WO2005020133A1

WO2005020133A1 - Tracking means

Info

Publication number: WO2005020133A1
Application number: PCT/GB2004/003557
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Mark Williams
Original assignee: Siddall & Hilton Ltd
Priority date: 2003-08-19
Filing date: 2004-08-18
Publication date: 2005-03-03
Also published as: GB0319421D0

Abstract

The invention relates to tracking means, particularly but not exclusively for tracking such as beds in hospital complexes. Because of the growing use of beds as a patient transport means, and the use of a bed to transport a patient from one ward for treatment and to use the same bed to return a patient to a different bed, knowing the location of beds is a particular problem, and a serious problem when the bed is a complex and specialised bed that can be wrongly located and being used by a patient for which it is not suited. Not knowing the location of a bed makes routine inspection and maintenance of complex and specialised beds particularly difficult. The object of the invention is to overcome those difficulties as are mentioned above, an objective met by a method comprising providing a room or area of the building or, complex with a means including a unique identification code, and providing the item of equipment with a means including a unique identification code, one said means being such as to be able to receive information regarding the identification code of the other said means, and the one or the other said means being connected to the mains electrical circuit of the building or complex to enable both identification codes to be relayed to a central location to store information regarding the item of equipment and its location.

Description

TRACKING MEANS This invention relates to tracking means, and is particularly but not necessarily exclusively concerned with tracking equipment, such as, for example, beds and other equipment in a hospital or other care institutions. Conventional beds will continue to have a place in hospitals and the like, but there is a growing employment of beds of considerable complexity, better suited to the needs of patients, such as, for example, fully articulated beds with electrical or even microprocessor control. All beds need to be used effectively, and more so with complex beds, and a problem with all beds is that it is common place for them to be provided with wheels to ease their relocation. It is standard practice to use a bed to transport a patient from e.g., a ward to a treatment area e.g., an x-ray unit or operating theatre where the patient is transferred from the bed to other support means. Another patient can be transferred to that bed, even if it is of a complexity not needed by that patientpnd used to transport that patient back to another ward. This leaves the hospital authorities with a number of problems, one being the possible improper use of a complex and specialised bed by a patient whose condition does not require it, and a second being the considerable difficulty in keeping effective records of where beds are currently located. In the scenario given above, the hospital authorities may well have a record of the location of the bed in its first location and of the patient using it, but it needs a considerable diligence by operatives, nurses, porters and the like, to report to a central data station that a bed has been taken from its location in a first ward, and used to transport a second patient to a second ward. Without that, hospital authorities are unable to keep track of the location of beds and of which patients are using particular beds. In a circumstance where the hospital authorities know they have a bed that suits a new patient, but which cannot be found in its original location, considerable time must be spent in searching what frequently are hospital and the like facilities of a considerable size. The same problems are faced with bed suppliers who at reasonably regular intervals must check and service beds that they have supplied, and who cannot be told by the hospital authorities where their beds are located. In addition to beds, it would be to a hospital authorities advantage to know where all major items of equipment are located. Automatic location means are known, but which largely rely on transmitted radio waves, and which cannot be employed in hospital or other care facilities where sensitive equipment respond unfavourably to radio wave interference and cross-transmitted information, as that has the attendant possibility of causing health risks to patients. The primary object of the present invention is to provide a means of tracking and locating the position of beds and other items of equipment within a hospital or care facility. A second objective is to have a ready means of identifying a particular patient occupying a particular bed or utilising particular items of equipment., and which could be used to signal that a patient has left his bed. According to a first aspect of the invention, a method of tracking an item of equipment within a building complex, comprises providing a room or area of the building or complex with a means including a unique identification code, and providing the item of equipment with a means including a unique identification code, one said means being such as to be able to receive information regarding the identification code of the other said means, and the one or the other said means being connected to the mains electrical circuit of the building or complex to enable both identification codes to be relayed to a central location to store information regarding the item of equipment and its location. According to a second aspect of the invention, a method of tracking an item of equipment within a building complex comprises marking either an electrical connection plug on the equipment or an electrical output socket in a room or area of the complex with a unique coded number or symbol, and providing either an electrical output socket or the electrical connection plug with associated reader circuitry, whereby the coded number can be read as the plug is inserted into the socket and coded information related to the equipment and its location relayed to a central location via the mains circuitry of the building complex. It is preferred to have the output socket uniquely coded and to employ a specially configured plug with associated reader circuitry. According to a third aspect of the invention, a method of tracking an item of equipment within a building complex, comprises locating in a room or area of the complex a unit with a unique recognition code, and locating on the equipment a unit with a unique recognition code, one said unit having a low frequency radio transmitter, and the other said unit being a receiver, said other unit being connected to the mains electrical circuit of the