Patient handling device including local status indication, one
Contents
1. Singaporean Office Action mailed Mar 19 2010 for Serial No 2008 6 822 571 B2 11 2004 Conway 03045 4 a foreign counterpart to the present application including 6 829 796 B2 12 2004 Salvatini etal 5 713 Austrian Patent Office Written Opinion ye h N o nad et al The current claims of Singapore Application No 2008 03045 4 8117701 B2 2 2012 Bobey et li An Office Action for Singaporean patent application serial No 8 464 380 B2 6 2013 Bobey et al 200803045 4 which is the foreign counterpart to the present applica 2002 0059679 A1 5 2002 Weismiller et al 5 610 tion 2004 0103475 Al 6 2004 Ogawa et al Search report and written opinion of EP Application No 06827596 5 2005 0035871 A1 2 2005 Dixon etal 340 686 1 dated May 10 2010 2006 0049936 AL 3 2006 Collins et al 340 539 11 Clai f EP 06827596 5 f M 10 2010 2006 0101581 A1 5 2006 Blanchard et al 5 713 EN a Gaymar AIRE TWIN Operator s Manual for Alternating Pressure 2006 0279427 Al 12 2006 Becker et al 2007 0076852 Al 4 2007 Ishikawa et al and Low Air Loss Therapy and Mattress Replacement Systems 2007 0210917 Al 9 2007 Collins Jr et al May 2005 Plexus Medical Service Manual for 02 Zoned C4000 Portable Rota FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS tion System and CareMedx C5000 Multi zoned Low Air Loss Therapy System Apr 2003 EP 1477 110 Al 11 2004 WO WO 01 75834 Al 10 2001 cited by examiner US2. desired bed configurations may be selectable at the bed configuration interface 180 and may be based on events such as surgery or clinical conditions of the patient such as when a ventilator is in use to prevent ventilator induced pneumonia VIP as described further below The bed status monitored can also be armed with an acti vation button on the footboard This embodiment allows for the nurse or other clinician to configure the bed physically as they normally would and then identify this as the desired state by activating the monitoring system The display 124 may also include amber 126 and green 128 indicators activated in the same manner as the alert and nor mal lamps 86 92 on the patient handling device 20 Audible alarms may also be provided at the remote computer 95 or other locations to indicate whether the patient handling device 20 is in a desired or undesirable state or configuration The remote computer 95 may be in communication with a portable device e g cellular phones PDAs pagers etc to deliver information about one or more patient handling devices 20 to a user This information may include not only that an alarm has occurred but the exact nature of the alarm US 8 689 376 B2 13 For instance the portable device may display data similar to that displayed on the display 74 of the footboard control panel 68 Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of
3. 56 the brake sensor 58 and the arm disarm signal from the bed exit sys tem then the position of each siderail 42 and the brake and the current configuration of the arm disarm signal e g armed or disarmed are stored in the memory Thus the initial sensor data is based on the position of the components being moni tored when the power button 84 is depressed After generating the initial sensor data the controller 44 then will periodically acquire the sensor signal from each of the monitored sensors 54 to generate current sensor data This current sensor data is then compared to the initial sensor data An alarm may be then issued in response to a substantial variation between the current sensor 54 data and the initial sensor data This variation indicates a change from the desired 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 8 state to an undesired state Of course the amount of variation between the current and initial sensor data that results in triggeringthe alarm may be adjusted depending on the nature of the data For example a variation of a few pounds in the weight of the patient between initial and current sensor data need not trigger the alarm but a variation of fifty pounds could Furthermore the step of periodically acquiring the sensor signals may be described as the controller 44 routinely examining the sensor signals to determine the current state of the sensors 54 Alternatively the step of periodical
4. 8 689 376 B2 Sheet 1 of 11 Apr 8 2014 U S Patent U S Patent Apr 8 2014 Sheet 2 of 11 US 8 689 376 B2 U S Patent Apr 8 2014 Sheet 3 of 11 US 8 689 376 B2 NETWORK INTERFACE a 20 68 410 1 FOOTBOARD DISPLAY A en EO CONTROL PANEL 86 ALERT LAMP LANNUNCIATOR ALERT LAMP 99 K i ALERT LAMP 88 H INSIDE NORMAL LAMP R SIDERAIL BED Y i CONTROL a se PANEL so MA PORTION OUTSIDE CONTROLLER LANES SIDERAIL A LOWER CONTROL 5 PANEL BED 44 MO HEIGHT i FIRST THIRD SIDERAIL SIDERAIL BRKE SWITCH SWITCH 58 SECOND FOURTH SIDERAIL SIDERAIL SWITCH SWITCH U S Patent Apr 8 2014 Sheet 4 of 11 US 8 689 376 B2 FE A A Bed Exit Bed Zero Brake Tai v v ENTER Side Rail gt Bedje Brake 2 gt lt a LowHeight a lata Exit LowHeight T U S Patent Apr 8 2014 Sheet 5 of 11 US 8 689 376 B2 FIG 7A FIG 7B 74 74 U S Patent Apr 8 2014 Sheet 6 of 11 US 8 689 376 B2 FIG 9A gt Status Alert Bed P 74 FIG 9B gt Status Alert U S Patent Apr 8 2014 Sheet 7 of 11 US 8 689 376 B2 1 1 1 1 BRAKE l NOT SET FIG 10 FIG 11 U S Patent Apr 8 2014 Sheet 8 of 11 US 8 689 376 B2 I i lt Message Do Not Touch Bed U S P
5. A bed comprising a patient support for supporting a patient a plurality of sensors for generating a plurality of sensor signals said sensors associated with a set of conditions associated with said bed for being monitored and a controller in communication with said sensors for moni toring whether said set of conditions is in a desired state 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 14 and providing a unified indication that said bed is in a desired configuration when each of said conditions is in their desired state or providing an indication that said bed is in an undesired configuration when at least one of said conditions deviates from its desired state 9 The bed of claim 8 wherein said unified indication comprises a lamp in communication with said controller said controller illuminating said lamp to provide said unified indi cation that said bed is in a desired configuration 10 The bed of claim 9 further including another lamp in communication with said controller said controller adapted to cause a change in an illumination state of said other lamp when said controller provides said indication that that said bed is in said undesired desired configuration 11 The bed of claim 9 wherein said lamp produces a green colored light when illuminated to provide said unified indi cation that said bed is in a desired configuration 12 The bed of claim 8 wherein said unified indicator comprises a lamp said co
