Wireless configuration and authorization of wall units paired with medical devices

Abstract

The present invention relates to initiating a time-based wireless pairing operation between a medical device, such as a bed, and a wall module in a patient room in response to the medical device's power plug being plugged into a power receptacle carried by the wall module. The wall module or medical device compares times determined by timers on the medical device and the wall module to wirelessly pair only with the medical device plugged into the wall module. Different types of plug detectors used in the wall module to detect power plug connection include optical detectors, mechanical switches, and current sensors.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to wireless pairing of medical devices with wall units in patient rooms for wireless communication of device data. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to pairing between patient beds and wall units for wireless communication of bed status data and alarms to nurse call systems and other systems within a healthcare facility. Background Art

[0002] Known hospital beds are configured to be coupled to a nurse call system via a wired connection, such as a nurse call cable. For example, hospital beds sold by Hill-Rom Corporation are typically connected to a nurse call system's audio bedside wall connector (ASBS) or bed interface unit (BIU) using a nurse call cable having 37-pin connectors at opposite ends, such as Nurse call system. If a caregiver forgets to disconnect the nurse call cable from an ASBC, BIU, or other similar type of wall module before attempting to move the bed to another location, the nurse call cable can be damaged if it is pulled out of the wall module. The connector on the wall module or the wall module itself can also be damaged.

[0003] Hospital beds with wireless communication capabilities are now available on the market. However, removing the wired connection to the wall module introduces the challenge of wirelessly pairing the bed with the appropriate wall module to locate the appropriate bed in the healthcare facility. For existing beds connected to the wall module using a cable, bed identification data (ID) is typically sent to the wall module containing a location ID or some other ID related to the room's location (e.g., wall module ID, MAC address, etc.). The wall module transmits the bed ID received from the bed via the nurse call cable, along with the location ID stored in the wall module, to a nurse call system or other location server that can determine the bed's location based on the received bed ID and location ID.

[0004] When a bed wirelessly transmits its corresponding bed ID, particularly when utilizing a radio frequency (RF) signal, the bed ID is often received at multiple wall modules or other fixed receiving units, such as wireless access points (WAPs), depending on the signal strength of the RF transmission or the wireless technology used for the RF transmission. In practice, RF transmissions from a bed can, in some cases, pass through walls, ceilings, and floors, and potentially be received by multiple wall modules, including those in completely different rooms. Consequently, there is a need for continuous improvement in wireless pairing of medical devices, such as hospital beds, with wall modules in patient rooms. Summary of the Invention

[0005] An apparatus, system or method may include one or more of the features recited in the appended claims and / or the features below that may comprise patentable subject matter, alone or in any combination.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a system for use in a healthcare facility that may include a network and a nurse call system is provided. The system may include a medical device, which may have a first wireless transceiver, a first timer, and a power cord that may terminate at a power plug. The medical device may have a first sensor to determine whether the medical device is receiving power via the power plug and the power cord. The system may further include a wall unit, which may be installed at a fixed location in a patient room of the healthcare facility. The wall unit may have a second wireless transceiver and a second timer. The wall unit may be plugged into a first alternating current (AC) outlet of the healthcare facility. The wall unit may have a second AC outlet into which the power plug of the medical device may be coupled. The wall unit may have an AC plug sensor that may sense when the power plug is plugged into the second AC outlet. In response to the first sensor sensing that the medical device is receiving power via the power plug and the power cord, a first timer may be initiated to measure a first uptime. In response to the power plug being plugged into the second AC outlet of the wall unit, a second timer may be initiated to measure a second uptime. The medical device may be configured to transmit a notification including the first uptime from the first wireless transceiver to the wall unit. The wall unit can compare the first uptime with the second uptime, and if the first uptime is within a predetermined tolerance range of the second uptime, the wall unit can send a pairing message to the medical device, which automatically pairs the wall unit and the medical device for subsequent wireless communication.

[0007] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the system may further include a nurse call line extending from the wall unit. The nurse call line may terminate at a first nurse call connector, which may be configured to connect to a nurse call port of the nurse call system. Optionally, the nurse call line may include an auxiliary line branch that may terminate at a second nurse call connector. In these embodiments, the second nurse call connector may be coupled to a third nurse call connector, which may be located at one end of a device nurse call line that may extend from the medical device. Further optionally, the first nurse call connector may be disposed in a connector body of the nurse call line. In these embodiments, the connector body may have a second nurse call connector, which may be configured to couple to a third nurse call connector, which may be located at one end of the device nurse call line that may extend from the medical device. Still further optionally, the wall unit may include a first nurse call connector, which may be configured to couple to a second nurse call connector, which may be located at one end of the device nurse call line that may extend from the medical device.

[0008] The present disclosure contemplates that the medical device of the first aspect may further include a first Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) transceiver, the first WiFi transceiver being configurable to transmit WiFi messages to and receive WiFi messages from at least one wireless access point of the network. Optionally, the first wireless transceiver may include a first Bluetooth transceiver mountable to a first circuit board of the medical device, while the first WiFi transceiver may be mounted to a second circuit board of the medical device. Optionally, the wall unit may include a second WiFi transceiver, the second WiFi transceiver being configurable to transmit WiFi messages to and receive WiFi messages from at least one wireless access point of the network.

[0009] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the second wireless transceiver may include a second Bluetooth transceiver, and the system may further include a first set of switches on the first circuit board and a second set of switches in the wall unit, wherein the first set of switches provides first contact closures that can indicate a plurality of states of the medical device. The second set of switches can have second contact closures that can be controlled by a controller of the wall unit to match the plurality of states of the first contact closures based on data that can be included in a Bluetooth message received by the second Bluetooth transceiver from the first Bluetooth transceiver.

[0010] Optionally, at least one second contact closure can be closed to control a television in the patient room. Alternatively or additionally, at least one second contact closure can be closed to turn on a light in the patient room. Further alternatively or additionally, the medical device can include a bed, and at least one second contact closure can be closed to indicate an alarm state of the bed's bed exit system. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device can include a bed, and at least one second contact closure can be closed to indicate that a side rail of the bed can be moved to a lowered position. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device can include a bed, and at least one second contact closure can be closed to indicate that the bed's caster brakes can be released. Alternatively or additionally, the medical device can include a bed, and at least one second contact closure can be closed to indicate that the bed's upper frame can be raised from a lowered position. Further alternatively or additionally, the medical device can include a bed, and at least one second contact closure can be closed to indicate that the bed's nurse call button has been pressed.

[0011] Optionally, the medical device of the first aspect may include a speaker and a microphone, and the first wireless transceiver and the second wireless transceiver may be configured to transmit and receive audio messages after the medical device is paired with the wall unit. Further optionally, the wall unit may include a light that illuminates to indicate the pairing status between the medical device and the wall unit. For example, the light may surround the perimeter of the second AC outlet.

[0012] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the wall unit may determine whether to initiate unpairing with the medical device based on device data that the second wireless transceiver may receive from the first wireless transceiver of the medical device. For example, the medical device may include a frame and casters that are couplable to the frame, and the wall unit may initiate unpairing based on device data indicating that the caster brakes are releasable. Alternatively or additionally, the wall unit may initiate unpairing based on device data indicating that the power plug of the medical device has been unplugged. Further alternatively or additionally, the wall unit may determine whether to initiate unpairing with the medical device in response to an AC plug sensor sensing that the power plug has been unplugged from a second AC outlet.

[0013] Optionally, the AC plug sensor of the wall unit may include a light emitter and a light detector that can cooperate to detect when at least one prong of the power plug of the medical device is inserted into the second AC outlet of the wall unit. For example, the light emitter can emit infrared (IR) light in a generally horizontal direction for detection by the light detector, while at least one prong can block the IR light from reaching the light detector after the power plug is inserted into the second AC outlet. Alternatively, the light emitter can emit infrared (IR) light in a generally vertical direction for detection by the light detector, while at least one prong can block the IR light from reaching the light detector after the power plug is inserted into the second AC outlet.

[0014] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the AC plug sensor may include a mechanical switch that can move from a first state to a second state in response to the power plug of the medical device being inserted into the second AC outlet of the wall unit. For example, the mechanical switch may include a plug-type switch that may include a plug that can be pressed inward by a plug body of the power plug when the power plug is inserted into the second AC outlet. Alternatively or additionally, the AC plug sensor may include a current sensor to sense current flowing to at least one prong of the power plug after the power plug is inserted into the second AC outlet of the wall unit.

[0015] The present disclosure further contemplates that the wall unit's AC plug sensor may include a reader that can detect a tag that can be coupled to the power plug. Optionally, the tag can carry a transponder that can be read by the reader. For example, the transponder can include a near-field communication (NFC) transponder. Optionally, the NFC transponder can be included in an NFC integrated circuit chip. Optionally, the reader can transmit energy to power the transponder, causing the transponder to send a signal back to the reader.

[0016] In some embodiments of the first aspect, the medical device can be configured to transmit a device identification (ID) to the wall unit, and the wall unit can be configured to transmit the device ID and the location ID to at least one server of the healthcare facility network. The location ID can be related to the location of the medical device in the healthcare facility. Optionally, the medical device can include a graphical display screen, and the wall unit can be configured to transmit a smart text string that can be displayed on the graphical display screen from the second wireless transceiver to the first wireless transceiver of the medical device. The smart text string can include the name of the location where the medical device is located and can be different from the location ID. In these embodiments, the medical device may not receive the location ID from the wall unit and may not retransmit the smart text string.

[0017] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a wall unit can be configured for wireless communication with a medical device. The wall unit can further include a housing that can be mounted in a fixed location in a patient room of a healthcare facility. A wireless transceiver and a timer can be carried by the housing. The wall unit can be configured to be plugged into a first alternating current (AC) outlet of the healthcare facility. A second AC outlet can be carried by the housing, and a power plug of the medical device can be coupled to the second AC outlet. An AC plug sensor can be carried by the housing and can be configured to sense when the power plug of the medical device is plugged into the second AC outlet. In response to the power plug being plugged into the second AC outlet of the wall unit, a timer can be initiated to measure a first uptime. The wireless transceiver of the wall unit can be configured to receive at least one transmission from the medical device that can include a second uptime. The wall unit can compare the first uptime with the second uptime, and if the first uptime is within a predetermined tolerance range of the second uptime, the wall unit can send a pairing message to the medical device, which automatically pairs the wall unit and the medical device for subsequent wireless communication.

[0018] In some embodiments of the second aspect, the wall unit may further include a nurse call cord extending from the housing. The nurse call cord may terminate at a first nurse call connector, which may be configured to connect to a nurse call port of a nurse call system at a healthcare facility. Optionally, the nurse call cord may include an auxiliary line branch that may terminate at a second nurse call connector. In these embodiments, the second nurse call connector may be coupled to a third nurse call connector, which may be located at one end of a device nurse call cord extendable from a medical device. Further optionally, the first nurse call connector may be disposed in a connector body of the nurse call cord. In these embodiments, the connector body may have a second nurse call connector, which may be configured to couple to the third nurse call connector, which may be located at one end of a device nurse call cord extendable from a medical device. Still further optionally, the housing of the wall unit may include a first nurse call connector, which may be configured to couple to a second nurse call connector, which may be located at one end of a device nurse call cord extendable from a medical device.

[0019] The present disclosure contemplates that the housing of the medical device of the second aspect may carry a first Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) transceiver, which may be configured to transmit WiFi messages to and receive WiFi messages from at least one wireless access point of a healthcare facility network. Optionally, the wireless transceiver carried by the housing of the wall unit may include a Bluetooth transceiver.

[0020] In some embodiments of the second aspect, the wall unit may further include a controller carryable by the housing and a set of switches. The set of switches may be configured to provide contact closures indicative of a plurality of states of the medical device based on data contained in a Bluetooth message received by the Bluetooth transceiver from the medical device.

[0021] Optionally, at least one contact closure can be closed to control a television in the patient room. Alternatively or additionally, at least one contact closure can be closed to turn on a light in the patient room. Further alternatively or additionally, the medical device can include a bed, and at least one contact closure can be closed to indicate an alarm state of the bed's bed exit system. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device can include a bed, and at least one contact closure can be closed to indicate that the bed's side rails can be moved to a lowered position. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device can include a bed, and at least one contact closure can be closed to indicate that the bed's castor brakes can be released. Alternatively or additionally, the medical device can include a bed, and at least one contact closure can be closed to indicate that the bed's upper frame can be raised from a lowered position. Further alternatively or additionally, the medical device can include a bed, and at least one second contact closure can be closed to indicate that the bed's nurse call button has been pressed.

[0022] Optionally, the medical device of the second aspect may include a speaker and a microphone, and the wireless transceiver may be configured to transmit and receive audio messages after the medical device is paired with the wall unit. Further optionally, the housing of the wall unit may include a light that illuminates to indicate the pairing status between the medical device and the wall unit. For example, the light may surround the perimeter of the second AC outlet.

[0023] In some embodiments of the second aspect, the wall unit may include a controller that may be configured to determine whether to initiate unpairing with the medical device based on device data that may be received by the wireless transceiver from the medical device. For example, the medical device may include a frame and casters that may be coupled to the frame, wherein the controller may initiate unpairing based on device data indicating that a brake on the casters may be released. Alternatively or additionally, the controller may initiate unpairing based on device data indicating that a power plug of the medical device has been unplugged. Further alternatively or additionally, the controller may determine whether to initiate unpairing with the medical device in response to an AC plug sensor sensing that the power plug has been unplugged from a second AC outlet.

[0024] Optionally, the AC plug sensor may include a light emitter and a light detector that can cooperate to detect when at least one prong of the power plug of the medical device is inserted into the second AC outlet. For example, the light emitter may emit infrared (IR) light in a generally horizontal direction for detection by the light detector, while at least one prong may block the IR light from reaching the light detector after the power plug is inserted into the second AC outlet. Alternatively, the light emitter may emit infrared (IR) light in a generally vertical direction for detection by the light detector, while at least one prong may block the IR light from reaching the light detector after the power plug is inserted into the second AC outlet.

[0025] In some embodiments of the second aspect, the AC plug sensor may include a mechanical switch that can be moved from a first state to a second state in response to the power plug of the medical device being inserted into the second AC outlet. For example, the mechanical switch may include a plug-type switch that may include a plug that can be pressed inward by a plug body of the power plug when the power plug is inserted into the second AC outlet. Alternatively or additionally, the AC plug sensor may include a current sensor to sense current flowing to at least one prong of the power plug after the power plug is inserted into the second AC outlet.

[0026] The present disclosure further contemplates that the AC plug sensor may include a reader that can detect a tag that can be coupled to the power plug. Optionally, the reader can be configured to detect the tag by reading a transponder that can be carried by the tag. For example, the reader can be configured to detect the tag by reading a near-field communication (NFC) transponder that can be carried by the tag. Optionally, the reader can transmit energy to power the NFC transponder, causing the NFC transponder to send a signal back to the reader.

[0027] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a system for use in a networked healthcare facility may include a medical device having a first wireless transceiver, a first timer, and a first sensor. The system may further include a communication unit. The first sensor is operable to determine whether the medical device is hardwired to the communication unit via a connection. The communication unit may have a second wireless transceiver and a second timer. The communication unit may have a port couplable to a connection of the medical device. The communication unit may have a connection sensor to sense whether the communication unit is hardwired to the medical device via the port. In response to the first sensor sensing that the medical device is hardwired to the communication unit via the connection, the first timer may initiate measurement of a first hardwire connection time. In response to the connection being inserted into the port, the second timer may initiate measurement of a second hardwire connection time. The medical device may be configured to transmit a notification including the first hardwire connection time from the first wireless transceiver to the communication unit. The communication unit may compare the first hardwire connection time with the second hardwire connection time. If the first hardwire connection time is within a predetermined tolerance of the second hardwire connection time, the communication unit may send a pairing message to the medical device, which may automatically pair the communication unit with the medical device for subsequent wireless communication.

[0028] In some embodiments of the third aspect, the medical device can include a speaker and a microphone, and the first wireless transceiver and the second wireless transceiver can be configured to transmit and receive audio messages after the medical device is paired with the wall unit. Optionally, the communication unit can include a light that can illuminate to indicate the pairing status between the medical device and the wall unit.

[0029] Optionally, the communication unit may determine whether to initiate unpairing with the medical device based on device data received by the second wireless transceiver from the first wireless transceiver of the medical device. For example, the medical device may include a frame and casters couplable to the frame, and at least one of the communication unit and the medical device may initiate unpairing based on device data indicating that a brake on the caster is releasable. Alternatively or additionally, at least one of the communication unit and the medical device may initiate unpairing based on device data indicating that a cable connection of the medical device has been disconnected.

[0030] In some embodiments of the third aspect, the wiring sensor of the communication unit may include a light emitter and a light detector that can cooperate to detect the presence of the wiring. Alternatively, the wiring sensor may include a mechanical switch that can move from a first state to a second state in response to insertion of the wiring. Further alternatively, the wiring sensor may include a current sensor to sense current flowing into the wiring. Still further alternatively, the wiring sensor of the communication unit may include a reader that can detect a tag that can be coupled to the wiring.

[0031] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a system for use in a healthcare facility with a network and a nurse call system may include a medical device having a first wireless transceiver, a first timer, and a power cord that may terminate at a power plug. The medical device may have a first sensor to determine whether the medical device is receiving power via the power plug and the power cord. The system may further include a wall unit that can be installed in a fixed location in a patient room of the healthcare facility. The wall unit may have a second wireless transceiver and a second timer. The wall unit may receive AC power from the healthcare facility. The wall unit may include an AC outlet into which the power plug of the medical device may be coupled. The wall unit may have an AC plug sensor that senses when the power plug is inserted into the AC outlet. In response to the first sensor sensing that the medical device is receiving power via the power plug and the power cord, a first timer may start measuring a first uptime. In response to the AC plug sensor of the wall unit sensing the power plug, a second timer may start measuring a second uptime. The wall unit may be configured to transmit a notification, which may include the second uptime, from the second wireless transceiver to the medical device. The medical device can compare the second uptime with the first uptime, and if the second uptime is within a predetermined tolerance range of the first uptime, the medical device can send a pairing message to the wall unit, which can automatically pair the wall unit and the medical device for subsequent wireless communication.

[0032] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the system may further include a nurse call line extending from the wall unit. The nurse call line may terminate at a first nurse call connector, which may be configured to connect to a nurse call port of the nurse call system. Optionally, the nurse call line may include an auxiliary line branch that may terminate at a second nurse call connector. In these embodiments, the second nurse call connector may be coupled to a third nurse call connector, which may be located at one end of a device nurse call line that may extend from the medical device. Further optionally, the first nurse call connector may be disposed in a connector body of the nurse call line. In these embodiments, the connector body may have a second nurse call connector, which may be configured to couple to the third nurse call connector, which may be located at one end of the device nurse call line that may extend from the medical device. Still further optionally, the wall unit may include a first nurse call connector, which may be configured to couple to a second nurse call connector, which may be located at one end of the device nurse call line that may extend from the medical device.

[0033] The present disclosure contemplates that the medical device of the first aspect may further include a first Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) transceiver, the first WiFi transceiver being configurable to transmit WiFi messages to and receive WiFi messages from at least one wireless access point of the network. Optionally, the first wireless transceiver may include a first Bluetooth transceiver mountable to a first circuit board of the medical device, while the first WiFi transceiver may be mounted to a second circuit board of the medical device. Optionally, the wall unit may include a second WiFi transceiver, the second WiFi transceiver being configurable to transmit WiFi messages to and receive WiFi messages from at least one wireless access point of the network.

[0034] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the second wireless transceiver may include a second Bluetooth transceiver, and the system may further include a first set of switches on the first circuit board and a second set of switches in the wall unit, wherein the first set of switches provides first contact closures that can indicate a plurality of states of the medical device. The second set of switches may have second contact closures that can be controlled by a controller of the wall unit to match the plurality of states of the first contact closures based on data that can be included in a Bluetooth message received by the second Bluetooth transceiver from the first Bluetooth transceiver.

[0035] Optionally, at least one second contact closure can be closed to control a television in the patient room. Alternatively or additionally, at least one second contact closure can be closed to turn on a light in the patient room. Further alternatively or additionally, the medical device can include a bed, and at least one second contact closure can be closed to indicate an alarm state of the bed's bed exit system. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device can include a bed, and at least one second contact closure can be closed to indicate that a side rail of the bed can be moved to a lowered position. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device can include a bed, and at least one second contact closure can be closed to indicate that the bed's caster brakes can be released. Alternatively or additionally, the medical device can include a bed, and at least one second contact closure can be closed to indicate that the bed's upper frame can be raised from a lowered position. Further alternatively or additionally, the medical device can include a bed, and at least one second contact closure can be closed to indicate that the bed's nurse call button has been pressed.

[0036] Optionally, the medical device of the fourth aspect may include a speaker and a microphone, and the first wireless transceiver and the second wireless transceiver may be configured to transmit and receive audio messages after the medical device is paired with the wall unit. Further optionally, the wall unit may include a light that illuminates to indicate the pairing status between the medical device and the wall unit. For example, the light may surround the perimeter of the AC outlet.

[0037] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the wall unit may determine whether to initiate unpairing with the medical device based on device data that may be received by the second wireless transceiver from the first wireless transceiver of the medical device. For example, the medical device may include a frame and casters that are couplable to the frame, and the wall unit may initiate unpairing based on device data indicating that the caster brakes are releasable. Alternatively or additionally, the wall unit may initiate unpairing based on device data indicating that the power plug of the medical device has been unplugged. Further alternatively or additionally, the wall unit may determine whether to initiate unpairing with the medical device in response to an AC plug sensor sensing that the power plug has been unplugged from an AC outlet.

[0038] Optionally, the AC plug sensor of the wall unit can include a light emitter and a light detector that can cooperate to detect when a plug body of a power cord or at least one prong of a power plug of a medical device is inserted into an AC outlet of the wall unit. For example, the light emitter can emit infrared (IR) light in a generally horizontal direction for detection by the light detector, while the plug body or at least one prong can block the IR light from reaching the light detector after the power plug is inserted into the AC outlet. Alternatively, the light emitter can emit infrared (IR) light in a generally vertical direction for detection by the light detector, while the plug body or at least one prong can block the IR light from reaching the light detector after the power plug is inserted into the AC outlet.

[0039] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the AC plug sensor may include a mechanical switch that can be moved from a first state to a second state in response to the power plug of the medical device being inserted into the AC outlet of the wall unit. For example, the mechanical switch may include a plug-type switch that may include a plug that can be pressed inward by the plug body of the power plug when the power plug is inserted into the AC outlet. Alternatively or additionally, the AC plug sensor may include a current sensor to sense current flowing to at least one prong of the power plug after the power plug is inserted into the AC outlet of the wall unit.

[0040] The present disclosure further contemplates that the wall unit's AC plug sensor may include a reader that can detect a tag that can be coupled to the power plug. Optionally, the tag can carry a transponder that can be read by the reader. For example, the transponder can include a near-field communication (NFC) transponder. Optionally, the NFC transponder can be included in an NFC integrated circuit chip. Optionally, the reader can transmit energy to power the transponder, causing the transponder to send a signal back to the reader.

[0041] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the medical device can be configured to transmit a device identification (ID) to the wall unit, and the wall unit can be configured to transmit the device ID and the location ID to at least one server of the healthcare facility network. The location ID can be related to the location of the medical device in the healthcare facility. Optionally, the medical device can include a graphical display screen, and the wall unit can be configured to transmit a smart text string that can be displayed on the graphical display screen from the second wireless transceiver to the first wireless transceiver of the medical device. The smart text string can include the name of the location where the medical device is located and can be different from the location ID. In these embodiments, the medical device may not receive the location ID from the wall unit and may not retransmit the smart text string.

[0042] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a medical device can be configured to wirelessly communicate with a wall unit in a healthcare facility and can include: a frame configurable for transport within the healthcare facility; control circuitry carried by the frame; and a wireless transceiver and a timer carried by the frame and coupled to the control circuitry. The medical device can have a power cord, which can include a power plug configured to be plugged into an AC outlet carried by the wall unit. The medical device can also have an AC plug sensor, which can be carried by the frame and configured to sense that the power plug of the medical device is plugged into the AC outlet. In response to the power plug being plugged into the AC outlet of the wall unit, the timer can initiate measurement of a first uptime. The wireless transceiver can be configured to receive at least one transmission from the wall unit that can include a second uptime. The control circuitry of the medical device can be configured to compare the first uptime with the second uptime. If the first uptime is within a predetermined tolerance of the second uptime, the control circuitry can instruct the wireless transceiver to send a pairing message to the medical device, which can automatically pair the wall unit and the medical device for subsequent wireless communication.

[0043] In some embodiments of the fifth aspect, the wireless transceiver may include a Bluetooth transceiver. Optionally, the medical device may further include a set of switches that may be carried by the frame and coupled to the control circuitry. The set of switches may be configured to provide contact closures that may indicate a plurality of states of the medical device. The control circuitry may be configured to command the Bluetooth transceiver to transmit a Bluetooth message that may include data regarding the contact closure positions of the set of switches.

[0044] Optionally, at least one contact closure can be closed to control a television in the patient room. Alternatively or additionally, at least one contact closure can be closed to turn on a light in the patient room. Further alternatively or additionally, the medical device can include a bed, and at least one contact closure can be closed to indicate an alarm state of the bed's bed exit system. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device can include a bed, and at least one contact closure can be closed to indicate that the bed's side rails can be moved to a lowered position. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device can include a bed, and at least one contact closure can be closed to indicate that the bed's caster brakes can be released. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device can include a bed, and the frame can include an upper frame, and at least one contact closure can be closed to indicate that the bed's upper frame has been raised from its lowest position. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device can include a bed, and at least one contact closure can be closed to indicate that the bed's nurse call button has been pressed.

[0045] In some embodiments of the fifth aspect, the medical device can include a speaker and a microphone, and the wireless transceiver can be configured to transmit and receive audio messages after the medical device is paired with the wall unit. The medical device of the fifth aspect can further include a graphical user interface (GUI) that can be carried by the frame and coupled to the control circuit. In these embodiments, the control circuit can be configured to command the GUI to display information indicating the pairing status between the medical device and the wall unit.

[0046] Optionally, the medical device of the fifth aspect is unpaired from the wall unit in response to receiving an unpairing message from the wall unit. For example, the unpairing message may be generated by the wall unit based on device data that may be included in wireless communications from the medical device to the wall unit. In some embodiments of the fifth aspect, the medical device may further include casters that are couplable to the frame, and the wall unit may initiate the unpairing based on device data indicating that the caster brakes may be released. Alternatively, the wall unit may initiate the unpairing based on device data indicating that the power plug of the medical device may have been unplugged. For example, an AC plug sensor of the medical device may sense that the power plug may have been unplugged from the AC outlet of the wall unit.

[0047] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a system for use in a networked healthcare facility may include a medical device having a first wireless transceiver, a first timer, and a first sensor. The system may also include a communication unit. The first sensor is operable to determine whether the medical device is hardwired to the communication unit via a connection. The communication unit may have a second wireless transceiver and a second timer. The communication unit may have a port couplable to a connection of the medical device. The communication unit may have a connection sensor to sense whether the communication unit is hardwired to the medical device via the port. In response to the first sensor sensing that the medical device is hardwired to the communication unit via the connection, the first timer may initiate measurement of a first hardwire connection time. In response to the connection being inserted into the port, the second timer may initiate measurement of a second hardwire connection time. The medical device may be configured to transmit a notification including the first hardwire connection time from the first wireless transceiver to the communication unit. The communication unit may compare the first hardwire connection time with the second hardwire connection time. If the first hardwire connection time is within a predetermined tolerance of the second hardwire connection time, the communication unit may send a pairing message to the medical device, which may automatically pair the communication unit with the medical device for subsequent wireless communication.

[0048] In some embodiments of the sixth aspect, the medical device may include a speaker and a microphone, and the first wireless transceiver and the second wireless transceiver may be configured to transmit and receive audio messages after the medical device is paired with the wall unit. Optionally, the communication unit may include a light that can illuminate to indicate the pairing status between the medical device and the wall unit.

[0049] Optionally, the communication unit may determine whether to initiate unpairing with the medical device based on device data received by the second wireless transceiver from the first wireless transceiver of the medical device. For example, the medical device may include a frame and casters couplable to the frame, and at least one of the communication unit and the medical device may initiate unpairing based on device data indicating that a brake on the caster is releasable. Alternatively or additionally, at least one of the communication unit and the medical device may initiate unpairing based on device data indicating that a cable connection of the medical device has been disconnected.

