Ultra-wideband locating systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12525342-B2
Application number	US-202318322631-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 24, 2023
Priority date	Aug 30, 2019
Publication date	Jan 13, 2026
Grant date	Jan 13, 2026

Abstract

High-accuracy locating systems and methods are used for determining successful caregiver rounding, monitoring whether housekeepers have properly cleaned patient beds, or determining whether patients have ambulated sufficient distances during recovery. Patient beds having at least two locating tags are used for establishing patient care zones around the patient beds. Locating anchors and equipment tags are moved around a patient room to determine optimum locating anchor placement within the patient room based on signal quality values. A locating tag on a patient bed switches roles to operate as a locating anchor in response to the patient bed becoming stationary. A locating tag has a digital compass which is used to determine a field of good ranging relative to a front of a caregiver wearing the locating tag.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A system for monitoring proper cleaning of a patient bed by a housekeeper, the system comprising:
a housekeeper locating tag transported by the housekeeper, a plurality of receivers mounted at fixed locations and in wireless communication with the housekeeper locating tag, and at least one computer communicatively coupled to the plurality of receivers, wherein the housekeeper locating tag, the plurality of receivers, and the at least one computer cooperate to form a high-accuracy locating system operable to determine a location of the housekeeper locating tag within at least one foot of an actual location of the housekeeper locating tag, wherein the at least one computer models a patient bed position of a patient bed in a patient room, wherein the at least one computer determines that the housekeeper has cleaned the patient bed if the housekeeper locating tag is determined to have substantially circumnavigated the patient bed position as defined by the patient bed having been circumnavigated above a threshold amount of time, a threshold number of sides, a threshold distance, or a combination thereof.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one computer models the patient bed position as being a set of coordinates at which a patient bed is expected to occupy in the patient room.

3 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising an equipment locating tag coupled to the patient bed and in communication with the plurality of receivers, wherein the at least one computer models the patient bed position as being within a boundary around the equipment locating tag.

4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the boundary is defined as a circle having a radius of about two feet.

5 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the boundary is defined as a rectangle having dimensions commensurate in size with a periphery of the hospital bed.

6 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising an equipment locating tag coupled to the patient bed and in communication with the plurality of receivers, wherein the at least one computer models the patient bed position as being a location of the equipment locating tag and the at least one computer determines that the housekeeper has cleaned the bed if the housekeeper locating tag is determined to have substantially circumnavigated the equipment locating tag.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the housekeeper locating tag is considered to have substantially circumnavigated the equipment locating tag if the housekeeper locating tag has traveled at least 270 degrees around the equipment locating tag.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the housekeeper locating tag is considered to have substantially circumnavigated the patient bed position if the housekeeper locating tag has traveled at least 270 degrees around the patient bed position as modeled in the at least one computer.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the patient bed and a model of the patient bed position includes a head end, a foot end, a first side and a second side, wherein the housekeeper locating tag is considered to have substantially circumnavigated the patient bed position if the housekeeper locating tag has been determined by the at least one computer to have been next to each of the head end, foot end, first side, and second side.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one computer tracks an amount of time that the housekeeper locating tag spends circumnavigating the patient bed position and the at least one computer determines that the housekeeper has cleaned the patient bed only if the housekeeper locating tag is determined to have spent more than a minimum amount of time circumnavigating the patient bed position.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one computer initiates a notification to a supervisor if the housekeeper is determined by the at least one computer not to have cleaned the patient bed.

12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the housekeeper locating tag communicates with the plurality of receivers via ultra-wideband (UWB) signals.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the location of the housekeeper locating tag is determined by the at least one computer using two way ranging and time difference of arrival (TDOA) techniques.

14 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the location of the housekeeper locating tag is determined by the at least one computer using time of arrival (TOA) at which transmissions from the housekeeper locating tag are received at the plurality of receivers.

15 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the at least one computer uses signals from only a subset of the plurality of receivers to determine the location of the housekeeper locating tag, the subset being determined based on signal strength of signals from the housekeeper locating tag to the plurality of receivers.

16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the subset comprises at least three receivers from the plurality of receivers having highest signal strength values as compared to others of the plurality of receivers.

17 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one computer determines that the housekeeper has cleaned the patient bed only if the housekeeper locating tag is determined to have remained in proximity of the patient bed position within a threshold distance while circumnavigating the patient bed position.

18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the threshold distance is about three feet.

19 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the patient bed includes circuitry and further comprising a first bed transceiver carried by the patient bed and coupled to the circuitry, a second bed transceiver carried by the patient bed and coupled to the circuitry, and the housekeeper locating tag communicating a tag identification (ID) to the circuitry via the first and second transceivers, the circuitry using one or more of two way ranging techniques, time difference of arrival (TDOA) techniques, or time of arrival (TOA) techniques to determine a location of the housekeeper locating tag in the patient room.

20 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the patient bed includes at least one sensor to monitor a bed condition and generate an alarm if the bed condition is sensed to be in an alarm state by the at least one sensor, and further comprising an equipment locating tag coupled to the patient bed, the plurality of receivers being in wireless communication with the equipment locating tag, and wherein the at least one computer models a patient contact zone adjacent the patient bed based on the location of the equipment locating tag, wherein the at least one computer signals the patient bed to suppress monitoring of the bed condition by the at least one sensor in response to a caregiver locating tag being detected in the patient contact zone.

Assignees

• Hill Rom Services Inc

Inventors

• Receveur Timothy J
• Davidson Frederick Collin
• Embree Stephen R
• Pipher Britten J
• Agdeppa Eric D
• Baker Steven D
• Smith Bradley T
• Wells Pamela
• Hassey Laura A
• Dezelon Kiana M
• Myers Thomas A
• Robinson Andrew S
• Srivastava Varad N
• Seim Douglas A
• Mudge Kenzi L
• Gunn Jennifer A
• Schroder John S
• Smith Brandon
• Hawthorne Tanya M
• Kowal Elizabeth A

Classifications

• G06K7/10306

  ultra wide band · CPC title

• H04W4/029

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title

• A61G2205/60

  using magnetic or electronic identifications, e.g. chips, RFID, electronic tags · CPC title

• A61G7/0527

  Weighing devices · CPC title

• G16H40/67

  for remote operation · CPC title