6. a patient not shown A mattress 24 is preferably disposed on the frame 22 for comfortably supporting the patient However those skilled in the art realize that the patient handling device 20 may be implemented without the mattress 24 or with numerous alternatives for the mattress 24 such as cushions The mattress 24 could be a therapy mattress such as that disclosed in U S patent application Ser No 11 260 452 filed Oct 27 2005 which is hereby incorporated by reference The patient handling device 20 also preferably includes a plurality of wheels 26 supporting the frame 22 The wheels 26 allow the patient handling device 20 to be easily moved along a surface 28 i e the floor Of course the patient handling device 20 may be implemented without the wheels 26 such that the patient handling device 20 is relatively stationary When implemented with the wheels 26 the patient handling device 20 preferably includes a brake for immobilizing at least one of the wheels 26 and more preferably immobilizing all of the wheels 26 The brake is applied via a brake pedal 30 In alternative embodiments the brake may be applied utilize a handle button or other suitable activation technique Brak ing systems employed on patient handling devices are well known in the art and any suitable system may be employed here thus the braking system is not described in detail Referring to FIG 2 the frame 22 includes an upper portion 32 and a lower portion
7. exit alarm FIG 10 is a detailed view of an outside siderail control panel FIG 11 is a detailed view of an inside siderail control panel FIG 12 is a detailed view of the display of the footboard control panel showing a menu FIG 13 is a detailed view of the display of the footboard control panel showing an instructional message FIG 14 is a schematic view of a healthcare facility with a network and a patient handling device bay ID system FIG 15 is a schematic view of alternative room modules in the patient handling device bay ID system illustrating their communication with the patient handling device and non patient handling device devices and FIG 16 is a display representation at a remote computer illustrating a user interface of the present invention DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to the Figures wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views a patient handling device 20 is shown in FIG 1 Those skilled in the art realize that the patient handling device 20 of the present invention may be implemented as a gurney stretcher surgical table examination table wheel chair ambulance cot or other suitable device as is known to the art Furthermore the patient 20 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 4 handling device 20 need not be utilized solely in a hospital but in any suitable environment The patient handling device 20 includes a frame 22 for supporting
8. the above teachings The invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described within the scope of the appended claims What is claimed is 1 A bed comprising a frame for supporting a patient a plurality of side rails movable between raised and low ered positions a plurality of wheels adapted to support said frame a brake for immobilizing at least one of said plurality of wheels a lifting mechanism adapted to raise and lower said frame a bed exit system adapted to detect when a patient has exited the bed and a controller with a monitoring system in communication with said brake said bed exit system and said plurality of side rails said monitoring system monitoring said brake said side rails and said bed exit system and said controller determining whether each of said brake said side rails and said bed exit system is in a desired state so that the bed is in a desired configuration or whether any of said brake said side rails and said bed exit system deviates from their desired state so that the bed is in an undesired configuration and said controller generating a unified indication when said bed is in said desired con figuration and generating another indication when said bed is in said undesired configuration 2 The bed of claim 1 wherein said controller is further adapted to allow a user to select if said bed exit system is to be monitored wherein if said bed exit system is monitored said controll
9. to and below the footboard control panel 68 however other locations may also be acceptable The annun ciator 110 includes annunciator lamps not shown electri cally connected to the controller 44 A cover plate is affixed over the annunciator lamps such that messages are illumi nated when appropriate These messages may include but are not limited to Motion Lockout Set Siderail Lockout Set Low Height Brake Set Bed Exit Alarm Zero Weight Alarm Siderail Alarm Power On One advantageous feature of the annunciator 110 is that it remains visible to the user even when the cover 76 of the footboard control panel 68 is closed US 8 689 376 B2 11 The display 74 of the footboard control panel 68 is used as an interface between a user of the patient handling device 20 and the controller 44 As shown in FIG 4 the display may provide information to the user such as the upper portion angular position and the lower portion angular position Referring to FIG 5 the display 74 may provide a graphical representation and or a schematic map of the patient handling device 20 to indicate which component is triggering an alarm The triggering component may be blinking or otherwise indi cated as is known to those skilled in the art For example FIGS 6A and 6B will alternate on the display 74 creating a blinking effect to inform the user that the height of the patient handling device 20 is low i e lower than the desired state FIGS
10. 34 The upper portion 32 is often referred to as a fowler portion or simply a fowler The upper and lower portions 32 34 are angularly adjustable with respect to the surface 28 between a plurality of angular posi tions Said another way the upper and lower portions 32 34 may be adjusted such that they are non parallel with the surface 28 This allows the patient to be positioned in a variety of configurations as are well known to those skilled in the art The angular position of the upper portion 32 with respect to the surface 28 is commonly referred to as a fowler angle or fowler position The frame 22 defines two sides 36 running lengthwise with the arms and legs of a patient lying in the patient handling device 20 and two ends not labeled transverse to the sides 36 A footboard 38 is disposed transverse to the sides 36 and adjacent to one of the ends Likewise a headboard 40 may be disposed transverse to the sides 36 and adjacent to the other end of the frame 22 Obviously the footboard 38 is typically disposed near the feet of a patient lying on the patient han dling device 20 while the headboard 40 is disposed near the head of the patient The patient handling device 20 also includes at least one siderail 42 disposed adjacent one of the sides 36 of the frame 22 The siderail 42 is moveable between an up position and a down position In the up position the siderail 42 prevents the patient from accidentally rolli
11. 7A and 7B will alternate on the display 74 to show the user that the brake is no longer set Likewise FIGS 8A and 8B show that one of the siderails 42 is out of position and FIGS 9A and 9B indicate that a bed exit alarm is tripped As shown in FIG 12 the display may provide a menu from which the user can configure features of the patient handling device by utilizing user interface controls 108 located on the footboard control panel 68 The display 74 can also convey non alarm messages to the user such as in FIG 13 instruct ing the user not to touch the bed e g while the patient is weighed Referring now to FIG 14 the patient handling device 20 of the present invention may be a part of a location detection system not labeled The location detection system locates patient handling devices 20 in a facility such as a hospital Such a location detection system is described in U S patent application Ser No 11 277 838 filed on Mar 29 2006 which is hereby incorporated by reference The location detection system includes a locator 112 mounted at each bay location in each room of the hospital The locator 112 is programmed with a location ID to transmit to the patient handling device 20 once the patient handling device 20 has docked with the locator 112 The locator 112 could be mounted on the ceiling wall floor or any location that permits the locator 112 to carry out its intended function Referring to FIG 15 the locato
