WO2016192695A1

WO2016192695A1 - Device and method for detecting the presence of bed

Info

Publication number: WO2016192695A1
Application number: PCT/CZ2016/000062
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marek HARTMAN; Jaroslav ALTMAN; Jan KREJSA
Original assignee: Linet Spol. S.R.O.
Priority date: 2015-06-02
Filing date: 2016-06-02
Publication date: 2016-12-08
Also published as: CZ2015373A3; CZ309010B6

Abstract

The device and method for determining the position of a hospital bed using wireless technology comprises a transmitter, receiver, and communication module for collecting data from the hospital bed and for forwarding packets of information from the bed to the server. For determining a bed's position, the ID of the bed is transmitted by the communication module without a unique transmitter ID. The transmitter is securely attached near the defined parking position and sends a unique identifier of the position using at least one transmitter. The receiver is attached to the hospital bed. The method allocates a bed to the parking position and is able to detect the former occupancy of the parking position and the activity of the formerly-allocated bed.

Description

DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DETECTING THE PRESENCE OF BED

Technical field

The invention concerns the device and methods for determining the position of a hospital bed. The device is implemented using transmission tags with one or more transmitters, a detector for transmitted data, a communication module for processing the detected data, and a server for allocating the beds in their parked positions.

Background to the invention:

Determining the position of a hospital bed is of great importance in large hospital complexes with many wards and beds. These systems are specifically modified for use in buildings, especially health-care facilities, for monitoring health-care personnel, i.e. nurses and doctors, and for monitoring the movement of devices, such as beds and their accessories, patient monitors, etc. The hospital bed position data is often subsequently paired with data concerning the actual hospital bed and patient. Thus, personnel can have an up-to-date overview of the status of the bed in a selected position. One unquestionable benefit is the fact that when a patient's health is at risk health-care personnel are immediately informed where the given patient is located and where it is necessary to take immediate action.

One well-known background to the device is document JP20060420 3A, which describes a technical solution where the transmitter sending a unique identifier is located on the localised device. The tag transmits a periodic signal to the central nurse module, nurse-call, sending the current bed ID and tag ID. The output is presented to health-care personnel on a graphical user interface.

A similar principal is described in patent document US7734476. This document describes a solution where the tag is securely attached to the hospital bed. The tag sends information to the data module located in the room. The data module also collects bed information and identification data. It subsequently sends the tag identifier, bed identifier, and its own identifier to a server, which has a graphical output for health-care personnel. This arrangement has the advantage that it can be used for localisation in a health-care facility where there is more than one bed per room. The data module's identifier gives information on the precise room. .

l Another technical solution is described in document US2012176221 A1. It describes a method for identifying the position of a bed where a securely attached unique position indicator sends a unique ID, which is received by the bed. The bed subsequently sends both IDs together: the unique position ID and the bed ID. The server subsequently evaluates the transferred identifiers and determines where the bed is situated in the health-care facility.

Patent application US2011148624A1 describes another technical solution. The document describes a solution where the transmission tag sends a unique ID from the bed to the place connected to the hospital network. This connection site is given an identifier as to the information it transmits with its identifier to the network and to the server. The network can be layered and the number of layers the network installation has only depends on the size of the health-care facility and the number of wards. The update of the position after the repeated connection of a device to the network is an important characteristic.

Document EP2599435A1 describes localisation through electrical outlets. The essence of this solution is an NFC device present in the electrical outlet, while a second NFC device is located in the bed's plug The actual data connection is activated by connecting the bed to the electrical network.

The Chinese utility model CN201946002U describes another technical solution, specifically the localisation of various devices for the primary use of mobile rescue system components! It concerns the identification of items by a GPS system, where individual items are designated by RFID tags. The device also contains at least one manual RFID reader for reading tags so that there is no substitution when using several of the same devices.

Summary of the Invention

All of the aforementioned technical solutions lack the possibility of detecting direction and dp not allow information about the localised item's distance from the transmission tag to be obtained. Additionally, its range is not regulated. In the case of radio communication or NFC communication, the bed is not within suitable distance from the tag. These problems and deficiencies in the aforementioned approaches for determining the position of a hospital bed are resolved by the device described below. This device determines the placement of the hospital bed using wireless technology.

The device contains a fixed transmission tag near the parking position that periodically sends information about its ID, which is detected by the hospital bed. The position identifier is also processed by the bed and assigned to the query table. The table is subsequently transmitted by the communication module without an ID tag. The server accepts the table without the ID tag and processes the data, this output data containing information about the position of the bed in the health-care device.

In a suitable configuration the transmission tag comprises a number of optical transmitters that transmit in various directions. The transmitters have a variable emission intensity for determining the distance to the transmission tag.