[0050] In some embodiments of the sixth aspect, the wiring sensor of the communication unit may include a light emitter and a light detector that can cooperate to detect the presence of the wiring. Alternatively, the wiring sensor may include a mechanical switch that can move from a first state to a second state in response to insertion of the wiring. Further alternatively, the wiring sensor may include a current sensor to sense current flowing into the wiring. Still further alternatively, the wiring sensor of the communication unit may include a reader that can detect a tag that can be coupled to the wiring.

[0051] According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a system for use in a networked healthcare facility may include a medical device having a first wireless transceiver, a first timer, and a first sensor. The system may further include a communication unit. The first sensor is operable to determine whether the medical device is hardwired to the communication unit via a connection. The communication unit may have a second wireless transceiver and a second timer. The communication unit may have a port couplable to a connection of the medical device. The communication unit may have a connection sensor to sense whether the communication unit is hardwired to the medical device via the port. In response to the first sensor sensing that the medical device is hardwired to the communication unit via the connection, the first timer may initiate measurement of a first hardwire connection time. In response to the connection being inserted into the port, the second timer may initiate measurement of a second hardwire connection time. The communication unit may be configured to transmit a notification from the second wireless transceiver to the medical device that may include the second hardwire connection time. The medical device may compare the second hardwire connection time with the first hardwire connection time. If the second hardwire connection time is within a predetermined tolerance of the first hardwire connection time, the medical device may send a pairing message to the communication unit, which may automatically pair the communication unit with the medical device for subsequent wireless communication.

[0052] In some embodiments of the seventh aspect, the medical device may include a speaker and a microphone, and the first wireless transceiver and the second wireless transceiver may be configured to transmit and receive audio messages after the medical device is paired with the wall unit. Optionally, the communication unit may include a light that can illuminate to indicate the pairing status between the medical device and the wall unit.

[0053] Optionally, the communication unit may determine whether to initiate unpairing with the medical device based on device data received by the second wireless transceiver from the first wireless transceiver of the medical device. For example, the medical device may include a frame and casters couplable to the frame, and at least one of the communication unit and the medical device may initiate unpairing based on device data indicating that a brake on the caster is releasable. Alternatively or additionally, at least one of the communication unit and the medical device may initiate unpairing based on device data indicating that a cable connection of the medical device has been disconnected.

[0054] In some embodiments of the seventh aspect, the wiring sensor of the communication unit may include a light emitter and a light detector that can cooperate to detect the presence of the wiring. Alternatively, the wiring sensor may include a mechanical switch that can move from a first state to a second state in response to insertion of the wiring. Further alternatively, the wiring sensor may include a current sensor to sense current flowing into the wiring. Still further alternatively, the wiring sensor of the communication unit may include a reader that can detect a tag that can be coupled to the wiring.

[0055] According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a system may include a first device, which may have a first wireless transceiver and a first timer. The system may also have a second device. The first sensor is operable to determine that the first device can be hard-wired to the second device via a hard-wired connector. The second device may have a second wireless transceiver. In response to the hard-wired connection between the first device and the second device, the first device and the second device can perform a dual-mode Bluetooth pairing operation, wherein the wireless pairing can be completed using low-power Bluetooth (BLE) communication during the first wireless pairing mode and using basic rate / enhanced data rate (BR / EDR) communication during the second wireless pairing mode.

[0056] In some embodiments of the eighth aspect, during the first wireless pairing mode, at least one BLE advertisement may be transmitted from the first device to the second device. The at least one BLE advertisement may include vendor data that may identify a vendor of the first device. Optionally, the BLE advertisement may further include a first uptime that may indicate a first amount of time, where the first amount of time may be an amount of time that has elapsed since the first device sensed the hardwire connection. Further optionally, the second device may be configured to determine a second uptime that may indicate a second amount of time, where the second amount of time may be an amount of time that has elapsed since the second device sensed the hardwire connection.

[0057] Optionally, the second device of the eighth aspect can be configured to compare the first uptime with the second uptime and wirelessly pair the first device with the second device based on the following set of conditions: (i) the first uptime is within a threshold amount of time of the second uptime; and (ii) the manufacturer data matches the authorized device data stored in the memory of the second device. At least one BLE advertisement may include a media access control (MAC) address of the first device. If the set of conditions (i) and (ii) is met, the second device may store the MAC address of the first device in the memory, and the second device may be configured to send a BR / EDR pairing message to the first device during the second wireless pairing mode, and the BR / EDR pairing message may include the MAC address of the first device.

[0058] In some embodiments of the eighth aspect, the second device may be configured to wirelessly pair the first device with the second device if the vendor data matches authorized device data stored in a memory of the second device. Optionally, at least one BLE advertisement may include a media access control (MAC) address of the first device. If the vendor data matches the authorized device data, the second device may store the MAC address of the first device in the memory, and the second device may be configured to send a BR / EDR pairing message to the first device during the second wireless pairing mode, the BR / EDR pairing message may include the MAC address of the first device.

[0059] The present disclosure contemplates that the first device may comprise a hospital bed and the second device may comprise a wall unit that can be mounted at a fixed location in a healthcare facility. In these embodiments of the eighth aspect, the hardwired connection may comprise a power cord for the hospital bed, which may be configured to plug into an AC outlet that may be carried by the wall unit. The system of the eighth aspect may further comprise a nurse call cord extending from the wall unit. The nurse call cord may terminate at a first nurse call connector that may be configured to connect to a nurse call port of a nurse call system.

[0060] According to the eighth aspect, the first device may comprise a wall unit that can be mounted at a fixed location in a healthcare facility, and the second device may comprise a patient bed. In these embodiments, the hardwired connection may comprise a power cord for the patient bed, which may be configured to plug into an AC outlet that may be carried by the wall unit. Furthermore, a nurse call cord may extend from the wall unit and terminate at a first nurse call connector that may be configured to connect to a nurse call port of a nurse call system.

[0061] According to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, a system may include a first device that may have a first wireless transceiver and a first timer. The system may also include a second device that may have a second wireless transceiver and a second timer. The first sensor is operable to sense that the first device may be hardwired to the second device via a hardwired connector. The second sensor is operable to sense that the second device may be hardwired to the first device via a hardwired connector. In response to the hardwired connection between the first device and the second device, the first device and the second device may perform a time-based Bluetooth pairing operation, wherein a first uptime that may be calculated by the first device may be compared with a second uptime that may be calculated by the second device. The first uptime may be a first amount of time that has elapsed since the first sensor sensed the hardwired connection with the second device. The second uptime may be a second amount of time that has elapsed since the second sensor sensed the hardwired connection with the first device.

[0062] In some embodiments of the ninth aspect, the first device may include a hospital bed, and the second device may include a medical monitor. Optionally, the hardwired connection may include a universal serial bus (USB) connection. Further optionally, the Bluetooth pairing operation may include the hospital bed sending a Bluetooth notification including the first uptime to the medical monitor, and the medical monitor scanning for the Bluetooth notification.

[0063] Optionally, the medical monitor of the ninth aspect can be configured to compare the first uptime with the second uptime by subtracting the first uptime from the second uptime to determine an uptime difference, and then comparing the uptime difference with a threshold. If the uptime difference is less than the threshold, the medical monitor can send a pairing message to the bed to wirelessly pair the medical monitor with the bed. After the bed and the medical monitor are paired, the medical monitor can send monitoring data to the bed for display on the bed's graphical user interface (GUI).

[0064] In some embodiments of the ninth aspect, a Bluetooth pairing operation may include the medical monitor sending a Bluetooth notification including the second uptime to the bed, and the bed may scan for these Bluetooth notifications. Optionally, the bed may be configured to compare the first uptime with the second uptime by subtracting the first uptime from the second uptime to determine an uptime difference, and comparing the uptime difference to a threshold. If the uptime difference is less than the threshold, the bed may send a pairing message to the medical monitor to wirelessly pair the medical monitor with the bed. After the bed and the medical monitor are paired, the medical monitor may send monitoring data to the bed for display on a graphical user interface (GUI) of the bed.

[0065] The present disclosure further contemplates that the first device may comprise a mobile phone and the second device may comprise a speaker unit. Optionally, the hardwired connection may comprise a wiring having a first connector at one end and a second connector at an opposite end. The first connector and the second connector may be of different types. The Bluetooth pairing operation may comprise the mobile phone sending a Bluetooth advertisement that may comprise the first uptime to the speaker unit, and the speaker unit may scan for the Bluetooth advertisements. Optionally, the speaker unit may be configured to compare the first uptime to the second uptime by subtracting the first uptime from the second uptime to determine an uptime difference, and comparing the uptime difference to a threshold value. If the uptime difference is less than the threshold value, the speaker unit may send a pairing message to the mobile phone to wirelessly pair the speaker unit with the mobile phone.

[0066] Alternatively or additionally, the Bluetooth pairing operation may include the speaker unit sending a Bluetooth advertisement including the second uptime to the mobile phone, and the mobile phone may scan for these Bluetooth advertisements. Optionally, the mobile phone may be configured to compare the first uptime with the second uptime by subtracting the first uptime from the second uptime to determine an uptime difference, and comparing the uptime difference to a threshold. If the uptime difference is less than the threshold, the mobile phone may send a pairing message to the speaker unit to wirelessly pair the speaker unit with the mobile phone.

[0067] In some embodiments of the ninth aspect, a Bluetooth pairing operation includes a first device sending a Bluetooth advertisement to a second device that may include a first uptime, and the second device scanning for the Bluetooth advertisements. Optionally, the second device may be configured to compare the first uptime with the second uptime by subtracting the first uptime from the second uptime to determine an uptime difference, and comparing the uptime difference to a threshold. If the uptime difference is less than the threshold, the second device may send a pairing message to the first device to wirelessly pair the first device with the second device.

[0068] According to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, a system may include a first device that may have a first wireless transceiver, a first sensor, and a first hardwire port. The system may also include a second device that may have a second wireless transceiver, a second sensor, and a second hardwire port. The first sensor is operable to sense that the first device may have a hardwire connected to the first hardwire port. The second sensor is operable to sense that the second device may have a hardwire connected to the second hardwire port. In response to the hardwires being connected to the first hardwire port and the second hardwire port, respectively, the first device and the second device may perform a time-based Bluetooth pairing operation, wherein a first connection time determined by the first device may be compared to a second connection time determined by the second device.

[0069] In some embodiments of the tenth aspect, the first connection time may be a first amount of time that has elapsed since the first sensor sensed a hardwired connection to the first port, and the second connection time may be a second amount of time that has elapsed since the second sensor sensed a hardwired connection to the second port. Optionally, the Bluetooth pairing operation may include the first device sending a Bluetooth advertisement to the second device that may include the first connection time, and the second device may scan for the Bluetooth advertisements. Optionally, the second device may be configured to compare the first connection time to the second connection time by subtracting the first connection time from the second connection time to determine a connection time difference, and comparing the connection time difference to a threshold. If the connection time difference is less than the threshold, the second device may send a pairing message to the first device to wirelessly pair the first device with the second device.

[0070] The present disclosure contemplates that the first device of the tenth aspect may include a hospital bed, and the second device of the tenth aspect may include a medical monitor. Optionally, the Bluetooth pairing operation may include the hospital bed sending a Bluetooth notification that may include the first connection time to the medical monitor, and the medical monitor may scan these Bluetooth notifications. Alternatively or additionally, the medical monitor may be configured to subtract the first connection time from the second connection time to determine a connection time difference, and compare the connection time difference with a threshold, thereby comparing the first connection time with the second connection time. If the connection time difference is less than the threshold, the medical monitor may send a pairing message to the hospital bed to wirelessly pair the medical monitor with the hospital bed. Optionally, after the hospital bed is paired with the medical monitor, the medical monitor may send monitoring data to the hospital bed for display on a graphical user interface (GUI) of the hospital bed.

[0071] Optionally, the Bluetooth pairing operation may include the medical monitor sending a Bluetooth notification including the second connection time to the bed, which the bed may scan for. Alternatively or additionally, the bed may be configured to compare the first connection time with the second connection time by subtracting the first connection time from the second connection time to determine a connection time difference, and comparing the connection time difference to a threshold. If the time difference is less than the threshold, the bed may send a pairing message to the medical monitor to wirelessly pair the medical monitor with the bed. Optionally, after the bed and the medical monitor are paired, the medical monitor may send monitoring data to the bed for display on the bed's graphical user interface (GUI).

[0072] Regarding the tenth aspect, the first hardwire port and the second hardwire port may comprise a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port. Alternatively or additionally, the hardwire may comprise a connection having a first connector at one end and a second connector at an opposite end. The first connector and the second connector may be of different types.

[0073] The present disclosure further contemplates that the first device of the tenth aspect may include a mobile phone and the second device may include a speaker unit. Optionally, the Bluetooth pairing operation may include the mobile phone sending a Bluetooth notification that may include the first connection time to the speaker unit, and the speaker unit may scan these Bluetooth notifications. Alternatively or additionally, the speaker unit may be configured to subtract the first connection time from the second connection time to determine a connection time difference, and compare the connection time difference with a threshold value, thereby comparing the first connection time with the second connection time. If the connection time difference is less than the threshold value, the speaker unit may send a pairing message to the mobile phone to wirelessly pair the speaker unit with the mobile phone.

[0074] Optionally, the Bluetooth pairing operation may include the speaker unit sending a Bluetooth advertisement including the second connection time to the mobile phone, and the mobile phone may scan for these Bluetooth advertisements. Alternatively or additionally, the mobile phone may be configured to compare the first connection time with the second connection time by subtracting the first connection time from the second connection time to determine a connection time difference, and comparing the connection time difference to a threshold. If the connection time difference is less than the threshold, the mobile phone may send a pairing message to the speaker unit to wirelessly pair the speaker unit with the mobile phone.

[0075] According to an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, a wall module can be configured for wireless communication with medical devices in a healthcare facility. The wall module may include a housing configurable to be installed in a fixed location within a patient room of the healthcare facility. The housing may include a front wall housing that may be formed to include a first recess, and a rear wall housing that may be formed to include a second recess. The second recess may be aligned with the first recess of the front wall housing. The second recess may be sized to accommodate at least a portion of a duplex AC outlet. The front wall housing and the rear wall housing may each include at least one opening through the front wall housing and the rear wall housing that communicates with the respective front and rear recesses, thereby providing access to the AC inlet of the duplex AC outlet through the front recess. The wall module may further include wiring removable within the housing. The wiring may include a wireless transceiver. The wall module may also include a first conductor and a second conductor that may extend from the wiring and out of the housing to couple to the hot and neutral wires of the duplex AC outlet. The wall module may also include an AC plug sensor that may be carried by the housing and configured to sense the power plug of a medical device that may be plugged into the AC inlet of the duplex AC outlet.

[0076] In some embodiments of the eleventh aspect, the front wall housing may include a primary front wall, and the rear wall housing may include a primary rear wall. The first recess may be partially defined by a first recess wall, which may be substantially parallel to the primary front wall and may be located approximately midway between the primary front wall and the primary rear wall. Optionally, the second recess may be partially defined by a second recess wall, which may be substantially parallel to the primary rear surface and may be positioned against the first recess wall.

[0077] The present disclosure further contemplates that the front wall housing of the eleventh aspect may include a main front wall, wherein the first recess may be partially defined by a first recess sidewall and a second recess sidewall, each of which may extend inward from the main front wall toward a middle region of the housing. Optionally, the AC plug sensor may include a light emitter and a light detector, wherein the light emitter may be aligned with a first aperture formed in the first recess sidewall, and the light detector may be aligned with a second aperture formed in the second recess sidewall. In these embodiments, the light emitter and the light detector are positioned to interrupt a light beam transmitted from the light emitter to the light detector in response to the power plug of the medical device being inserted into the AC receptacle of the duplex AC outlet.

[0078] Optionally, the circuitry of the wall module of the eleventh aspect can include a timer that can be activated in response to the power plug being inserted into the AC outlet of the wall unit to measure a first uptime. The wireless transceiver of the wall module can be configured to receive at least one transmission from the medical device that can include a second uptime. The wall module of the eleventh aspect can compare the first uptime with the second uptime, and if the first uptime is within a predetermined tolerance of the second uptime, the wall module can send a pairing message to the medical device, which automatically pairs the wall module with the medical device for subsequent wireless communication.

[0079] In some embodiments of the eleventh aspect, the wiring of the wall module may include a circuit board, which may include a circuit board opening through which the first recess sidewall and the second recess sidewall extend. In these embodiments, the light emitter may be supported on a first portion of the circuit board adjacent to the first recess sidewall, and the light detector may be supported on a second portion of the circuit board adjacent to the second recess sidewall.

[0080] The present disclosure further contemplates that the wall module of the eleventh aspect may further include a nurse call line that can extend from the line and extend out of the housing. For example, the nurse call line can terminate at a first nurse call connector, which can be configured to connect to a nurse call port of a nurse call system of a healthcare facility. Optionally, the nurse call line of the eleventh aspect may include an auxiliary line branch that can terminate at a second nurse call connector. The second nurse call connector can be coupled to a third nurse call connector, which can be located at one end of an equipment nurse call line that can extend from the medical device. Alternatively or additionally, the first nurse call connector can be disposed in a connector body of the nurse call line. The connector body of the eleventh aspect can have a second nurse call connector, which can be configured to couple to a third nurse call connector, which can be located at one end of an equipment nurse call line that extends from the medical device.

[0081] Optionally, the housing of the wall module of the eleventh aspect can carry a first Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) transceiver, which can be configured to transmit WiFi messages to and receive WiFi messages from at least one wireless access point of the healthcare facility network. Optionally, the wireless transceiver of the wall module can include a Bluetooth transceiver. Further optionally, the circuit can further include a controller and a set of switches. The set of switches can be configured to provide contact closures that can indicate a plurality of states of the medical device based on data that can be included in Bluetooth messages that the Bluetooth transceiver can receive from the medical device.

[0082] In an embodiment of the eleventh aspect, the wall module may include a set of switches that provide contact closures, at least one of which may change state to control a television in the patient's room. Alternatively or additionally, at least one of which may change state to turn on a light in the patient's room. Further alternatively or additionally, the medical device may include a bed, at least one of which may change state to indicate an alarm state for a bed exit system. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device may include a bed, at least one of which may change state to indicate that a side rail of the bed may be moved to a lowered position.

[0083] Regarding the embodiment of the eleventh aspect wherein the wall module may include a set of switches providing contact closures, the present disclosure further contemplates that the medical device may include a bed, at least one of which may change state to indicate that the bed caster brakes are released. Alternatively or additionally, the medical device may include a bed, at least one of which may change state to indicate that the bed's upper frame has been raised from its lowest position. Further alternatively or additionally, the medical device may include a bed, at least one second of which may change state to indicate that the bed's nurse call button has been pressed.

[0084] In some embodiments of the eleventh aspect, the medical device can include a speaker and a microphone, and the wall module's wiring can be configured to transmit and receive audio messages via the wireless transceiver after the medical device is paired with the wall unit. Optionally, the housing of the eleventh aspect can include a light that illuminates to indicate the pairing status between the medical device and the wall unit. For example, the light can illuminate an icon on the front wall housing that can be located adjacent to the first recess.

[0085] The present disclosure also contemplates that the circuitry of the wall module of the eleventh aspect can be configured to participate in a time-based wireless pairing operation with the medical device. The time-based wireless pairing operation can occur in response to the AC plug sensor sensing that the power plug of the medical device is inserted into the AC outlet of the duplex AC outlet. Optionally, the circuitry of the wall module of the eleventh aspect can include a controller that can be configured to determine whether to initiate unpairing with the medical device based on device data that can be received by the wireless transceiver from the medical device. For example, the medical device can include a frame and casters coupled to the frame, and the controller can initiate unpairing based on device data indicating that the caster brakes can be released. Alternatively or additionally, the controller can initiate unpairing based on device data indicating that the power plug of the medical device has been unplugged. Alternatively or additionally, in response to the AC plug sensor of the wall module sensing that the power plug has been unplugged from the AC outlet, the wall unit can determine whether to initiate unpairing with the medical device.

[0086] According to a twelfth aspect of the present disclosure, a method for installing a wall unit for wirelessly communicating with medical equipment in a healthcare facility may be provided. The method may include: removing an AC outlet at the healthcare facility from a junction box at the healthcare facility; attaching electrical conductors extendable from a housing of the wall unit to live and neutral wires of the AC outlet; inserting the AC outlet into an outlet-receiving recess that may be formed on a rear portion of the wall unit; and attaching the AC outlet to the wall unit using at least one first fastener.

[0087] In some embodiments, the method of the twelfth aspect may further include attaching the wall module to the junction box using at least one second fastener. For example, attaching the wall module to the junction box may include inserting the at least one second fastener into an aperture that may be formed in a ground frame of the AC outlet. Optionally, the method of the twelfth aspect may further include placing at least one spacer in an outlet-receiving recess adjacent to the ground frame of the AC outlet; and inserting the at least one second fastener into a passage that may be formed in the at least one spacer. Further optionally, the at least one first fastener may include a first screw, and the at least one second fastener may include a second screw that may be longer than the first screw.

[0088] Optionally, the method of the twelfth aspect may further include attaching the wall module to the junction box using a pair of second fasteners. For example, attaching the wall module to the junction box may include inserting the pair of second fasteners into respective apertures that may be formed in a ground frame of the AC outlet. Optionally, the method of the twelfth aspect may further include placing a first spacer and a second spacer in an outlet-receiving recess adjacent to the ground frame of the AC outlet; and inserting the pair of second fasteners into respective passages that may be formed in the first spacer and the second spacer. Further optionally, the at least one first fastener may include a first screw, and the pair of second fasteners may include a second screw that may be longer than the first screw. Still further optionally, the first fastener may be positioned between the pair of second fasteners.

[0089] In some embodiments, the method of the twelfth aspect may further include attaching a nurse call connector, which may be located at one end of a nurse call cord extendable from the wall module housing, to a nurse call port of a nurse call system of the healthcare facility. Optionally, the AC outlet of the twelfth aspect may include a duplex AC outlet having a first AC outlet and a second AC outlet. In these embodiments, after the AC outlet is attached to the wall module using the second fastener, the first fastener may be located between the first AC outlet and the second AC outlet. Alternatively or additionally, the method includes attaching the wall module of the twelfth aspect to a junction box using a pair of second fasteners such that one of the pair of second fasteners may be located above the first AC outlet and the other may be located above the second AC outlet.

[0090] Optionally, attaching the wall module of the twelfth aspect to the junction box using the pair of second fasteners may include inserting the pair of second fasteners into first and second apertures, respectively, of a ground frame of the duplex AC outlet. Further optionally, attaching electrical conductors extendable from the wall module housing to live and neutral wires of the AC outlet may include tightening screws to clamp the electrical conductors to the live and neutral wires.

[0091] According to the thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure, a system for use in a healthcare facility that may have a ward is provided. The system may include a bed that may have a bed line, and the bed line may include a first wireless transceiver and an AC power line. The system of the thirteenth unit may also include a wall unit, and the wall unit may include a housing that can be configured to be installed in a fixed position in the ward of the healthcare facility. The housing can carry an AC socket and may have a front wall that can be formed to include a first recess into which the AC socket can enter. The wall module of the thirteenth aspect may further include a module line that can be carried by the housing. The module line may include a second wireless transceiver and an AC plug sensor, and the AC plug sensor may form a light beam in the recess in front of the AC socket. In response to the plug of the AC power line being inserted into the AC socket, interrupting the light beam, the second wireless transceiver may communicate with the first wireless transceiver to perform a time-based wireless pairing operation between the wall module and the bed.

[0092] In some embodiments, the time-based wireless pairing operation of the thirteenth aspect may involve comparing a first connection time with a second connection time, wherein the first connection time is the time at which the bed can receive power via the AC power line, as calculated by the bed's wiring, and the second connection time is the time at which the plug can be inserted into the AC outlet, as calculated by the module's wiring. Optionally, the time-based wireless pairing operation of the thirteenth aspect may include a Bluetooth pairing operation, wherein the bed sends a Bluetooth advertisement including the first connection time to the wall module, and the wall module may scan for these Bluetooth advertisements. Further optionally, the wall module may be configured to compare the first connection time with the second connection time by subtracting the first connection time from the second connection time to determine a connection time difference, and comparing the connection time difference to a threshold value. Thereafter, if the connection time difference is less than the threshold value, the wall module may send a pairing message to the bed to wirelessly pair the wall module with the bed.

[0093] In other embodiments, the time-based pairing operation of the thirteenth aspect may include a Bluetooth pairing operation, wherein the wall module may send a Bluetooth notification to the bed, which may include the second connection time, and the bed may scan for these Bluetooth notifications. Optionally, the bed may be configured to compare the first connection time with the second connection time by subtracting the first connection time from the second connection time to determine a connection time difference, and then comparing the connection time difference to a threshold. Thereafter, if the time difference is less than the threshold, the bed may send a pairing message to the wall module to wirelessly pair the wall module with the bed.

[0094] The present disclosure contemplates that the first recess of the wall module of the thirteenth aspect may be defined between a first recess sidewall and a second recess sidewall. In these embodiments, the AC plug sensor may include a light emitter and a light detector, the light emitter may be aligned with a first aperture that may be formed in the first recess sidewall, and the light detector may be aligned with a second aperture that may be formed in the second recess sidewall. Optionally, the light emitter and the light detector may be positioned so that the light beam in front of the AC outlet may be oriented generally horizontally. Further optionally, the module circuitry may include a circuit board, the circuit board may include a circuit board opening, from which the first recess sidewall and the second recess sidewall may extend. The light emitter may be supported on a first portion of the circuit board adjacent to the first recess sidewall, and the light detector may be supported on a second portion of the circuit board adjacent to the second recess sidewall.

[0095] In some embodiments, the system of the thirteenth aspect may further include a nurse call line that can extend from the module line and extend out of the wall module housing. The nurse call line can terminate at a first nurse call connector, which can be configured to connect to a nurse call port of a nurse call system of a healthcare facility. Optionally, the nurse call line may include an auxiliary line branch that can terminate at a second nurse call connector. The second nurse call connector can be coupled to a third nurse call connector, which can be located at one end of the bedside nurse call line that can extend from the bed of the thirteenth aspect. Alternatively or additionally, the first nurse call connector can be disposed in a connector body of the nurse call line. The connector body can have a second nurse call connector, which can be configured to couple to a third nurse call connector, which can be located at one end of the bedside nurse call line that extends from the bed of the thirteenth aspect.

[0096] Optionally, the modular circuitry of the wall module of the thirteenth aspect can include a first wireless fidelity (WiFi) transceiver, the first WiFi transceiver being configured to transmit WiFi messages to and receive WiFi messages from at least one wireless access point of the healthcare facility network. Further optionally, the bed circuitry can include a second wireless fidelity (WiFi) transceiver being configured to transmit WiFi messages to and receive WiFi messages from at least one wireless access point of the healthcare facility network. Still further optionally, the modular circuitry of the thirteenth aspect can further include a controller and a set of switches. The set of switches can be configured to provide contact closures indicative of a plurality of states of the bed based on data that can be contained in wireless messages received from the bed by the second wireless transceiver.

[0097] In an embodiment of the thirteenth aspect, the system may include a set of switches that provide contact closures, at least one of which may change state to control a television in the patient's room. Alternatively or additionally, at least one of which may change state to turn on a light in the patient's room. Further alternatively or additionally, the medical device may include a bed, at least one of which may change state to indicate an alarm state of a bed exit system for the bed. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device may include a bed, at least one of which may change state to indicate that a side rail of the bed may be moved to a lowered position.

[0098] Regarding the thirteenth aspect, the system may include a set of switches providing contact closures. The present disclosure further contemplates that at least one of the contact closures may change state to indicate that the bed caster brakes are released. Alternatively or additionally, at least one of the contact closures may change state to indicate that the bed's upper frame has been raised from its lowest position. Further alternatively or additionally, at least one of the contact closures may change state to indicate that the bed's nurse call button has been pressed.

[0099] Optionally, the bed of the thirteenth aspect can include a speaker and a microphone. In these embodiments, both the bed wiring and the module wiring can be configured to transmit and receive audio messages via the respective first and second wireless transceivers after the bed is paired with the wall module. Optionally, the housing of the wall module of the thirteenth aspect can include a light that can illuminate to indicate the pairing status between the bed and the wall unit. For example, the light can illuminate an icon on the front wall of the housing, which can be located adjacent to the first recess.