12. US 8 689 376 B2 Page 2 56 References Cited WO WO 01 85085 A2 11 2001 WO WO 2004 093023 A2 10 2004 U S PATENT DOCUMENTS OTHER PUBLICATIONS 4 882 566 A 11 1989 Koerber Sr et al 4 907 845 A 3 1990 Wood PCT Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority 4 998 939 A 3 1991 Potthast et al i 5 137 033 A 8 1992 Norton regarding PCT US06 043290 the international counterpart to the 5 195 198 A 3 1993 Travis present application that includes the same claims as the present 5 276 432 A 1 1994 Travis application 5 319 355 A 6 1994 Russek Stryker Adel 500XL Childbearing Bed Service Manual Adel Medi 5 319 363 A 6 1994 Welch etal uUVyy 340 81 Cal Ltd 1986 5 393 938 A 2 1995 Bumbalough K i 5 411 457 A 5 1995 Hartdegen III et al Adel Maternity Bed Model 4700 amp 5012 Operations Manual Oct 5 450 639 A 9 1995 Weismiller et al 2003 5 664 270 A 9 1997 Bell etal Advantage Stretchers Stryker Patient Handling May 1994 5 689 839 A 11 1997 Laganiere et al Stryker Medical Labor amp Delivery Model 5000 Series Oct 1996 Va R oe Michi et a I Hausted Gemini Series Hausted Inc Oct 1993 774 ohnson et al 6014346 A 1 2000 Malone sccsscsesccscsssecssee nite Adel 2100EC Childbearing Bed Stryker Patient Care Jan 6 014 784 A 1 2000 Taylor etal nnnnnunnnnh 5 713 j i f 6 240 579 B1 6 2001 Hanson etal Adel 500XL Childbearing Bed Stryker Patient Care May 1995 6 320 510 B2 11 2001 Menkedick etal
13. alert lamp 88 is disposed on the other side 36 of the patient handling device 20 The alert lamps 86 88 are positioned such that the light produced by the alert lamp is viewable outward from the patient handling device 20 along at least 180 degrees of a circle defined around the patient handling device 20 and more preferably viewable at least 270 degrees of the circle defined by the patient handling device 20 Since the headboard 40 of the patient handling device 20 is traditionally positioned against a wall the light produced by the alert lamps 86 88 is viewable no matter where a user is around the patient han dling device 20 Furthermore alert lamps may be positioned such that light is viewable at any point i e 360 degrees around the patient handling device 20 Preferably the alert lamps 86 88 are light emitting diodes LEDs such that replacement of the alert lamps 86 88 is a rarity It is also preferred that the alert lamps 86 88 produce an amber or yellow colored light Light having an amber color typically has a wavelength in the range of 577 to 597 nanometers Furthermore it is preferred that the alert lamp flash on and off to emphasize the alarm condition Those skilled in the art will realize other locations configurations colors and wavelengths for the alert lamps 86 88 The alert lamps 86 88 are deactivated i e turned off when there is no substantial variation between the current sensor data and the predetermined
14. atent Apr 8 2014 Sheet 9 of 11 US 8 689 376 B2 Wireless Badge Messaging Interface i HW SW Access Point Wireless Fed Fi 802 11a b 9 Access Point ca Digital Wi Fi 802 11a 5 9 Asset Tracking Remote Medical Records Computer FIG 14 U S Patent Apr 8 2014 Sheet 10 of 11 US 8 689 376 B2 FIG 15 112 a Detection 4 Channel a 112B 112A 112B 7 h D aa Zone N N 5 o 3 E or Bea VON Non N NBed3 heey UA Non R A Bed 2 y N N male 122 122 sa US 8 689 376 B2 Sheet 11 of 11 Apr 8 2014 U S Patent 10 e91pPU SN LIS _HoHLNDIHuUo9 pag bag JO PESA UoltSsod JuaneY Sd HOH NIRIO LHOH BOT mea a X207 UOROW pag 001 NONOJ add NOLLOW TIV US 8 689 376 B2 1 PATIENT HANDLING DEVICE INCLUDING LOCAL STATUS INDICATION ONE TOUCH FOWLER ANGLE ADJUSTMENT AND POWER ON ALARM CONFIGURATION CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the benefit of U S Provisional Patent Application Ser No 60 734 083 filed Nov 7 2005 which is hereby incorporated by reference BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1 Field of the Invention The subject invention relates to a patient handling device such as a hospital bed and associated methods of operation 2 Description of the Related Art Modern patient handling devices are becoming increas ingly inte
15. atient handling device 20 also includes a lower portion actuator 50 operatively connected to the lower portion 34 for moving the lower portion 34 to adjust the lower portion 34 between a plurality of angular positions The lower portion actuator 50 is electrically connected to the controller 44 andis preferably a bi directional motor and operates similarly to the upper portion actuator 48 described above The patient han dling device 20 also includes a lifting mechanism 52 opera tively connected to the frame 22 for lifting and lowering the frame 22 with respect to the surface 28 The lifting mecha nism 52 is electrically connected to the controller 44 and preferably includes a bi directional motor Of course those skilled in the art realize that the patient handling device 20 may include other actuators for operating features of the patient handling device 20 The actuators 48 50 and lifting mechanism 52 are well known to those skilled in the art and any suitable actuator 48 50 or lifting mechanism 52 may be implemented therefore the actuators 48 50 and lifting mechanism 52 are not described in further detail A plurality of sensors 54 are supported by the patient handling device 20 with each sensor 54 being associated with the various features of the patient handling device 20 Each sensor 54 senses at least one feature of the patient handling device 20 and generates a sensor signal corresponding to that feature of the patient handling devic
16. blem The patient handling device 20 of the present invention also provides functionality for limiting or locking out operation of the patient handling device 20 The footboard control panel 68 includes an upper portion lockout control 98 a lower portion lockout control 100 a height lockout control 102 and a motion lockout control 104 Each of these lockout controls 98 100 102 104 is electrically connected to the controller 44 and sends a corresponding lockout control signal to the con troller 44 when activated For example when the lower por tion lockout control 98 is activated the lower portion actuator 50 will not function when the lower portion controls 80 on the siderails 42 and or the footboard control panel 68 are depressed The same reasoning extends to the upper portion lockout control 100 the height lockout control 102 and the motion lockout control 104 The patient handling device 20 of the present invention also provides a position lock control 106 The position lock con trol 106 is preferably amembrane style pushbutton located in the footboard control panel 68 and electrically connected to the controller 44 The position lock control 106 generates a position lock signal which is received by the controller 44 The activation of the position lock control 106 in the preferred 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 10 embodiment provides several results First the lower portion actuator 48 is actuate
