Self-driving smart ringer holder

Abstract

An autonomous smart IV stand is disclosed. The autonomous smart IV stand according to the present invention comprises: an IV frame composed of a vertical bar and a horizontal bar for suspending and mounting an IV; a load cell provided on the horizontal bar for measuring the weight of the IV; a driving unit provided at the bottom of the IV frame for driving to follow a patient; a fall detection unit worn on the patient's body for detecting whether a fall has occurred; and a control unit connected to the driving unit to control operation, processing information measured or detected by the load cell and the fall detection unit, and communicating with an external terminal. According to the present invention, the mobility convenience of patients and guardians and the work convenience of medical staff can be enhanced, and not only can a rapid response be made to falls that may occur during the movement of elderly patients, whose numbers are increasing in the era of aging, but various safety accidents can also be effectively prevented.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an autonomous smart IV stand, and more specifically, to an autonomous smart IV stand that autonomously tracks a patient and follows their gait to provide convenience to the patient, while also being able to immediately determine whether the patient has fallen. Background Technology

[0002] An IV stand refers to a mounting device designed to suspend an IV drip from the top of a support structure higher than the patient's heart, in order to continuously administer fluids, injections, medications (hereinafter collectively referred to as "IV drip") to hospitalized patients using an IV drip set.

[0003] These IV stands can be classified into a support type that is fixed to the bed and a type equipped with wheels at the bottom of the support so that it can be moved along with the IV when the patient moves.

[0004] Specifically, the portable IV stand is composed of a structure that includes a height-adjustable support, a hook at the top of the support for hanging an IV, a tray in the middle of the support for holding and gripping portable items, and wheels at the bottom of the support to enable movement.

[0005] While these conventional IV stands offer the convenience of assisting patients receiving IV fluids with movement within the hospital, there is a problem in that it is difficult for patients with severe mobility issues, young infants, and patients with disabilities to move the stand around on their own.

[0006] Furthermore, since the aforementioned conventional IV stand is structured with wheels installed at the bottom of the support column on which the IV is mounted, which rotate freely and are simply manually pulled by the patient's external force, it can be burdensome to the patient during prolonged movement. In the event of carelessness, the IV may frequently be damaged or fall off by hitting a wall, or the stand may tip over. Additionally, there is a problem in that nurses cannot respond promptly if the IV is completely depleted during movement.

[0007] In order to partially resolve these problems or inconveniences, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2020-0077791 (Publication Date: July 1, 2020) discloses technology for an automatic tracking smart IV stand that can determine the location of a patient using an ultrasonic sensor and GPS.

[0008] However, the IV stand used to locate a patient as described above may consume excessive power due to the use of GPS, and since no separate supplementary sensor or device has been disclosed to compensate for cases where the ultrasound sensor fails to track the patient, there is a possibility that its reliability in tracking the patient's location or detecting obstacles may not be sufficient.

[0009] Furthermore, with the advent of the aging society, there is a need for research on various systems capable of preventing and promptly responding to falls and resulting safety accidents that may occur during the movement of the increasing number of elderly patients; however, to date, IV stands that take these factors into account have not been developed. Prior art literature

[0010] Republic of Korea Published Patent No. 10-2020-0077791 (Publication Date: July 1, 2020) The problem to be solved

[0011] The objective of the present invention is to provide an autonomous smart IV stand configured to provide convenience to the patient by autonomously tracking and following the patient's gait, while also being able to determine in real-time information on the remaining amount of IV fluid, basic patient physical information, and whether the patient has fallen, and to enable rapid response based on such information. means of solving the problem

[0012] The above objective is achieved by an autonomous driving smart IV stand characterized by comprising: an IV frame composed of a vertical bar and a horizontal bar for suspending and mounting an IV; a load cell provided on the horizontal bar for measuring the weight of the IV; a driving unit provided at the bottom of the IV frame for driving to follow a patient; a fall detection unit worn on the patient's body for detecting whether a fall has occurred; and a control unit connected to the driving unit to control operation, process information measured or detected by the load cell and the fall detection unit, and communicate with an external terminal.