[0100] In some embodiments of the thirteenth aspect, the modular circuit may include a controller configured to determine whether to initiate unpairing with the bed based on device data that may be received by the second wireless transceiver from the first wireless transceiver of the bed. For example, the bed may include a frame and casters coupled to the frame, and the controller of the modular circuit may initiate unpairing based on device data indicating that caster brakes may be released. Alternatively or additionally, the controller of the modular circuit may initiate unpairing based on device data indicating that the bed's power plug may be unplugged. Alternatively or additionally, the controller of the modular circuit may initiate unpairing with the bed in response to an AC plug sensor of the wall module sensing that the power plug may be unplugged from the AC outlet.

[0101] With respect to the systems of the first and fourth aspects, the medical device may include an ambient light sensor, the wall unit may include at least one illuminable indicator, and the brightness of the at least one illuminable indicator of the wall unit may be controlled based on information that is wirelessly transmitted from the medical device to the wall unit and is related to ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor. In embodiments of the first and fourth aspects where the wall unit includes a light as the illuminable indicator, the medical device may include an ambient light sensor, and the brightness of the light of the wall unit may be controlled based on information that is wirelessly transmitted from the medical device to the wall unit and is related to ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor.

[0102] Regarding the second aspect, the wall unit may further include at least one illuminable indicator, the brightness of the at least one illuminable indicator being controllable based on information wirelessly received by the wireless transceiver from the medical device and relating to ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor. In embodiments of the second aspect where the wall unit includes a light as the illuminable indicator, the brightness of the light of the wall unit may be controlled based on information wirelessly received by the wireless transceiver from the medical device and relating to ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor.

[0103] With respect to the systems of the third and sixth aspects, the medical device may include an ambient light sensor, the communication unit may include at least one illuminable indicator, and the brightness of the at least one illuminable indicator of the communication unit may be controlled based on information that can be wirelessly transmitted from the medical device to the communication unit and that is related to ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor. In embodiments of the third and sixth aspects, and in embodiments of the seventh aspect, in which the communication unit includes a light as the illuminable indicator, the medical device may include an ambient light sensor, and the brightness of the light of the communication unit may be controlled based on information that can be wirelessly transmitted from the medical device to the communication unit and that is related to ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor.

[0104] Regarding the sixth aspect, the medical device may further include an ambient light sensor that may be carried by the frame and coupled to the control circuit. The control circuit may be configured to command the wireless transceiver to send information to the wall unit to control the brightness of the illuminable indicator of the wall unit.

[0105] With respect to the systems of aspects eight, nine and ten, the first device may include an ambient light sensor, the second device may include at least one illuminable indicator, and the brightness of the at least one illuminable indicator of the second device may be controlled based on information that can be wirelessly transmitted from the first device to the second unit and that is related to the ambient light that can be detected by the ambient light sensor.

[0106] Regarding the eleventh aspect, the wall module may further include at least one illuminable indicator, the brightness of the at least one illuminable indicator being controllable based on information wirelessly received by the wireless transceiver from the medical device and relating to ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor. In embodiments of the eleventh aspect where the wall module includes a light as the illuminable indicator, the brightness of the light of the wall module may be controlled based on information wirelessly received by the wireless transceiver from the medical device and relating to ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor.

[0107] Regarding the system of the thirteenth aspect, the hospital bed may include an ambient light sensor, the wall module may include at least one illuminable indicator, and the brightness of the at least one illuminable indicator of the wall module may be controlled based on information that is wirelessly transmitted from the hospital bed to the wall module and is related to ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor. In an embodiment of the thirteenth aspect in which the wall module includes a light as the illuminable indicator, the hospital bed may include an ambient light sensor, and the brightness of the light of the wall module may be controlled based on information that is wirelessly transmitted from the hospital bed to the wall module and is related to ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor.

[0108] According to a fourteenth aspect of the present disclosure, a system may include a hospital bed, wherein the wiring of the hospital bed may include at least one first controller, a first wireless transceiver coupleable to the at least one first controller, and an ambient light sensor coupleable to the at least one first controller. A wall unit of the system may be spaced apart from the hospital bed and may include at least one second controller, a second wireless transceiver coupleable to the at least one second controller, and an illuminable indicator coupleable to the at least one second controller. The at least one first controller may be configured to transmit information to the second wireless transceiver via the first wireless transceiver. The information may be related to an amount of ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor. The at least one second controller may control the brightness of the illuminable indicator based on the information.

[0109] In some embodiments of the fourteenth aspect, if the information indicates that the amount of light detected by the ambient light sensor may be below a threshold amount, the at least one second controller may be configured to operate the illuminable indicator to illuminate at a first brightness. If the information indicates that the amount of light detected by the ambient light sensor may be above the threshold amount, the at least one second controller may be configured to operate the illuminable indicator to illuminate at a second brightness. The second brightness may be brighter than the first brightness. Optionally, the illuminable indicator may include a light emitting diode (LED).

[0110] Optionally, at least one second controller of the fourteenth aspect can output a first pulse width modulation (PWM) signal of a first duty cycle to the illuminable indicator to operate the illuminable indicator to illuminate at a first brightness, and at least one second controller can output a second PWM signal of a second duty cycle to the illuminable indicator to operate the illuminable indicator to illuminate at a second brightness.

[0111] In some embodiments of the fourteenth aspect, the patient bed may include a frame and a sidebar coupleable to the frame. In these embodiments, the ambient light sensor may be coupled to the sidebar. In other embodiments of the fourteenth aspect, the patient bed may include a frame, a first sidebar coupleable to the frame, and a second sidebar coupleable to the frame. In these embodiments, the ambient light sensor may include a first ambient light sensor coupleable to the first sidebar and a second ambient light sensor coupleable to the second sidebar.

[0112] Optionally, the hospital bed of the fourteenth aspect may further include at least one lamp, the brightness of which may be controlled by at least one first controller based on the amount of ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor. Further optionally, if the amount of light detected by the ambient light sensor is below a threshold, the at least one lamp may be operated to illuminate at a first brightness, whereas if the amount of light detected by the ambient light sensor is above the threshold, the at least one lamp may be operated to illuminate at a second brightness. For example, the second brightness may be brighter than the first brightness.

[0113] In some embodiments of the fourteenth aspect, at least one first controller may output a first pulse width modulation (PWM) signal of a first duty cycle to at least one lamp to operate the at least one lamp to light up at a first brightness, and at least one first controller may output a second PWM signal of a second duty cycle to at least one lamp to operate the at least one lamp to light up at a second brightness.

[0114] Optionally, the at least one lamp of the fourteenth aspect may include at least one light emitting diode (LED). Alternatively, the at least one lamp may include a plurality of lamps, each of the plurality of lamps may include at least one light emitting diode (LED). Optionally, the hospital bed may further include a graphical user interface (GUI), the brightness of the GUI being controllable by at least one first controller based on the amount of ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor. For example, if the amount of light detected by the ambient light sensor is lower than a threshold amount, the GUI may be operated to illuminate at a first brightness, and if the amount of light detected by the ambient light sensor is higher than the threshold amount, the GUI may be operated to illuminate at a second brightness. Optionally, the second brightness may be brighter than the first brightness.

[0115] In some embodiments of the fourteenth aspect, the hospital bed may include an AC power cord, the wall unit may include a housing that can support an AC outlet, and the front wall of the housing may be formed to include a first recess through which the AC outlet is accessible. The wall unit may further include an AC plug sensor that can form a light beam in the recess in front of the AC outlet. In response to the AC power cord plug being inserted into the AC outlet, thereby interrupting the light beam, the second wireless transceiver may communicate with the first wireless transceiver to perform a time-based wireless pairing operation between the wall unit and the hospital bed.

[0116] Optionally, the time-based wireless pairing operation of the fourteenth aspect may involve comparing a first connection time and a second connection time, the first connection time being the time at which the bed can receive power via the AC power line, as calculated by at least one first controller of the bed, and the second connection time being the time at which the plug can be inserted into the AC outlet, as calculated by at least one second controller. Further optionally, the time-based wireless pairing operation may include a Bluetooth pairing operation, wherein the bed transmits a Bluetooth notification that may include the first connection time to a wall unit, which the wall unit may scan for such Bluetooth notifications. Alternatively, the time-based pairing operation may include a Bluetooth pairing operation, wherein the wall unit may transmit a Bluetooth notification that may include the second connection time to the bed, which the bed may scan for such Bluetooth notifications.

[0117] In some embodiments of the fourteenth aspect, the first recess may be defined between a first recess sidewall and a second recess sidewall, and the AC plug sensor may include a light emitter and a light detector, the light emitter may be aligned with a first aperture formed in the first recess sidewall, and the light detector may be aligned with a second aperture formed in the second recess sidewall. Optionally, the light emitter and the light detector of the fourteenth aspect are positioned such that a light beam in front of the AC outlet is oriented substantially horizontally.

[0118] The present disclosure contemplates that the system of the fourteenth aspect may further include a nurse call system, and the wall unit may further include a nurse call cord communicatively coupled to the at least one second controller and extending out of the wall unit housing. The nurse call cord may terminate at a first nurse call connector, which may be configured to connect to a nurse call port of the nurse call system.

[0119] Optionally, the nurse call line of the fourteenth aspect may include an auxiliary line branch that may terminate at a second nurse call connector. The second nurse call connector may be coupled to a third nurse call connector, which may be located at one end of the bedside nurse call line that can be extended from the bed. Further optionally, the first nurse call connector may be provided in a connector body of the nurse call line. The connector body may have a second nurse call connector, which may be configured to be coupled to a third nurse call connector, which may be located at one end of the bedside nurse call line that can be extended from the bed.

[0120] In some embodiments of the fourteenth aspect, the at least one second controller can be configured to initiate unpairing with the hospital bed based on device data that can be received by the second wireless transceiver from the first wireless transceiver of the hospital bed. For example, the hospital bed of the fourteenth aspect can include a frame and casters coupled to the frame. The at least one second controller can initiate unpairing based on device data indicating that the caster brakes can be released. Alternatively or additionally, the at least one second controller of the fourteenth aspect can be configured to initiate unpairing based on device data indicating that the power plug of the hospital bed can be unplugged, or the at least one second controller can be configured to initiate unpairing in response to an AC plug sensor of a wall unit sensing that the power plug can be unplugged from the AC outlet.

[0121] Optionally, the wall unit may include a first wireless fidelity (WiFi) transceiver, which may be configured to send WiFi messages to at least one wireless access point of the healthcare facility network and receive WiFi messages from at least one access point of the healthcare facility network. Further optionally, the hospital bed of the fourteenth embodiment may include a second wireless fidelity (WiFi) transceiver, which may be configured to send WiFi messages to at least one wireless access point of the healthcare facility network and receive WiFi messages from at least one access point of the healthcare facility network.

[0122] In some embodiments, the system of the fourteenth aspect may further include a nurse call system, and the wall unit may further include a set of switches. The set of switches may be configured to provide contact closures that indicate a plurality of states of the bed to the nurse call system based on data that may be contained in a wireless message that may be received by the second wireless transceiver from the bed. For example, at least one contact closure may change state to control a television in the patient's room or to control a room light. By way of additional example, at least one contact closure may change state to indicate one or more of the following: an alarm condition of a patient's room bed exit system; a side rail of the bed may have been moved to a lowered position; a bed caster brake may be in a released condition; an upper side frame of the bed may have been raised from a lowered position; or a nurse call button of the bed may have been pressed.

[0123] The hospital bed of the fourteenth aspect may include a speaker and a microphone. In these embodiments, the hospital bed and the wall unit may each be configured to transmit and receive audio messages via the respective first and second wireless transceivers.

[0124] According to a fifteenth aspect of the present disclosure, a system may include a wall module that may have a first controller, an analog audio input, an analog audio output, a first wireless transceiver that can be coupled to the controller and configured to wirelessly transmit and wirelessly receive data, and a second wireless transceiver that can be coupled to the analog audio input and the analog audio output. The second wireless transceiver can be configured to wirelessly transmit a first audio signal received at the analog audio input and wirelessly receive a second audio signal that can be communicated to the analog audio output. The system of the fifteenth aspect may also include a hospital bed that may have a second controller, a microphone, a speaker, a third wireless transceiver that can be coupled to the controller, and a fourth wireless transceiver. The third wireless transceiver can be configured to wirelessly receive data transmitted by the first transceiver and wirelessly transmit the data for reception by the first transceiver. The fourth wireless transceiver can be configured to wirelessly receive a first audio signal that can be transmitted by the third wireless transceiver for playback by the speaker and to wirelessly transmit a second audio signal that can be received from the microphone to the second wireless transceiver. A first communication delay between the first wireless transceiver and the third wireless transceiver may be greater than 50 milliseconds, and a second communication delay between the second wireless transceiver and the fourth wireless transceiver may be less than 50 milliseconds.

[0125] In some embodiments of the fifteenth aspect, the first wireless transceiver and the third wireless transceiver can communicate using a Bluetooth protocol. Alternatively or additionally, the second wireless transceiver and the fourth wireless transceiver can communicate using frequency modulation (FM). That is, regardless of the type of wireless communication between the first wireless transceiver and the third wireless transceiver, the second wireless transceiver and the fourth wireless transceiver can communicate using FM.

[0126] Optionally, the wall module of the fifteenth aspect can use a second wireless transceiver to scan FM spectrum channels to determine FM channels currently in use by other devices, and the wall module can select available FM transmission channels and available FM reception channels that are not currently in use by other devices. For example, the second wireless transceiver can scan the FM spectrum channels by scanning even frequencies from a minimum frequency of 76.0 megahertz (MHz) to a maximum frequency of 108.0 MHz in 200 kilohertz (kHz) steps, thereby avoiding commercial FM radio frequencies that are broadcast at odd frequencies from a minimum commercial radio frequency of 76.1 MHz to a maximum commercial radio frequency of 108.1 MHz in 200 kHz steps.

[0127] In some embodiments of the fifteenth aspect, the wall module can transmit the available FM transmit channels and the available FM receive channels to the third transceiver of the patient bed using the first wireless transceiver. Optionally, the wall module can transmit the available FM transmit channels and the available FM receive channels to the third transceiver of the patient bed using the first wireless transceiver only after the wall module and the patient bed can be paired via communication between the first wireless transceiver and the third wireless transceiver. Further optionally, the wall module and the patient bed can be paired by performing a time-based pairing operation via communication between the first wireless transceiver and the third wireless transceiver.

[0128] The present disclosure contemplates that pairing between the wall module and the bed can include exchanging unique identifiers between the wall module's first wireless transceiver and the bed's third wireless transceiver. Optionally, the bed and wall module of the fifteenth aspect can utilize side-channel communication to verify the presence of a corresponding unique identifier from the other of the bed and the wall module to confirm that audio transmissions received by the corresponding second or fourth wireless transceiver originate from the intended source. Optionally, the bed can be configured to tune the fourth wireless transceiver's transmitter and receiver frequencies to match available FM transmit and receive channels receivable by the bed's third wireless transceiver from the wall module's first wireless transceiver.

[0129] The present disclosure contemplates that the wall module of the fifteenth aspect may include a first wall module, and the system of the fifteenth aspect may further include at least one additional wall module that can be within reception range of the first wall module and the patient bed. In these embodiments, the at least one additional wall module can receive a transmission indicating available FM transmit channels and available FM receive channels and can store them in a memory of the at least one additional wall module as FM channels currently being used by other devices.

[0130] Optionally, the system of the fifteenth aspect can further include a cable configurable to form a wired connection between the wall module and the patient bed to communicate the first audio signal and the second audio signal, respectively, between the wall module and the patient bed. In these embodiments, even if a wired connection can be formed between the wall module and the patient bed, the wall module can continue to use the second wireless transceiver to scan FM spectrum channels to determine FM channels currently in use by other devices, and the wall module can continue to select available FM transmission channels and available FM reception channels that are not currently in use by other devices.

[0131] In some embodiments of the fifteenth aspect, the second communication delay may include a time between receiving the first audio signal at the analog audio input of the wall module and playing the first audio signal at the speaker of the hospital bed. Alternatively or additionally, the second communication delay may include a time between receiving the second audio signal at the microphone of the hospital bed and outputting the second audio signal at the analog audio output of the wall module.

[0132] Optionally, the system of the fifteenth aspect may further include an audio station bed connector (ASBC) that can be coupled to an analog audio input of the wall module via a hardwired connection. The system of the fifteenth aspect may also include an audio source that can communicate with the ASBC. The audio from the audio source may include a first audio signal that is wirelessly transmitted from the second wireless transceiver of the wall module to the fourth wireless transceiver of the bed and then played by the bed's speakers.

[0133] Optionally, the audio source of the fifteenth aspect may include a television. Alternatively or additionally, the audio source may include one or more of the following: a microphone of a primary nurse station computer, which may be located at the primary nurse station; a microphone of an audio station, which may be located in the patient room; or a microphone of a staff station, which may be located outside the patient room. Further alternatively or additionally, the audio source may include a microphone of a mobile wireless device carried by the caregiver.

[0134] In some embodiments, the system of the fifteenth embodiment may further include a pillow speaker unit that can be coupled to the ASBC via a pillow speaker cable. The pillow speaker unit can have a pillow speaker that can play audio from the audio source approximately synchronously (e.g., within 50 milliseconds) with the first audio signal played by the bed's speaker.

[0135] According to a sixteenth aspect of the present disclosure, a system may include a wall module having a first controller, a first audio input capable of providing a first audio signal to the first controller, and a first wireless transceiver coupled to the controller and configured to wirelessly transmit and receive data. The wirelessly received data may include audio packets that may be provided to the first controller as a second audio signal, such that the first wireless transceiver may function as a second audio input to the controller. The system of the sixteenth aspect may further include a first audio source coupled to the first audio input of the wall module and capable of providing the first audio signal to the first audio input. The system of the sixteenth aspect may also include a hospital bed having a second controller, a microphone, a speaker, and a second wireless transceiver coupled to the controller and configured to wirelessly receive data transmitted by the first wireless transceiver and wirelessly transmit the data for receipt by the first wireless transceiver. The data transmitted by the second wireless transceiver may include audio packets that may correspond to audio detected by the bed's microphone and transmitted to the first wireless transceiver to form the second audio signal. The wall module of the sixteenth aspect may further comprise a correlator for comparing the first audio signal with the second audio signal to determine a correlation parameter. If the value of the correlation parameter violates a threshold condition, the wall module may operate as a speaker for the silent bed.

[0136] In some embodiments of the sixteenth aspect, the correlator may be a software correlator executable by the first controller. Alternatively or additionally, the correlator may be operable to determine a correlation coefficient having an absolute value between 0 and 1. Optionally, the system of the sixteenth aspect may further include a pillowside speaker unit that is coupleable to the wall module via a hardwired connection. The pillowside speaker unit may include a pillowside speaker that can play sound originating from the first audio source. Before the bed speaker is muted, the bed speaker may also play sound originating from the first audio source and transmitted as wireless audio data from the first wireless transceiver to the second wireless transceiver, so that a communication delay between the first wireless transceiver and the second wireless transceiver can cause a time delay between the first audio signal and the second audio signal.

[0137] Optionally, the audio source of the sixteenth aspect may comprise a television. Alternatively or additionally, the audio source of the sixteenth aspect may comprise one or more of the following: a microphone of a primary nurses' station computer, which may be located at the primary nurses' station; a microphone of an audio station, which may be located in the patient's room; or a microphone of a staff station, which may be located outside the patient's room. Further alternatively or additionally, the audio source of the sixteenth aspect may comprise a microphone of a mobile wireless device carried by the caregiver.

[0138] In some embodiments of the sixteenth aspect, the wall module is operable to mute the bed's speakers by disabling any transmission of audio packets from the first wireless transceiver to the second wireless transceiver. In other embodiments, the wall module of the sixteenth aspect is operable to mute the bed's speakers by wirelessly transmitting a mute command signal from the first wireless transceiver to the second wireless transceiver, such that the second controller can mute the bed's speakers in response to the mute command signal.

[0139] Optionally, after muting the bed speakers, the second wireless transceiver can continue to transmit audio packets corresponding to audio detected by the bed's microphone to the first wireless transceiver, so that the first wireless transceiver can continue to receive the second audio signal. In these embodiments, if it is determined that the relevant parameter no longer violates the threshold condition, the wall module can be operated to unmute the bed speakers. For example, the wall module can be operated to unmute the bed speakers by re-enabling the transmission of audio packets from the first wireless transceiver to the second wireless transceiver. Alternatively, the wall module can be operated to unmute the bed speakers by wirelessly transmitting a mute unmute command signal from the first wireless transceiver to the second wireless transceiver, so that the second controller can unmute the bed speakers in response to the mute unmute command signal.

[0140] In some embodiments of the sixteenth aspect, only after the wall module and the bed are paired via communication between the first wireless transceiver and the second wireless transceiver, the second wireless transceiver may transmit an audio packet corresponding to audio detected by the microphone of the bed to the first wireless transceiver. Optionally, the wall module and the bed may be paired by performing a time-based pairing operation via communication between the first wireless transceiver and the second wireless transceiver. Further optionally, pairing between the wall module and the bed may include exchanging a unique identifier between the first wireless transceiver of the wall module and a third wireless transceiver of the bed.

[0141] In some embodiments of the systems of the first and fourth aspects, the wall unit may include a first frequency modulation (FM) transceiver, and the medical device may include a second FM transceiver, and audio signals may be communicated between the wall unit and the medical device using the first and second FM transceivers. Optionally, embodiments of the systems of the first and fourth aspects incorporating the features described in paragraph 102 may include the first and second FM transceivers.

[0142] In some embodiments of the wall unit of the second aspect, the wall module may further include a frequency modulation (FM) transceiver to transmit and receive audio signals to and from the medical device. Optionally, the wall unit may include an FM transceiver in embodiments incorporating the features of paragraph 103.

[0143] In some embodiments of the systems of the third, sixth, and seventh aspects, the communication unit may include a first frequency modulation (FM) transceiver, the medical device may include a second FM transceiver, and audio signals may be communicated between the communication unit and the medical device using the first and second FM transceivers. Optionally, embodiments of the systems of the third, sixth, and seventh aspects incorporating the features described in paragraphs 104 and 105 may include the first and second FM transceivers.

[0144] In some embodiments of the fifth aspect, the medical device can further include a frequency modulation (FM) transceiver to transmit and receive audio signals to and from the wall unit. Optionally, an FM transceiver can be included in embodiments in which the medical device includes an ambient light sensor that generates a signal for controlling the brightness of a light on the wall unit.

[0145] In some embodiments of the system of any of the eighth, ninth, and tenth aspects, the first device may include a first frequency modulation (FM) transceiver, the second device may include a second FM transceiver, and audio signals may be communicated between the first and second devices using the first and second FM transceivers. Optionally, embodiments of the system of the eighth, ninth, and tenth aspects in combination with the features described in paragraph 106 may include the first and second FM transceivers.

[0146] In some embodiments of the eleventh aspect, the wall module can further include a frequency modulation (FM) transceiver to transmit and receive audio signals to and from the medical device. Optionally, the wall module can include an FM transceiver in embodiments incorporating the features described in paragraph 107.

[0147] In some embodiments of the system of the thirteenth aspect, the wall module can include a first frequency modulation (FM) transceiver, and the bed can include a second FM transceiver, and audio signals can be communicated between the wall module and the bed using the first FM transceiver and the second FM transceiver. Optionally, embodiments of the system of the thirteenth aspect in combination with the features of paragraph 108 can include the first FM transceiver and the second FM transceiver.

[0148] In some embodiments of the systems of the first and fourth aspects, the wall unit may include a correlator for comparing a first audio signal received via a wired connection with a second audio signal received wirelessly to determine a correlation parameter. If the value of the correlation parameter violates a threshold condition, the wall unit may be operable to mute a speaker of the medical device. Optionally, embodiments of the first and fourth aspects in combination with the features described in paragraph 102 may include a correlator.

[0149] In some embodiments of the wall unit of the second aspect, the wall unit may further include a correlator for comparing the first audio signal received via the wired connection with the second audio signal received wirelessly to determine a correlation parameter. If the value of the correlation parameter violates a threshold condition, the wall unit of the second aspect may be operable to mute a speaker of the medical device. Optionally, embodiments of the second aspect incorporating the features described in paragraph 103 may include a correlator.

[0150] In some embodiments of the systems of the third, sixth, and seventh aspects, the communication unit may include a correlator for comparing a first audio signal received via a wired connection with a second audio signal received wirelessly to determine a correlation parameter. If the value of the correlation parameter violates a threshold condition, the communication module of the third, sixth, and seventh aspects may be operable to mute a speaker of the medical device. Optionally, embodiments of the first and fourth aspects in combination with the features described in paragraphs 104 and 105 may include a correlator.

[0151] In some embodiments of the medical device of the fifth aspect, if the value of a correlation parameter calculated by a correlator of the wall unit by comparing a first audio signal received via a wired connection with a second audio signal received wirelessly violates a threshold condition, a speaker of the medical device may be muted. Optionally, a correlator may be included in embodiments in which the medical device includes an ambient light sensor that generates a signal for controlling the brightness of a light on the wall unit.

[0152] In some embodiments of the systems of aspects 8, 9, and 10, the second device may include a correlator to compare the first audio signal received via the wired connection with the second audio signal received wirelessly to determine a relevant parameter. If the value of the relevant parameter violates a threshold condition, the second device of aspects 8, 9, and 10 may be operable to mute a speaker of the first device. Optionally, embodiments of aspects 8, 9, and 10 in combination with the features described in paragraph 106 may include a correlator.

[0153] In some embodiments of the eleventh aspect, the wall module may further include a correlator for comparing the first audio signal received via the wired connection with the second audio signal received wirelessly to determine a correlation parameter. If the value of the correlation parameter violates a threshold condition, the wall module of the eleventh aspect may be operable to mute a speaker of the medical device. Optionally, embodiments of the wall module of the eleventh aspect incorporating the features described in paragraph 107 may include a correlator.

[0154] In some embodiments of the system of the thirteenth aspect, the wall module can include a correlator to compare the first audio signal received via the wired connection with the second audio signal received wirelessly to determine a correlation parameter. If the value of the correlation parameter violates a threshold condition, the wall module of the thirteenth aspect can be operable to mute the speaker of the bed. Optionally, embodiments of the thirteenth aspect in combination with the features of paragraph 108 can include a correlator.

[0155] According to a seventeenth aspect of the present disclosure, a system may include a wall module having a first wireless transceiver and a first wiring, the first wireless transceiver and the first wiring being configured to receive an audio feed and a data feed. The system may include a patient bed having a second wireless transceiver, a speaker, and a second wiring, the second wiring being coupled to the speaker and the second wireless transceiver. The second wireless transceiver may be configured to wirelessly communicate with the first wireless transceiver. The system of the seventeenth aspect may further include a mobile device configured to temporarily link with the first wireless transceiver for wireless communication, thereby configuring the wiring of the wall module. The mobile device may be configured to receive a first user input commanding the wiring of the wall module to mute the speaker of the patient bed. In response to receiving the first user input commanding the mute speaker of the patient bed, the wiring of the wall module may communicate with the second wireless transceiver via the first wireless transceiver in a first manner, the first manner being configured to prevent the audio feed from being audibly played through the speaker of the patient bed.

[0156] In some embodiments of the seventeenth aspect, in response to receiving a first user input to mute a speaker of the hospital bed, the first circuitry may instruct the first wireless transceiver to transmit an audio packet that may correspond to silence. For example, the audio packet corresponding to silence may contain all zeros. Optionally, the mobile device may be configured to receive a second user input to unmute the speaker of the hospital bed. In response to receiving the second user input to unmute the speaker of the hospital bed, the first circuitry of the wall module may communicate with the second wireless transceiver via the first wireless transceiver in a second manner that may allow the audio feed to be audibly played through the speaker of the hospital bed.

[0157] Optionally, the mobile device can be configured to display a mute / unmute slider. Thus, a first user input can correspond to the mute / unmute slider being in a first position, while a second user input can correspond to the mute / unmute slider being in a second position. Optionally, the mobile device can be configured to receive firmware installation input from the user to upload firmware to the wall module's wiring via the first transceiver.

[0158] The hospital bed of the seventeenth aspect may include a graphical user interface (GUI) that may be configured to receive input from a user to control functions of the hospital bed. The GUI may be configured to receive a third user input that may cause a mute command to be transmitted from the second wireless transceiver of the hospital bed to the first wireless transceiver of the wall module to command the wiring of the wall module to operate in a first mode to mute the speakers of the hospital bed. The GUI may be configured to receive a fourth user input that may cause an unmute command to be transmitted from the second wireless transceiver of the hospital bed to the first wireless transceiver of the wall module to command the wiring of the wall module to operate in a second mode that allows the audio feed to be audibly played through the speakers of the hospital bed.