17. d to position the lower portion to a horizontal position i e parallel with the surface 28 Next the upper portion actuator 48 is actuated to position the upper portion 32 outside of a restricted range of angular positions of the upper portion 32 In the preferred embodiment this restricted range is between 0 and 30 degrees with respect to the surface 28 However different ranges of angular positions may also be utilized For example in one alternative embodi ment the restricted range may be between 0 and 45 degrees In another alternative embodiment the restricted range may be any angular position greater than 45 degrees If the upper portion 32 is already positioned outside the restricted range of angular positions then no actuation takes place The control ler 44 receives feedback i e the current position of the upper portion 32 from the upper position sensor 54 Finally activation of the position lock control 106 results in preventing the operation of the upper portion actuator 48 utilizing the upper portion control 78 into the restricted range of angular positions Thus in the preferred embodiment the patient or other user is not able to lower the upper portion 32 under 30 degrees utilizing the pushbuttons of the upper por tion control 78 This allows a simple and convenient tech nique for a user to place the patient in an inclined position and keep the patient in that position In some embodiments how ever even when the
18. data or initial sensor data To deactivate the alarm and the alert lamps 86 88 a user may simply correct the problem e g raise a siderail that was lowered Alternatively deactivating the alert lamps 86 88 may be accomplished by simply turning off power to the patient handling device 20 by pressing the power button 84 and then turning power back on by again pressing the power US 8 689 376 B2 9 button 84 When the patient handling device 20 is restarted the initial sensor data will be set to the current and desired state The patient handling device 20 may also include a normal lamp 92 which is activated i e illuminated when there is no substantial variation between the current sensor data and the predetermined data or initial sensor data Said another way the normal lamp 92 is illuminated when there is no alarm The normal lamp 92 is also preferably disposed within the foot board lamp housing 90 The normal lamp 92 produces a light having a wavelength different from the wavelength of the light produced by the alert lamp Preferably the normal lamp 92 is at least one LED that produces a green colored light Those skilled in the art realize that green color light has a wavelength in the range of 492 to 577 nanometers The nor mal lamp 92 is deactivated 1 e turned off when there is a substantial variation between the current sensor data and the predetermined data or initial sensor data i e when the patient handli
19. e 20 These sensors 54 include but are not limited to at least one siderail switch 56 for sensing the position of each siderail 42 specifically whether each siderail 42 is in the up position a brake sensor 58 for sensing the activation of the brake 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 6 a height sensor 60 for sensing the height of the frame 22 with respect to the surface 28 an upper portion potentiometer 62 for sensing an angular position of the upper portion 32 with respect to the surface 28 a lower portion potentiometer 64 for sensing an angular position of the lower portion 34 with respect to the surface 28 at least one load cell 66 and preferably four load cells 66 for sensing the weight presence and or position of the patient on the patient handling device 20 and an arm disarm signal from a bed exit system Those skilled in the art will realize numerous techniques for implementing the sensors 54 with the patient handling device 20 For example in the preferred embodiment the siderail switches 56 are implemented as mechanical rocker type switches However the siderail switches 56 may alternatively be implemented as inductive or capacitive sensing proximity switches photosensitive detectors etc Furthermore those skilled in the art will realize that additional sensors that may be utilized to monitor a feature of the patient handling device 20 The bed exit system detects patient exit from
20. e patient handling device includes a plurality of sensors sensing a plurality of features of the patient handling device and a controller in communication with the sensors The method includes the step of receiving a control signal at the controller to initiate monitoring of the patient handling device Sensor signals are acquired at the controller from the sensors in response to receiving the control signal Initial sensor data is generated from the sensor signals based on the initial state of the sensors to establish a desired state of the patient handling device The method continues with the steps of periodically acquiring the sensor signals from the sensors after generating the initial sensor data and generating current sensor data from the sen sor signals based on the current state of the sensors The current sensor data is compared to the initial sensor data and an alarm is generated in response to a substantial variation between the current sensor data and the initial sensor data A second aspect of the invention provides a patient han dling device having a plurality of features for patient care The patient handling device includes a frame for supporting a 20 25 40 45 65 2 patient and a plurality of sensors supported by the frame for generating a plurality of sensor signals wherein each sensor signal corresponds to one of the features of the device A user selectable control produces a control signal to initiate monitor
21. e upper portion outside the certain range 27 Claims 11 Drawing Sheets
22. er will generate said other indication or a third indi cation when said bed exit system is disarmed 3 The bed of claim 1 wherein said unified indication com prises a lamp wherein said controller causes a change in illumination state of said lamp when at least one of said brake said lifting mechanism and said side rails are changed to an undesired state 4 The bed of claim 1 wherein said unified indication com prises a lamp wherein said frame further includes an upper portion and a lower portion said upper portion adapted to be angularly adjustable and wherein said controller is further adapted to allow a user to select if an angle of said upper portion is to be monitored said controller causing a change in illumination state of said if said angle is monitored and if said angle changes to an undesired state 5 The bed of claim 3 wherein said lamp is positioned beneath a foot end of said bed and spaced from said control panel said bed including no indicia adjacent said lamp indi cating a condition associated with said lamp 6 The bed of claim 3 said lamp comprising a first lamp further including a second lamp in communication with said controller said controller adapted to cause a change in an illumination state of said second lamp when said controller causes a change in the illumination state of said first lamp 7 The bed of claim 6 wherein said first lamp and said second lamp are both positioned at a foot end of said bed 8