[0013] The driving unit may include: a driving body that drives by means of a pair of wheels installed to rotate left and right and has variable steering, coupled to the lower end of the vertical bar; a motor provided in the driving body to provide rotational driving force to the wheels; and a Bluetooth module installed between the patient and the ringer frame so that the driving body's tracking of the patient is achieved through motor control by the control unit based on Bluetooth signal strength.

[0014] The above fall processing unit may include a strap worn on one side of the patient's body equipped with a biosensor that measures the patient's body information, such as body temperature, heart rate, or blood pressure; and a fall sensor provided on the strap to detect changes in speed and atmospheric pressure that occur when the patient falls.

[0015] The above fall handling unit further includes a coupler that induces the separation of the IV hose connecting the IV and the patient in the event of a patient's fall, and the coupler may include a fastening member formed at both ends so that the two cut ends of the IV hose are each fitted inwardly and pressurized, and configured to detach from the cut ends in the event of a patient's fall; and a communication hole formed through the center of the fastening member so that the two cut ends are in communication with each other.

[0016] The control unit above can perform the operation of transmitting information measured or detected by the load cell and the fall processing unit in real time to an external terminal that can be viewed by a guardian or medical staff. Effects of the invention

[0017] According to the present invention, a load cell is provided on a horizontal bar that supports the IV drip and measures the weight of the IV drip, and a driving unit is provided at the bottom of the IV drip frame and can follow a moving patient. Additionally, a fall processing unit worn on the patient's body to detect whether a fall has occurred and a control unit connected to the driving unit to process information measured or detected by the load cell and control operation are configured to communicate with an external terminal to transmit information regarding the remaining amount of the IV drip and information regarding the patient's fall in real time. Consequently, the convenience of movement for patients and guardians and the work convenience of medical staff can be enhanced, and not only can measures be taken promptly regarding falls that may occur during the movement of elderly patients, whose numbers are increasing in the era of aging, but various safety accidents can also be effectively prevented. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an autonomous driving smart ring holder according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a front view of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a plan view of Figure 1. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the detailed configuration of the fall handling unit shown in Figure 1 and worn by the patient. Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the connection relationships between the components applied to the autonomous driving smart ringer holder of Figure 1. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0019] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, in describing the present invention, descriptions of already known functions or configurations will be omitted in order to clarify the gist of the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an autonomous driving smart ring holder according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating the detailed configuration of a fall processing unit shown in FIG. 1 and worn by a patient, FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the connection relationships between the configurations applied to the autonomous driving smart ring holder of FIG. 1.

[0022] In the description of the invention and claims, terms such as up (up), down (down), left and right (side or lateral), front (front, front), and back (back, rear) that designate directions are determined based on the relative positions between drawings and configurations for the convenience of explanation, rather than for the purpose of limiting rights. The three axes may rotate to correspond to each other and change, and unless otherwise specifically defined, they shall be followed.

[0024] The autonomous driving smart IV stand (100) according to the present invention is an invention designed to improve convenience for medical staff as well as for the patient and guardian receiving the IV (10), while also enabling rapid response to falls that may occur during the movement of elderly patients and effectively preventing various safety accidents.

[0025] In order to specifically implement the function or operation described above, the autonomous driving smart ringer holder (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention may be configured to include a ringer frame (110), a load cell (120), a driving unit (130), a fall processing unit (140), and a control unit (150), as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0026] First, the ringer frame (110) is a component that hangs and supports the ringer (10) at a position higher than the patient's heart in order to continuously administer the ringer (10), which contains fluid, injection solution, or medication, to the patient through the ringer hose (12).

[0027] At this time, the administration of the IV drip (10) to the patient can be carried out by inserting a needle connected to the IV drip hose (12) into a blood vessel on one side of the patient's body, fixing the needle and the IV drip hose (12) together using adhesive tape, and then suspending the IV drip (10) containing fluids, etc., from a horizontal bar (114).

[0028] This ringer frame (110) may be configured to include a vertical bar (112), a horizontal bar (114), and a tray (116), as shown in FIG. 1, etc.

[0029] Here, the vertical bar (112) is a rod-shaped component formed long upward from the ground to a position higher than the patient's heart, and a height adjustment member may be provided on one side of the vertical bar (112) so that the height can be adjusted according to the patient's height.

[0030] The horizontal bar (114) is a rod-shaped component formed horizontally at the upper end of the vertical bar (112) to hang and support the ringer (10), and can be rotatably coupled to the vertical bar (112).