Alternatively, any other communication technology can be used, i.e. radio or acoustic.

In an alternative configuration the transmitter ID is detected directly by the communication module, or in another solution the process for determining the bed's position can take place directly at the bed.

In another alternative configuration, data can be directed from the receiver to the server, or in yet another, determining the position can take place directly at the receiver.

Description of the figures on the diagrams

Fig. 1 depicts the basic principle of information transfer on the placement of the hospital bed.

Fig. 2 depicts the flowchart of the program for allocating a hospital bed to a parking position.

Examples of implementing the Invention

Fig. 1 depicts the general diagram of the device for identifying the position of a hospital bed 11 The device includes a transmission tag 1, which comprises the processor unit 3 of the transmission tag 1 and the transmitter 2. In a suitable configuration there are several transmitters 2a, 2b, 2c. The device also includes a detector 6 and receiver 7 attached to the hospital bed 11. The receiver 7 is connected to a communication module 8, which transmits information wirelessly from a bed H to the central computer 10, or server, where the data is processed. The tag 1 is covered with a case 4 for greater mechanical resilience, in areas around the transmitter 2 the case 4 is made of a transparent material to facilitate the transmission of a signal. The signal is transferred by wireless technology 5 in a suitable configuration with infrared transmissions, although a professional knowledgeable in current technology can replace IR technology with radio (e.g. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee and others), optic or acoustic (e.g. ultrasound) technologies, among others.

The power for tag 1 is provided by batteries (not displayed). Energy saving is ensured by periodic transmission with an extended interval of information about its ID. Plus tag 1 is activated using a magnetic key (not depicted) that, when approached, activates tag 1, which begins transmitting. The magnetic key ensures that tag 1 does not transmit and saves energy during production until the launching of the system.

Tag 1 also sends information about the battery capacity level, so that technical personnel are promptly informed of a reduced battery capacity or a drop in the battery's voltage. Other data that is sent includes information about the functioning mode. Tag 1 can operate in two modes: in normal mode and in a mode with a shortened transmission interval. The mode with a shortened transmission interval is used, for example, for the initial installation of the system in a hospital to allow the location system to be optimised as soon as possible.

In a suitable configuration the transmission tag 1 comprises three LED diodes 2a, 2b, 2c, which are arranged so that they are on the sides of the transmission tag I, specifically on the front and on both (left and right) sides. Each LED diode 2 sends its unique ID comprising a prefix and a suffix, where the ID prefix is the same for all LED diodes 2 in a single transmission tag 1, and the suffix differs according to the placement of the diode 2 on the transmission tag 1, as can be seen in Table 1. The prefix and suffix can be of optional length. In an alternative configuration the prefix can be variable according to the position of the LED diode 2 on the transmission tag 1 and the suffix the same for the diodes 2 on a single transmission tag 1. A regular expert knowledgeable in current technology can also use an alternative where all LED diodes 2 have their own unique ID, different to the ID of other LED diodes 2 in a single transmission tag 1.

In an alternative configuration, parameters such as the signal strength can be used for radio transmissions to determine the distance from the transmitter 2. The implementation of this technical solution can be resolved using pulse-width modulation (PWM) of the supply current of the transmitting diodes 2. An alternative to PWM modulation is overcharging several resistors of various values, controlled by a transistor. Another solution for this configuration is the inclusion of multiple transmitting diodes 2 with varying currents. The principle of this solution is the variable intensity of the transmitter. The result of this configuration is the possibility of detecting the distance of the localised item H from the transmitter 2.

In an alternative configuration, a message from the transmission tag 1 can be transmitted to the receiver 7 on the hospital bed H using light in the visible spectrum. The transmission technology can also be combined with transmission using radio waves, or using RFID technology.

Tag 1 is securely attached near the expected parking position 12 of the hospital bed il In the preferred configuration, the transmission tag 1 connected to the wall of the room is at the height corresponding to the height of the detector 6 located on the bed H.

The detector 6 is suitably attached to the undercarriage of the hospital bed H in order to ensure its stable height from the floor. In an alternative configuration, however, the detector 6 can be located anywhere on the hospital bed 1 in order to ensure a suitable path for the signal from the transmission tag 1. The detector 6 detects the signal from all the tags 1 that are present in the room. The detector 6 is connected through the electronic system of the bed I T by a cable to the communication module 8 of the bed H, though in an alternative configuration it is also possible to use the wireless transmission of data.