building or complex, and whereby the two unique recognition codes can be relayed via the mains circuit to a database to record the positioning of a particular item of equipment in a particular room or area of the complex. In the circumstance of the equipment being a bed and the complex being a hospital or other care facility, it is necessary that the low frequency transmitted by one said unit must be of a frequency range acceptable to hospital authorities, and such that there will be no interference with other sensitive hospital equipment. Desirably, such a transmitter operates with so-called Bluetooth technology, a wireless type communication means operating on the Industrial Scientific and Medical band e.g., in the range 2.4020 to 2.4835 GHz. Thus, and for example, a low frequency transmitter unit can be located in a ward, and as a bed is wheeled into the ward and its receiver unit plugged into the mains, the ward unit sends its unique code to the bed unit, to be sent with the bed unit code to a main database. Equally, the ward unit could be a receiver unit directly connected to the mains and the bed unit by the low frequency transmitter, to transmit its unique code to the ward unit for both codes to be sent to a main database. According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a method of tracking an item of equipment within a building complex comprises locating in a room or area of the complex a first unit and locating on an item of equipment a second unit, one said unit having a unique recognition code and comprising a search transmitter and the other said unit having at least one passive unpowered electronic chip incorporating a unique recognition code, the said other unit reacting to a search signal from the search transmitter with temporary powering of the chip, and transmission of its unique code back to the said one unit, the said one unit being connected to the mains circuit of the building complex to allow both unique recognition codes to be sent to a main database. Such passive unpowered chips are generally known as RFI devices, and can be located such as at the entrance to a ward. A bed can be fitted with a unit able to be connected to the mains circuit, and serve as a search transmitter. As the bed is wheeled into a ward, its unit receives a signal from the RFI unit, and stores the unique recognition code so that once plugged into the mains, the unique code of the RFI unit and the unique code of the bed can both be transmitted to a maindatabase. Equally, a unit forming a search transmitter can be positioned at the entrance to a ward, and be connected to mains, and an RFI unit positioned on the bed. Thus, as a bed is wheeled into a ward, its RFI unit can be interrogated by the search transmitter unit, and reeive the unique recognition code of the bed, for sending with the code of the search transmitter unit to a mains database. It will be understood, that where beds are referred to above, it could equally be other vital items of equipment that are tracked, arri their locations recorded. With all items of equipment, but particularly with hospital beds, it constitutes a major source of cost savings in ensuring that all beds can be identified and their locations monitored at all times. Particularly in the circumstance where the unit on the bed is capable of receiving signals, and transmitting signals via the mains circuit, it is possible to provide a patient with a low frequency transmitterwith the patients unique code, so that not only is a database provided with information as to a bed and its location, but also can it be provided with information identifying the patient occupying the bed, and such that in a circumstance where one patient is transported from a ward on a bed to a new location, and a second patient put on the bed for transport to a second ward, not only is the new bed location identified, but also the new patient, and if the bed is notsuited to the patient, steps taken immediately to provide that patient with a bed better suited to his or her needs. The invention enables other beneficial factors to be incorporated. Not only can a unit on a bed serve to transmit unique recognition codes, it can serve as a maintenance aid.to interrogate motors, controls and the like, and signal a main database with information regarding operating efficiency and faults. Equally, items of equipment vital to the well being of the patient and to which the patient is attached e.g., heart monitors and the like, can be interrogated by the bed unit to send information as to the patients well being and the efficient working of the equipment, along with the unique recognition codes, to a main database. Several embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a first embodiment of the invention, employing low energy radio transmission. Figure 2 is a schematic representation of a second embodiment of the invention employing a power line carrier transceiver. Figure 3 is a schematic view of a bar code employed in the second embodiment of the invention. Figure 4 is a schematic view of a third embodiment of the invention employing passive unpowered micro chips; and Figure 5 is a schematic representation of a fourth embodiment of the invention, extended to include a diagnostic capability. In Figure 1 a ward or other area of a hospital is designated at 1 , the ward having a power line or ring main 2. Within the area 1 are a number of bed units 3, each provided with a low energy transmitter 4, operating at a frequency range acceptable to a hospital environment such as, for example, Bluetooth technology that is a wireless type of communication operating industrial scientific and medical band (ISM band), and for example operating in the range 2.4020 to 2.4835GHz. Each transmitter 4 transmits a signal of a code unique to the bed on which the transmitter is located. Connected to the power line or ring main is a power line carrier transceiver 5, such as a so- called X-10 unit available from Advanced Control Technologies Inc. Indianapolis, USA, and to which is connected a ward unit 6, having a signal (Bluetooth) receiver 7. The ward unit 6 has a unique ward identification code able to be passed to the X-10 unit 5. As a bed is brought into the area/ward 1 , its transmitted emits its unique signal code picked up by the receiver 7, said signal and the unique ward code being passed to the X-10 unit 5, and in turn fed into the power line/ring main 2. At a remote location indicated at 8 a further power line carrier transceiver 9 (X-10 unit) is provided, connected between the power line and a data storage/display means 10. Thus as a bed unit 3 is brought into the area/ward 1 , information regarding that bed and the area/ward is passed to the data base, for retrieval at any time to confirm where a particular bed is at any point in time.

