Bed load cell based physiological sensing systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10292605-B2
Application number	US-201314069460-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 1, 2013
Priority date	Nov 15, 2012
Publication date	May 21, 2019
Grant date	May 21, 2019

Abstract

A system for determining a physiological signal of a person supported by a person support apparatus using signals from force transducers is described herein. Force transducers communicate with a controller to transmit signals indicative of weight acting on them. The controller determines blood volume pulse information from the signals received from the force transducers. Heart rate and respiratory rate information is derived from the blood volume pulse information.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a person support apparatus embodied as a hospital bed comprising a lower frame supported on wheels, a weigh frame supported by supports for variable elevation relative to the lower frame, at least one deck section supported on the weigh frame, and a set of siderails movable with respect to the weigh frame and the at least one deck section between raised and lowered positions;
at least two force transducers configured to mount on said person support apparatus, said at least two force transducers configured to generate signals indicative of forces acting on said at least two force transducers by a person supported on the hospital bed; and
a controller carried by the hospital bed and comprising a processor configured to receive signals from said at least two force transducers, said controller configured to process the signals received from said at least two force transducers to determine the person's weight and to determine blood volume pulse based only on the signals from said at least two force transducers by causing the signals to undergo blind source separation analysis including an independent component analysis (ICA) transform to identify source signals indicative of forces produced by the person onto the hospital bed, the source signals being indicative of varying flow through the person's blood vessels during the person's cardiac cycle, wherein after the ICA transform the controller performs artifact suppression on the source signals, wherein the controller is also operable to control movement of the at least one deck section and weigh frame relative to the lower frame, wherein each force transducer of the at least two force transducers detects a mixture of the blood volume pulse and the person's weight, wherein weight detected by the at least two force transducers is used by the controller to determine if the person is supported on the hospital bed and, if it is determined by the controller that the person is not supported on the hospital bed, the operation to determine blood volume pulse is terminated and a message displayed on a touch screen display of the hospital bed.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a memory wherein said memory is configured to store at least one of signals received from said at least two force transducers and processed signals.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a remote controller comprising a remote processor, said remote controller in communication with said controller.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a user interface in communication with said controller, said user interface comprising a display configured to display messages received from said controller.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein said user interface further comprises an audio output configured to output an audio signal.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein said controller is configured to determine heart rate from said blood volume pulse.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein said controller is configured to determine respiratory rate from said blood volume pulse.

8. A person support apparatus embodied as a hospital bed comprising:
a lower frame supported on wheels;
a weigh frame supported by supports for variable elevation relative to the lower frame;
at least one deck section supported on the weigh frame;
a set of siderails movable with respect to the weigh frame and the at least one deck section between raised and lowered positions;
a mattress supported by the at least one deck section and configured to support a person;
at least two force transducers configured to generate signals indicative of components of weight of a person supported by said mattress acting on said at least two force transducers; and
a controller carried by the hospital bed and comprising a processor configured to receive signals from said at least two force transducers, said controller configured to process the signals received from said at least two force transducers to determine the person's weight and to determine blood volume pulse based only on the signals from said at least two force transducers by causing the signals to undergo blind source separation analysis including an independent component analysis (ICA) transform to identify source signals indicative of forces produced by the person onto the hospital bed, the source signals being indicative of varying flow through the person's blood vessels during the person's cardiac cycle, wherein after the ICA transform the controller performs artifact suppression on the source signals, wherein the controller is also operable to control movement of the at least one deck section and weigh frame relative to the lower frame, wherein each force transducer of the at least two force transducers detects a mixture of the blood volume pulse and the person's weight, wherein weight detected by the at least two force transducers is used by the controller to determine if the person is supported on the hospital bed and, if it is determined by the controller that the person is not supported on the hospital bed, the operation to determine blood volume pulse is terminated and a message displayed on a touch screen display of the hospital bed.

9. The person support apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising a remote controller comprising a remote processor, said remote controller in communication with said controller.

10. The person support apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising a user interface in communication with said controller, said user interface comprising a display configured to display information received from said controller.

11. The person support apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said controller is configured to determine heart rate from said blood volume pulse.

12. The person support apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said controller is configured to determine respiratory rate from said blood volume pulse.

13. A physiological signal sensing system for use with a person support apparatus embodied as a hospital bed comprising a lower frame supported on wheels, a weigh frame supported by supports for variable elevation relative to the lower frame, at least one deck section supported on the weigh frame, and a set of siderails movable with respect to the weigh frame and the at least one deck section between raised and lowered positions, the system comprising:
at least two force transducers configured to generate signals in response to a person's weight supported by said at least two force transducers; and
a controller carried by the hospital bed and comprising a processor configured to receive signals from said at least two force transducers, said controller configured to process the signals received from said at least two force transducers to determine the person's weight to determine blood volume pulse based only on the signals from said at least two force transducers by causing the signals to undergo blind source separation analysis including an independent component analysis (ICA) transform to identify source signals indicative of forces produced by the person onto the hospital bed, the source signals being indicative of varying flow through the person's blood vessels during the person's cardiac cycle, wherein after the ICA transform the controller performs artifact suppression on the source signals, wherein the controller is also operable to control movement of the at least one deck section and weigh frame relative to the lower frame, wherein each force transducer of the at least two force transducers detects a mixture of the blood volume pulse and the person's weight, wherein weight detected by the at least two force transducers is used by the controller to determine if the

Assignees

• Hill Rom Services Inc

Inventors

• Vanderpohl Iii Irvin J

Classifications

• A61B5/1102

  Ballistocardiography · CPC title

• A61B5/7257

  using Fourier transforms · CPC title

• A61B5/7203

  for noise prevention, reduction or removal · CPC title

• G01G19/445

  in a horizontal position · CPC title

• A61B5/0205

  Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition · CPC title