[0159] According to the seventeenth aspect, the first circuit of the wall module and the second circuit of the bed can perform a time-based pairing operation to pair the bed with the wall module. Optionally, the time-based pairing operation can be initiated by plugging the bed's power plug into the wall module's power outlet.

[0160] In some embodiments of the seventeenth aspect, plugging the power cord into the power outlet can cause a first timer of the hospital bed to start to measure a first uptime. Additionally, plugging the power cord into the power outlet can cause a second timer of the wall module to start to measure a second uptime. The wall module can be configured to transmit a notification from the first wireless transceiver to the hospital bed, which may include the second uptime. The bed can compare the second uptime with the first uptime, and if the second uptime is within a predetermined tolerance of the first uptime, the bed can send a pairing message to the wall module, which can cause the wall module to automatically pair with the bed for subsequent wireless communication.

[0161] In other embodiments of the seventeenth aspect, plugging the power cord into the power outlet can cause a first timer of the hospital bed to start to measure a first uptime. Additionally, plugging the power cord into the power outlet can cause a second timer of the wall module to start to measure a second uptime. The hospital bed can be configured to transmit a notification from the second wireless transceiver to the wall module, which may include the first uptime. The wall module can compare the first uptime with the second uptime, and if the first uptime is within a predetermined tolerance of the second uptime, the wall module can send a pairing message to the hospital bed, which can cause the wall module to automatically pair with the hospital bed for subsequent wireless communication.

[0162] Optionally, a nurse call line can extend from the wall module and the nurse call line can terminate at a first nurse call connector, which can be configured to connect to a nurse call port of a nurse call system. Optionally, the nurse call line can include an auxiliary line leg that can terminate at a second nurse call connector. The second nurse call connector can be coupled to a third nurse call connector, which can be located at one end of a bed nurse call line that can extend from the bed. Optionally, the bed can include a first WiFi transceiver and the wall module can include a second WiFi transceiver. Both the first WiFi transceiver and the second WiFi transceiver can be configured to send WiFi messages to at least one wireless access point of the network and receive WiFi messages from at least one access point of the network.

[0163] According to an eighteenth aspect of the present disclosure, a system may include a wall module having a first wireless transceiver and a first line, the first wireless transceiver and the first line configured to receive an audio feed and a data feed. The system of the eighteenth aspect may also include a hospital bed having a second wireless transceiver, a speaker, and a second line, the second line coupled to the speaker and the second wireless transceiver. The second wireless transceiver may be configured to wirelessly communicate with the first wireless transceiver. The hospital bed may include a graphical user interface (GUI) configured to receive input from a user to control functions of the hospital bed. The GUI may be configured to receive a first user input, which may cause a mute command to be transmitted from the second wireless transceiver of the hospital bed to the first wireless transceiver of the wall module to command the first line of the wall module to mute the speaker of the hospital bed. In response to receiving the mute command to mute the speaker of the hospital bed, the first line of the wall module may communicate with the second wireless transceiver via the first wireless transceiver in a first manner, the first manner being configured to prevent the audio feed from being audibly played through the speaker of the hospital bed.

[0164] In some embodiments of the eighteenth aspect, in response to receiving a mute command to mute a speaker of the hospital bed, the first circuit can instruct the first wireless transceiver to transmit an audio packet that can correspond to silence. For example, the audio packet corresponding to silence can contain all zeros. Optionally, the GUI can be configured to receive a second user input to unmute the speaker of the hospital bed. Receiving the second user input can cause an unmute command to be transmitted from the second wireless transceiver of the hospital bed to the first wireless transceiver of the wall module to instruct the first circuit of the wall module to communicate with the second wireless transceiver via the first wireless transceiver in a second manner, which can allow the audio feed to be audibly played through the speaker of the hospital bed.

[0165] Optionally, the GUI of the eighteenth aspect can be configured to display an on button and an off button. The on button can be selected to cause the wall module to unmute the speakers of the hospital bed, while the off button can be selected to cause the wall module to mute the speakers of the hospital bed. Optionally, the system of the eighteenth aspect can further include a mobile device that can be configured to temporarily link with the first wireless transceiver for wireless communication to configure the wiring of the wall module. The mobile device can be configured to receive a third user input to command the first wiring of the wall module to mute the speakers of the hospital bed. Optionally, the mobile device can be configured to receive a firmware installation input from the user to load firmware to the first wiring of the wall module via the first transceiver. Further optionally, the first wiring of the wall module and the second wiring of the hospital bed can perform a time-based pairing operation to pair the hospital bed with the wall module. The time-based pairing operation can be initiated by plugging the power plug of the hospital bed into the power outlet of the wall module.

[0166] In some embodiments of the eighteenth aspect, plugging the power cord into the power outlet can cause a first timer of the hospital bed to start to measure a first uptime. Additionally, plugging the power cord into the power outlet can cause a second timer of the wall module to start to measure a second uptime. The wall module can be configured to transmit a notification from the first wireless transceiver to the hospital bed, which may include the second uptime. The bed can compare the second uptime with the first uptime, and if the second uptime is within a predetermined tolerance of the first uptime, the bed can send a pairing message to the wall module, which can cause the wall module to automatically pair with the bed for subsequent wireless communication.

[0167] In other embodiments of the eighteenth aspect, plugging the power cord into the power outlet can cause a first timer of the hospital bed to start to measure a first uptime. Additionally, plugging the power cord into the power outlet can cause a second timer of the wall module to start to measure a second uptime. The hospital bed can be configured to transmit a notification from the second wireless transceiver to the wall module, which may include the first uptime. The wall module can compare the first uptime with the second uptime, and if the first uptime is within a predetermined tolerance of the second uptime, the wall module can send a pairing message to the hospital bed, which can cause the wall module to automatically pair with the hospital bed for subsequent wireless communication.

[0168] Optionally, a nurse call line may extend from the wall module. The nurse call line may terminate at a first nurse call connector that may be configured to connect to a nurse call port of a nurse call system. Optionally, the nurse call line may include an auxiliary line leg that may terminate at a second nurse call connector. The second nurse call connector may be coupled to a third nurse call connector located at an end of a bedside nurse call line that may extend from the bed. Optionally, the bed may include a first WiFi transceiver and the wall module may include a second WiFi transceiver. Both the first WiFi transceiver and the second WiFi transceiver may be configured to send WiFi messages to and receive WiFi messages from at least one wireless access point of the network.

[0169] According to the nineteenth aspect of the present disclosure, a system for wireless pairing may include a connecting device, which may have a first device line that may include a first wireless transceiver. The system may also include a notifying device, which may have a second device line that may include a second wireless transceiver. The second device line may be configured to broadcast a notification via the second wireless line to initiate a pairing operation with another device. The connecting device may be configured to receive at least one of the notifications via the first wireless transceiver. The first device line may be configured to transmit a connection message via the first wireless transceiver in response to receiving at least one of the notifications. In response to the notifying device receiving the connection message, the notifying device may transmit an authorization challenge. The connecting device may be configured to receive and process the authorization challenge, and may transmit an authorization response message to the notifying device. If the authorization response message indicates that the connecting device is an authorized device, the notifying device may automatically pair with the connecting device for subsequent wireless communication.

[0170] In some embodiments of the nineteenth aspect, the authorization challenge transmitted by the notifying device may include a random salt. Optionally, the connecting device may hash the random salt to create an authorization response message. Further optionally, the notifying device may hash the random salt to generate a hashed random salt. Accordingly, by comparing the authorization response message with the hashed random salt to determine whether there is a match, the notifying device may determine that the connecting device is an authorized device. The present disclosure further contemplates that the connecting device and the notifying device may also perform a time-based pairing operation to determine whether to pair. For example, the time-based pairing operation may be initiated by inserting the power plug of the connecting device into the power socket of the notifying device.

[0171] In some embodiments of the nineteenth aspect, plugging the power cord into the power outlet may cause a first timer of the connected device to start to measure a first uptime. Additionally, plugging the power cord into the power outlet may cause a second timer of the announcing device to start to measure a second uptime. The announcement transmitted by the announcing device may include the second uptime. The connected device may compare the second uptime with the first uptime, and if the second uptime is within a predetermined tolerance range of the first uptime, the connected device may send a pairing message to the announcing device, which may cause the announcing device to automatically pair with the connected device for subsequent wireless communication, provided that the authorization response message also indicates that the connected device is an authorized device.

[0172] In some embodiments of the nineteenth aspect, plugging the power cord into the power outlet can cause a first timer of the connecting device to start to measure the first uptime. Additionally, plugging the power cord into the power outlet can cause a second timer of the announcing device to start to measure the second uptime. The connecting device can be configured to transmit a message including the first uptime to the announcing device. The announcing device can compare the first uptime with the second uptime, and if the first uptime is within a predetermined tolerance range of the second uptime, the announcing device can send a pairing message to the connecting device, which can cause the announcing device to automatically pair with the connecting device for subsequent wireless communication, provided that the authorization response message also indicates that the connecting device is an authorized device. Regardless of the time-based pairing operation used, the announcing device can ignore transmissions from any other device that does not successfully respond to the authorization challenge.

[0173] Optionally, the connection device of the nineteenth aspect may comprise a patient bed, and the notification device may comprise a wall module that can be mounted at a fixed location in the patient room. Further optionally, the wall module can be connected to at least one nurse call computer and can be configured to transmit messages wirelessly received from the patient bed to the nurse call computer.

[0174] According to a twentieth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a wireless adapter for use with a hospital bed that may have a power port and a nurse call connector port, and also for use with a wall module that may have wireless communication capabilities. The wireless adapter may include: a housing configurable to be mounted to the hospital bed; a circuit configurable to wirelessly communicate with the wall module; a first power cord extendable from the housing and configurable to couple to the power port of the hospital bed; a nurse call cable extendable from the housing and configurable to couple to the nurse call connector port of the hospital bed; and a second power cord extendable from the housing and configurable to couple to an alternating current (AC) outlet that may be carried by the wall module. Power from the AC outlet may be provided to the hospital bed via the first power cord and the second power cord.

[0175] In some embodiments of the twentieth aspect, the circuit can be configured to perform a time-based pairing operation with the wall module, thereby pairing for subsequent wireless communication. For example, the time-based pairing operation can be initiated in response to inserting the power plug of the second power cord into an AC outlet. Optionally, the circuit of the wireless adapter includes a current sensor that can sense whether the second power cord is receiving AC power.

[0176] In some embodiments of the twentieth aspect, plugging the second power cord into the AC outlet can cause a first timer of the line of the wireless adapter to start to measure the first uptime. Additionally, plugging the second power cord into the AC outlet can cause a second timer of the wall module to start to measure the second uptime. The wall module can be configured to transmit a notification to the wireless adapter that may include the second uptime. The wireless adapter can compare the second uptime with the first uptime, and if the second uptime is within a predetermined tolerance of the first uptime, the wireless adapter can send a pairing message to the wall module, which can cause the wall module to automatically pair with the wireless adapter for subsequent wireless communication.

[0177] In other embodiments of the twentieth aspect, plugging the power cord into an AC outlet can cause a first timer of the wireless adapter's circuit to start to measure a first uptime. Additionally, plugging the power cord into the AC outlet can cause a second timer of the wall module to start to measure a second uptime. The wireless adapter can be configured to send a message to the wall module that may include the second uptime. The wall module can compare the first uptime to the second uptime, and if the first uptime is within a predetermined tolerance of the second uptime, the wall module can send a pairing message to the wireless adapter, which automatically pairs the wall module with the bed for subsequent wireless communication.

[0178] Optionally, the circuitry of the wireless adapter includes a controller and an AC / DC converter, which can be coupled to the second power line and can be coupled to the controller. The AC / DC converter can be configured to convert AC power to DC power that can be used to drive the controller. Further optionally, the circuitry can include a wall module AC connector, which is accessible from outside the housing and can be configured to couple to a power connector that can be located at one end of the second power line. Optionally, AC power received from the second power line by the wall module AC connector can be fed to the first power line.

[0179] In some embodiments of the twentieth aspect, the circuitry of the wireless adapter may include a controller and at least one shift register or relay coupleable to the controller. The nurse call line may include one or more conductors coupleable to the at least one shift register or relay. Alternatively or additionally, the circuitry of the wireless adapter may include a controller and at least one audio encoder / decoder (codec) coupleable to the controller. The nurse call line may include one or more conductors coupleable to the audio codec. Further alternatively or additionally, the circuitry of the wireless adapter may include a controller, and the nurse call line may include at least one serial peripheral interface (SPI) conductor that may be coupled to the controller to communicate bed data that may be received via the nurse call line to the controller for wireless transmission to the wall module.

[0180] According to a twenty-first aspect of the present disclosure, a system may include a hospital bed having a power port, a nurse call connector port, a wall module having wireless communication capabilities and an alternating current (AC) outlet, and a wireless adapter configured to provide wireless communication capabilities to the hospital bed. The wireless adapter may include: a housing configured to be mounted to the hospital bed; wiring that may be located within the housing and configured to wirelessly communicate with the wall module; a first power cord that may extend from the housing and be configured to couple to the power port of the hospital bed; a nurse call cable that may extend from the housing and be configured to couple to the nurse call connector port of the hospital bed; and a second power cord that may extend from the housing and be configured to couple to the AC outlet of the wall module. Power from the AC outlet may be provided to the hospital bed via the first power cord and the second power cord.

[0181] In some embodiments of the twenty-first aspect, the circuitry can be configured to perform a time-based pairing operation with the wall module, thereby pairing the second power line with the wall module for subsequent wireless communication. For example, the time-based pairing operation can be initiated in response to inserting the power plug of the second power line into an AC outlet. Optionally, the circuitry of the wireless adapter can include a current sensor that senses whether the second power line is receiving AC power.

[0182] In some embodiments of the twenty-first aspect, plugging the second power cord into the AC outlet can cause a first timer of the line of the wireless adapter to start to measure the first uptime. Additionally, plugging the second power cord into the AC outlet can cause a second timer of the wall module to start to measure the second uptime. The wall module can be configured to transmit a notification to the wireless adapter that may include the second uptime. The wireless adapter can compare the second uptime with the first uptime, and if the second uptime is within a predetermined tolerance of the first uptime, the wireless adapter can send a pairing message to the wall module, which can cause the wall module to automatically pair with the wireless adapter for subsequent wireless communication.

[0183] In other embodiments of the twenty-first aspect, plugging the power cord into an AC outlet can cause a first timer of the wireless adapter's circuit to start to measure a first uptime. Additionally, plugging the power cord into the AC outlet can cause a second timer of the wall module to start to measure a second uptime. The wireless adapter can be configured to send a message to the wall module that may include the second uptime. The wall module can compare the first uptime to the second uptime, and if the first uptime is within a predetermined tolerance of the second uptime, the wall module can send a pairing message to the wireless adapter, which automatically pairs the wall module with the bed for subsequent wireless communication.

[0184] Optionally, the circuitry of the wireless adapter of the twenty-first aspect may include a controller and an AC / DC converter, the AC / DC converter being coupled to the second power line and to the controller. The AC / DC converter may be configured to convert AC power to DC power that can be used to drive the controller. Alternatively or additionally, the circuitry of the wireless adapter may include a wall module AC connector, which is accessible from outside the housing and is configured to couple to a power connector that may be located at one end of the second power line. Optionally, the AC power received from the second power line by the wall module AC connector may be fed to the first power line.

[0185] The present disclosure further contemplates that the circuitry of the wireless adapter may include a controller and at least one shift register or relay coupleable to the controller. The nurse call line may include one or more conductors coupleable to the at least one shift register or relay. Alternatively or additionally, the circuitry may include a controller and at least one audio encoder / decoder (codec) coupleable to the controller. The nurse call line may include one or more conductors coupleable to the audio codec. Further alternatively or additionally, the circuitry may include a controller and the nurse call line may include at least one serial peripheral interface (SPI) conductor coupleable to the controller to communicate bed data received via the nurse call line to the controller for wireless transmission to the wall module.

[0186] According to a twenty-second aspect of the present disclosure, a method for adding wireless communication capabilities to a hospital bed lacking wireless communication capabilities is provided. The method may include: attaching a housing of a wireless adapter to the hospital bed; plugging a first power cord extendable from the housing into a power port of the hospital bed; plugging a nurse call cable extendable from the housing into a nurse call connector port of the hospital bed; and plugging a second power cord extendable from the housing into an alternating current (AC) outlet carried by a wall module, so that power from the AC outlet can be provided to the hospital bed via the first power cord and the second power cord.

[0187] In some embodiments, the method may further include utilizing the wireless adapter's wiring to perform a time-based pairing operation with the wall module, thereby pairing the two for subsequent wireless communication. For example, the time-based pairing operation may be initiated in response to inserting a power plug of the second power line into an AC outlet. Optionally, the wireless adapter's wiring may include a current sensor that can sense whether the second power line is receiving AC power.

[0188] In some embodiments, the method of aspect 22 may further include: in response to the second power cord being plugged into the AC outlet, starting a first timer of the circuit of the wireless adapter to measure a first uptime; in response to the second power cord being plugged into the AC outlet, starting a second timer of the wall module to measure a second uptime; transmitting a notification that may include the second uptime from the wall module to the wireless adapter; comparing the second uptime with the first uptime using the circuit of the wireless adapter; and if the second uptime is within a predetermined tolerance range of the first uptime, sending a pairing message from the wireless adapter to the wall module, which can cause the wall module to automatically pair with the wireless adapter for subsequent wireless communication.

[0189] In other embodiments, the method of aspect 22 may further include: in response to the second power cord being plugged into the AC outlet, starting a first timer of the line of the wireless adapter to measure a first uptime; in response to the second power cord being plugged into the AC outlet, starting a second timer of the wall module to measure a second uptime; transmitting a message from the wireless adapter to the wall module that may include the first uptime; comparing the first uptime with the second uptime using the wall module; and if the first uptime is within a predetermined tolerance range of the second uptime, sending a pairing message from the wall module to the wireless adapter, which can cause the wall module to automatically pair with the wireless adapter for subsequent wireless communication.

[0190] Optionally, the circuitry of the wireless adapter of the twenty-second aspect may include a controller and an AC / DC converter, the AC / DC converter being coupled to the second power line and to the controller. In these embodiments, the method may further include converting the AC power to DC power for driving the controller using the AC / DC converter. Alternatively or additionally, the method may further include plugging a power connector at one end of the second power line into an AC connector on a wall module accessible from outside the housing. Further alternatively or additionally, the method may further include feeding AC power received from the second power line by the AC connector on the wall module to the first power line.

[0191] The present disclosure further contemplates that the circuitry of the wireless adapter further includes a controller and at least one shift register or relay coupleable to the controller. In these embodiments, the method may further include coupling signals received on one or more conductors of the nurse call line to the at least one shift register or relay. Alternatively, the circuitry of the wireless adapter may include a controller and at least one audio encoder / decoder (codec) coupleable to the controller. In these embodiments, the method may further include coupling signals received on one or more conductors of the nurse call line to the audio codec. Further alternatively or additionally, the circuitry of the wireless adapter may include a controller and the nurse call line may include at least one serial peripheral interface (SPI) conductor. In these embodiments, the method may further include communicating bed data to the controller via the at least one SPI conductor and wirelessly transmitting the bed data to the wall module.

[0192] According to a twenty-third aspect of the present disclosure, a system may include a first medical device, which may have a first wireless transceiver, a first sensor, and an alternating current (AC) outlet. The system of the twenty-third aspect may also include a second device, which may have a second wireless transceiver, a second sensor, and a power line that may terminate at a power plug. The first sensor and the second sensor may both be operable to sense that the power plug of the power line of the second medical device may be inserted into the AC outlet of the first medical device. In response to the power plug of the second medical device being inserted into the AC outlet of the first medical device, the first medical device and the second medical device may perform a time-based wireless pairing operation, wherein a first uptime that can be calculated by the first medical device can be compared with a second uptime that can be calculated by the second medical device. The first uptime can be a first amount of time that has passed since the first sensor sensed that the power connector was inserted into the AC outlet. The second uptime can be a second amount of time that has passed since the second sensor sensed that the power plug was inserted into the AC outlet.

[0193] In some embodiments of the twenty-third aspect, the first device may include a hospital bed and the second device may include a medical monitor. In some embodiments, the hospital bed may include a frame and an AC outlet mountable to the frame. Optionally, the wireless pairing operation may include the hospital bed sending notifications that may include the first uptime to the medical monitor, and the medical monitor may scan these notifications. Optionally, the medical monitor may be configured to compare the first uptime with the second uptime by subtracting the first uptime from the second uptime to determine an uptime difference, and the medical monitor may compare the uptime difference with a threshold. If the uptime difference is less than the threshold, the medical monitor may send a pairing message to the hospital bed to wirelessly pair the medical monitor with the bed. Further optionally, after the hospital bed and the medical monitor are paired in this manner, the medical monitor may send monitoring data to the hospital bed for display on a graphical user interface (GUI) of the hospital bed.

[0194] The present disclosure further contemplates that the wireless pairing operation may include the medical monitor sending notifications to the bed, which may include the second uptime, and the bed may scan these notifications. Optionally, the bed may be configured to compare the first uptime with the second uptime by subtracting the first uptime from the second uptime to determine an uptime difference, and the bed may compare the uptime difference with a threshold. If the uptime difference is less than the threshold, the bed may send a pairing message to the medical monitor to wirelessly pair the medical monitor with the bed. Further optionally, after the bed and the medical monitor are paired in this alternative manner, the medical monitor may send monitoring data to the bed for display on the bed's graphical user interface (GUI).

[0195] Generally speaking, the wireless pairing operation of the twenty-third aspect can include a first medical device sending notifications that may include a first uptime to a second medical device, and the second medical device can scan for these notifications. Optionally, the second medical device can be configured to compare the first uptime to the second uptime by subtracting the first uptime from the second uptime to determine an uptime difference, and the second medical device can compare the uptime difference to a threshold. In these embodiments, if the uptime difference is less than the threshold, the second medical device can send a pairing message to the first medical device to wirelessly pair the first medical device with the second medical device.

[0196] Alternatively, the wireless pairing operation of the twenty-third aspect may include the second medical device sending notifications to the first medical device that may include the first uptime, and the first medical device may scan for these notifications. Optionally, the first medical device may be configured to compare the first uptime to the second uptime by subtracting the first uptime from the second uptime to determine an uptime difference, and the first medical device may compare the uptime difference to a threshold. In these embodiments, if the uptime difference is less than the threshold, the first medical device may send a pairing message to the second medical device to wirelessly pair the first medical device with the second medical device.

[0197] Optionally, the first medical device includes an ambient light sensor, the second medical device includes at least one illuminable indicator, and the brightness of the at least one illuminable indicator of the second medical device can be controlled based on information that can be wirelessly transmitted from the first medical device to the second medical device and that can be related to the ambient light detected by the ambient light sensor. Optionally, after the first medical device and the second medical device are paired, the second medical device can send data to the first medical device for display on a graphical user interface (GUI) of the first medical device.

[0198] In some embodiments of the twenty-third aspect, after the first medical device and the second medical device are paired, the second medical device can wirelessly transmit data to the first medical device for the first medical device to subsequently transmit the data to a remote computer. For example, the remote computer can include one of a nurse call server, a nurse call host computer, an electronic medical record server, and a healthcare information system server.

[0199] Optionally, the first medical device can be coupled to a data port via a data cable, which can be located in a patient room with the first medical device and the second medical device. In these embodiments, data that the first medical device can wirelessly receive from the second medical device can be transmitted to a remote computer via the data cable and the data port. Alternatively or additionally, the first medical device can be configured to wirelessly communicate with a wall unit, which can be located in a patient room with the first medical device and the second medical device. In these embodiments, data that the first medical device can wirelessly receive from the second medical device can be wirelessly transmitted to the wall unit, which forwards the data to the remote computer.

[0200] In some embodiments of the twenty-third aspect, the first medical device may further include a second power cord that may terminate in a second power plug, and the wall unit may include a second AC outlet. In response to the second power plug of the first medical device being plugged into the second AC outlet of the wall unit, the first medical device and the wall unit may perform a time-based wireless pairing operation, wherein a third uptime that can be calculated by the first medical device can be compared to a fourth uptime that can be calculated by the wall unit.

[0201] According to a twenty-fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a system may include a wall module, the wall module may have a first wireless transceiver and a first line, the first wireless transceiver and the first line may be configured to transmit an audio feed. The system of the twenty-fourth aspect may also include a patient bed, the patient bed may include a second wireless transceiver, a speaker, and a second line, the second line may be coupled to the speaker and the second wireless transceiver. The second wireless transceiver may be configured to wirelessly communicate with the first wireless transceiver. The first line of the wall module may be configured to detect the presence of a pillowside speaker unit, and in response to the wall module's line detecting the pillowside speaker unit, the wall module may be configured to communicate with the second wireless transceiver via the first wireless transceiver in a first manner, the first manner being able to prevent the audio feed from being audibly played through the speaker of the patient bed.

[0202] In some embodiments of the system of the twenty-fourth aspect, in response to detecting the presence of the pillow speaker, the first circuit can instruct the first wireless transceiver to transmit an audio packet that can correspond to silence. For example, the audio packet corresponding to silence can contain all zeros. Optionally, the first circuit of the wall module can be further configured to detect the absence of the pillow speaker unit, and in response to the first circuit detecting the absence of the pillow speaker unit, the wall module can be configured to communicate, via the first wireless transceiver, with the second wireless transceiver in a second manner that can allow the audio feed to be audibly played through the bed's speaker.

[0203] Optionally, the system of the twenty-fourth aspect can further include a mobile device, the mobile device being configured to wirelessly communicate with the wall module and being configured to display user input, the user input being operable to command the wall module to operate in the first mode or the second mode. Optionally, the mobile device can be further configured to receive firmware installation input from a user to upload the firmware to the first line of the wall module via the first transceiver.

[0204] In some embodiments of the system of the twenty-fourth aspect, the bed can include a graphical user interface (GUI) that can be configured to receive input from a user to control functions of the bed. In these embodiments, the GUI can be configured to receive a first user input that can cause a mute command to be transmitted from the second wireless transceiver of the bed to the first wireless transceiver of the wall module to command the first line of the wall module to operate in a first mode, thereby muting the bed's speakers. Optionally, the GUI of the twenty-fourth aspect can be configured to receive a second user input that can cause an unmute command to be transmitted from the second wireless transceiver of the bed to the first wireless transceiver of the wall module to command the first line of the wall module to operate in a second mode, which can allow the audio feed to be audibly played through the bed's speakers.

[0205] Optionally, with respect to the system of aspect 24, the first circuit of the wall module and the second circuit of the bed can perform a time-based pairing operation to pair the bed with the wall module. For example, the time-based pairing operation can be initiated by plugging the power plug of the bed into the power socket of the wall module.

[0206] In some embodiments of the twenty-fourth aspect, plugging the power cord into the power outlet can cause a first timer on the bed to start measuring a first uptime, and can cause a second timer on the wall module to start measuring a second uptime. The wall module of the twenty-fourth aspect can be configured to transmit a notification from the first wireless transceiver to the bed, which can include the second uptime, and the bed can be configured to compare the second uptime with the first uptime. If the second uptime is within a predetermined tolerance of the first uptime, the bed of the twenty-fourth aspect can be configured to send a pairing message to the wall module, which can cause the wall module to automatically pair with the bed for subsequent wireless communication. Alternatively, the bed of the twenty-fourth aspect can be configured to transmit a message from the second wireless transceiver to the wall module, which can compare the first uptime with the second uptime, and if the first uptime is within a predetermined tolerance of the second uptime, the wall module can be configured to send a pairing message to the bed, which can cause the wall module to automatically pair with the bed for subsequent wireless communication.

[0207] Optionally, the system of the twenty-fourth aspect can further include a nurse call line that can extend from the wall module and can terminate at a first nurse call connector that can be configured to connect to a nurse call port of the nurse call system. Further optionally, the nurse call line can include an auxiliary line leg that can terminate at a second nurse call connector that can be coupled to a third nurse call connector that can be located at one end of the bed nurse call line that can extend from the patient bed.

[0208] Optionally, the hospital bed of the twenty-fourth aspect may include a first WiFi transceiver, and the wall module may include a second WiFi transceiver. The first WiFi transceiver and the second WiFi transceiver may each be configured to send WiFi messages to at least one wireless access point of the network and receive WiFi messages from at least one access point of the network.

[0209] In some embodiments, the first circuit of the wall module of the twenty-fourth aspect can be configured to detect the presence of the bedside speaker unit by determining the presence of an echo caused by the bedside speaker unit and the bed's speaker playing the same or similar audio. Alternatively or additionally, the first circuit of the wall module of the twenty-fourth aspect can be configured to detect the presence of the bedside speaker unit by receiving a signal from a nurse call system indicating that the bedside speaker unit is connectable to the nurse call system.