23. es a bed configuration interface 180 This interface 180 includes mul tiple buttons 182 that allow a user such as a nurse to establish the desired configuration of the bed or patient handling device 20 by setting the conditions to be monitored As each of the buttons 182 are selected various options are provided to the user to establish the desired bed configuration For example when the brakes button is selected the user may have the option to add or delete brake monitoring as a moni tored bed condition or the user may elect brakes on as a desired state When the side rails button is selected the user may be able to select which if any side rails are included as monitored bed conditions and whether the desired state is up down or an intermediate position When the bed exit button is selected the user may define whether bed exit is to be monitored and whether bed exit armed is a desired state When the bed height button is selected the user may be able to define a range of bed heights as being within a desired state or the user may elect not to monitor bed height The fowler angle can also be similarly monitored using the fowler angle button Other bed conditions may be monitored based on the specific needs of the user or facility in which the bed is located Lastly predefined desired bed configurations may also be stored on the hospital network 97 or in the bed net work These predefined
24. g cir cuits amplifiers multiplexers logic gates resistors capaci tors inductors and diodes At least one analog to digital converter 46 ADC is electrically connected to the controller 44 to convert analog signals from variable voltage current devices to digital signals which are usable by the controller 44 The at least one ADC 46 may be separate i e stand alone from the controller 44 and or integrated within the controller 44 Furthermore the patient handling device 20 may also include a plurality of distributed nodes not shown electrically connected to the controller 44 and various elec trical electronic devices as described herein The distributed nodes facilitate communication between the devices and the controller 44 while reducing overall wiring costs and com plexity The patient handling device 20 includes an upper portion actuator 48 operatively connected to the upper portion 32 The upper portion actuator 48 moves the upper portion 32 to adjust the upper portion 32 between a plurality of angular positions The upper portion actuator 48 is in communication with the controller 44 to receive control signals from the controller 44 The upper portion actuator 48 is preferably a bi directional motor such that the upper portion actuator 48 can increase and decrease the angular position of the upper portion 32 with respect to a horizontal surface 28 such as the floor upon which the patient handling device 20 is supported The p
25. grated with advanced electronic devices such as a microprocessors communication busses network interfaces wireless networks high tech displays and advanced sensors These electronic devices have the potential to greatly enhance patient care But too often these electronic devices are com plex and do not adequately address ease of use which can be essential for patient care by accounting for the stresses of a hospital medical environment As a result modern patient handling device controls and user interfaces may be difficult to operate One difficulty is the complexity involved in setting the desired state of the components of the patient handling device in order to produce an alarm should the components be in a non desired state Another difficulty is the ability to even notice when the patient handling device is alarming due to one or more components in a non desired state Yet another difficulty is the ability to prevent a patient from lowering a fowler of the patient handling device past prescribed angular position yet maintaining the ability for the patient to still selectively adjust the fowler between a plurality of angular positions above the prescribed angular position Therefore there is a need in the art for a patient handling device that can address the difficulties described above SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION AND ADVANTAGES A first aspect of the present invention provides a method of monitoring a patient handling device Th
26. he art The patient handling device 20 includes an upper portion contro178 a lower portion control 80 and a height contro182 each control electrically connected to the controller 44 Each of these controls 78 80 82 is preferably implemented as a pair of membrane style pushbuttons one for up and one for down In the preferred embodiment the upper and lower portion controls 78 80 are disposed on each of the control panels 68 70 72 while the height control 82 is disposed on the outside siderail control panel 70 and the footboard control panel 68 i e not on the inside siderail control panel 72 The upper portion control 78 generates an upper portion control signal the lower portion control 80 generates a lower portion control signal and the height control 82 generates a height control signal Each of these control signals is communicated to the controller 44 The controller 44 typically responds to each control signal by controlling the actuator corresponding to the control signal in the appropriate direction A patient or user of the patient handling device 20 can then use the con trols 78 80 82 to selectively adjust the height upper portion angular position and or lower portion angular position of the patient handling device 20 The patient handling device 20 includes a user selectable control for producing a control signal In the preferred embodiment the user selectable control is a power button 84 preferably as part of the fo
27. ication file for complete search history 2006 01 References Cited U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 3 599 199 A 4 067 005 A 8 1971 Bunting 1 1978 Levy et al 4 196 425 A 4 1980 Williams Jr et al 4 264 904 A 4 1981 McCoy et al 4 295 133 A 10 1981 Vance 4 633 237 A 12 1986 Tucknott et al 4 700 180 A 10 1987 Vance Continued FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS EP 1 199 027 A2 4 2002 EP 1354539 Al 10 2003 Continued OTHER PUBLICATIONS Partial Search Report for PCT US2006 043290 which corresponds to the present U S Appl No 11 557 349 mailed Mar 14 2007 Continued Primary Examiner William Kelleher 74 Attorney Agent or Firm Warner Norcross amp Judd LLP 57 ABSTRACT A patient handling device includes a controller with a plu rality of sensors control panels and lamps electrically con nected to the controller The patient handling device records the normal desired state of the various components when power is applied When one of the components goes outside the normal desired state the controller issues an alarm This alarm includes illuminating a plurality of amber alert lamps which can normally be viewed by a user at any position around the outside of the patient handling device The patient handling device also includes a position control This control restricts movement of an upper fowler portion of the patient handling device in a certain range of angular positions while permitting movement of th
