Waste collection system with controllers for regulating levels of vacuum drawn on a waste container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12239775-B2
Application number	US-202217943598-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2022
Priority date	Oct 24, 2012
Publication date	Mar 4, 2025
Grant date	Mar 4, 2025

Abstract

A waste collection system for collecting medical waste. A mobile rover includes at least one waste container, and a rover controller. A chassis is removably couplable with the mobile rover and includes a vacuum regulator, and a chassis controller. The chassis controller is configured to control operation of the vacuum regulator based on a pressure signal from a pressure sensor disposed on the mobile rover. The chassis may include a control panel configured to receive an input of and display a vacuum level, and the chassis controller may control operation of the vacuum regulator based on the input. The mobile rover may include plural waste containers, and the chassis may include plural vacuum regulators. The chassis controller may control operation of the vacuum regulators on the chassis to independently regulate the vacuum level supplied to each of the waste containers on the mobile rover.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A medical waste collection system comprising:
a mobile rover comprising a waste container, and a pressure sensor configured to sense a vacuum level of a vacuum drawn on the waste container, and a rover controller in electronic communication with the pressure sensor and configured to receive from the pressure sensor a pressure signal indicative of the vacuum level; and
a chassis configured be removably coupled with the mobile rover to establish a suction path between the waste container and the chassis, the chassis comprising a vacuum regulator, and a chassis controller in electronic communication with the vacuum regulator, wherein the chassis controller is configured to be arranged in communication with the rover controller to receive the pressure signal from the rover controller, and further configured to control operation of the vacuum regulator on the chassis to regulate the vacuum level of the vacuum drawn on waste container based on the pressure signal from the pressure sensor on the mobile rover.

2. The medical waste collection system of claim 1 , further comprising a control panel mounted on the chassis and configured to display data indicative an operating state of the mobile rover, wherein the data is transmitted between the rover controller and the chassis controller.

3. The medical waste collection system of claim 2 , wherein the control panel is configured to display the vacuum level based on the data.

4. The medical waste collection system of claim 3 , wherein the mobile rover further comprises a level sensor coupled to the waste container and in electronic communication with the rover controller, wherein the level sensor is configured to sense a waste level of medical waste in the waste container and transmit a waste level signal to the rover controller, and wherein the rover controller is further configured to transmit the waste level signal to the chassis controller to be displayed on the control panel.

5. The medical waste collection system of claim 1 , wherein the mobile rover further comprises a manifold receiver in fluid communication with the waste container and configured to removably receive a manifold couplable to a suction line define a suction path from the suction line to the waste container through the manifold and manifold receiver, and wherein the chassis controller is further configured to control the vacuum regulator to regulate the vacuum level on the suction path based on the pressure signal.

6. The medical waste collection system of claim 1 , wherein the mobile rover and the chassis further comprise complementary power coupler configured to transfer electrical power from a power source to the mobile rover through the chassis.

7. The medical waste collection system of claim 1 , wherein the chassis further comprises an electromagnet in communication with the chassis controller, and wherein the rover controller is configured to transmit instructions to the chassis controller to energize the electromagnetic to releasably secure the mobile rover with the chassis.

8. The medical waste collection system of claim 1 , wherein the chassis further comprises an upper chassis, and lower chassis forming a void space defined between inner panels and a bottom panel of the upper chassis, wherein the void space being dimensioned to removably receive the mobile rover.

9. The medical waste collection system of claim 8 , wherein the chassis further comprises a chassis vacuum coupling configured to be coupled a complementary vacuum coupling of the mobile rover, and wherein the chassis vacuum coupling is positioned within the void space.

10. The medical waste collection system of claim 8 , wherein the upper chassis further comprises an instrument or equipment rack positioned above the void space and configured to support at least one console usable in a medical procedure.

11. The medical waste collection system of claim 1 , wherein the chassis further comprises a vacuum pump in fluid communication with the vacuum regulator.

12. The medical waste collection system of claim 1 , further comprising a docking station configured to be statically installed within medical facility, wherein the mobile rover is removably and interchangeably couplable with the chassis and the docking station.

Assignees

• Stryker Corp

Inventors

• Reasoner Stephen J
• Henniges Bruce
• Carusillo Steven
• Maclachlan Brian

Classifications

• A61M2205/52

  with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient · CPC title

• A61M2205/3576

  with non implanted data transmission devices, e.g. using external transmitter or receiver · CPC title

• A61M2205/3331

  Pressure; Flow · CPC title

• A61M2205/05

  combined with other kinds of therapy · CPC title

• A61M2205/0272

  Electro-active or magneto-active materials · CPC title