[0210] Additional features, alone or in combination with any other features as listed above and in the claims, may comprise patentable subject matter and will become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the following detailed description of various embodiments illustrating the best mode of carrying out the embodiments as presently recognized. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0211] The following is a detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0212] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a partial perspective portion of a healthcare facility network in which a patient bed is paired with a wall module and communicates wirelessly, the wall module in turn communicates with a nurse call system via a wired connection and can communicate wirelessly with one or more access points (WAPs), and the bed can also communicate wirelessly with one or more WAPs;

[0213] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the electrical components of the bed and wall modules;

[0214] Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a wall module arranged to be coupled to an alternating current (AC) duplex receptacle mounted to a panel attached to a patient room wall adjacent the head end of a patient bed, and showing a nurse call cord extending from the bottom of the wall module and terminating in a nurse call connector arranged to be coupled to a nurse call port mounted to an audio station bed connector (ASBC) at a bed locator unit mounted to a patient room wall;

[0215] Figure 4 For Figure 3a similar perspective view showing a wall module coupled to an AC duplex outlet, a nurse call connector coupled to the nurse call port, and a power plug of a power cable extending from a patient bed and arranged to couple to the AC outlet of the wall module;

[0216] Figure 5 For Figure 4 A similar perspective view showing the bed's power cable plugged into the wall module's power plug, initiating a time-based wireless pairing operation between the bed and the wall module;

[0217] Figure 6A is a swim lane diagram illustrating steps of a time-based wireless pairing operation, wherein the wall module starts a first timer in response to a bed power plug being plugged into a receptacle of the wall module, the bed starts a second timer in response to receiving AC power from the wall module, the wall module performs a series of Bluetooth (BT) scans to listen for the bed, the bed transmits one or more BT advertisements including the bed uptime as measured by the second timer, and in response to the bed uptime from the bed being within a predetermined tolerance of the module uptime as measured by the first timer, the wall module initiates wireless pairing with the bed;

[0218] Figure 6B is a swim lane diagram illustrating steps of an alternative time-based wireless pairing operation, wherein the wall module initiates a first timer in response to a bed power plug being plugged into a receptacle of the wall module, the bed initiates a second timer in response to receiving AC power from the wall module, the wall module transmits a series of BT advertisements to the bed including the wall module uptime as measured by the first timer, the bed performs one or more BT scans, and in response to the wall module uptime from the wall module being within a predetermined tolerance of the bed uptime as measured by the second timer, the bed initiates wireless pairing with the wall module;

[0219] Figure 6C is a swim lane diagram illustrating steps of an alternative wireless pairing operation, wherein the wall module transmits a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) advertisement including manufacturer (MFG) data, the bed performs a series of BLE scans after the bed BT radio is ready, the bed compares the received MFG data with stored MFG data, if the MFG data matches, the bed stores the BLE media access control (MAC) address of the wall module in memory, and then the bed switches from a BLE communication mode to a BT basic rate / enhanced data rate (BR / EDR) communication mode, wherein the wireless pairing occurs in response to the bed transmitting the wall module's MAC address back to the wall module while in the BR / EDR communication mode;

[0220] Figure 6Dis a swim lane diagram illustrating steps of another alternative wireless pairing operation, wherein the bed transmits a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) advertisement including manufacturer (MFG) data, the wall module performs a series of BLE scans after the wall module BT radio is ready, the wall module compares the received MFG data with stored MFG data, if the MFG data matches, the wall module stores the BLE MAC address of the bed in memory, and then the wall module switches from a BLE communication mode to a BR / EDR communication mode, wherein the wireless pairing occurs in response to the wall module transmitting the bed's MAC address back to the bed while in the BR / EDR communication mode;

[0221] Figure 7 For Figure 5 a similar perspective view, but showing a Y-cable extending from the bottom of the wall module, the Y-cable having a first nurse call connector coupled to the nurse call port of the ASBC, and the Y-cable having a second nurse call connector configured to couple to a mating nurse call connector at one end of the nurse call cable extending from the patient bed;

[0222] Figure 8 For Figure 7 a similar perspective view wherein a second nurse call connector of the Y-cable is connected to a nurse call cable extending from the patient's room to enable wired data communication between the patient bed and the wall module, and to enable wired data communication between the patient bed and the ASBC;

[0223] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing the electrical component portion of a wall module including shift registers and / or relays, serial peripheral interface (SPI) lines, and an audio codec interconnecting a controller of the wall unit with a nurse call / wired bed connector of the wall module and showing a Y-cable extending from the wall module;

[0224] Figure 10 For Figure 8 A similar perspective view shows an alternative embodiment cable extending from the bottom of the wall module, the alternative embodiment cable terminating in a dual coupler nurse call connector, the first coupler of the dual coupler nurse call connector being configured to mate with the nurse call port of the ASBC and the second coupler of the dual coupler nurse call connector being configured to mate with the nurse call cable extending from the bed ( Figure 10 (not shown) at one end thereof;

[0225] Figure 11 For Figure 10 a similar perspective view showing a connector at one end of a nurse call cable extending from the bed coupled to a second coupler of a dual-coupler nurse call connector, thereby providing a wired connection between the bed and the nurse call system;

[0226] Figure 12 For Figure 5 A similar perspective view shows an alternative embodiment wall module having a nurse call connection port located next to the duplex AC outlet of the wall module, the nurse call connection port of the wall module being configured to connect to a nurse call cable ( Figure 12 (not shown) to mate with a connector at one end;

[0227] Figure 13 For Figure 12 a similar perspective view showing a connector at one end of a nurse call cable extending from the bed coupled to a nurse call connection port of the wall module, thereby providing a wired connection between the bed and the nurse call system through the wall module;

[0228] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of a first embodiment of a plug detector for use in a wall module, the first embodiment of the plug detector including a light emitter / light detector pair generally horizontally aligned with a power prong receiving opening of each receptacle of a duplex AC receptacle of the wall unit;

[0229] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of a second embodiment of a plug detector for use in a wall module, the second embodiment of the plug detector including a light emitter and a light detector generally vertically aligned with a power prong receiving opening of a duplex AC receptacle of the wall unit;

[0230] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of a third embodiment of a plug detector for use in a wall module, the third embodiment of the plug detector including a mechanical switch that changes from an open state to a closed state in response to a plug being inserted into each receptacle of a duplex AC receptacle of the wall module;

[0231] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of a fourth embodiment of a plug detector for use in a wall module, the fourth embodiment of the plug detector including a current sensor coupled to a power pin of each receptacle of a duplex AC receptacle of the wall module;

[0232] Figure 18 For Figure 4 a similar perspective view showing a transponder tag attached to a power plug at one end of a power cord extending from a patient bed;

[0233] Figure 19 For Figure 18 a similar perspective view showing the plug with the transponder tag inserted into one of the receptacles of the wall module's duplex AC outlet so that a reader within the wall module can sense the transponder of the transponder tag and start a timer of the wall module as part of a time-based wireless pairing operation;

[0234] Figure 20 A perspective view illustrating a medical bed being connected to a medical monitor via a universal serial bus (USB) cable to initiate a wireless pairing operation between the bed and the monitor;

[0235] Figure 21 To show Figure 20 A swim-lane diagram showing the steps for wireless pairing between the bed and the monitor;

[0236] Figure 22 A perspective view of a mobile phone being connected to a speaker unit via a mini-USB cable or similar cable to initiate a wireless pairing operation between the phone and the speaker unit;

[0237] Figure 23 To show Figure 22 A swim lane diagram showing the steps of wireless pairing operation between the phone and the speaker unit;

[0238] Figure 24 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment wall module illustrating a healthcare facility duplex AC outlet accessible within a recess formed in a front housing wall of the alternative embodiment wall module, illustrating an illuminable wireless bed communication icon to the left of the recess in the front housing wall, and illustrating a bed icon placard on a top housing wall indicating that a power cord originating from the bed should be plugged into one of the AC outlets of the duplex outlet;

[0239] Figure 25 for Figure 24 a front view of the center wall module showing an alert icon displayed below the nurse call icon;

[0240] Figure 26 For Figure 7 Similar perspective view showing the extension from Figure 24 and Figure 25 a Y-cable at a bottom portion of the middle wall module, the Y-cable having a first nurse call connector coupled to the nurse call port of the ASBC, and the Y-cable having a second nurse call connector configured to couple to a mating nurse call connector at an end of the nurse call cable extending from the patient bed;

[0241] Figure 27 For Figure 26 Similar perspective view showing the bed icon placard omitted from the housing top wall and replaced with a bed power placard adhered to the vertical wall of the maintenance box and positioned above the wall module;

[0242] Figure 28 for Figure 24 and Figure 25a perspective view of the first step in the installation process of a wall module, showing the healthcare facility duplex AC receptacle removed from the healthcare facility's electrical junction box and arranged for insertion into a recess formed in the back wall of the wall module, showing the short coupling screws on the front of the wall module, and showing the electrical wiring originating from the wall module being attached by the screws to the neutral and hot wires on either side of the healthcare facility's duplex AC receptacle;

[0243] Figure 29 For Figure 28 a perspective view of a further step in a similar installation process showing the duplex AC receptacle received in a recess in the rear wall of the wall module, upper and lower spacers arranged to be inserted into the recess in the rear wall of the wall module and aligned with corresponding upper and lower flanges of the ground frame of the duplex AC receptacle, and upper and lower long screws arranged to be inserted through the front and rear walls of the wall module, through apertures in the corresponding upper and lower flanges of the ground frame, and through the corresponding upper and lower spacers for receipt in the threaded receptacles of the junction box;

[0244] Figure 30 For Figure 29 a perspective view of a further step in a similar installation process showing upper and lower spacers received in recesses in the back wall of the wall module and showing threaded portions of long screws projecting from the upper and lower spacers toward the junction box;

[0245] Figure 31 For Figure 30 a perspective view of a still further step in a similar installation process showing the wall module secured to the junction box;

[0246] Figure 32 for Figures 24 to 31 a perspective view of a center wall module showing a modified nurse call cable extending from the bottom of the wall module and terminating in a nurse call connector arranged to couple to a nurse call port of an audio station bed connector (ASBC) mounted on a room wall in a patient room;

[0247] Figure 33 For Figure 32 A similar perspective view shows the nurse call connector of the modified nurse call cable coupled to the nurse call port of the ASBC to complete the Figures 24 to 32 Installation process of the middle wall module;

[0248] Figure 34 for Figures 24 to 33An exploded view of the center wall module showing, from left to right, an upper spacer, a lower spacer, a healthcare facility duplex AC outlet, four coupling screws, a molded back panel of the housing with a nurse call cable extending downwardly therefrom, grommets for the wall module electrical wiring, a nurse call circuit board, a main circuit board having a rectangular opening for receiving the AC outlet of the duplex AC outlet and having a light emitter and a light detector supported on opposite sides of the rectangular opening, a WiFi / Bluetooth antenna, a molded front panel of the housing, a decorative cover, and long and short screws;

[0249] Figure 35 For the Figure 33 a cross-sectional view of the wall module taken along line 35-35, showing one of the light emitters and one of the light detectors in optical communication through respective apertures formed in a side wall of a portion of the housing front panel, defining a recess in the housing front wall, and showing the nurse call circuit board and the main circuit board supported in a spaced-apart, parallel relationship with each other within the interior region of the wall module housing;

[0250] Figure 36 Schematic diagram showing a first system architecture, wherein Figures 24 to 35 The wall module in the embodiment communicates wirelessly with the bed and communicates with the ASBC via a wired communication link, and the nurse call server in turn communicates with a remote server via the Internet (i.e., the cloud), wherein the nurse call software on the bed, the wall module, the ASBC, and the nurse call server are all provided by the same manufacturer;

[0251] Figure 37 For Figure 36 A similar diagram shows a second system architecture, wherein Figures 24 to 35 The wall module communicates wirelessly with the bed and communicates with a nurse call interface and a nurse call server via a wired communication link, wherein the nurse call software on the nurse call interface and the nurse call server are provided by different manufacturers than the bed and the wall module;

[0252] Figure 38 For Figure 37 A similar schematic diagram illustrates a third system architecture in which the bed is configured to wirelessly communicate with a remote server via the Internet (i.e., the cloud);

[0253] Figure 39 For Figure 38 A similar schematic diagram illustrates a fourth system architecture in which both the bed and the wall modules are configured to communicate wirelessly with a remote server via the Internet (i.e., the cloud);

[0254] Figure 40 For Figure 38 A similar schematic diagram illustrates a fifth system architecture in which the bed is configured to wirelessly communicate with one or more bed data servers of the healthcare facility;

[0255] Figure 41 is a schematic diagram of a sixth system architecture, wherein the bed is coupled to a wall module via a wired connection, the wall module is coupled to the ASBC and one or more bed data servers via a wired communication link, wherein the bed is configured to wirelessly communicate with one or more remote servers and one or more digital health portal servers;

[0256] Figure 42 is a schematic diagram of a seventh system architecture, wherein the wall module is in wireless communication with the bed and communicates via a wired communication link with the ASBC and a nurse call server that also serves as a bed data server, the wall module being further configured to be in wireless communication with the bed data server and one or more digital health portal servers and / or remote servers, wherein the bed is configured to be in wireless communication with the one or more remote servers;

[0257] Figure 43 is a schematic diagram showing a hospital bed having an ambient light sensor circuit located in a sidebar of the bed for respective controllers controlling the brightness of illumination of light emitting diodes (LEDs) and a graphical user interface (GUI), and showing a wall unit having an indicator and a controller of the wall unit configured to control the brightness of the wall unit indicator based on information wirelessly transmitted from the hospital bed regarding ambient light detected by the ambient light sensor circuit;

[0258] Figure 44 is a circuit schematic diagram of one of the ambient light sensor circuits, wherein the other ambient light sensor circuit is identical;

[0259] Figure 45A and Figure 45B is a system block diagram, in which the wall module and the bed communicate data via a Bluetooth transceiver and also communicate audio via a frequency modulation (FM) transceiver;

[0260] Figure 46 is a block diagram of a system in which a wall module wirelessly communicates with a patient bed, wherein the wall module includes a correlator to determine a correlation parameter by comparing a wired incoming audio signal with a wireless incoming audio signal, and to mute one or more speakers of the patient bed if the correlation parameter violates a threshold condition;

[0261] Figure 47 for Figure 46 an algorithm executed by the mid-wall module to determine whether to mute one or more speakers of the bed;

[0262] Figure 48 is a screenshot of an example of a login page that appears on a service technician's mobile device during initial configuration of a wall module in response to the service technician launching a configuration application;

[0263] Figure 49Screen capture of an example of a device page that responds to selecting Figure 48 The service technician's mobile device appears without a cable communication icon or button on the login page of the service technician's mobile device, the device page listing the wall module IDs of the wall modules that are within Bluetooth communication range of the service technician's mobile device;

[0264] Figure 50 is a screenshot of an example of a Configuration Home page that appears on a service technician's mobile device in response to selecting a Connect button that appears on a Devices page adjacent to a Module ID of a wireless module to which the service technician desires to connect for configuration purposes;

[0265] Figure 51 is a screenshot of an example of a settings page that responds to selecting Figure 50 the settings page appears on the service technician's mobile device instead of the settings icon on the home page of the bed, the settings page including a speaker slider that can be slid between an on position to unmute and an off position to respectively mute a speaker of the bed to which the bed will be paired in the future or is currently paired, the settings page further having date and time fields that can be selected to adjust the date and time, and the settings page further having a nurse call slider that can be moved between an active position and an inactive position;

[0266] Figure 52 Screen capture of an example maintenance page that responds to selecting Figure 50 Home page or Figure 51 the maintenance page appears on the service technician's mobile device when the maintenance icon on the setup page is displayed, the maintenance page including a Firmware Version field indicating the wall module firmware version stored on the service technician's mobile device that is designated for upload to the wall module; a Change File button selectable to select a different firmware version from the service technician's mobile device for upload to the wall module; and an Install Firmware button selectable to initiate upload of the designated firmware version to the selected wall module;

[0267] Figure 53 is a screenshot of an example of a settings / preferences page that appears on a bed's graphical user interface (GUI) as part of configuring audio for the bed;

[0268] Figure 54 Screen capture of an example of a bed features page that responds to selecting Figure 53 The Bed Features button on the Settings / Preferences page of the GUI appears instead;

[0269] Figure 55Screen shot of an example of a wireless audio page that responds to selecting Figure 54 the wireless audio button on the bed features page of the GUI, the wireless audio page including an off button selectable to mute the bed speakers and an on button selectable to unmute the bed speakers;

[0270] Figure 56 is a swim lane diagram illustrating the steps of wireless audio configuration operation between the bed and the wall module when the bed is used to mute the bed audio;

[0271] Figure 57A and Figure 57B is a system block diagram, where the wall module communicates data and audio with the bed via a Bluetooth transceiver, and also allows for muting the audio;

[0272] Figure 58 is a swim-lane diagram illustrating the steps of an authorization operation, wherein the notifying device issues an authorization challenge to identify the device and eliminate the possibility of Bluetooth pairing with the notifying device;

[0273] Figure 59 is a perspective view of a portion of a head end of a conventional hospital bed having a wireless adapter mounted to a base frame of the bed, the wireless adapter being configured to wirelessly pair with a wall module and to wirelessly communicate with the wall module after pairing, and the wireless adapter being configured to convert the conventional hospital bed that is not capable of wirelessly communicating with the wall module into a hospital bed capable of wirelessly communicating with the wall module;

[0274] Figure 60 for Figure 59 A schematic diagram of the electrical components of the wireless adapter;

[0275] Figure 61 A flow chart showing the Figure 59 and Figure 60 The steps of retrofitting a wireless adapter to a conventional bed to enable wireless communication between the conventional bed and the wall module;

[0276] Figure 62 is a perspective view showing a power plug at one end of a power cord of a medical monitor, the power plug being configured to connect to an AC outlet mounted on a bed frame to initiate a wireless pairing operation between the bed and the medical monitor;

[0277] Figure 63 To show Figure 62 A swim lane diagram showing steps of a first embodiment of wireless pairing operation between a traditional Chinese medicine bed and a medical monitor; and

[0278] Figure 64 To show Figure 62 A swim lane diagram illustrating steps in a second embodiment of wireless pairing operation between a traditional Chinese medicine bed and a medical monitor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0279] The system 20 for use in a healthcare facility 22 includes a medical device 30 and a method according to Figure 1 A wall module or wall unit 32 is shown that wirelessly communicates with a medical device 30 using a first wireless communication technology. The terms "wall module" and "wall unit" are used interchangeably herein. The wall unit 32 is an example of a communication unit according to the present disclosure. The illustrative medical device 30 includes a hospital bed 30, but the principles of the present disclosure are also applicable to other types of medical devices. For example, these other types of medical devices may include, but are not limited to: physiological monitors, such as electrocardiographs (EKGs), electroencephalograms (EEGs), pulse oximeters, blood pressure monitors, heart rate monitors, respiratory rate monitors, and temperature monitors; other patient care devices, including intravenous (IV) pumps, drug infusion pumps, respiratory therapy devices, ventilators, continuous compression devices (SCDs) for preventing deep vein thrombosis (DVT), hemodialysis machines, renal therapy devices, and passive motion machines; and other types of patient support devices, such as stretchers, chairs, wheelchairs, operating tables, patient lifts, and examination tables, to name a few.

[0280] The bed 30 and the wall module 32 are connected by Figure 1 The schematic diagram shows a bidirectional wireless communication link 34. In the illustrative example, the wireless communication between the bed 30 and the wall unit 32 is based on the Bluetooth communication protocol, so the communication link 34 includes a Bluetooth communication link 34. The communication range of Bluetooth (BT) technology generally depends on the power of the BT transmitter, and BT devices include: Class 1 devices, which have the highest power and can operate at a distance of up to about 100 meters (m) (about 330 feet); Class 2 devices, which are the most common type of BT device and can operate at a distance of up to about 10m (about 33 feet); and Class 3 devices, which generally do not operate at a distance greater than about 1m (3.3 feet). For the BT communication between the bed 30 and the wall module 32 contemplated herein, the use of Class 2 or Class 3 BT devices is sufficient, but this does not exclude the possibility of using Class 1 BT devices in the bed 30 and the wall module 32. In the illustrative embodiment, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is used as the communication technology between the bed 30 and the wall module 32.

[0281] Wireless communications from the bed 30 to the wall unit 32 via the link 34 include wireless bed data, including a bed identification (ID), and, where appropriate, wireless audio data. Wireless communications from the bed 30 to the wall unit 32 via the link 34 also include, where appropriate, nurse call, bed alarm, and room equipment control signals. Wireless communications from the bed 30 to the wall unit 32 via the link 34 include wireless command messages for controlling various features and functions of the bed 30, and, where appropriate, wireless audio data. The bed 30 and the wall unit 32 also exchange wireless pairing messages to "pair" the bed 30 with the wall unit 32, as described below in detail in conjunction with Figure 6A and Figure 6B In the illustrated embodiment, Bluetooth technology is the only wireless communication technology used for wireless communication between the bed 30 and the wall unit 32 .

[0282] After pairing, the wall unit 32 sends the smart location text string 36 as Figure 1 A one-way message 37 is schematically shown. The smart text string 36 matches the name of the room location where the wall module 32 is located and thus the bed 30 is located. The smart text string 36 can have a format such as "Room 308-A", for example. In some embodiments, the smart text string 36 is displayed by the bed 30 on a graphical user interface (GUI) 38. In the illustrative example, the bed 30 is a product of Hill-Rom, Inc. of Batesville, Indiana. The bed has a GUI 38 on one or both head end side rails 40. Additional details of the bed 30 can be found, for example, in US Pat. No. 10,517,784, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety to the extent consistent with the present disclosure, and the present disclosure controls for any inconsistencies.

[0283] Still refer to Figure 1 The wall modules 32 are connected to a nurse call infrastructure 42 via a wired data link 44. The nurse call infrastructure 42 includes nurse call components such as graphic room stations (GRS), graphic audio stations (GAS), standard room stations (SRS), staff audio stations (SAS), indicator lights (i.e., overhead lights) located in the corridors of the healthcare facility near the patient room doors, input / output (I / O) boards, routers, gateways, and other devices that provide a connection between the overall system 20 and the nurse call system portion 43 (sometimes referred to herein as the nurse call system 43). Figure 1 As shown, the nurse call system 43 also includes a nurse call server, one or more status boards 48, and one or more nurse call master stations 50 coupled to the nurse call infrastructure 42, such as by suitable cables.

[0284] In some embodiments, the nurse call system 43 is available from Yilong Corporation of Batesville, Indiana. Nurse Call System. Additional details of suitable nurse call systems 43 contemplated by the present disclosure may be found in U.S. Patent Nos. 8,598,995, 8,384,526, 8,169,304, 8,046,625, 7,746,218, 7,538,659, 7,319,386, 7,242,308, 6,897,780, 6,362,725, 6,147,592, 5,838,223, 5,699,038, and 5,561,412, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety to the extent consistent with the present disclosure, with the present disclosure controlling for any inconsistency. Additional details of the status board 48 and the type of information displayed thereon may be found in U.S. Patent No. 8,779,924, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety to the extent consistent with the present disclosure, with the present disclosure controlling for any inconsistency.

[0285] like Figure 1 As shown, the wall module 32 is further configured to communicate with one or more wireless access points (WAPs) 52 of the healthcare facility 22 via a wireless communication link 54. In some embodiments, the bed 30 is also configured to communicate with the one or more WAPs 52 via a wireless communication link 56. The wireless communication via the links 54, 56 is, for example, based on one or more IEEE 802.11 WiFi communication protocols. The links 54, 56 are bidirectional communication links such that wireless data and / or messages can be transmitted from the wall module 32 and the bed 30 via the respective links 54, 56, and wireless data and / or messages can be received by the wall module 32 and the bed 30 via the links 54, 56. It should be understood that the bed 30 and the wall module 32 may or may not communicate with the same one or more WAPs 52 via the links 54, 56.

[0286] The WAP 52 is coupled to the facility network 60 via suitable cables or the like to perform the following operations: Figure 1 The institutional network 60 is coupled to or includes one or more servers, such as a local bed data server 62, an electronic medical record (EMR) server 64, an admission / discharge / transfer (ADT) server 66, and one or more other servers 68 of the system 20. In some embodiments, multiple servers among the servers 46, 62, 64, 66, and 68 are combined into a single server. For example, in some embodiments of the system 20, the software that implements the functionality of the local bed data server 62 is SMARTSYNC obtained from Yilong Corporation. TM Software, and the software that realizes the function of nurse call server 46 is also obtained from Yilong Company The nurse call software and the local bed data server 62 are both stored and run by the same server. In other words, in some embodiments, the local bed data server 62 and the nurse call server 46 are combined into one server.

[0287] In the illustrative example, the facility network 60 is also communicatively coupled to a remote bed data server 70 via the cloud or the Internet 72. Thus, the local bed data server 62 is located within the healthcare facility 22, while the remote bed data server 70 is geographically remote from the healthcare facility 22. For example, the remote bed data server 70 may be located at the manufacturer's facility of the bed 30. Also in the illustrative example, the system 20 includes one or more room lights 74 and one or more entertainment devices 76, such as one or more televisions (TVs) 76, coupled to the nurse call infrastructure 42 via suitable cables or wires. The bed 30 includes a patient control panel 78 having inputs that can be pressed to control the room lights 74 and entertainment devices 76. For example, a patient supported on the bed 30 can use the inputs on the control panel 78 to turn the room lights 74 on and off, turn the TV on and off, and adjust the volume of the TV up or down. These commands for controlling the lights 74 and TV 76 are transmitted by the bed 30 to the wall module 32 via the wireless link 34, then to the nurse call infrastructure 42 via the wired link 44, and then to the lights 74 or TV 76, as the case may be.

[0288] The control panel 78 of the bed 30 also includes a nurse call input, typically a button used by the patient to make a nurse call. When a nurse call is made, the nurse call signal is transmitted from the bed 30 via the wired link 34 to the wall module 32, then to the nurse call infrastructure 42 via the wired link 44, and then to one or more of the nurse call master station 50, the status board 48, and the nurse call server 46. A nurse at the master station 50 can then initiate an audio communication channel from the station 50 to the bed 30, including via the wireless link 34 between the wall module 32 and the bed 30, to speak with the patient who made the nurse call. Thus, two-way audio communication between the patient and the nurse at the master nurse station 50 occurs via the wireless communication link 34 between the bed 30 and the wall unit 32.

[0289] Various bed alarms generated by the bed 30 are also communicated from the bed 30 to one or more of the nurse call server 46, the status board 48, and the master station 50 via the same communication path including the wireless link 34, the wall module 32, the wired link 44, and the nurse call infrastructure 42. These bed alarms include, for example, a bed exit alarm generated by the bed exit system of the bed 30 to indicate that the patient has left the bed 30 or has moved a threshold amount toward leaving the bed 30, a bed exit alarm to indicate that one of the head end sidebar 40 or the foot end sidebar 80 of the bed 30 has been moved from the bed 30, or a bed exit alarm to indicate that the patient has left the bed 30 or has moved a threshold amount toward leaving the bed 30. Figure 1A siderail down alarm indicates that the raised position shown is moved to a lowered position (not shown, but known in the art), a caster brake alarm indicates that one or more casters 82 of the bed 30 have become unbraked (i.e., released), a bed not lowered alarm indicates that the upper frame 84 of the bed 30 has been raised from a lowest position relative to the base frame 86 of the bed 30, and a head of bed (HOB) angle alarm indicates that the head section 180 of the bed 30 supporting the upper body support area 88 of the mattress 90 has been lowered below a threshold angle (e.g., 30 degrees) relative to the horizontal plane or relative to the upper frame 84.

[0290] It should be understood that the aforementioned bed alarms are communicated from the bed 30 only when the bed 30's wiring is enabled (e.g., turned on) to monitor the specific characteristic corresponding to the alarm. Thus, when monitoring of that specific characteristic is disabled (e.g., turned off), the corresponding alarm is not transmitted from the bed 30 via the wireless link 34. In some embodiments, other types of bed alarms, such as alarms regarding mattress airbag inflation (e.g., the pneumatic system of the bed 30 fails to inflate one or more airbags to a target pressure) and motor overtemperature alarms (e.g., the motor of the bed 30 overheats), to name just two examples, are also transmitted from the bed 30 via the wireless link 34.