28. in response to a substantial variation between the current sensor data and the initial sensor data 27 The bed of claim 26 wherein the amount of variation between the current and initial sensor data that results in said indication that that said bed is in an undesired desired con figuration may be adjusted 16 12 United States Patent Becker et al US008689376B2 US 8 689 376 B2 Apr 8 2014 10 Patent No 45 Date of Patent 54 75 73 21 22 65 60 51 52 58 56 PATIENT HANDLING DEVICE INCLUDING LOCAL STATUS INDICATION ONE TOUCH FOWLER ANGLE ADJUSTMENT AND POWER ON ALARM CONFIGURATION Inventors David Terrance Becker Kalamazoo MI US Christopher John Hopper Kalamazoo MI US Michael Joseph Hayes Kalamazoo MI US Vivek Shankar Kalamazoo MI US Richard C Mayoras Jr Kalamazoo MI US Assignee Stryker Corporation Kalamazoo MI US Notice Subject to any disclaimer the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U S C 154 b by 446 days Appl No 11 557 349 Filed Nov 7 2006 Prior Publication Data US 2007 0163045 Al Jul 19 2007 Related U S Application Data Provisional application No 60 734 083 filed on Nov 7 2005 Int Cl A47C 27 10 US Cl USPC 5 600 5 722 5 622 5 613 5 905 Field of Classification Search USPC fornavn ansan 5 600 722 622 613 905 See appl
29. ing of the patient handling device A controller is in communication with the sensors and the user selectable con trol for receiving the control signal acquiring the sensor signals from the sensors in response to receiving the control signal and generating initial sensor data from the sensor signals based on the initial state of the sensors The controller also periodically acquires the sensor signals from the sensors and generates current sensor data from the sensor signals based on the current state of the sensors The controller then compares the current sensor data to the initial sensor data and alarms in response to a substantial variation between the current sensor data and the initial sensor data A third aspect of the invention provides a patient handling device having a plurality of features for patient care and a frame for supporting a patient A plurality of sensors are supported by the frame wherein each sensor senses a feature of the patient handling device and generates a sensor signal corresponding to one of the features of the patient handling device The patient handling device further includes a con troller in communication with the plurality of sensors for periodically acquiring the sensor signals from the plurality of sensors to generate current sensor data The controller also compares the current sensor data to predetermined data An alert lamp in communication with the controller produces light in response to a substantial
30. ly acquir ing the sensor signals may be described as being immediately triggered by a state change such as but not limited to the presence of an interrupt signal at the controller 44 Alternative methods to issuing the alarm are contemplated within the scope of the invention In one method the current sensor data is compared to predetermined data This prede termined data may be set by the manufacturer of the patient handling device 20 or may be set by the user In an embodi ment in which the predetermined data is set by the user configuration controls are provided as part of the footboard control panel 68 Those skilled in the art realize that the initial sensor data may be considered to be the predetermined data since the initial sensor data is set 1 e predetermined by the user s act of turning the patient handling device 20 on via the power button 84 The alarm may be conveyed in several forms In one instance the alarm may be conveyed by activating an alert lamp which produces light Referring to FIGS 1 and 2 in the preferred embodiment the patient handling device 20 includes a plurality of alert lamps at least one footboard alert lamp 86 and a pair of side alert lamps 88 The footboard alert lamp 86 is coupled to the footboard 38 and disposed in a footboard lamp housing 90 located below the footboard con trol panel 68 One side alert lamp 88 is disposed on one side 36 of the patient handling device 20 while the other side
31. ng device 20 is in the undesired state Thus in the preferred embodiment it is easy for a user e g nurse doctor orderly etc to quickly determine if there is a problem with the patient handling device 20 that needs to be addressed The user need simply notice whether the patient handling device 20 is producing a green light or a flashing amber light In another instance the alarm may be conveyed to a user by sounding an audible signal The patient handling device 20 may include a speaker 94 in communication with the control ler 44 for sounding this audible signal In yet another instance the alarm may be conveyed by transmitting alarm data to a remote computer 95 external from the patient handling device 20 The controller 44 of the patient handling device 20 is in communication with a net work interface 96 The network interface 96 may then com municate the alarm data as well as other data to the remote computer 95 over a network 97 Those skilled in the art realize that the network 97 may be a hardwired network e g Eth ernet or a wireless network e g WiFi cellular telephone GSM Bluetooth etc The alarm my also be conveyed by transmitting a nurse call signal to a nurse call system Nurse call systems are well known to those skilled in the art but typically lack function ality for detailed data handling Rather nurse call systems typically provide a simple on off signal to alert the user e g a nurse to a pro
32. ng off the patient handling device 20 or easily exiting the patient handling device 20 It is preferred that the siderail 42 include a locking mechanism not shown to lock the siderail 42 in the up position such that it may not be easily lowered by the patient In the preferred embodiment the at least one siderail is implemented as a plurality of siderails and more preferably as four siderails two adjacent the upper portion 32 with one on each side 36 of the frame 22 and two adjacent the lower portion 34 with one on each side 36 of the frame 22 In FIGS 1 and 2 three of the siderails 42 are shown in the up position and one not shown is in the down position Referring now to FIG 3 the patient handling device 20 includes a controller 44 for controlling operation of the US 8 689 376 B2 5 patient handling device 20 and monitoring various features of the patient handling device 20 The controller 44 is preferably a microprocessor based device such as a microcontroller However those skilled in the art realize that other suitable implementations may be employed for the controller 44 The patient handling device 20 also includes a variety of electrical and electronic components not shown interfaced with or integrated into the controller 44 for enabling operation of the controller 44 and communication with the controller 44 These components may include but are not limited to power supplies communication interface circuits networkin
33. ntroller illuminating said lamp to provide an indication that that said bed is in an undesired desired configuration 13 The bed of claim 12 further including another lamp in communication with said controller said controller adapted to cause a change in an illumination state of said other lamp when said controller provides said indication that that said bed is in said undesired desired configuration 14 The bed of claim 12 wherein said lamp produces a yellow or amber colored light when illuminated to provide said indication that said bed is in an undesired configuration 15 The bed of claim 8 further comprising a bed exit system wherein one of said conditions comprises a bed occu pancy condition detected by said bed exit system 16 The bed of claim 15 further comprising a user input device to allow a user to select if said bed exit system is to be monitored 17 The bed of claim 15 wherein said user input actuates said bed exit system when said bed exit system is activated said controller monitors said bed exit system and when said bed exit system is not activated said controller does not moni tor said bed exit system 18 The bed of claim 9 wherein said lamp is positioned at a foot end of said bed and is viewable by a caregiver spaced from the foot end of the bed 19 The bed of claim 8 further comprising a side rail movable between raised and lowered positions wherein one of said conditions comprises whether said rail is m