The communication module 8 is used to collect and send data from the hospital bed It. The communication module 8 compresses the data from the peripherals and the localisation system into a single packet, which it subsequently sends to the central computer 10, the server, where the data is evaluated. The result of the evaluation is a determination of the parking position 12 of the bed JM . This data, for example, can be displayed on the central nurse's monitor, another graphical user interface, or it can be sent as a data packet to another system. The method for determining the parking position 12 is based on the non-transmission of the unique tag I ID from the bed H to the server 10. A database 13 of all the transmission tags 1 in the health-care facility and their physical placement is on the server 10. The individual LED diodes 2 of the transmission tag 1 transmit their unique ID and accompanying data concerning the status of the battery and information about the functioning mode. The detector 6 receives the signal from all the detected LED diodes 2; the receiver 7 receives the signal from the detector 6 and sends the signal to the communication module 8. One location cycle is given by the gradual transmission of the individual LED diodes 2 in a single transmission tag 1. In one location cycle the communication module 8 reads the IDs of all the detected LED diodes 2 into its memory. The server 10 sends a query table 23, containing the ID of the LED diodes 2 to the communication module 8, as is evident in Table 1.

001-1

001-2

001- 3

002- 1

002-2

002- 3

003- 1

003-2

003- 3

004- 1

004-2

004-3

Table 1

If the ID of the relevant detected LED diode 2 is in this query table 23, the communication module 8 rewrites the ID of the LED diode 2 in the query table 23 to "YES", which can be represented, for example, by the logical value of 1. If the ID of an LED diode 2 in the query table 23 is not detected, the communication module 8 rewrites the given ID of the LED diode 2 to "NE", which can be represented, for example, by the logical value of 0. This results in the process table 24, this process is evident from Table 2. 001-1

YES 001 -2

001 -3

YES 002-1

YES 002-2

YES 002-3

003-1

003-2

YES 003-3

004-1

004-2

004-3

Table 2

In the subsequent step, the communication module 8 creates a table 25 to send to the server 10, where the logical values are allocated in the same order as the original IDs of the LED diodes 2 and it erases the IDs of the LED diodes 2 from the process table 24, as can be seen in Table 3.

0

1

0

1

0

Table 3 The communication module 8 sends this table 25 to the server 10. The communication module 8 can also send accompanying information about the state of the battery of the transmission tag 1 and about the functioning mode together with this table 25. This information includes the ID of the hospital bed 11, though it lacks the ID of the LED diodes 2. On the basis of the originally sent query table 23, the server 10 adds the detected IDs of the LED diodes 2 and determines the parking position 12 where the bed H is located. In the given example, the server 10 determines the probable parking position 12 no. 002.

The server 10 sends a list of all the transmission tags 1 in parts in the query table 23. The server 10 primarily sends a complete list of all the tags 1 during installation in order to obtain the most precise parking position 12 of the bed H. Over time, in order to speed up the process, the server 0 can gradually reduce the undetected tags ±. Due to the relevance of the data, over time the server 10 will change the order of the IDs of the LED diodes 2 and transmission tags 1 in the query table 23; the order of the IDs of the LED diodes 2 in the query table 23 does not matter. Thus, over time the query table 23 is not the same and is not unique. Thus, one query table 23 can be sent to more beds H.

A program for allocating beds 11 to parking positions 12, including several rules for more precise determination of the position of the bed H, is run above the entire aforementioned algorithm.

If only one bed H detects a certain tag 1, then the program allocates the parking position 12, which is indicated by the detected tag 1, to the given bed 1.

If multiple beds H are detected by the same tag 1, then the server 10 allocates the given parking position 12 to the bed H that detects more LED diodes 2 of the given tag 1. If the same number of LED diodes 2 is detected, then the given parking position 12 is allocated to the bed H, which detects the central transmitting LED diode (2b). If a valid hospital bed H is already allocated to a parking position 12, then the request to allocate this parking position 12 is refused. If a bed that is not valid is located in this parking position 12, then the invalid bed is replaced by the bed that should be allocated to this parking position. The validity of the hospital bed U is evaluated from the perspective of the connection to the electrical outlet, or from the perspective of data connectivity. In an alternative configuration, validity can be evaluated from the perspective of hospital bed H type, the ward or other parameters. This rule and process for allocation are depicted in the flowchart in Fig. 2.

The entire program gradually allocates all the beds 11. to parking positions 12.

In the first step 14,. the program reads bed-A and in the following step 15 decides whether bed-A has changed its position 12 relative to its previous position. If bed-A has not changed its position 12, then this request is ignored and bed-A is allocated the same position 12 as previously. If bed-A has changed its position 12 from its previous position 12, the program assesses whether this parking position 2 is free.

If the aforementioned parking position 12 is free, then bed-A is allocated to this position 12 and the program continues allocating other beds 11.. 'f this parking position 12 is occupied by another bed-B from the previous cycle, the program reads (step XT) data about bed-B.