[0291] In some embodiments, the nurse call initiated by the patient and the bed alarm generated by the bed 30 are also sent to a wireless communication device carried by the caregiver. For example, these wireless communication devices may include a tablet computer or a portable phone, such as a smart phone or a wireless telephone handset. In this regard, see, for example, U.S. Patent No. 7,319,386 and U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2020 / 0411179 and 2020 / 0066415, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety to the extent consistent with the present disclosure, and the present disclosure shall prevail for any inconsistency. Thus, in some embodiments, the other servers 68 of the system 20 may include a communication server, such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). For example, the nurse call server 46 initiates the communication of these alarms to the wireless communication device of the medical staff.

[0292] According to the present disclosure, bed 30 also detects and transmits a large amount of bed data unrelated to nurse calls and bed alarms, and stores this bed data in one or more of nurse call server 46, local bed data server 62, and remote bed data server 70. In this regard, see U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012 / 0316892, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety to the extent consistent with the present disclosure and which controls for any inconsistencies, including Table 1, which lists various types of bed data. In these embodiments, all available bed data is transmitted to server 62 and server 70. In other embodiments, different subsets of bed data are transmitted to different servers 46, 62, and 70, as determined by the system designer or administrator.

[0293] Some bed data may be transmitted from the bed 30 only via the wireless communication link 56, while some bed data may be transmitted from the bed 30 only via the wireless communication link 34. Bed data received by the wall module 32 may in turn be transmitted via one or both of the communication links 44, 54. In some embodiments, the wall module 32 transmits some received bed data via the wired communication link 44 and some received bed data via the wireless communication link 54. Again, the type of bed data transmitted by the bed 30 and the wall module 32 via the various communication links 34, 44, 54, 56 is determined by the system designer or administrator. Transmission messages containing bed data from the bed 30 and the wall module 32 include a destination address (e.g., an IP address or a media access control (MAC) address) of the device (e.g., the wall module 32 or the server 46, 62, 70) to which the message containing the bed data is to be sent.

[0294] Now refer to Figure 2 The bed 30 includes a main control board (MCB) 92 and a separate communication board 94. The MCB 92 includes a microprocessor 96 and a memory 98. The memory 98 stores bed operating software that is executed by the microprocessor 96 to perform various bed functions of the MCB 92. In some embodiments, the microprocessor 96 and the memory 98 are included in a microcontroller. The MCB 92 also includes a WiFi module or transceiver 100, such as a WiFi radio, which provides the bed 30 with the ability to communicate bidirectionally with the WAP 52 via the wireless communication link 56. In some embodiments, some or all of the microprocessor 96, the memory 98, and the WiFi transceiver 100 are included in a system on chip (SoC), a programmable system on chip (PSoC), a computer on module (CoM), or a system on module (SoM). In some embodiments, a VAR-SOM-MX6 system on module (SoM) available from Variscite, Inc. of Lod, Israel, is included as or on the MCB 92 of the bed 30.

[0295] The communication board 94 includes a microprocessor 102 and a memory 104. The memory 104 stores operating software that is executed by the microprocessor 102 to perform the various functions of the communication board 94. In some embodiments, the microprocessor 102 and the memory 104 are included in a microcontroller. The communication board also includes a Bluetooth module 106, such as a Bluetooth radio or transceiver, which provides the bed 30 with the ability to communicate bidirectionally with the wall module 32 via the wireless communication link 34. In addition, the communication board 94 includes a set of relays 108 or similar components (e.g., microswitches, etc.) that assume open and closed states based on user input and bed alarms. For example, one relay 108 closes when a patient makes a nurse call, another relay 108 closes in response to a bed exit alarm, and yet another relay 108 closes in response to the room light turning on, and so on.

[0296] The bed 30 further includes a speaker 110 and a microphone 112 to provide audio communication capabilities for the bed 30. In some embodiments, the speaker 110 also functions as a microphone, and a separate microphone 112 is omitted. Figure 2 In the illustrated example, the GUI 38 of the bed 30 is labeled with the acronym "FUD," which stands for "Flip-up Display." The abbreviation FUD is used because, in the illustrated example, the GUI 38 can be pivoted upward from a recess in the sidebar 40 to provide more ergonomic viewing for a healthcare provider standing next to the bed 30. In any case, the terms GUI 38 and FUD 38 are used interchangeably herein. In the illustrated example, the FUD 38 is electrically coupled to the communication board 94. In other examples, the FUD 38 is electrically coupled to the MCB 92.

[0297] Still refer to Figure 2 , the wall module 32 includes a system on module (SoM) that includes a microprocessor 116 and a memory 118. The memory 118 stores wall module operating software that is executed by the microprocessor 116 to perform various functions of the SOM 114. The SOM 114 also includes a WiFi module 120, such as a WiFi radio or transceiver, and a Bluetooth module 122, such as a Bluetooth radio or transceiver. The WiFi transceiver 120 provides the wall module 32 with the ability to communicate bidirectionally with the WAP 52 via the wireless communication link 54. The Bluetooth transceiver 122 provides the wall module 32 with the ability to communicate bidirectionally with the bed 30 via the wireless communication link 54. In some embodiments, the SOM 114 is a model DART 6U1 system available from Variscite, Inc. of Lod, Israel.

[0298] The wall module 32 also includes Figure 2A set of repeaters 124 are shown schematically. The repeaters 124 of the wall module 32 are substantially identical to the repeaters 108 of the communication board 94 of the MCB 92 of the bed 30. The Bluetooth radio 122 of the SOM 114 of the wall module 32 receives bed data from the bed 30 via the wireless communication link 34, and the SOM 114 sends signals to the repeaters 124 so that the open and closed states of each repeater 124 match the states of the repeaters 108 of the bed 30. The wall module 32 also includes a nurse call cable, such as a 37-pin cable, forming a wired communication link 44 from the wall module 32 to the nurse call infrastructure. Figure 2 In the embodiment of the present invention, a 37-pin nurse call cable 44 is connected to a nurse call wall outlet, such as a 37-pin wall outlet or port 126, as one of the components of the nurse call infrastructure 42. The 37-pin cable 44 includes one or more wires that serve as data wires, and serial data, such as data according to a serial peripheral interface (SPI) protocol, is transmitted over these wires to the nurse call system 43. These data wires do not have any repeaters 124 associated with them, but are instead routed from the SOM 114 to the wires of the 37-pin cable 44. In conjunction with the following Figure 9 This will become clearer from the discussion of .

[0299] Optionally, the wall module 32 includes a port or input 128 for a wired 37-pin connection to a 37-pin cable 232 extending between the bed 30 and the wall module 32. The cable 232 is of a type such as the standard nurse call cable currently used to connect the bed 30 to the wall outlet 126 of the nurse call system 43 without the use of the wall module 32. Figure 2 As shown below, we also combine Figure 12 and Figure 13 An embodiment of a wall module 32 including a 37-pin port 128 is shown and described. Port 128 is electrically coupled to a repeater 124, which in turn is coupled to a wall outlet 126 of a nurse call system 43 via a cable 44. Thus, port 128 allows for direct wired communication between the bed 30 and the nurse call system 43 via the wall module 32. In some embodiments, when the cable 232 is coupled to port 128, Bluetooth communication between the wall module 32 and the bed 30 is not established or, if established, is suspended. Thus, wired communication between the bed 30 and the wall module 32 via the cable 232 takes precedence over wireless communication between the bed 30 and the wall module via the wireless communication link 34.

[0300] exist Figure 2In the illustrative example of FIG, port 128 is electrically coupled to SOM 114. Thus, in embodiments where wall module 32 has port 128, some or all data and signals received from bed 30 via cable 232 at port 128 are communicated to SOM 114 in addition to being passed through, for example, repeater 124 to cable 44 and wall outlet 126. This allows some or all data and signals received from bed 30 via cable at port 128 to be transmitted by WiFi radio 120 to network 60 via wireless communication link 54 via WAP 52.

[0301] Another example Figure 2 As shown, the wall module 32 includes a plug detector 132 electrically coupled to the SOM 114. Figure 1 and Figures 3 to 5 As shown, the wall module 32 includes a box-shaped housing 134 having a duplex AC outlet 136 accessible at a front wall 138 of the housing 134. In some embodiments, the housing 134 has a width of about 4.5 inches to about 5 inches, a height of about 5.5 inches, and a depth of about 1.25 inches to about 2.25 inches. The SOM 114, relay 124, and plug detector 132 are located within the interior area of ​​the housing 134 of the wall module 32. Figure 2 As schematically indicated by blocks 140 and 142 in FIG. 1 , a nursing staff member or other employee, such as a transporter, moves the bed 30 to the patient room and then plugs the bed 30's power cord 144 into one of the duplex outlets 136 of the wall module 32. In response to the power cord 144 being plugged into the wall module 32, the plug detector 132 sends a signal to the SOM 114, which initiates a wireless pairing process between the wall module 32 and the bed 30, as will be described below in conjunction with FIG. Figure 6A and Figure 6B Further details will be given below. Figures 14 to 17 Various embodiments of the plug detector 132 are discussed.

[0302] In connection with the transmission of bed alarms, nurse calls, and bed data from the wall unit 32 via the wired communication link 44 or the wireless communication link 54, messages containing the corresponding data for the bed alarms, nurse calls, and bed data include a location ID appended to these messages by the SOM 114 of the wall unit 32. Thus, the memory 118 stores the location ID. In some embodiments, the location ID is distinct from the smart location text 36. In some embodiments, the location ID is assigned to the wall unit 32 at the time of manufacture; in other embodiments, the location ID is assigned at the time of installation. If assigned at the time of manufacture, the location ID is a unique ID stored in the memory of the wall unit 32. In some embodiments, once the wall unit 32 is installed in the healthcare facility, the unique ID is correlated with the actual room location at a remote computer, such as a computer coupled to the nurse call server 46 (e.g., the master station 50), a computer coupled to the local bed data server 62, or a computer coupled to a real-time location system (RTLS) server among the other servers 68.

[0303] If a location ID is assigned to the wall module 32 at installation, a message containing the assigned location ID is transmitted to the wall module 32 via one of the communication links 44, 54 for storage in the memory 118 of the SOM 114. Similarly, in some embodiments, the assigned location ID is distinct from the smart location text 36. Transmission of the location ID to the installed wall unit 32 is initiated by the remote computer under the control of a system administrator or other user of the remote computer. In some of the aforementioned embodiments, the remote computer used to transmit the location ID to the wall module 32 may include, for example, a computer coupled to the nurse call server 46 (e.g., the master station 50), a computer coupled to the local bed data server 62, or a computer coupled to a real-time location system (RTLS) server among other servers 68. Alternatively, to provide the location ID to the wall module 32, the technician installing the wall module 32 may link a tablet computer or other handheld device to the wall module 32 via a wired connection to a universal serial bus (USB) port or another type of port, such as a joint test action group (JTAG) port, provided on the housing 32 or within the housing 134. Thus, in some embodiments, in order to access the port to program the location ID into the SOM 114, a portion of the housing 134 is disassembled.

[0304] Now refer to Figure 3, the wall module 32 is shown arranged to be coupled to an alternating current (AC) duplex outlet 146 mounted on a faceplate 148 of a maintenance box 150 that is attached to a wall 152 of the patient room. The wall module 32 has a first set of prongs 154 configured to be inserted into complementary openings of a first receptacle 156 of the outlet 146 and a second set of prongs 158 configured to be inserted into complementary openings of a second receptacle 160 of the outlet 146. After the wall module 32 is inserted into the outlet 146, power received by the prongs 154 from the receptacles 156 of the outlet 146 is transferred through the wall module 32 to the upper receptacles of the duplex outlet 136, and power received by the prongs 158 from the receptacles 160 of the outlet 146 is transferred through the wall module to the lower receptacles of the duplex outlet 136.

[0305] like Figure 3 As shown, the cable 44 extends downwardly from the bottom wall of the wall unit 32 and terminates in a nurse call connector 162, such as a 37-pin nurse call connector, which is configured to couple to the wall outlet 126. In the illustrative example, the wall outlet 126 is included in an audio station bed connector (ASBC) unit 164 of the type available from Hill-Rom Corporation of Batesville, Indiana. As described above, the ASBC is a type of component included in the nurse call infrastructure 42 of the nurse call system 43.

[0306] The ASBC unit 164 (sometimes referred to herein as ASBC 164) includes a pillowside speaker port 166 for connecting to a pillowside speaker connector at one end of a wiring connection for a pillowside speaker (not shown) as is known in the art. The ASBC 164 further includes a 1 / 4 inch jack receptacle 168 for receiving a 1 / 4 inch jack disposed at one end of a cable extending from a patient care device. The universal alarm signal is provided by the patient care device to the jack receptacle 168 of the ASBC 164. Thus, the jack receptacle 168 receives a simple on or off signal to indicate the presence or absence of an alarm state, respectively, for the patient care device. In some embodiments, the universal alarm signal is associated with a particular type of patient care device. In this regard, see U.S. Patent No. 9,411,934, which is incorporated herein by reference to the extent consistent with the present disclosure, with the present disclosure controlling for any inconsistencies.

[0307] exist Figure 3In the illustrative example of FIG1 , the ASBC 164 is mounted to the side wall 170 of a bed positioner unit 172, which is mounted to a patient room wall 152. The bed positioner unit 172 is sometimes referred to herein as simply the bed positioner 172. In the context of this disclosure, the bed positioner 172 is a building product that indicates where the head end of the patient bed 30 should be located in the patient room. Thus, the bed 30 is generally centered relative to the bed positioner 172, with its head end facing and in close proximity to the front wall 174 of the bed positioner 172 (e.g., within 1 foot or less). The maintenance box 15 is mounted to the room wall 152, offset to one side from the bed positioner 172 but still in close proximity to the bed positioner 172 (e.g., within 2 feet or less). The cable 44 is long enough for the nurse call connector 162 to reach the receptacle 126 of the ASBC 164 when the wall module 32 is plugged into the receptacle 146. Thus, in some embodiments, the cable 44 is approximately 3 feet or 36 inches long. However, embodiments of wall modules 32 having cables 44 shorter or longer than 36 inches fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0308] Now refer to Figure 4 , the wall module 32 is inserted into the receptacle 146, thereby obscuring the receptacle 146 from view, while the nurse call connector 162 is coupled to the port 126 of the ASBC 164, thereby obscuring the port 126 from view. In some embodiments, one or more screws (not shown) securing the cover plate of the receptacle 146 are removed, after which the wall module 32 is inserted into the receptacle 146, and then one or more long screws are used to securely attach the wall module 32 to the receptacle 146. In this regard, the housing 134 includes a front wall 138 and peripheral walls 176 (e.g., top, bottom, and side walls) integrally molded with the front wall 138. The front cover portion of the housing 134 is removed from the back wall 178 of the wall module 32. The back wall 178 has one or more openings that align with one or more threaded openings that previously received one or more cover plate screws. The one or more long screws are then inserted into the one or more openings in the back wall 178 and screwed into the threaded openings that previously received the one or more cover plate screws. After the one or more long screws are tightened, the covering portion comprising walls 138, 176 is reattached to the back wall 178. Thus, when installed in this manner, the wall module is fixed in place relative to the wall 152 in the patient room and cannot be easily removed without disassembling and removing the one or more long screws.

[0309] Still refer to Figure 4 , the power plug 180 at one end of the power cord 144 of the bed 30 is arranged so that the pins 182 ( Figure 4The three prongs 182 (only two of which can be seen) are oriented to be plugged into one of a pair of receptacles in the duplex receptacle 136 of the wall unit 32. It should be noted that the plug 180 can be inserted into either of the duplex receptacles 136 and the wall module 32 will begin the Bluetooth pairing process with the bed 30. The wall module 32 includes a light 184 that illuminates to indicate the pairing status between the bed 30 and the wall unit 32. In the illustrative example, the light 184 is generally rectangular and surrounds the perimeter of the duplex AC receptacle 136. In some embodiments, the light 184 includes a light tube, such as a light tube made of an acrylic material. In this way, a single multi-color light emitting diode (LED) can emit light into the light tube at discrete locations, causing the entire light tube to be illuminated. Alternatively, two single-color LEDs are used to illuminate the light tube of the light 184. In some embodiments, the light 184 illuminates blue when the wall module 32 is not wirelessly paired with a medical device such as the bed 30, and illuminates green when the wall module 32 is wirelessly paired with a medical device such as the bed 30. In other embodiments, the light 184 illuminates some other color, such as amber or red, to indicate wireless pairing status.

[0310] Now refer to Figure 5 , the power plug 180 is inserted into the bottom jack of the duplex outlet 136. The plug detector 132 detects the connection of the plug 180 to the outlet 136 and signals the SOM 114 of the connection. In response, the SOM 114 initiates a time-based wireless pairing operation between the wall module 32 and the bed 30. During the time-based pairing operation, which in some cases can take up to 45 seconds to complete, in some embodiments, the light 184 continues to illuminate blue and may flash or blink. After the time-based pairing operation is successfully completed, the light 184 illuminates green to provide visual feedback to the medical staff that the bed 30 and wall module 32 have been successfully paired.

[0311] Now refer to Figure 6A , showing the wall module 32 and the bed 30 ( Figure 6A Module”). Operation 200 begins by plugging the power plug 180 of the bed 30 into the socket 136 of the wall module 32, as indicated by arrow 186 “AC plug inserted”. Figure 6A In the example of FIG. 1 , the plug detector 132 of the wall module 32 includes circuitry that detects current flowing through the power plug 180 to the power line 144 and starts a timer of the wall module, as indicated by a block 188 labeled “Current sensed, start timer.” Figure 17 Discuss the current sensing circuit. Figures 14 to 16 Other types of plug detectors 132 for use in wall modules 32 in alternative embodiments are discussed. Figure 6AThe timer of the wall module 32 associated with the midframe 188 is initiated in response to detecting an RFID tag or near field communication (NFC) tag attached to the plug 180 .

[0312] The bed 30 also includes circuitry, such as current sensing circuitry, that detects the current flowing into the power line 144 due to the connection of the plug 180 to the power outlet. In response to the bed 30 detecting that power is being received via the power line 144, the bed 30 starts a bed timer, as indicated by block 190, "Start Uptime Timer." According to the present disclosure, the timers of the wall module 32 and the bed 30 are software timers implemented in software. That is, the time at which the wall module 32 initially detects the plug 180 (e.g., the initial time) is stored in the memory 118. Subsequent times when discrete intervals or specific events occur are then subtracted from the initial time to obtain the amount of time that has elapsed since the plug detector 132 of the wall module 32 initially detected the plug 180.

[0313] Similarly, the time at which the bed 30 initially detects receiving power via the power line 144 (e.g., senses current flowing into the power line 144) is stored in the memory 98 of the MCB 92, and the initial time is then subtracted from subsequent times when discrete intervals or specific events occur to obtain the amount of time that has elapsed since the bed 30 initially detected current flowing into the power line 144. Figure 6A The time counted by the microprocessor 96 of the MCB 92 of the bed 30 is called the "uptime". Figure 6B As shown, the elapsed time calculated by the microprocessor 116 of the SOM 114 of the wall module 32 is sometimes referred to herein as "uptime." In alternative embodiments, a hardware timer, such as a clock circuit or clock chip, is used to implement the timers used by the bed 30 and wall module 32 to calculate uptime.

[0314] After the wall module 32 senses "AC plug plugged in" 186 at block 188, a series of Bluetooth (BT) scans 192 are transmitted from the BT transceiver 122 of the wall module 32 to the BT transceiver 106 of the bed 30. Specifically, the BT scans 192 include inquiry messages to elicit response messages from any device within the reception range of the BT transceiver 122 of the wall module 32. Of course, since the bed 30 is plugged into the wall module 32, it is certain that it is one of the devices within the reception range of the BT transceiver 122 of the wall module 32. In addition to the inquiry messages, the BT scans 192 also include the media access control (MAC) address of the BT transceiver 122 of the wall module 32. In the illustrative example, three BT scans 192 are shown, but it is within the scope of the present invention for more or fewer than three BT scans 192 to occur during the time-based wireless pairing process 200.

[0315] In response to receiving one or more BT scans 192, the BT transceiver 106 is ready for BT communications, such as Figure 6A Before sending any BT communications, the microprocessor 102 of the communication board 94 sends an uptime query message to the microprocessor 96 of the MCB 92 to obtain the current uptime value of the bed 30, as indicated by the "Get uptime from MCB" block 196. The microprocessor 96 of the MCB 92 calculates or otherwise obtains the current uptime in response to receiving the uptime query message from the microprocessor 102 and replies with the calculated or obtained current uptime. After the microprocessor 102 of the communication board 94 receives the current uptime, the BT radio 106 transmits the first "BT Announcement (with uptime)" message, as indicated by the "Get uptime from MCB" block 196. Figure 6A Indicated by arrow 198. In addition to the uptime, message 198 also includes the vendor ID of bed 30, the product ID of bed 30, and the MAC address and / or Bluetooth ID address of BT transceiver 106.

[0316] After the BT transceiver of the bed 30 sends the message 198 to the BT transceiver 122 of the wall module 32, the microprocessor 102 of the communication board 94 sends another uptime query message to the microprocessor 96 of the MCB 92 to obtain the updated uptime, as indicated by the "Update Uptime" block 202. After the microprocessor 102 of the communication board 94 receives the updated uptime, the BT radio 106 transmits a second "BT Announcement (with Uptime)" message, as indicated by the "Update Uptime" block 202. Figure 3 Message 204 is indicated by arrow 204. Similar to message 198, message 204 also includes the vendor ID of bed 30, the product ID of bed 30, and the MAC address and / or Bluetooth ID address of BT transceiver 106. This cycle of updating the uptime and sending another "BT Advertisement (with uptime)" message is repeated one or more times periodically, as indicated by another box 206 "Update Uptime" and another arrow 208.

[0317] When ready, the microprocessor 116 of the SOM 114 of the wall module 32 compares the uptime received from the bed 30 in one or more BT notification messages 198, 204, 208 with the time elapsed on the internal timer of the wall module 32, such as Figure 6AAs indicated by block 210, “Compare Uptime to Internal Timer,” if the uptime received from the bed 30 in one or more of the messages 198, 204, 208 matches or, in some embodiments, is within a tolerance of the elapsed uptime of the wall module timer, as indicated by block 212, “If Uptime is in Range,” the Bluetooth transceiver 122 of the wall module 32 transmits a pairing message, as indicated by “Pairing” arrow 214, which causes the wall module 32 to pair with the bed 30 for subsequent communication of wireless data and messages via the wireless communication link 34.

[0318] The tolerance range used to compare the uptime of the bed 30 with the uptime of the wall module 32 accounts for line processing delays between the two devices. For example, the microprocessor 102 of the communication board 94 requires some processing time (e.g., milliseconds or microseconds) to query and obtain the uptime from the microprocessor 96 of the MCB 92, and the microprocessor 96 of the MCB 92 also requires some processing time to calculate the uptime when requested. At the wall module 32, the microprocessor 116 requires some processing time to determine that the Bluetooth transceiver 122 has received the BT transceiver messages 198, 204, and 208 containing the uptime, and to calculate the elapsed time since the wall module timer was started at block 188. Therefore, depending on the number of significant digits used by the system designer or programmer, the uptime and elapsed times are unlikely to match exactly. On the other hand, if these times are rounded to the nearest second or 5 seconds, the rounded uptimes are more likely to match exactly.

[0319] In some embodiments, it may be necessary to compare the uptime from the bed 30 at block 210 with the elapsed uptime of the wall module 32's internal timer, and after achieving a positive match in more than one BT Advertisement message 198, 204, 208, transmit a pairing message 214 from the wall module 32 to the bed 30, thereby establishing wireless pairing between the devices. For example, three positive comparisons may be required before sending the wireless pairing message 214, as just one example. However, more or fewer than three positive comparisons are also within the scope of this disclosure. Additionally, in alternative embodiments, the roles of the bed 30 and the wall module 32 are reversed during the time-based pairing operation 200. In these embodiments, blocks 188 and 210 correspond to functions performed by the bed 30; blocks 190, 194, 196, 202, 206 correspond to functions performed by the wall module 32; and the directions of arrows 192, 198, 204, 208, 214 are reversed. However, the direction of arrow 186 remains unchanged due to this alternative embodiment because the power plug 180 of the power cord 144 of the bed 30 is still plugged into the receptacle 136 of the wall module 32.

[0320] After the bed 30 is successfully wirelessly paired with the wireless module 32, each message from the bed 30 to the wall module 32 includes the MAC address and / or Bluetooth ID address and / or sequence ID and / or other protocol message headers of the Bluetooth transceiver 106. If the SOM 114 of the wall module 32 determines, as appropriate, that the MAC address and / or Bluetooth ID address and / or sequence ID and / or other protocol message headers included in the wireless message correspond to the bed 30 to which the wall module 32 is paired, the SOM 114 processes the message. Otherwise, the message is ignored. Similarly, after the bed 30 is successfully wirelessly paired with the wireless module 32, each message from the wall module 32 to the bed 30 includes the MAC address and / or Bluetooth ID address and / or sequence ID and / or other protocol message headers of the Bluetooth transceiver 122. If the communication board 94 of the bed 30 determines, as appropriate, that the MAC address and / or Bluetooth ID address and / or sequence ID and / or other protocol message headers included in the wireless message correspond to the wall module 32 to which the bed 30 is paired, the communication board 94 processes the message. Otherwise, ignore the message.

[0321] In some embodiments, the power plug 180 of the power cord 144 is plugged into one of the duplex AC outlets 136 of the wall module 32, such as Figure 6A The middle arrow 186, “AC plug inserted,” indicates that the time-based Bluetooth pairing process 200 is initiated, at which point the light 184 of the wall module 32 remains blue but begins to flash or blink to indicate that the pairing process 200 is occurring. Thus, in some embodiments, the light 184 operates in the following three states: 1) illuminated blue, not flashing, indicating that no Bluetooth pairing with any medical device 30 has occurred; 2) illuminated blue, flashing, indicating that the Bluetooth pairing process 200 is occurring between the wall module 32 and the medical device 30; 3) illuminated green, not flashing, indicating that the pairing process is complete and the medical device 30 is successfully paired with the wall module 32.

[0322] In some embodiments of the bed 30, a message is displayed on the GUI 38 during the time-based wireless pairing operation 200. For example, while the bed 30 and the wall module 32 are exchanging BT scans 192 and BT advertisements 198, 204, 208, a message "Pairing" or a message of similar meaning is displayed on the GUI 38. After the bed 30 receives the "Pairing" message 214, the GUI 38 displays, for example, a "Pairing Completed" message or a message of similar meaning within a threshold time period (such as 10 seconds, 30 seconds, or 1 minute, to name a few).

[0323] Now refer to Figure 6B , showing a bed 30 ( Figure 6B A swim lane diagram of a time-based wireless pairing operation 300 between a bed module (labeled "bed module") and a wall module 32. Figure 6AIn the embodiment, the wall module 32 is a BT scanner, but Figure 6B In the embodiment described above, the bed 30 is the BT scanner, and thus operation 300 is an alternative embodiment described above, in which the roles of the bed 30 and the wall module 32 are reversed. However, similar to operation 200, operation 300 begins with the power plug 180 of the bed 30 being plugged into the outlet 136 of the wall module 32, as indicated by arrow 302 "AC plug inserted". In conjunction with operation 300, it is contemplated that the plug detector 132 of the wall module 32 can be any type of plug detector, including the following: Figures 14 to 17 In response to the wall module 32 detecting that the bed's power cord 144 is plugged into the outlet 136, the wall module uptime timer is started, as indicated by block 304 labeled "Plug Sensed, Start Uptime Timer." In an alternative embodiment, Figure 6B The timer of the wall module 32 associated with the midframe 304 is initiated in response to detecting an RFID tag or near field communication (NFC) tag attached to the plug 180 .

[0324] As described above, the bed 30 also includes circuitry, such as current sensing circuitry, that detects current flowing into the power line 144 as a result of the plug 180 being connected to the power outlet. In response to the bed 30 detecting that power is being received via the power line 144, the bed 30 initiates a bed uptime timer, as indicated by a box 306 labeled "Plug Sensed, Start Uptime Timer." One uptime timer of boxes 304, 306 may be referred to arbitrarily herein as a "first uptime timer" or "first timer." The other uptime timer of boxes 304, 306 may be referred to arbitrarily herein as a "second uptime timer" or "second timer." In general, the adjectives "first" and "second" simply refer to which timer is mentioned first and which timer is mentioned second in any given scenario or embodiment. The above Figure 6A The discussion of operation 200 in relation to using a software timer or a hardware timer as the uptime timer for the bed 30 and the wall module 32 also applies to Figure 6B Operation 300 in FIG. 1 is omitted for brevity.