34. ork 12 and the non bed devices 122 As stated above data may be transmitted to the remote computer 95 from the patient handling device 20 via the 20 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 12 network 97 This data may include but is not limited to any data collected by the controller 44 of the patient handling device 20 alarm data location ID data and non bed device data from non bed devices 122 in communication with the patient handling device 20 This data may also be utilized by other systems present on the network 97 For instance the data may be automatically transmitted to an electronic medi cal record system 99 Furthermore the controller 44 of the patient handling device 20 may receive commands initiated at the remote computer 95 Referring to FIG 16 one possible configuration of a dis play 124 at the remote computer 95 is shown As shown the remote computer 95 includes a touch sensitive user interface not labeled that allows hospital personnel such as a nurse to not only view the patient handling device data transmitted to the network 97 from the patient handling device 20 but also remotely activate features of the patient handling device 20 such as a scale the bed exit system brakes articulation locks and the like The user interface may also include configura tion controls to allow the users to set the desired state of the patient handling device 20 As shown in FIG 16 the user interface also includ
35. otboard control panel 68 as shown in FIG 4 However other controls for producing the control signal and other locations for the power button 84 are also acceptable The power button 84 produces the control signal which is sent to the controller 44 to initiate monitoring of the patient handling device 20 In the preferred embodiment the power button 84 also controls the flow of power to the patient handling device 20 Furthermore the power button 84 cannot be activated i e power will not flow to the patient handling device 20 unless the brake has been set to immobilize the patient handling device 20 The controller 44 receives the control signal and begins to initiate the monitoring of the patient handling device 20 Specifically in response to receiving the control signal the controller 44 acquires the sensor signal from each of the sensors 54 that is to be monitored The controller 44 generates initial sensor data based on the initially acquired sensor sig nals This initial sensor data then becomes the setpoint and is stored in a memory of the controller 44 thus establishing a desired state of the patient handling device For example if the sensors 54 to be monitored are the four siderail switches 56 the brake sensor 58 and the load cells 66 then the position of each siderail 42 and the brake and the weight measured by the load cells 66 are stored in the memory If the sensors 54 to be monitored are the four siderail switches
36. ous locations around the bed The fourth and fifth aspects of the invention provide a simple one touch lockout that allows a patient to adjust a fowler of the patient handling device but prevents the patient from lowering the fowler past a certain point BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by ref erence to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein FIG 1 is a perspective view of a patient handling device with a mattress FIG 2 is a perspective view of the patient handling device with the mattress removed to illustrate the upper portion in an inclined position FIG 3 is a schematic block diagram of the various electri cal and electronic components of the patient handling device FIG 4 is a detailed view of a footboard control panel and annunciator FIG 5 is a detailed view of a display of the footboard control panel showing an example of several alarms FIGS 6A and 6B are detailed views of the display of the footboard control panel showing a low height alarm FIGS 7A and 7B are detailed views of the display of the footboard control panel showing a brake alarm FIGS 8A and 8B are detailed views of the display of the footboard control panel showing a siderail alarm FIGS 9A and 9B are detailed views of the display of the footboard control panel showing a bed
37. oved 20 The bed of claim 8 further comprising a plurality of wheels adapted to support said patient support and a brake for immobilizing at least one of said plurality of wheels wherein one of said conditions comprises whether brake is actuated 21 The bed of claim 8 further comprising a deck with a first portion and a second portion said first portion adapted to be angularly adjustable and wherein one of said conditions comprises said angle of said first portion 22 The bed of claim 8 wherein said controller is adapted to acquire the sensor signal from each of the sensors that is to be monitored and generate initial sensor data based on the initially acquired sensor signals 23 The bed of claim 22 wherein said initial sensor data is stored as a setpoint in a memory device 24 The bed of claim 23 wherein said memory device comprises a memory device of controller or a network 25 The bed of claim 22 wherein said conditions comprise conditions of components of said bed and said initial sensor data is based on the position of the components being moni tored when a user actuates a user input device US 8 689 376 B2 15 26 The bed of claim 22 wherein said controller periodi cally acquires the sensor signal from each of the monitored sensors to generate current sensor data and compares the current sensor data to the initial sensor data and generates said indication that said bed is in an undesired desired configuration
38. position lock control 106 is actuated the upper portion 32 can be adjusted through a plurality of per mitted angular positions that fall outside the restricted range of angular positions such as those positions above 30 degrees with respect to the surface 28 Those skilled in the art realize that certain medical conditions necessitate positioning patients in these permitted positions for extended periods of time Those skilled in the art realize other restricted range of angular positions that have clinical or operational signifi cance Two examples of restricted ranges of angular positions are related to the commonly known Trendelenberg position where the patient s feet are disposed higher than their head and the knee gatch position Of course if CPR is to be initi ated a CPR button allows immediate movement of the upper and lower portions of the bed to a fully horizontal position In the preferred embodiment described above the position lock control 106 restricted the range of angular positions of the upper portion 32 In other embodiments however the position lock control 106 may alternatively restrict the range of angular positions of other portions of the patient handling device 20 such as but not limited to the lower portion 34 The patient handling device 20 also includes an annuncia tor 110 for quickly alerting the user to status conditions of the patient handling device 20 The annunciator 110 is preferably located adjacent
