Incontinence detection apparatus electrical architecture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10350116-B2
Application number	US-201715596036-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 16, 2017
Priority date	Nov 16, 2015
Publication date	Jul 16, 2019
Grant date	Jul 16, 2019

Abstract

An incontinence detection system includes an incontinence detection pad for placement beneath a person to be monitored. The incontinence detection pad has a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. A reader is provided and a plurality of antennae is coupled to the reader. The reader includes a bistatic radio frequency (RF) switch matrix which is operable to establish a first antenna of the plurality of antennae as a transmit antenna that is used to wirelessly energize the passive RFID tag and to establish a second antennae of the plurality of antennae as a receive antenna that is used to read backscattered data that may be emitted from the passive RFID tag. The first and second antennae are situated in respective housings that are spaced apart from each other. An arrangement of first and second electrodes on an electrical sheet of an incontinence pad is also provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An incontinence detection system comprising
an incontinence detection pad for placement beneath a person to be monitored, the incontinence detection pad having a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag,
a reader, and
a plurality of antennae coupled to the reader, wherein the reader includes a bistatic radio frequency (RF) switch matrix which is operable to establish a first antenna of the plurality of antennae as a transmit antenna that is used to wirelessly energize the passive RFID tag and to establish a second antennae of the plurality of antennae as a receive antenna that is used to read backscattered data emitted from the passive RFID tag, the first and second antennae being situated in respective housings that are spaced apart from each other, wherein the plurality of antennae include a third antenna and a fourth antenna, wherein the bistatic RF switch matrix is operated in a full cycle scanning mode so that each of the first, second, third and fourth antenna is selectively chosen to be established as the transmit antenna and each of the remaining antenna are selectively cycled through to be the receive antenna such that twelve transmit antenna and receive antenna combinations are operated.

2. The incontinence detection system of claim 1 , wherein during the full cycle scanning mode, the transmit antenna and receive antenna combinations that produce valid reads of the RFID tag are stored, wherein a modified cycle scanning mode is then determined for operation of the bistatic RF switch matrix based on the valid reads such that only transmit antenna and receive antenna combinations that produced valid reads are cycled through for a predetermined number of cycles, after which the bistatic RF switch matrix is once again operated in the full cycle scanning mode.

3. The incontinence detection system of claim 2 , wherein if no valid reads of the passive RFID tag are detected during the full cycle scanning mode, then the bistatic RF switch matrix continues to operate in the full cycle scanning mode until at least one valid read is detected, after which the bistatic RF switch matrix is operated in the modified cycle scanning mode.

4. The incontinence detection system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of antennae are operated by the reader by transmitting using a frequency hopping scheme at a power less than or equal to 1 Watt (W).

5. The incontinence detection system of claim 4 , wherein the frequency hopping scheme uses 50 distinct frequencies, with each frequency being used only once in a pseudo-random order before any of the 50 frequencies are repeated.

6. The incontinence detection system of claim 5 , wherein the 50 frequencies lie within a range between about 902 MegaHertz (MHz) and 928 MHz.

7. The incontinence detection system of claim 1 , wherein at least one antenna of the plurality of antennae comprises a ½ wave ceramic patch antenna.

8. The incontinence detection system of claim 1 , wherein each antenna of the plurality of antennae comprises a ½ wave ceramic patch antenna.

9. An incontinence detection system comprising
an incontinence detection pad for placement beneath a person to be monitored, the incontinence detection pad having a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag,
a reader,
a plurality of antennae coupled to the reader, wherein the reader includes a bistatic radio frequency (RF) switch matrix which is operable to establish a first antenna of the plurality of antennae as a transmit antenna that is used to wirelessly energize the passive RFID tag and to establish a second antennae of the plurality of antennae as a receive antenna that is used to read backscattered data emitted from the passive RFID tag, the first and second antennae being situated in respective housings that are spaced apart from each other, wherein the plurality of antennae include a third antenna and a fourth antenna, and
a patient bed having a frame and a mattress support deck carried by the frame, the mattress support deck comprising a head section, a seat section, and a thigh section, at least the head section and the thigh section being raiseable and lowerable relative to the frame, the first and second antennae being coupled to the head section, the third antenna being coupled to the seat section, and the fourth antenna being coupled to the thigh section.

10. An incontinence detection system comprising
an incontinence detection pad for placement beneath a person to be monitored, the incontinence detection pad having a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag,
a reader,
a plurality of antennae coupled to the reader, wherein the reader includes a bistatic radio frequency (RF) switch matrix which is operable to establish a first antenna of the plurality of antennae as a transmit antenna that is used to wirelessly energize the passive RFID tag and to establish a second antennae of the plurality of antennae as a receive antenna that is used to read backscattered data emitted from the passive RFID tag, the first and second antennae being situated in respective housings that are spaced apart from each other, wherein the plurality of antennae include a third antenna and a fourth antenna, and
a patient bed having a frame and a mattress support deck carried by the frame, the mattress support deck comprising a head section, a seat section, and a thigh section, at least the head section and the thigh section being raiseable and lowerable relative to the frame, the first antenna being coupled to the head section, the second and third antennae being coupled to the seat section, and the fourth antenna being coupled to the thigh section.

11. An incontinence detection system comprising
an incontinence detection pad for placement beneath a person to be monitored, the incontinence detection pad having a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag,
a reader,
a plurality of antennae coupled to the reader, wherein the reader includes a bistatic radio frequency (RF) switch matrix which is operable to establish a first antenna of the plurality of antennae as a transmit antenna that is used to wirelessly energize the passive RFID tag and to establish a second antennae of the plurality of antennae as a receive antenna that is used to read backscattered data emitted from the passive RFID tag, the first and second antennae being situated in respective housings that are spaced apart from each other, wherein the plurality of antennae include a third antenna and a fourth antenna, and
a patient bed having a frame and a mattress support deck carried by the frame, the mattress support deck comprising a head section, a seat section, and a thigh section, at least the head section and the thigh section being raiseable and lowerable relative to the frame, the first antenna being coupled to the head section, the second antenna being coupled to the seat section, and the third and fourth antennae being coupled to the thigh section.

12. An incontinence detection system comprising
an incontinence detection pad for placement beneath a person to be monitored, the incontinence detection pad having a passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag,
a reader,
a plurality of antennae coupled to the reader, wherein the reader includes a bistatic radio frequency (RF) switch matrix which is operable to establish a first antenna of the plurality of antennae as a transmit antenna that is used to wirelessly energize the passive RFID tag and to establish a second antennae of the plurality of antennae as a receive antenna that is used to read backscattered data emitted from the passive RFID tag, the first and second antennae being situated in respective housings that are spa

Assignees

• Hill Rom Services Inc

Inventors

• Monson Gavin M
• Nusair Marwan
• Voll James D
• Severns Ryan S
• Tallent Dan R
• Weidman Bryan
• Canter Joseph T
• Newkirk David C

Classifications

• A61F2013/424

  having an electronic device · CPC title

• A61B2503/08

  Elderly · CPC title

• G06K7/10168

  the powering being adversely affected by environmental influences, e.g. unwanted energy loss in the interrogation signal due to metallic or capacitive objects in the proximity of the interrogation device or in the proximity of the interrogated record carrier · CPC title

• A61B5/7465

  Arrangements for interactive communication between patient and care services, e.g. by using a telephone network (telemetry of measured physiological signal A61B5/0002) · CPC title

• A61B5/6808

  Diapers · CPC title