[0325] After the wall module 32 senses “AC plug inserted” 302 at box 304, a first BT announcement including the wall module uptime as measured by the timer of the wall module 32 is transmitted by the BT transceiver 122 of the wall module 32 to the BT transceiver 106 of the bed 30 as indicated by arrow 308 “BT announcement (including uptime)”. Thereafter, the wall module 32 updates its own uptime as indicated by the first “update uptime” box 310. Thereafter, the BT transceiver 122 of the wall module 32 transmits a second BT announcement including the updated uptime of box 310 as indicated by arrow 312 “BT announcement (including uptime)”. This process may be repeated one or more times, as indicated by arrow 312 “BT announcement (including uptime)”. Figure 6B This is indicated by box 314 “Update Uptime” and arrow 316 .

[0326] In response to receiving one or more BT advertisements 308, 312, 316 with respective uptimes of the wall module 32, the BT transceiver 106 of the bed 30 is ready for BT communications, such as Figure 6B The "BT Radio Ready" indication in block 318 is shown. Before sending any BT communications, the microprocessor 102 of the communication board 94 sends an uptime query message to the microprocessor 96 of the MCB 92 to obtain the current uptime value of the bed 30, as indicated by the "Get Uptime from MCB" indication in block 320. The microprocessor 96 of the MCB 92 calculates or otherwise obtains the current uptime of the bed 30 in response to receiving the uptime query message from the microprocessor 102 and replies with the calculated or obtained current uptime. Thereafter, the BT radio 106 of the bed 30 performs a series of BT scans, such as Figure 6B The bed 30 then receives via the BT radio 122 of the module 32, indicating that the bed 30 is listening for more BT announcements from the wall module 32 or triggering more BT announcements from the wall module 32 via an inquiry message.

[0327] When ready, the microprocessor 102 of the communication board 94 of the bed 30 compares the uptime received from the wall module 32 in one or more BT notification messages 308, 312, 316 with the time elapsed on the internal timer of the bed 30, such as Figure 6BIndicated by box 324 “Compare uptime to internal timer”. If the uptime received from the wall module 32 in one or more of the messages 308, 312, 316 matches the elapsed uptime of the bed timer or, in some embodiments, is within a tolerance range of the elapsed uptime of the bed timer, as indicated by box 326 “If uptime is within range”, the BT transceiver 106 of the bed 30 sends a pairing message to the BT transceiver 122 of the wall module 32, as indicated by arrow 328 “Pairing”, thereby causing the wall module 32 to pair with the bed 30 for subsequent communication of wireless data and messages via the wireless communication link 34. Figure 6A The discussion of the operation 200 in relation to the selective working manner of the light 184 of the wall module 32 and the GUI 38 of the bed 30 during the pairing process also applies to Figure 6B Operation 300 in FIG. 1 is omitted for brevity.

[0328] Regarding BT advertisements 308, 312, and 316, the data packets sent in the advertisements include the MAC address of the wall module 32, which can be a public address or a random address. If the bed 30, acting as the scanner, chooses to connect or pair with the wall module, acting as the advertiser, the wall module 32 becomes aware of the bed 30 via a connection request packet (i.e., a pairing message indicated by arrow 328) sent by the bed 30. In some embodiments, the connection request packet includes the MAC address of the bed 30. In some embodiments, after the MAC addresses are exchanged between the wall module 32 and the bed 30, the MAC address is no longer used for pairing the bed 30 and the wall module 32. Instead, a sequence ID and / or other protocol message headers are used to facilitate pairing communication between the bed 30 and the wall module 32. As described above, other information, such as a vendor ID and a product ID, is included in BT advertisements and active BT scans.

[0329] Combine Figure 6A and Figure 6B With respect to the number of scans and advertisements described in

[15] , it should be noted that Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is designed to be low power. Therefore, in typical use, the BT radio of a device implementing BLE communication will be turned on and off at intervals to conserve power. When advertising or scanning, these intervals can be configured programmatically depending on the power requirements of the application. With respect to the bed 30 and wall module 32 in the described embodiment, there are no power limitations to consider because both devices are plugged into AC power. Therefore, the advertisement and scan intervals in operations 200, 300 are relatively short, which helps speed up discovery and connection times. Even so, multiple advertisements and scans are typically required because the scanner, when operating in a typical passive scanning mode, may not be listening to a particular channel when the advertiser is advertising on that channel.

[0330] For BT pairing using BLE, the "scan window" and "advertisement window" must coincide on the same channel to be discovered. BLE uses three advertising channels. Figure 6A and Figure 6B In the swim lane diagram of , BT advertisement and BT scan are shown as separate, but it should be understood that at some point in actual practice, BT advertisement and BT scan will overlap to achieve a successful BT pairing between two devices. Figure 6A In the example, the bed 30 is the notification side and the wall module 32 is the scanning side. Figure 6B In the embodiment, the bed 30 is the scanning side and the wall module 32 is the notification side.

[0331] Now refer to Figure 6C , a swim lane diagram of an alternative wireless pairing operation 330 is shown. Operation 330 is a dual mode pairing operation, in which some of the wireless communications between the bed 30 and the wall module 32 are Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communications and others are Bluetooth Basic Rate / Enhanced Data Rate (BT BR / EDR or just BR / EDR as used herein) communications. BR / EDR is sometimes referred to as Bluetooth Classic. Thus, the communications between the bed 30 and the wall module 32 include a first mode and a second mode, such as a BLE mode and a BR / EDR mode. BLE provides an announcement field for manufacturer-specific data, which the manufacturer can program at its discretion. However, BLE connections are intended for short bursts of data in the long intervals when BT devices are paired. Therefore, BLE is not suitable for streaming audio or large amounts of data. This design is intended to save power.

[0332] BR / EDR, on the other hand, is designed for continuous connections, including audio. However, BR / EDR query and scanning procedures are not as flexible as BLE, so BR / EDR pairing connections must be based on advertised Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) profiles rather than vendor-provided data. To leverage the advertising flexibility of BLE and the data throughput of BR / EDR, a dual-mode approach is contemplated herein in conjunction with operation 330. A dual-mode Bluetooth device can communicate with both BLE devices and BR / EDR devices.

[0333] According to operation 330, the wall module 32 transmits a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) advertisement 332 including manufacturer (MFG) data (such as a manufacturer ID and / or a specific device type), where the manufacturer ID can be a universally unique identifier of the manufacturer's company, if necessary. In some embodiments, the BLE advertisement 332 is transmitted periodically because the module 32 is in discoverable mode, regardless of whether any bed 30 is present in the patient room or otherwise within the communication range of the wall module 32. In other embodiments, as described in other paragraphs herein, the BLE advertisement 332 is initiated upon detection of insertion of the bed 30. In some embodiments, the BLE advertisement 332 also includes information such as the wall module 32 in conjunction with the above. Figure 6A and Figure 6B In BLE discoverable mode, if the wall module 32 receives such BR / EDR communication, the wall module 32 can also use BR / EDR to connect.

[0334] After the bed 30 is plugged in and receives power, the BT radio 106 is ready to communicate, as indicated by "BT Radio Ready" at block 334, and then proceeds to perform a series of BLE scans 336 to listen for BLE advertisements 332. Upon detecting a BLE advertisement 332 during a BLE scan 336, the bed 30 compares the vendor data included in the detected BLE advertisement 332 with the vendor data stored in the bed 30, as indicated by "Compare Vendor Data" at block 338. For example, in some embodiments, the microprocessor 102 of the communication board 96 performs the comparison, while the stored vendor data resides in memory 104. In other embodiments, the microprocessor 96 of the MCB 92 performs the comparison, while the stored vendor data resides in memory 98. This does not preclude the possibility that the microprocessor 96 performs the comparison based on the vendor data residing in memory 104, or that the microprocessor 102 performs the comparison based on the vendor data residing in memory 98.

[0335] Still refer to Figure 6C If the comparison of the manufacturer data matches, as indicated by block 340, the bed 30 stores the BLE media access control (MAC) address of the wall module 32 in a memory (e.g., memory 98 or memory 104), as indicated by block 342 "Store BLE MAC Address". In some embodiments, the bed 30 also stores the BLE media access control (MAC) address of the wall module 32 in a memory (e.g., memory 98 or memory 104), as indicated by block 342 "Store BLE MAC Address". Figure 6A and Figure 6B In these embodiments, the bed uptime is compared to the wall module uptime, and if the uptime matches, such as within a threshold amount of time, operation 330 proceeds to block 342 .

[0336] After storing the BLE MAC address at block 342, the bed 30 switches from BLE communication mode to BR / EDR communication mode, where wireless pairing occurs in response to the bed 30 transmitting a BR / EDR packet including the MAC address of the wall module 32 back to the wall module 32, as indicated by arrow 344 labeled "Pairing Using BR / EDR and Stored MAC Address." After the bed 30 and wall module 32 are paired, subsequent BT communications 34 between the two occur according to the BR / EDR protocol, but this does not mean that BLE communications may not also occur over the data link 34 when necessary. For example, bed status packets and alarm / alarm packets may be transmitted from the bed 30 to the wall module 32 according to the BLE protocol, while audio communications may be transmitted between the bed 30 and the wall module 32 using the BR / EDR protocol.

[0337] According to the present disclosure, in some embodiments, the bed 30 implements a timer so that BLE scanning 336 is performed only within a threshold time period (such as 5 seconds, 10 seconds, or 30 seconds, to name a few) after insertion and / or after the BT radio 106 begins scanning. If no advertisements 332 are detected from the wall module 32 within the threshold time period, the bed 30 stops scanning. In some embodiments where the wall module 32 senses insertion of the bed 30, BLE advertisements 332 are only transmitted within a threshold time period (such as 5 seconds, 10 seconds, or 30 seconds, to name a few). The time threshold for the wall module 32 to send advertisements 332 may or may not be the same as the time threshold used by the bed 30. After the wall module's time threshold expires, no more advertisements 332 are sent.

[0338] Optionally, after the bed 30 stops scanning due to a timeout (e.g., expiration of a scan time threshold), a message appears on the GUI 38 for a period of time, such as 10 seconds, as an example only, indicating that no Bluetooth pairing has occurred. Furthermore, after the wall module 32 is paired with the bed 30, the wall module 32 stops transmitting advertisements 332, and the bed 30 stops scanning 336. This prevents other beds 30 within the communication range of the wall module 32 from receiving the advertisements 332 and attempting to pair with the wall module 32 after pairing has been established but not yet terminated by the wall module 32 as described below. In some embodiments, after the wall module 32 terminates pairing with the bed 30 as described below, the wall module 32 begins transmitting advertisements 332, thereby entering discoverable mode for the next bed 30 (or the same bed 30 if the bed 30 was unplugged and not removed from the room and then plugged back in). In other embodiments, after the wall module 32 terminates pairing with the bed 30, the wall module 32 does not begin transmitting advertisements 332 until the wall module 32 detects the next plug-in.

[0339] Now refer to Figure 6D, shows a swim lane diagram of another alternative wireless pairing operation 350. Similar to operation 330, operation 350 is a dual mode pairing operation, where some of the wireless communications between the bed 30 and the wall module 32 are BLE communications and others are BR / EDR communications. However, in Figure 6D In the example, the bed 30 and the wall module 32 are used as the scanning party and the notification party. Figure 6C The operation 330 in is reversed. That is, in Figure 6C In the example, the wall module 32 is the notification side and the bed 30 is the scanning side. Figure 6D In the example, the bed 30 is the notification side and the wall module 32 is the scanning side. Figure 6C and Figure 6D The similarities between Figure 6D Used in Figure 6C Same reference numerals as in Figure 6D Add an apostrophe to the reference numerals.

[0340] In operation 350, the communication between the bed 30 and the wall module 32 includes BLE mode and BR / EDR mode. In this way, operation 350 also takes advantage of the advertising flexibility of BLE and the data throughput of BR / EDR. Figure 6C The description of operation 330 in the same way as in Figure 6D Operation 350 in FIG. 3 is omitted for brevity, but the following discussion of operation 350 may overlap slightly with the discussion of operation 330. In other words, the following description of operation 350 focuses on the differences between operations 330 / 350.

[0341] According to operation 350, the bed 30 transmits a BLE advertisement 332' including the manufacturer data. In some embodiments, the BLE advertisement 332' is transmitted periodically because the bed 30 is in discoverable mode, which occurs after the bed 30 is plugged into AC power, regardless of whether there are any wall modules 32 in the patient room. In some embodiments, the BLE advertisement 332' also includes the bed 30 in the above combination. Figure 6A and Figure 6B In BLE discoverable mode, the bed 30 can also utilize a BR / EDR connection if the bed 30 receives such a BR / EDR communication.

[0342] After the wall module detects that the bed 30 is plugged in and receiving power, the BT radio 122 of the wall module 32 is ready to communicate, as indicated by the "BT Radio Ready" block 334', and then proceeds to perform a series of BLE scans 336' to listen for BLE advertisements 332'. Thus, the wall module 32 does not perform any BLE scans until the wall module 32 detects the plug-in. This prevents accidental pairing with any bed 30 that is no longer plugged into the outlet associated with the module 32.

[0343] After detecting the BLE advertisement 332 in a BLE scan 336′, the wall module 32 compares the vendor data included in the detected BLE advertisement 332′ with the vendor data stored in the wall module 32, as indicated by block 338′ “Compare Vendor Data.” Thus, the microprocessor 116 of the SOM 114 performs the comparison, and the stored vendor data resides in the memory 118 of the wall module 32.

[0344] Still refer to Figure 6D If the comparison of the manufacturer data matches, as indicated by block 340', the wall module 32 proceeds to store the MAC address of the bed 30 in the memory 118, as indicated by block 342' "Store BLE MAC Address". In some embodiments, the wall module 32 also stores the MAC address of the bed 30 in the memory 118 in combination with the above. Figure 6A and Figure 6B In these embodiments, the wall module uptime is compared to the bed uptime and if the uptime matches, such as within a threshold amount of time, operation 350 proceeds to block 342'.

[0345] After storing the BLE MAC address at block 342′, the wall module 32 switches from BLE communication mode to BR / EDR communication mode, wherein wireless pairing occurs in response to the wall module 32 transmitting a BR / EDR packet including the MAC address of the bed 30 back to the bed 30, as indicated by arrow 344′ labeled “Pairing Using BR / EDR and Stored MAC Address.” After the bed 30 is paired with the wall module 32 at operation 350, subsequent BT communications 34 between the two proceed in any of the manners described above in connection with operation 330.

[0346] According to the present disclosure, in some embodiments, the wall module 32 implements a timer so that BLE scanning 336' is performed only within a threshold time period (such as 5 seconds, 10 seconds, or 30 seconds, to name a few) after the wall module 32 detects the insertion and / or the BT radio 122 begins scanning. If no advertisements 332' are detected from the bed 30 within the threshold time period, the wall module 32 stops scanning. In some embodiments, after the bed 30 senses that it is plugged into AC power, BLE advertisements 332' are only transmitted within a threshold time period (such as 5 seconds, 10 seconds, or 30 seconds, to name a few). The time threshold for bed 30 to transmit advertisements 332' may or may not be the same as the time threshold used by the wall module 32. After the bed's time threshold expires, no more advertisements 332' are transmitted.

[0347] Optionally, after the wall module 32 stops scanning due to a timeout (e.g., expiration of a scan time threshold), an indicator on the wall module 32, such as the light 184, illuminates for a period of time, such as 10 seconds, to name a few, indicating that no Bluetooth pairing has occurred. Additionally, after the wall module 32 is paired with the bed 30, the bed 30 stops transmitting notifications 332' and the wall module 32 stops scanning 336'. This prevents other wall modules 32 within communication range of the bed 30 from receiving the notifications 332' and attempting to pair with the bed 30 after pairing has been established but not yet terminated by the wall module 32 as described below. After the wall module 32 terminates pairing with the bed 30, as described below, the wall module 32 does not initiate any scanning 336' until the wall module 32 detects another insertion.

[0348] According to the present disclosure, the wall module 32 controls when pairing between the wall module 32 and the medical device 30 is terminated. For example, if the plug detector 132 of the wall module 32 detects that the plug 180 of the power cord 144 is no longer plugged into the duplex outlet 132, the Bluetooth transceiver 122 of the wall module 32 sends a wireless pairing termination signal to the Bluetooth transceiver 106 of the bed 30 to terminate the Bluetooth pairing. Alternatively or additionally, if the bed status data received by the wall module 32 from the bed 30 indicates that the casters 82 of the bed 30 are released or unbraked, the Bluetooth transceiver 122 of the wall module 32 sends a wireless pairing termination signal to the Bluetooth transceiver 106 of the bed 30 to terminate the Bluetooth pairing. In some embodiments, the wall module 32 may send the pairing termination signal to the bed 30 only after both unplugging the power cord 144 from the wall module 32 and releasing the caster brakes of the bed 30. This control of wireless pairing termination differs from the arrangement described in U.S. Patent No. 10,085,905, in which the bed's controller determines when to send a disconnect signal to the wall module to terminate pairing between the bed and the wall module. However, in an alternative embodiment contemplated by the present disclosure, the bed 30 initiates unpairing with the wall module 32 based on the unpairing criteria described above.

[0349] Optionally, the Bluetooth transceiver 122 does not transmit the wireless pairing termination signal until a threshold amount of time has expired (e.g., 10 seconds or 30 seconds, to name two examples). Thus, if a caregiver releases the casters 82 to slightly reposition the bed 30 within the patient room, or if the power plug 180 is accidentally disconnected from the receptacle 136 of the wall module 32, the bed 30 remains paired with the wall module 32 if the casters are deactivated or the power plug 180 is reconnected to the receptacle 136 within the threshold time. After the wireless pairing of the bed 30 with the wall module 32 is terminated, wireless data and / or messages are no longer transmitted from the Bluetooth transceiver 106 of the bed 30 via the wireless communication link 34. However, in some embodiments, data and / or messages can still be transmitted from the WiFi transceiver 100 of the bed 30 to one or more WAPs 52 of the system 20 via the wireless communication link 56. This WiFi data and / or messages can be transmitted from the bed 30 as the bed 30 is moved from one location to another in the healthcare facility 22. In these embodiments, the bed 30 of onboard batteries is used to provide power to the MCB 92 and the WiFi transceiver 100 to enable these wireless communications.

[0350] Now refer to Figure 7 , shows an embodiment of a wall module 32 in which a Y-cable 216 extends from the bottom of the wall module 32 in place of the cable 44. The Y-cable 216 includes a main branch or segment 218 extending between the wall module 32 and a Y-junction 220 of the cable 216, a first auxiliary branch or segment 222 extending from the Y-junction 220 and terminating at a first nurse call connector 224 configured to couple to the nurse call port 126 of the ASBC 164, and a second auxiliary branch or segment 226 extending from the Y-junction 220 and terminating at a second nurse call connector 228. Figure 8 As shown, the second nurse call connector 228 is configured to couple to a third nurse call connector 230 at one end of a nurse call cable 232 extending from the bed 30. Thus, when the nurse call connector 230 is coupled to the nurse call connector 228, the connector 228 at one end of the auxiliary leg 226 of the Y-cable 216 allows the communication board 94 of the bed 30 to be wired to the ASBC 164 and the wall module 32.

[0351] In some embodiments, when the connector 228 of the Y-cable 216 is coupled to the connector 230 of the cable 232, Bluetooth communication between the wall module 32 and the bed 30 is not established or, if established, is suspended. Thus, wired communication between the bed 30 and the wall module 32 via the cable 216 takes precedence over wireless communication between the bed 30 and the wall module via the wireless communication link 34. As described above, even if the wall module 32 and the bed 30 have a wired communication link, such as via the cable 216, wireless WiFi communication between the WiFi transceiver 120 of the wall module 32 and one or more WAPs 52 via the wireless communication link 54 can still be enabled.

[0352] Now refer to Figure 9 , a block diagram is provided showing one end of the main leg 218 of the Y-cable 216 coupled to the nurse call / wired bed connector 234 within the interior area of ​​the wall module 32. Figure 9 Shown in a separate box Figure 2 For example, Figure 9 The controller 114 in FIG. 1 includes a microprocessor 116 of the SOM 114, while the flash memory 118 and the WiFi / BT modules 120 / 122 are shown as separate boxes. In other words, in some embodiments, the memory 118 of the SOM 114 is a flash memory. In addition, in some embodiments, the WiFi transceiver 120 and the Bluetooth transceiver 122 are included in a single WiFi / BT module ( Figure 9 In some embodiments, the controller 114 determines whether a transmission from a module 120, 122 is a WiFi communication or a Bluetooth communication.

[0353] Still refer to Figure 9Shift register / repeater block 124, serial peripheral interface (SPI) line 236, and audio encoder / decoder (CODEC) block 238 interconnect controller 114 with nurse call / wired bed connector 234. In some embodiments, connector 234 is a 37-pin connector similar to the connectors described elsewhere herein. Thus, the open / closed state of some pins of 37-pin connector 234 is determined by the state of the repeater, while the open / closed state of other pins is determined by the state of the shift register. That is, not all pins of the 37-pin connector have corresponding repeaters coupled thereto. In some embodiments, SPI line 236 connects to multiple pins of the 37-pin connector. For example, SPI line 236 includes three wires or conductors connected to corresponding pins of connector 234, including an SPI clock wire, an SPI data out wire, and an SPI data in wire. Audio CODEC 238 includes various wires or conductors associated with audio signals originating from microphone 112 of bed 30 and audio signals transmitted to speaker 110 of bed 30 from other devices, such as nurse call master station 50.

[0354] exist Figure 9 In the illustrative embodiment of the wall module 32 in FIG. 1 , an Ethernet port 240 is coupled to the controller 114 and provides the wall module 32 with the ability to couple to the facility network 60 via an Ethernet cable. Thus, in some embodiments, the Ethernet port 240 comprises an RJ-45 port. If an Ethernet cable is coupled to the port 240 to provide a wired communication link to the network 60, WiFi communication via the wireless communication link 54 is suspended or disabled. Thus, a wired connection to the network 60 via the Ethernet port 240 of the wall module 32 takes precedence over the wireless communication link 54 to the network 60.

[0355] Another example Figure 9 As shown, the wall module 32 includes an alternating current / direct current (AC / DC) converter that receives 120 volt AC (VAC) power from a receptacle 156 and / or a receptacle 160 of the duplex AC outlet 146 via prongs 154 and / or prongs 158, respectively, of the wall module 32. The AC / DC converter converts the 120 VAC power to one or more DC voltage levels (e.g., 5V DC, 12V DC, etc.) required to power the various components of the wall module 32. Figure 9 The plug detector 132 is labeled as infrared (IR) plug detection 132 and is coupled to the first IR sensor pair 244 and the second IR sensor pair 246. Figure 14 The IR sensor pair 244, 246 is described in further detail.

[0356] Now refer to Figure 10, shows an embodiment of a wall module 32 in which a T-cable 248 extends from the bottom of the wall module 32 instead of the cable 44. The T-cable 248 terminates in a connector body 250, the first nurse call connector of which is configured to couple to a Figure 10 and Figure 11 The nurse call receptacle 126 of the ASBC 164 shown in FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a second nurse call connector 252 of the connector body 250. Figure 10 The configuration shown is coupled to Figure 11 The nurse call connector 230 is shown extending from one end of a nurse call cable 232 of the bed 30. One end of a T-cable 248 enters one side of a connector body 250, and the wires or wires within the cable 248 are routed to respective pins of the first and second wires of the connector body 250. The opposite end of the cable 248 is coupled to a nurse call / wired bed connector 234 located within the interior area of ​​the housing 134 of the wall module 32 in the same manner as the main branch 218 of the cable 216 is coupled to the connector 234 described above. Thus, each cable 216, 248 is configured for wired connection to the ASBC 164 and the nurse call cable 232 of the bed 30. However, unlike the separate auxiliary branches 222, 226 in the Y-cable 216, each having a nurse call connector 224, 228, the connector body 250 of the T-cable 248 provides a dual coupler nurse call connector that is configured to couple to the nurse call port 126 of the ASBC164 and the nurse call connector 230 of the cable 232 of the bed 30.

[0357] In some embodiments, when the connector 252 of the connector body 250 of the T-cable 248 is coupled to the connector 230 of the cable 232, Bluetooth communication between the wall module 32 and the bed 30 is not established or is suspended if already established. Thus, wired communication between the bed 30 and the wall module 32 via the cable 248 takes precedence over wireless communication between the bed 30 and the wall module via the wireless communication link 34. As described above, even if the wall module 32 and the bed 30 have a wired communication link, such as via the cable 248, wireless WiFi communication between the WiFi transceiver 120 of the wall module 32 and one or more WAPs 52 via the wireless communication link 54 can still be enabled.

[0358] Now refer to Figure 12 , shows an embodiment of a wall module 32 in which a nurse call connection port 128 is accessible next to a duplex AC outlet 136 on the front wall 138 of the housing 134. Figure 2 Port 128 is discussed. Referring back to the figure above, the port 128 of the module 32 allows for a wired connection to the bed 30. Specifically, the nurse call connection port 128 of the wall module 32 is configured to mate with the connector 230, as shown in FIG. Figure 13As shown, the connector 230 is located at one end of a nurse call cable 232 that extends from the bed 30. In the illustrated example, the port 128 is a 37-pin connector that is oriented generally vertically along its length.

[0359] As described above, the cable 232 is such as through Figure 13 When the connector 230 is shown coupled to the port 128 of the wall module 32, Bluetooth communication between the wall module 32 and the bed 30 is not established or, if established, is suspended. Thus, wired communication between the bed 30 and the wall module 32 via the cable 232 takes precedence over wireless communication between the bed 30 and the wall module via the wireless communication link 34. As described above, even if the wall module 32 and the bed 30 have a wired communication link, such as via the cable 232, wireless WiFi communication between the WiFi transceiver 120 of the wall module 32 and one or more WAPs 52 via the wireless communication link 54 may still be enabled.

[0360] Now refer to Figure 14 , a first embodiment of a plug detector 132 for use in a wall module 32 is shown. Figure 14 The plug detector 132 includes the above combination Figure 9 IR sensor pairs 244, 246. Specifically, each IR sensor pair 244, 246 of the first embodiment of the plug detector 132 includes a light emitter 254 and a light detector or receiver 256. The light emitter 254 and light detector 256 of each sensor pair 244, 246 are generally horizontally aligned with the power prong receiving ports or openings 258 of each receptacle 260 of the duplex AC outlet 136 of the wall module 32. When the power plug 180 of the bed 30, or indeed any power plug, is not connected to any receptacle 260, as shown Figure 14 As schematically indicated, an IR light beam 262 emitted by each light emitter 254 is received by a corresponding horizontally aligned light detector 256 .

[0361] When the power prongs 182 of the power plug 180 are received in the openings 258 of the upper or lower receptacles 260 of the outlet 136, the light beam 262 of the blocking sensor pair 244 is blocked from reaching the corresponding light receiver 256. The detection circuit 264 of the plug detector 132 detects that the light beam 262 is not received by either light receiver 256. In some embodiments, the detection circuit 264 includes one or more logic gates (e.g., OR gates, AND gates, etc.) having a signal from the light detector 256 as an input and having an output coupled to the SOM or controller 114. The detection circuit 264 may further include one or more amplifiers, filters, transistors, resistors, and other circuit elements. Optionally, in some embodiments, the controller 114 provides a coded signal to the light emitter 254, such as Figure 14This is indicated by block 266. For example, the coded signal 266 may include a patterned light signal that is periodically turned on and off as commanded by the controller 114 so that the light emitter 254 does not continuously emit IR light.

[0362] The present disclosure contemplates that before a pairable device (e.g., a device such as the bed 30 that is programmed to wirelessly pair with the wall module 32 based on time) is plugged into one of the upper and lower receptacles 260, 260 of the outlet 136, a device that is not programmed to wirelessly pair with the wall module 32 (referred to herein as a "non-pairable device") may be plugged into the other of the upper and lower receptacles 260 of the outlet 136. In this case, one of the IR sensor pairs 244, 246 detects that the non-pairable device has been plugged in, and the wall module 32 proceeds to transmit a BT scan 192 in an attempt to pair with the non-pairable device. However, the non-pairable device will not respond with any BT advertisements for normal operation time, so the wall module 32 will not pair with the non-pairable device. Subsequently, when the pairable device 30 is plugged into the remaining receptacle 260 of the outlet 136, the wall module 32 again transmits a BT scan 192 and pairs the device based on the BT advertisements. Figure 6A The process 200 proceeds to successful pairing with the pairable device 30 .

