communicating with beacon 250. Still further, in some embodiments, beacon 250 initially communicates with patient support apparatus 20 using a short range receiver, and thereafter communicates with patient support apparatus 20 using a longer range transceiver. In order to ensure that the long range communications are not misinterpreted by another patient support apparatus 20 within the vicinity, beacon 250 may receive a unique identifier from the patient support apparatus 20 via the short range communications and use the identifier in the long range communications. Any patient support apparatuses 20 that receive the long range messages, but which don't have the same patient support apparatus identifier, ignore those messages. Still other communication protocols may be used.
Regardless of the manner in which patient support apparatus 20 receives the unique identifier from beacon 250, controller 100 uses the unique identifier to select which configuration setting 116 to install into NVM 120. This selection may be carried out in different manners.
In one embodiment, memory 112 includes an index 142 that matches each of the unique beacon identifiers to specific configuration settings 116. In another embodiment, memory 112 includes a first index that matches the beacon identifier to a location identifier, and controller 100 uses a second index 142 to match the location identifier to a specific configuration setting 116. In still another embodiment, controller 100 sends the beacon identifier to bed server 72 and bed server 72 determines the location of the patient support apparatus 20 via a table that maps beacon identifiers to specific locations within healthcare facility 58. Bed server 72 then sends the corresponding location of the beacon 250 back to patient support apparatus 20 and controller 100 uses the location to select a particular configuration setting 116 (based on a location-to-configuration index 142 maintained in memory 112). In still another variation, controller 100 sends the beacon identifier to bed server 72 and bed server 72 responds by sending the appropriate configuration setting 116 back to patient support apparatus 20.
In still another embodiment, beacon 250 transmits directly to patient support apparatus 20 the appropriate configuration setting 116 that is to be used by patient support apparatus 20 for that particular location of healthcare facility 58. In this embodiment, if patient support apparatus 20 is later moved to a different location of healthcare facility 58 that requires different configuration settings for communicating with nurse call system 62, room controls 86, or data port 80, patient support apparatus 20 receives the required configuration settings from the beacon 250 positioned adjacent the particular data port 80 at that different location. In this embodiment, beacons 250 may include their own transceivers (e.g. WiFi) that communicate with one or more wireless access points 70 and receive from bed server 72 the appropriate configuration settings 116 that are to be used at their corresponding locations within healthcare facility 58. Alternatively, beacons 250 may receive their corresponding configuration setting 116 in other manners.
Adapter beacons 450 are similar to location beacons 250 in that adapter beacons 450 provide location information to patient support apparatuses 20. This location information may be provided wirelessly, as with beacons 250, or it may be provided via cable 82, which is coupled between patient support apparatus 20 and the associated adapter beacon 450. Also, adapter beacons 450, like location beacons 250, are stationary and remain in fixed locations that are mapped during installation such that the location of each adapter beacon 450 is known.
Adapter beacons 450 differ from location beacons 250 in that adapter beacons 450 receive cables 82 from patient support apparatuses 20 and adjust, if necessary, the manner in which data received from the patient support apparatuses 20 is communicated to data ports 80. In making these adjustments, adapter beacons 450 are adapted to be differently configured so that they are able to communicate with different types of nurse call systems 62, room controls 86 and/or data ports 80. By using adapter beacons 450, it is not necessary for patient support apparatus 20 to be reconfigured when it moves to a different location within healthcare facility 458 that uses a different type of nurse call system 62, room control 86, and/or data port 80. Instead, the adapter beacons 450 are configured in a manner that matches the particular nurse call system 62, room controls 86, and data port 80 installed for the room in which they are located. This ensures proper communication between the patient support apparatus 20 and the IT infrastructure 440 without requiring the patient support apparatuses 20 to be reconfigured when moved to different locations.