39. r 112 could also include additional features to provide an intelligent room module 112A For instance the intelligent room module 112A may include interface buttons 118 for operator selection that cor respond to the patient handling device 20 or room being clean dirty empty occupied ready for occupancy etc An alterna tive intelligent room module 112B may also include a graphic display 120 such as a touch screen display with multiple nested user screens to access or transmit patient data patient handling device data or room data The intelligent room module 112A 112B may transmit this information e g clean dirty etc directly or indirectly to the hospital network 97 using wired and or wireless communication paths Com munication can occur from the intelligent room modules 112A 112B directly to the hospital network 97 from the intelligent room modules 112A 112B to other patient han dling devices and then to the hospital network 97 or to more than one available hospital network or directly from the intelligent room modules 112A 112B to the computer 95 or to more than one computer 95 The intelligent room modules 112A 112B may also be configured as access points between the patient handling devices 20 and multiple non bed devices 122 such as patient monitoring devices patient treatment devices diagnostic devices and the like or the intelligent room modules 112A 112B may be configured as access points between the hospital netw
40. rmation regarding the patient handling device 20 toa user e g nurse doctor technician etc The display 74 in the preferred embodiment is a back lit liquid crystal type device however other types of displays 74 including touch screen displays 74 for accepting user input are known to those skilled in the art A cover 76 is pivotally hinged to the footboard 38 adjacent to the footboard control panel 68 for concealing and protecting the footboard control panel 68 when closed The cover 76 may include a window not shown to allow viewing of the display 74 when the cover 76 is closed The patient handling device 20 also preferably includes at least one outside siderail control panel 70 shown in detail in FIG 10 and at least one inside siderail control panel 72 shown in detail in FIG 11 The inside siderail control panel 72 is disposed on the inside i e close to the patient of at least one of the siderails 42 to allow convenient control of the patient handling device 20 and an interface to other off bed features e g television control nurse call etc The outside siderail control panel 70 is disposed on the outside i e away US 8 689 376 B2 7 from the patient of at least one of the siderails to allow convenient control of the patient handling device 20 by users other than the patient The siderail control panels 70 72 preferably include membrane style pushbuttons but other alternatives are known to those skilled in t
41. the patient handling device 20 and or detects a position of the patient on the patient handling device 20 Such a bed exit system is described in U S Pat No 5 276 432 which is hereby incor porated by reference The bed exit system is preferably incor porated as one or more software routines in the controller 44 and utilizes the preferred four load cells 66 as described above The load cells 66 via the bed exit system may be used to track the patient s center of gravity By knowing the patient s center of gravity pressure ulcer management can be performed by knowing that the patient hasn t moved or turned Furthermore the load cells 66 via the bed exit system may be utilized to predict a bed exit before it occurs Referring again to FIG 1 the patient handling device 20 also preferably includes several control panels 68 70 72 in communication with the controller 44 In the preferred embodiment the patient handling device 20 includes a foot board control panel 68 disposed in the footboard 38 of the patient handling device 20 The footboard control panel 68 as shown in detail in FIG 4 includes a plurality of membrane style pushbuttons for controlling various features of the patient handling device 20 Of course the footboard control panel 68 may use different styles of pushbuttons switches or knobs as is well known to those skilled in the art The foot board control panel 68 also includes a display 74 for display ing info
42. tient handling device includes a frame for supporting a patient above a surface The frame includes an upper portion which is angu larly adjustable with respect to the surface and an actuator for adjusting the upper portion The method includes the step of receiving an actuator control signal to adjust the upper portion between a plurality of angular positions relative to the sur face The method also includes the step of sensing an angular position of the upper portion with respect to the surface When a position lock signal is received operation of the actuator is prevented which thereby prevents adjustment of the upper portion to at least on restricted angular position The first and second aspects of the invention allow a user of the patient handling device to easily configure the desired state of the patient handling device This is accomplished by US 8 689 376 B2 3 simply setting the patient handling device to the desired con figuration e g setting angles heights and siderail positions and turning the patient handling device on The initial state of the patient handling device is recorded and the patient han dling device produces an alarm when the patient handling device is no longer in this initial state The third aspect of the invention provides at least one alert lamp which is viewable to alert the user when any of a number of sensors indicates an alarm condition The light produced by the alert lamp is viewable at numer
43. variation between the current sensor data and the predetermined data The light produced by the alert lamp is viewable outward from the frame along at least 180 degrees of a circle defined around the frame A fourth aspect of the invention provides a patient handling device including a frame for supporting a patient above a surface The frame includes an upper portion which is angu larly adjustable with respect to the surface An actuator is operatively connected to the upper portion for adjusting the upper portion between a plurality of angular positions relative to the surface An actuator control generates an actuator con trol signal and an angular position sensor is coupled to the frame for sensing the angular position of the upper portion with respect to the surface The patient handling device fur ther includes a position lock control for generating a position lock signal A controller is in communication with the actua tor control and the actuator for controlling the actuator to selectively adjust the upper portion between the plurality of angular positions The controller is also in communication with the position lock control and the angular position sensor for preventing operation of the actuator and thereby prevent ing adjustment of the upper portion to at least one restricted angular position in response to the position lock signal In a fifth aspect of the invention a method of operating a patient handling device is provided The pa
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