[0363] If any other device is plugged into Figure 14 If a pairable device 30 has previously been plugged into one of the sockets 260 of the receptacle 136 of the wall module 32, one of the IR sensor pairs 244, 246 detects the insertion of the pairable device, and the wall module 32 proceeds to pair with the pairable device according to process 200. Thereafter, if another device is plugged into the remaining socket 260, the wall module 32 will not transmit any BT scans 192 or make any attempts to pair with the second device because the wall module 32 is already paired with the first pairable device. This is true even if the second device is also a pairable device. In other words, the wall module 32 is wirelessly paired with only one pairable device at a time, such as the bed 30.

[0364] Now refer to Figure 15 , a second embodiment of a plug detector 132 for use in a wall module 32 is shown. Figure 15 1 includes a single IR sensor pair 244'. Specifically, the IR sensor pair 244' of the second embodiment of the plug detector 132 includes a light emitter 254' and a light detector or receiver 256'. The light emitter 254' and the light detector 256' of the sensor pair 244' are generally vertically aligned with the ground pin receiving port or opening 259 of each receptacle 260 of the duplex AC outlet 136 of the wall module 32. When the power plug 180 of the bed 30, or indeed any power plug, is not connected to any receptacle 260, as shown in FIG. Figure 15As schematically indicated, an IR light beam 262' emitted by light emitter 254' is received by a vertically aligned light detector 256'.

[0365] When the ground prong 182 of the power plug 180 is received in the opening 259 of the upper or lower receptacle 260 of the outlet 136, the light beam 262' of the blocking sensor pair 244' is blocked from reaching the light receiver 256'. The detection circuit 264' of the plug detector 132 detects that the light beam 262' is not received by the light receiver 256'. In some embodiments, the detection circuit 264' includes one or more amplifiers, filters, transistors, resistors, and other circuit elements. Optionally, in some embodiments, the controller 114 provides a coded signal to the light emitter 254', such as Figure 15 For example, the coded signal 266' may include a patterned light signal that is periodically turned on and off as commanded by the controller 114 so that the light emitter 254' does not continuously emit IR light.

[0366] and Figure 14 Compared to the plug detector 132 having two IR sensor pairs 244, 246, Figure 15 The plug detector 132 in FIG. 1 has only one IR sensor pair 244′ and therefore has fewer circuit components, which is different from the Figure 14 Compared to the embodiment of the present invention, the wall module 32 is lighter in weight and has a lower cost. However, the ground pin of the first device inserted into one of the receptacles 260 of the outlet 136 will block the light beam 262', and the wall module 32 cannot detect the second device inserted into the other receptacle 260 of the outlet 136 because the light beam 262' has been blocked by the ground pin of the first device received in the corresponding ground opening 259. Therefore, if the wall module 32 has Figure 15 The plug detector 132 shown requires that a pairable device, such as the bed 30, be plugged into the wall module 32 as the first device in order for successful pairing to occur between the pairable device 30 and the wall module 32. Thus, in response to the light beam 262' being blocked by the first device being plugged into the receptacle 136, the wall module 32 transmits a BT scan 192 to begin the time-based wireless pairing process 200.

[0367] about Figure 14 and Figure 15 In further embodiments, other types of wireless signals may be used between appropriate transmitters and detectors in place of IR beams 262, 262'. For example, other suitable source / detector pairs include the use of radio frequency (RF) signals, including RF signals in the gigahertz range. In these embodiments, an RF transmitter and an RF detector are used. The presence of one or more pins 182 in the RF signal path interrupts the RF signal from reaching the RF detector.

[0368] about Figure 15 In an embodiment, the housing 134 of the wall module 32, which includes a source / detector pair 244′, is configured to reduce a number of external environmental stimuli, such as ambient room light and sunlight from a window. The source or emitter 254′ is positioned at the bottom of the front wall 138 of the AC cover panel that serves as the outlet 136, and emits an IR beam 262′ upward toward the detector 256′ to eliminate the effects of ambient light and sunlight. Optionally, the detector 256′ can be further recessed into a well located at the top of the front wall 138 to prevent reflections from the floor from entering the detector space and causing false indications.

[0369] The physical location and configuration of the source / detector pair 244' can use the same approach to mitigate false triggering that may be caused by objects such as bedsheets, wiring, wires, hoses, and any other obstructions that could reflect light into the signal path of the light beam 262' between the source / detector pair 244' by recessing the signal path 262' into the interior area of ​​the wall module 32. In further embodiments, the light beam 262' can be angled relative to the floor of the patient room (e.g., can be tilted relative to horizontal or vertical) to further isolate the light beam path from reflections from external objects that could easily interfere with the detection path and create false connection indications. For example, in Figure 15 In a modified embodiment, the single light beam 262' or the multiple light beams 262' are emitted diagonally through the AC outlet 136 so that the light beams 262' span the left opening 258 of the upper outlet 260 and the right opening 258 of the lower outlet. Alternatively, the one or more light beams 262' emitted diagonally span the right opening 258 of the upper outlet 260 and the left opening 258 of the lower outlet.

[0370] A similar approach using an oblique beam 262 can be combined with Figure 14 For example, detector pair 244 can position its emitter 254 and detector 256 so that light beam 262 traverses opening 259 and one of openings 258 of upper and lower receptacles 260. In these embodiments, the emitter 254 of each pair 244, 246 is positioned lower than the detector 256 so that the emitter 254 emits light upward at an angle, which more effectively eliminates ambient light, sunlight, and light reflected from objects.

[0371] exist Figure 14 and Figure 15 The embodiment of the present invention uses IR detectors 244, 244', 246 as appropriate, which has the advantage of not placing any restrictions on the size or shape of the AC plug 180 and / or the socket 136, which are not uniform throughout the medical industry or even within the United States. Figure 14 and Figure 15Embodiments of the present invention allow detection of insertion of any AC plug that fits into the connection contacts of a corresponding outlet without limiting the physical size of the AC plug, thereby providing reliable AC plug connection detection.

[0372] Additionally, the light or signal frequency of the light beams 262, 262' should be selected so that the optical characteristics of the AC plug 180 and the prongs 182 do not affect the operation of these embodiments of the plug detector 132. There are AC plugs that are optically transparent in the human visible spectrum, however, appropriate design of the detection signal path electronics can still ensure detection of the AC plug.

[0373] Combine Figure 14 and Figure 15 In another method of mitigating the effects of ambient or other light, embodiments of the present invention provide coded signals 266, 266' to the respective emitters 254, 254', for example, using a simple square wave, an 8-bit digital signal, or any other method that is different from the properties of ambient light, sunlight, and reflected light. In conjunction with these coded signals 266, 266', it may be desirable to avoid frequencies used by IR remote controls when using IR emitters 254, 254' in the respective detector pairs 244, 244', 246.

[0374] Still about Figure 14 and 15 In further embodiments of these embodiments, the transmitters 254, 254' and receivers 256, 256' of the respective embodiments may be positioned in front of the respective receptacles 260, such as by being supported on a raised portion of the housing 134 of the wall module 32, or by recessing the receptacles 260 inwardly into a cavity formed in the wall module housing 134, with the transmitters 254, 254' and receivers 256, 256' then being positioned on the sidewall surfaces and / or top and bottom surfaces of the portion of the housing 134 defining the cavity. In these alternative embodiments, the body of the plug 180 blocks the light beams 262, 262'. In alternative embodiments, the housing 134 is provided with an aperture through which or within which the receptacles 156, 160 are accessible (see Figure 3 In this alternative embodiment, the transmitters 254, 254' and the receivers 256, 256' are located on the sidewall surfaces and / or the top and bottom surfaces of the portion of the housing 134 that defines the aperture. Furthermore, with this alternative embodiment, the receptacle 136 and the prongs 154, 158 are omitted from the wall module 32 because the plug 180 of the bed 30 is inserted into the existing receptacles 150, 160 through the aperture formed in the housing 134.

[0375] Now refer to Figure 16 , a third embodiment of a plug detector 132 for use in a wall module 32 is shown. Figure 16The plug detector 132 includes a mechanical switch 268 that changes from an open state to a closed state in response to a plug, such as the power plug 180, being inserted into each of the receptacles 260 of the duplex AC outlet 136 of the wall module 32. One of the switches 268 is used with the upper receptacle 260, while the other of the switches 268 is used with the lower receptacle 260, as shown in FIG. Figure 16 Indicated by the dashed line 269 in FIG. In the illustrated example, the switch 268 is a plug-type switch with a plug 270 extending outwardly from the front face of each receptacle 260 (e.g., Figure 16 Plugs 270 are spring loaded outwardly to their respective disconnected positions.

[0376] When a plug is inserted into any receptacle 260, the corresponding plug 270 moves further inward into the corresponding receptacle 260, resisting the spring bias caused by contact between the front surface of the plug body of the plug and the distal end of the corresponding plug 270. The inward movement of any plug 270 into the corresponding receptacle 260 causes the state of the corresponding switch 268 to change from an open position to a closed position. Detection circuit 272 detects the position of switch 268. In some embodiments, detection circuit 264 includes one or more logic gates (e.g., an OR gate, an AND gate, etc.) having a signal from switch 268 as an input and having an output coupled to SOM or controller 114. Detection circuit 272 may further include one or more amplifiers, filters, transistors, resistors, and other circuit elements.

[0377] The present disclosure contemplates that when the pairable device 30 is inserted into Figure 16 Before one of the upper and lower sockets 260 of the middle jack 136, a non-pairable device can be plugged into Figure 16 In this case, one of the switches 268 is closed, thereby detecting that a non-pairable device is plugged in, and the wall module 32 proceeds to transmit BT scan 192 in an attempt to pair with the non-pairable device. However, the non-pairable device does not respond with any BT advertisement during normal operation, so the wall module 32 does not pair with the non-pairable device. Subsequently, when the pairable device 30 is plugged in Figure 16 When the remaining sockets 260 of the middle socket 136 are connected, the wall module 32 transmits the BT scan 192 again and Figure 6A The process 200 proceeds to a successful pairing with a pairable device.

[0378] If the pairable device 30 is inserted into Figure 16If any other device is plugged into one of the sockets 260 of the outlet 136 of the wall module 32 and then into the other of the sockets 260, one of the switches 268 is closed, causing the insertion of the pairable device 30 to be detected, and the wall module 32 proceeds to pair with the pairable device according to the process 200. Thereafter, if another device is plugged into Figure 16 In the remaining outlets 260 in the wall module 32, the wall module 32 will not transmit any BT scans 192, nor will it make any attempts to pair with a second device, because the wall module 32 is already paired with the first pairable device 30. This is true even if the second device is also a pairable device. In other words, the wall module 32 is wirelessly paired with only one pairable device 30 at a time, such as the bed 30.

[0379] exist Figure 16 In alternative embodiments, other types of sensors may be used in place of the mechanical switch 268. For example, the presence of the AC plug 180 and its associated electrical properties may be used to sense the presence of the plug by utilizing the magnetic permeability and permittivity of the plastic or metal in the AC plug 180. Accordingly, in some embodiments, a capacitive sensor may be provided in the wall module 32 as the plug detector 132 in place of the mechanical switch 268. In a further variation, the plug 180 carries a magnet, and the plug detector 132 of the wall module 32 includes a magnet detector, such as a Hall effect sensor, to detect the magnet when the plug 180 is inserted into one of the receptacles 260 of the outlet 136. Alternatively, assuming that the motion is due to the plug 180 being inserted into one of the receptacles 260 of the outlet 136, a motion detection sensor may be used in the wall module 32 as the plug detector 132 by detecting motion in an area adjacent to the receptacles 260 of the outlet 136.

[0380] Now refer to Figure 17 , a fourth embodiment of a plug detector 132 for use in a wall module 32 is shown. The fourth embodiment of the plug detector 132 includes a current sensor, indicated by current sensing block 274, coupled to one of the power prong openings 258 of the receptacle 260 of the duplex AC outlet 136 of the wall module 32. The current sensor 274 is configured to sense the flow of current that occurs when a plug is inserted into the corresponding receptacle 260. The current sensing of the sensor 274 is communicated to a detection circuit 276, which in turn signals the controller 114 of the wall module 32 that current has been detected. The current detection of the sensor 274 corresponds to Figure 6A 188 of the time-based wireless pairing process 200 .

[0381] In some embodiments, the current sensors 274 include Hall-effect sensors that each detect a magnetic field generated by the AC current flowing in a respective power line 278, which is coupled to an electrical contact disposed in the opening 258 of the corresponding outlet 260. In some embodiments, the detected magnetic field is converted to a voltage, which is amplified by an amplifier in the current sensor 274. The voltage or amplified voltage from the Hall-effect sensor is provided to a detection circuit 276. Similar to the detection circuits 264, 264', and 272 described above, the detection circuit 276 includes one or more logic gates (e.g., an OR gate, an AND gate, etc.) that have signals from the current sensors 274 as inputs and have outputs coupled to the SOM or controller 114. The detection circuit 276 may further include one or more amplifiers, filters, transistors, resistors, and other circuit components. In some embodiments, the bed 30 also includes current sensors and detection circuitry substantially identical to the current sensors 274 and detection circuit 276 of the wall module 32. As described above, the signals from these current sensors on the bed 30 are used to start the timer of the MCB 92.

[0382] The present disclosure contemplates that when the pairable device 30 is inserted into Figure 17 Before one of the upper and lower sockets 260 of the middle jack 136, a non-pairable device can be plugged into Figure 17 In this case, one of the current sensors 274 detects that a non-pairable device is plugged in, and the wall module 32 proceeds to transmit BT scan 192 in an attempt to pair with the non-pairable device. However, the non-pairable device does not respond with any BT advertisement during normal operation, so the wall module 32 does not pair with the non-pairable device. Subsequently, when the pairable device 30 is plugged in Figure 17 When the remaining sockets 260 of the middle socket 136 are connected, the wall module 32 transmits the BT scan 192 again and Figure 6A The process 200 proceeds to a successful pairing with a pairable device.

[0383] If the pairable device 30 is inserted into Figure 17 If any other device is subsequently plugged into one of the receptacles 260 of the outlet 136 of the wall module 32, one of the current sensors 274 detects the current flow caused by the insertion of the pairable device 30, and the wall module 32 proceeds to pair with the pairable device 30 according to the process 200. Thereafter, if another device is plugged into the Figure 17In the remaining outlets 260 in the wall module 32, the wall module 32 will not transmit any BT scans 192, nor will it make any attempts to pair with a second device, because the wall module 32 is already paired with the first pairable device 30. This is true even if the second device is also a pairable device. In other words, the wall module 32 is wirelessly paired with only one pairable device 30 at a time, such as the bed 30.

[0384] Now refer to Figure 18 and Figure 19 , shows an embodiment of a wall module 32 in which the plug detector 132 is configured as a tag reader. In other aspects, Figure 18 and Figure 19 The wall modules 32 and Figure 4 and Figure 5 The wall modules 32 are substantially identical. Figure 18 and 19 The same reference numerals are used to indicate Figure 4 and Figure 5 Therefore, the above Figure 4 and Figure 5 The discussion also applies to Figure 18 and Figure 19 , unless otherwise specified. Specifically, Figure 18 and Figure 19 In the illustrative example of FIG, a short-range transponder tag 280, such as a near field communication (NFC) tag, is attached to a power plug 180 that extends from the power cord 144 of the bed 30. In the illustrative example, the transponder tag 280 is mounted to the plug body of the plug 180 proximate to the end where the prongs 182 extend from the plug body. Thus, when the plug 180 is inserted into one of the receptacles of the outlet 136, as shown in FIG. Figure 19 As shown, the transponder tag 280 is located just off the front wall 138 of the housing 134 of the wall module 32 .

[0385] When the plug 180 is inserted into the receptacle 136, the transponder tag 280 is within the receiving range of the reader 132 located in the interior area of ​​the wall module 32. In response to reading the tag 280, the wall module 32 begins Figure 6A10. The wireless pairing process 200 of FIG. 10 is described, and the initiation of the timer of the wall module 32 at block 188 is in response to the reader 132 detecting the tag 280, rather than in response to sensing any electrical current. In some embodiments, the reader 132 periodically transmits an interrogation signal to determine whether any transponder tags 280 are within the reception range of the reader 132. If the transponder contained within or on the tag 280 is an NFC transponder, the reception range is approximately 4 inches to approximately 10 inches. In some embodiments, the transponder is a passive transponder, such that the signal transmitted by the reader 132 is reflected back to the reader 132 along with the transponder ID by the transponder tag. In other embodiments, an active transponder (e.g., a battery-powered transponder) is disposed within or on the tag 280. In these embodiments, in response to receiving the interrogation signal, a response signal is transmitted from the active transponder of the tag 280 back to the reader 132.

[0386] It should be noted that this disclosure Figure 18 and Figure 19 The manner in which the transponder tag 280 is used in the embodiment of the present invention differs from that of U.S. Patent No. 9,830,424. Figure 20 、 Figure 23 and Figure 24 In some embodiments, a transponder tag or RFID tag is used. In these embodiments, the tag ID is received by a wall line that can be connected to a Bluetooth line, and then the tag ID and the wall line ID are transmitted back to the bed. If the bed confirms that the appropriate tag ID is transmitted back to the bed, wireless pairing is performed. Therefore, the pairing process disclosed in US Patent No. 9,830,424 is not a time-based pairing. In the present disclosure, Figure 18 and Figure 19 In the embodiment of FIG. 1 , detection of the transponder tag 280 by the reader 132 is used to initiate the time-based wireless pairing process 200, and the wall module never transmits any tag ID back to the bed 30. Accordingly, the tag ID of the transponder tag 280 does not need to be programmed into the memory 98 or the memory 104 of the bed 30.

[0387] Using a wall module 32 configured for wireless communication with a bed 30 via a wireless data link 34 according to any of the embodiments disclosed herein, a conventional nurse call cable between the bed 30 and the nurse call port 126 can be eliminated. Thus, when the bed 30 is supporting a patient in a patient room, only the power plug 180 of the bed 30's power cord 144 needs to be plugged into the wall module 32. When the bed 30 is moved to a new location, only the power plug 180 needs to be unplugged from the wall module 32. Even if the bed 30 is moved away from the room wall 152 while the plug 180 is still plugged in, the plug 180 can be easily pulled out of the receptacle 136 of the wall module 32, minimizing the risk of damage to the wall module 32 or the plug 180. However, when using a bed without wireless communication capabilities, such as Bluetooth communication, various embodiments provide for utilizing a conventional nurse call cable 232 for wired communication between the wall unit 32 and the bed 30. It is also contemplated, although not intended, that wired communications between the wirelessly communicating bed 30 and the wall module 32 could be implemented using a conventional nurse call cable 232 .

[0388] Some beds do not have any microphones 112 but may have speakers 110, while some beds do not have any speakers 110 or microphones 112. Accordingly, the present disclosure contemplates that some embodiments of the wall module 32 include microphones and / or speakers substantially similar to the speakers 110 and microphones 112 of the bed 30. Embodiments in which a speaker / microphone combination is provided in the wall module 32 also fall within the scope of the present disclosure. In these embodiments, if, for example, one or more servers 46, 62, 70 determine that a bed 30 having speakers and / or microphones is in communication with the wall module 32 via the wireless communication link 34 or via the nurse call cable 232, one or more command messages may be sent to the wall module 32 via the wireless communication link 54 or via the nurse call cable 44 to disable the speakers and / or microphones of the wall module 32. Similarly, if a pillowtop speaker having both a speaker and microphone is coupled to the port 166 of the ASBC 164, for example, one or more command messages may be sent to the wall module 32 via the wireless communication link 54 or via the nurse call cable 44 to disable the speakers and / or microphones of the wall module 32.

[0389] Based on the foregoing, the present disclosure contemplates a system 20 for use in a healthcare facility 22, the system 20 including a network 60 and a nurse call system 43. The system 20 also includes a medical device 30 having a first wireless transceiver 106, a first timer (e.g., implemented as software stored in memory 98 and executed by microprocessor 96), and a power line 144 terminating at a power plug 180. The medical device 30 has a first sensor (e.g., similar to a Figure 17The system 20 further includes a wall unit 32 installed in a fixed location in a patient room of the healthcare facility 22. The wall unit 32 includes a second wireless transceiver 122 and a second timer (e.g., implemented as software stored in the memory 118 and executed by the microprocessor 116). The wall unit 32 is plugged into a first alternating current (AC) outlet 146 of the healthcare facility 22. The wall unit 32 includes a second AC outlet 136 into which the power plug 180 of the medical device 30 can be coupled. The wall unit 32 includes an AC plug sensor 132 that senses when the power plug 180 is plugged into the second AC outlet 136. In response to the first sensor sensing that the medical device 30 is receiving power through the power plug 180 and the power line 144, a first timer is initiated to measure a first uptime. In response to the power plug 180 being plugged into the second AC outlet 136 of the wall unit 32, a second timer is initiated to measure a second uptime. The medical device 30 is configured to transmit a notification including the first uptime from the first wireless transceiver 106 to the wall unit 32. The wall unit 32 compares the first uptime with the second uptime, and if the first uptime is within a predetermined tolerance of the second uptime, the wall unit 32 sends a pairing message 214 to the medical device 30, which causes the wall unit 32 to automatically pair with the medical device 30 for subsequent wireless communication.

[0390] In some embodiments, the system 20 further includes a nurse call line 44, 216, 248 extending from the wall unit 32. The nurse call line 44, 216, 248 terminates at a first nurse call connector 162, 224, 250 configured to connect to the nurse call port 126 of the nurse call system 43. Optionally, the nurse call line 216 can include an auxiliary line leg 226 that can terminate at a second nurse call connector 228. In these embodiments, the second nurse call connector 228 can be coupled to a third nurse call connector 230 at one end of a device nurse call line 232 extending from the medical device 30. Further optionally, the first nurse call connector 250 is disposed in a connector body of the nurse call line 248. In these embodiments, the connector body 250 has a second nurse call connector 252 configured to couple to the third nurse call connector 230 at one end of the device nurse call line 232 extending from the medical device 30. Still further optionally, the wall unit 32 includes a first nurse call connector 128 configured to couple to a second nurse call connector 230 at one end of a device nurse call line 232 extending from the medical device 30 .

[0391] The present disclosure contemplates that the medical device 30 further includes a first Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) transceiver 100 configured to transmit WiFi messages to and receive WiFi messages from at least one wireless access point 52 of the network 60. Optionally, the first wireless transceiver 106 includes a first Bluetooth transceiver 106 mounted to the first circuit board 94 of the medical device 30, and the first WiFi transceiver 100 is mounted to the second circuit board 92 of the medical device 30. Optionally, the wall unit 32 includes a second WiFi transceiver 120 configured to transmit WiFi messages to and receive WiFi messages from at least one wireless access point 52 of the network 60.

[0392] In some embodiments, the second wireless transceiver 122 includes a second Bluetooth transceiver 122, the system 20 further includes a first set of switches 108 on the first circuit board 94 to provide first contact closures indicating multiple states of the medical device 30, and the system 20 further includes a second set of switches 124 in the wall unit 32. The second set of switches 124 has second contact closures that are controlled by the controller 114 of the wall unit 32 to match multiple states of the first contact closures based on data contained in Bluetooth messages received by the second Bluetooth transceiver 122 from the first Bluetooth transceiver 106.

[0393] Optionally, the at least one second contact closure changes state (e.g., from an open state to a closed state, or vice versa) to control a television 76 in the patient's room. Alternatively or additionally, the at least one second contact closure changes state to turn on a light 74 in the patient's room. Further alternatively or additionally, the medical device 30 comprises a bed 30, and the at least one second contact closure changes state to indicate an alarm state of a bed exit system of the bed 30. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device 30 comprises a bed 30, and the at least one second contact closure changes state to indicate that the siderails 40, 80 of the bed 30 have been moved to a lowered position. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device 30 comprises a bed 30, ...

Claims

1. A system for wireless configuration and authorization of a wall module, comprising: a wall module comprising a first wireless transceiver and a first line configured to receive an audio feed and a data feed; a patient bed comprising a second wireless transceiver, a speaker, and second circuitry coupled to the speaker and the second wireless transceiver, the second wireless transceiver being configurable to wirelessly communicate with the first wireless transceiver; as well as a mobile device configured to temporarily link with the first wireless transceiver for wireless communication to configure the wall module's wiring, the mobile device configured to receive a first user input to command the wall module's wiring to mute the bed's speaker, the muting persisting, including after the link between the mobile device and the first wireless transceiver is terminated, wherein, in response to receiving the first user input to mute the speaker of the bed, the wiring of the wall module communicates with the second wireless transceiver via the first wireless transceiver in a first manner, the first manner placing the bed in a persistent mute mode to prevent the audio feed from being audibly played through the speaker of the bed, thereby avoiding an echo effect caused by audio being played through another nearby audio source.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein: In response to receiving the first user input to mute the speaker of the bed, the first circuit instructs the first wireless transceiver to transmit an audio packet corresponding to silence.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein: Audio packets corresponding to silence contain all zeros.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The mobile device is configured to receive a second user input to unmute the speaker of the hospital bed, wherein, in response to receiving the second user input to unmute the speaker of the hospital bed, the first wiring of the wall module communicates with the second wireless transceiver through the first wireless transceiver in a second manner that allows the audio feed to be audibly played through the speaker of the hospital bed.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein: The mobile device is configured to display a mute / unmute slider, the first user input corresponds to the mute / unmute slider being in a first position, and the second user input corresponds to the mute / unmute slider being in a second position.

6. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The mobile device is configured to receive firmware installation input from a user to upload firmware to the wall module's wiring via the first wireless transceiver.

7. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The bed includes a graphical user interface configured to receive input from a user to control functions of the bed, the graphical user interface configured to receive a third user input, which causes a mute command to be transmitted from the second wireless transceiver of the bed to the first wireless transceiver of the wall module to command the wiring of the wall module to operate in a first manner to mute the speaker of the bed.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein: The graphical user interface is configured to receive a fourth user input, which causes an unmute command to be transmitted from the second wireless transceiver of the hospital bed to the first wireless transceiver of the wall module to command the wiring of the wall module to operate in a second mode, the second mode allowing the audio feed to be audibly played through the speaker of the hospital bed.

9. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The first line of the wall module and the second line of the bed perform a time-based pairing operation to pair the bed with the wall module.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein: The time-based pairing operation is initiated by plugging the bed's power plug into the wall module's power socket.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein: Plugging a power cord into the power outlet causes a first timer of the hospital bed to start to measure a first uptime, wherein plugging the power cord into the power outlet causes a second timer of the wall module to start to measure a second uptime, wherein the wall module is configured to transmit a notification including the second uptime from the first wireless transceiver to the hospital bed, wherein the hospital bed compares the second uptime with the first uptime, and if the second uptime is within a predetermined tolerance range of the first uptime, the hospital bed sends a pairing message to the wall module, which causes the wall module to automatically pair with the hospital bed for subsequent wireless communication.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein: Plugging the power cord into the power outlet causes a first timer of the hospital bed to start to measure a first uptime, wherein plugging the power cord into the power outlet causes a second timer of the wall module to start to measure a second uptime, wherein the hospital bed is configured to transmit a message including the first uptime from the second wireless transceiver to the wall module, wherein the wall module compares the first uptime with the second uptime, and if the first uptime is within a predetermined tolerance range of the second uptime, the wall module sends a pairing message to the hospital bed, which causes the wall module to automatically pair with the hospital bed for subsequent wireless communication.

13. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: A nurse call cord extends from the wall module, the nurse call cord terminating in a first nurse call connector configured to connect to a nurse call port of a nurse call system.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein: The nurse call line includes an auxiliary line leg terminating in a second nurse call connector that is coupleable to a third nurse call connector at one end of the bed nurse call line extending from the bed.

15. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The hospital bed includes a first WiFi transceiver, and the wall module includes a second WiFi transceiver, wherein the first WiFi transceiver and the second WiFi transceiver are both configured to send WiFi messages to at least one wireless access point of a network and receive WiFi messages from at least one wireless access point of the network.

16. A system for wireless configuration and authorization of a wall module, comprising: a wall module comprising a first wireless transceiver and a first line configured to transmit an audio feed; as well as a hospital bed comprising a second wireless transceiver, a speaker, and second circuitry coupled to the speaker and the second wireless transceiver, the second wireless transceiver being configurable to wirelessly communicate with the first wireless transceiver, wherein the first circuitry of the wall module is configured to detect the presence of a pillowside speaker unit, the pillowside speaker unit being detached from the bed and held by the patient, and in response to the circuitry of the wall module detecting the pillowside speaker unit, the wall module is configured to communicate with the second wireless transceiver via the first wireless transceiver in a first manner that prevents the audio feed from being audibly played through the speaker of the bed.

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