Similarly, as a bed leaves the area/ward 1 , that beds signal is no longer received by the ward unit 6, and the signal confirming the bed's presence is removed, but with retention in the data store 10 of information confirming the bed's last known position. Given the low power nature of the signal transceivers, an area or ward of a significant size would need more than one ward unit 6 to handle a proportion of the beds in that area, two ward units being shown each to handle four bed units 3. In Figure 2, a second embodiment of the invention is illustrated. Here, each bed unit is provided with its own power line carrier transceiver 12, connected to a power line/ring mains 13 by way of a bed plug 14 and area/ward socket 15. The transceiver 12 has a unique code to identify the particular bed unit 11 , and the area/ward plug socket 14 is provided with a relatively simple bar code 16 such as is illustrated in Figure 3. The bed plug 15 is provided with a relatively conventional and relatively simple bar code reader, such that as a bed unit 1 1 is brought to an area/ward 1 and plugged into a ward socket, the bed unit signal and the reading of the bar code are both fed to the power line/ring main 13. As with the embodiment of Figure 1 , at a remote location 8, a data base 10 and attendant power line carrier transceiver 9 is connected to the power line/ring mains 13 such that the signals identifying the bed unit 11 and the area or ward 2 are fed to the data base and remain even afterthe bed is unplugged, again to maintain information with the data store of the beds last known position. Figure 4 illustrates a third embodiment of the invention, where again there is an area/ward 1 within which are bed units 17 and a ward unit 18 connected to a power line carriertransceiver 19, in turn connected to a power line/ring mains 20. Here, the ward unit 18 is provided with a search transmitter 21 and each bed unit 3 is provided with a unit 22 in which there is a low power receiver/transmitter antenna in which is embedded a passive unpowered microchip carrying a unique identification code of the bed to which it is attached. As with those embodiments referred to above, the ward unit 18 is provided with a unique ward identification code. Thus, as a bed is brought into the area/ward 1 , the search transmitter signal interrogates the bed unit 22 to power the microchip that then emits a signal conforming to its unique code. This information, along with information identifying the area or ward 1 is fed by power line carrier transceiver 19 to the power line/ring mains 20 and to the power line carrier transceiver 9 connecting the data base 10 to the power line/ring mains 20. Here again, as a bedunit 17 is brought into an area or ward 2, its unique code and that of the ward is passed to the data base 10, where it remains even after the bed unit is removed from that area/ward, and the microchip powers down and returns to a passive mode, to maintain relevant data in the data base of the bed's last known position. In addition to the ability of the invention to maintain details of the precise location of a particular bed in a hospital complex, it can readily be extended to include a diagnostic capability. It will be understood that the ever increasing complexity of hospital beds is such that performance monitoring and maintenance are growing issues. Therefore and as is illustrated in Figure 5, there is an arrangement generally as has been described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Here, bed units 11 are located in an area/ward 1 , the bed being provided with a power line carrier transceiver 12, connected by a plug 15 and socket 14 to a power line/ring mains 13, to which is also connected a data base 10 at a remote location 8 by way of a power line carrier transceiver 9. Each bed unit 11 is also provided with a tracking unit 23 containing the unique code for that bed, and ward recognition unit 25 along with a diagnostics unit 26 in the form of, for example, a microprocessor adapted to receive information from all sensitive and critical elements of the bed unit, and to store that information. For example, information concerning electric motor inputs and outputs, e.g. electrical current usage, heat output from motor bearings and pressure in hydraulic systems can all be periodically sensed by the diagnostic unit, and the diagnostic unit periodically signalled to send stored information via the power line transceiver unit 12 down the power line/ring mains 13 to the power line transceiver unit 9 and to the data base 10, where that information can be stored for periodic inspection, and/or signal the presence of faults requiring immediate attention. As a still further possibility within the invention, the diagnostic unit 25, or possibly a second diagnostic unit, can be formatted to receive signals from a tag transmitter attached to a patient using the bed, that at a basic level can provide a simple signal that a bed is occupied, or in the alternative, provide a warning that a patient has left his/her bed. At a more sophisticated level, the transmitter on the patient could contain information as to the patient's condition, e.g. heart rate, blood pressure to enable monitoring of patients with Alzheimer's or dementia etc, that can be transmitted along with details of the bed unit and its location to the data base for remote inspection.