In some embodiments, adapter beacons 450 include a memory, configuration circuitry, switches, a controller, and a cable interface similar to the memory 120, configuration circuitry 114, switches 118, controller 100, and cable interface 92 of control system 98 of patient support apparatus 20. In these embodiments, the controller of the beacon 450 installs in the memory 120 the proper switch settings so that controller 100 is able to properly communicate via its cable interface with the nurse call system 62, room controls 86, and data port 80. That is, controller 100 receives data from patient support apparatus 20 via cable 82 and then changes the state of one or more of its own switches based on the data received from patient support apparatus 20. These switches are in electrical communication with a second cable 482 (
Adapter beacons 450 therefore offload from patient support apparatuses 20 the necessity of the patient support apparatuses 20 being properly configured for communication with different IT infrastructures. Instead, all of the patient support apparatuses 20 can be commonly configured to communicate with adapter beacons 450. Adapter beacons 450 may then handle any conversion of the data communicated from (or to) patient support apparatus 20 that is necessary for successful communication with the particular nurse call system 62 and room controls 86 installed in a particular room of healthcare facility 58.
Patient support apparatuses 20 that are adapted to communicate with adapter beacons 450 may therefore omit the configuration circuitry 114 shown in
In an alternative embodiment of adapter beacons 450, each adapter beacon 450 is able to communicate individually with one or more servers on local area network 68. In such embodiments, each adapter beacon 450 may include a WiFi transceiver, or other type of transceiver, that is in communication with local area network 68. The configuration settings for a particular adapter beacon are then communicated directly to the adapter beacon 450 via its connection to local area network 68, rather than using a patient support apparatus 20 as an intermediary. The communicated configuration settings for the adapter beacons 450 may come from bed server 72, another server on local area network 68, or from remote server 78.
Wireless headwall unit 652, as its name suggests, enables a patient support apparatus 20 to communicate wirelessly with the data port 80 of the associated headwall. Wireless headwall unit 652 communicates wirelessly with patient support apparatus 20 and communicates via a cable 654 with data port 80. Wireless headwall unit 652, as with adapter beacon 450 and location beacon 250, may be adapted to provide location information to patient support apparatus 20, thereby enabling patient support apparatus 20 to communicate its location to server 72 via a wireless access point 70.
Wireless headwall units 652, like adapter beacons 450, convert the data received wirelessly from patient support apparatus 20, if necessary, into whatever form is necessary for successful communication with the associated nurse call system 62 and/or room controls 86. Similarly, any data that is transmitted from room controls 86 and/or nurse call system 62 to patient support apparatus 20 is first received by wireless headwall unit 652 and, if necessary, converted to a format understandable by patient support apparatus 20. Wireless headwall units 652 perform a similar function to adapter beacons 450 but include the added ability to communicate wirelessly with patient support apparatuses 20. When installed in a healthcare facility that includes wireless headwall units 652, patient support apparatuses 20 may be modified to omit the configuration circuitry 114 of control system 98. Alternatively, patient support apparatuses 20 may retain this circuitry in case a wireless headwall adapter malfunctions or a cable coupled between data port 80 and patient support apparatus 20 otherwise becomes necessary for communication with data port 80.
In some embodiments, wireless headwall units 562 are constructed to include any or all of the functionality of the wireless headwall units disclosed in commonly assigned copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/819,844 filed Aug. 6, 2015, by inventors Krishna Bhimavarapu et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH WIRELESS HEADWALL COMMUNICATION, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. This functionality is in addition to the configuration functionality discussed above that converts data received from patient support apparatus 20 into the proper format for communicating with data port 80.
Various additional alterations and changes beyond those already mentioned herein can be made to the above-described embodiments. This disclosure is presented for illustrative purposes and should not be interpreted as an exhaustive description of all embodiments or to limit the scope of the claims to the specific elements illustrated or described in connection with these embodiments. For example, and without limitation, any individual element(s) of the described embodiments may be replaced by alternative elements that provide substantially similar functionality or otherwise provide adequate operation. This includes, for example, presently known alternative elements, such as those that might be currently known to one skilled in the art, and alternative elements that may be developed in the future, such as those that one skilled in the art might, upon development, recognize as an alternative. Any reference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” “the” or “said,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular.
This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/481,949 filed Apr. 5, 2017, by inventors Krishna Bhimavarapu et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH RECONFIGURABLE COMMUNICATION, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
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