In an alternative configuration, if the bed H detects the side LED diodes 2 of two different tags 1, the left from one tag 1 and the right from another tag 1, or the other way around, then the program evaluates that the bed H is located between these tags I. Similarly, when using multiple LED diodes 2, the azimuth where the bed V\_ is located can be detected from the transmission tag 1.

If bed-B does not exist (step 18) in the system, e.g. it was disconnected from electricity, then the program releases (step 19) this parking position 12 and allocates bed-A to this parking position 12. If bed-B exists in the system (step 18), the program evaluates (step 20) whether bed-B is transmitting data.

If bed-B is still transmitting data, then the program rejects bed-A's request for this parking position 12. If bed-B is not transmitting data, then the program assesses (step 20) bed-B as irrelevant and releases (step 21) its parking position 12 for bed-A.

In an alternative solution it is possible to send ID data of the detected LED diodes 2 directly to the server 10, where the pairing of the individual parking position 12 and the bed H is carried out.

In another alternative configuration, the positions 12 of the beds H can be detected depending on measurement of the signal strength. In another alternative configuration, the program determining the parking positions 12 of the beds H can be programmed into the communication module 8 or under the control of other modules on the bed 11.

In an alternative configuration, localisation can be programmed in the receiver 7, or the receiver 7 can send data directly to the server 10. This alternative solution can be without the communication module 8.

List of reference numbers

1 transmission tag

2 transmitter

3 tag processor unit

4 case

5 wireless transmission from tag

6 detector

7 receiver

8 communication module

9 wireless transmission from bed

10 central computer

11 bed

12 parking position

13 database of beds

14 reading bed-A

15 bed-A in same position

16 availability of requested position

17 reading bed-B

18 existence of bed-B in database

19 release of position

20 bed-B is online

21 release of position

22 allocated of requested position

23 query table from server

24 process table

25 table sent from bed

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. The device for determining the position (12) of a hospital bed (11) using wireless technology comprising a securely attached transmission tag (1) that transmits a unique identifier using at least one transmitter (2), a receiver (6) attached to the hospital bed (11), a communication module (8) for collecting data and information from the hospital bed ( 1) and for transmitting packets of this information from the bed (11) to the server (10) is characterised in that for determining the position (12), the bed ID (11) is transferred by the communication module (8) without a unique transmitter (2) ID.

2. The device for determining the position (12) of the hospital bed (11) according to claim 1 is characterised in that the securely attached transmission tag (1) contains a number of transmitters (2).

3. The device for determining the position (12) of the hospital bed (11) according to claim 1 is characterised in that the transmitters (2) are mutually oriented towards each other.

4. The device for determining the position (12) of the hospital bed (11) according to claim 1 is characterised in that the transmitter (2) is optical.

5. The device for determining the position (12) of the hospital bed (11) according to claim 4 is characterised in that the transmitter (2) is in the infrared spectrum.

6. The device for determining the position (12) of the hospital bed (11) according to claim 1 is characterised in that the transmitter (2) is radio-based.

7. The device for determining the position (12) of the hospital bed (11) according to claim 1 is characterised in that the transmitter (2) is acoustic.

8. The device for determining the position (12) of the hospital bed (11) according to claim 1 is characterised in that the transmitter (2) has a variable emission intensity.

9. The method for determining the position (12) of the hospital bed (11 ) using wireless technology includes the reception of a unique transmitter (2) ID, the processing of the data in the communication module (8) and the sending of data to the server (10) together with the ID of the bed is characterised in that the communication module (8) receives a query table (23) from the server (10), supplements them with detected transmitter (2) IDs in a process table (24) and sends the table (25) without a unique transmitter (2) ID to the server (10), the server (10) evaluates the received table (25) and allocates the ID of the beds to the database (13) of parking positions (12).

10. The method for determining the position (12) of the hospital bed (1 1) according to claim 9 is characterised in that the query table (23) is variable.

11. The method for determining the position (12) of the hospital bed (11) according to claim 9 is characterised in that the query table (23) is meant for at least one bed (1 1).

12. The method for determining the position (12) of the hospital bed (1 1) according to claim 9 is characterised in that the communication module (8) adds the beds IDs to the process table (24) in the same order as in the original query table (23).

13. The method for determining the position (12) of the hospital bed (11) according to claim 9 is characterised in that the communication module (8) immediately rewrites the transmitter (2) IDs.

14. The method for determining the position (12) of the hospital bed (1 1) according to claim 9 is characterised in that the server (10) determines the occupancy of the allocated parking positions (12).

15. The method for determining the position (12) of the hospital bed (1 1) according to claim 14 is characterised in that the server (10) determines the existence (18) of currently allocated beds (11) in the system.

16. The method for determining the position (12) of the hospital bed (11) according to claim 15 is characterised in that the server (10) determines the data activity (22) of currently allocated beds (11).