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A method of tracking an item of equipment within a building complex characterised by providing a room or area of the building or complex with a means including a unique identification code, and providing the item of equipment with a means including a unique identification code, one said means being such as to be able to receive information regarding the identification code of the other said means, and the one or the other said means being connected to the mains electrical circuit of the building or complex to enable both identification codes to be relayed to a central location to store information regarding the item of equipment and its location. 2. A method of tracking an item of equipment within a building complex characterised by marking either an electrical connection plug on the equipment or an electrical output socket in a room or area of the complex with a unique coded number or symbol, and providing either an electrical output socket or the electrical connection plug with associated reader circuitry, whereby the coded number can be read as the plug is inserted into the socket and coded information related to the equipment and its location relayed to a central location via the mains circuitry of the building complex. 3. A method as in Claim 2 characterised in that the output socket is uniquely coded and there is employed a specially configured plug with associated reader circuitry. 4. A method of tracking an item of equipment within a building complex characterised by locating in a room or area of the complex a unit with a unique recognition code, and locating on the equipment a unit with a unique recognition code, one said unit having a low frequency radio transmitter, and the other said unit being a receiver, said other unit being connected to the mains electrical circuit of the building or complex, and whereby the two unique recognition codes can be relayed via the mains circuit to a database to record the positioning of a particular item of equipment in a particular room or area of the complex. 5. A method of tracking an item of equipment within a building complex characterised by locating in a room or area of the complex a first unit and locating on an item of equipment a second unit, one said unit having a unique recognition code and comprising a search transmitter and the other said unit having at least one passive unpowered electronic chip incorporating a unique recognition code, the said other unit reacting to a search signal from the search transmitter with temporary powering of the chip, and transmission of its unique code back to the said one unit, the said one unit being connected to the mains circuit of the building complex to allow both unique recognition codes to be sent to a main database. 6. A method as in Claim 1 , Claim 2 or Claim 5 characterised in that In the circumstance of the equipment being a bed and the complex being a hospital or other care facility, the low frequency transmitted by one said unit, a wireless type communication means operating on the Industrial Scientific and Medical band. 7. A method as in Claim 6 characterised in that the transmitter operates with Bluetooth technology. 8. A method as in Claim 6 or Claim 7 characterised in that the transmitter frequency range is 2.4020 to 2.4835GHz 9. A method as in Claim 4, characterised in that a low frequency transmitter unit is located in a ward, and as a bed is wheeled into the ward and its receiver unit plugged into the mains, the ward unit sends its unique code to the bed unit, to be sent with the bed unit code to a main database. 10. A method as in Claim 4 characterised in that the ward unit is a receiver unit directly connected to the mains and the bed unit is low frequency transmitter, to transmit its unique code to the ward unit for both codes to be sent to a main database. 11. A method as in Claim 5, characterised in that passive unpowered chips are located at the entrance to a ward, and a bed is fitted with a unit able to be connected to the mains circuit and serve as a search transmitter and whereby as the bed is wheeled into a ward, its unit receives a signal from the RFI unit, and stores the unique recognition code so that once plugged into the mains, the unique code of the RFI unit and the unique code of the bed can both be transmitted to a main database. ι 12. A method as in Claim 5 characterised in that a unit forming a searchtransmitter is positioned at the entrance to a ward, and be connected to mains, and an RFI unit positioned on the bed, and whereby as a bed is wheeled into a ward, its RFI unit canbe interrogated by the search transmitter unit, and receive the unique recognition code of the bed, for sending with the code of the search transmitter unit to a mains database. 13. A method as in any of Claims 1 to 12, characterised in that in the circumstance where a unit on the bed is capable of receiving signals, and transmitting signals via the mains circuit, a further transmitter is provided to be attached to or worn by a user of a bed, and whereby details of a users condition can be transmitted to a data store along with information related to the bed and its location. 14. A method as in any of Claims 1 to 13 characterised in that a diagnostic means is provided on a bed, to sense and record details of the performance of components of the bed, and which details can be transmitted to a data base along with details of a bed and its location. 15. A method as in Claim 14, where the diagnostic means is able to interrogate equipment in close proximity to the bed and being used by a user of the bed, to sense and record details of the working of the equipment, which details can be transmitted to a data base along with details of a bed and its location.