[0031] The tray (116) is a disc-shaped component detachably provided in the middle of the vertical bar (112) to hold the patient's personal belongings and to allow the patient to grasp it when moving the IV frame (110), and may have a plurality of concave pockets formed for storing personal belongings.

[0032] At least one Bluetooth receiver (136b), which will be described later, can be attached to the perimeter of the edge of such a tray (116).

[0033] The load cell (120) is a component installed on the aforementioned horizontal bar (114) on which the ringer (10) is mounted, so that the remaining amount of the ringer (10) can be checked in real time by measuring the weight of the ringer (10). As long as it is a commercially available product capable of measuring the weight of the ringer (10) changing in real time in units of a few grams, the method of operation or shape is not particularly limited.

[0034] This load cell (120) is electrically connected to the control unit (150) to be described later, and is operated by the control unit (150) to transmit real-time measured weight information of the ringer (10) to the control unit (150).

[0035] The driving unit (130) is a component driven to follow the patient based on the positional relationship with the patient, and can be detachably installed at the bottom of the above-described ringer frame (110).

[0036] In order to specifically implement the function or operation described above, the driving unit (130) may be configured to include a driving body (132), a motor (134), and a Bluetooth module (136), as shown in FIG. 1, etc.

[0037] Here, the driving body (132) is a component that drives and steers by means of a pair of wheels (132a) that are detachably coupled to the lower part of the vertical bar (112) described above and are rotatably installed on the left and right sides, and an auxiliary wheel may be provided at the rear of the wheel (132a) responsible for driving and steering.

[0038] The motor (134) is a component that is connected to the aforementioned pair of wheels (132a) to enable power transmission and provides rotational driving force to each of the pair of wheels (132a) individually, and can be operated by being connected to the control unit (150) to be described later.

[0039] A Bluetooth module (136) is a component provided in the patient and the ringer frame (110) to enable the driving body (132) to follow the patient based on the Bluetooth signal strength between the patient and the ringer frame (110).

[0040] This Bluetooth module (136) may be composed of a Bluetooth transmitter (136a) installed in a fall processing unit (140) to be described later, which is worn on one side of the patient's body, and a Bluetooth receiver (136b) installed on one side of the ringer frame (110), specifically on the tray (116).

[0041] At this time, a Bluetooth transmitter (136a) worn on one side of the patient's body transmits a signal by means of a battery (B) independently provided in the fall processing unit (140), and a Bluetooth receiver (136b) installed in the tray (116) is controlled to operate while connected to a control unit (150) to be described later, and transmits the received signal to the control unit (150).

[0042] As described above, the control unit (150), having received a signal from the Bluetooth receiver (136b), determines the positional relationship between the patient and the ringer frame (110) based on the signal strength (RSSI, Received Signal Strength Indicator), and then controls the operation of a pair of left and right motors (134) respectively so that the driving unit (130) moves within the area of ​​the set signal strength, that is, within the set distance between the patient and the ringer frame (110).

[0043] Due to the operation control of this series of control units (150), the driving unit (130) is able to follow the patient in real time while maintaining a certain distance from the patient.

[0044] Meanwhile, the positional relationship between the patient and the ringer frame (110) can be determined with improved accuracy by integrating Bluetooth 5.1 technology, Angle of Arrival (AoA) technology, and Bluetooth signal strength (RSSI).

[0045] As described above, the tracking method based on Bluetooth signal strength has the advantage of being able to configure the driving unit (130) with low power consumption and low cost compared to conventional tracking methods based on ultrasonic, GPS, infrared sensors, or lidar sensors, and also ensures accuracy and reliability of tracking at a certain level or higher.

[0046] The fall detection unit (140) is a component worn on one side of the patient's body to detect whether the patient has fallen or basic physical information of the patient, and may be configured to include a strap (142), a biosensor (144), a fall sensor (146), and a coupler (148), as shown in FIGS. 1 and FIGS. 4.

[0047] The strap (142) is a component provided to allow the various sensors described above to be detachably fixed to one side of the patient's body.

[0048] These straps (142) may be made of elastic bands with fastening means, such as Velcro tapes (142a), provided at both ends so that they can be easily worn and removed in a manner that wraps around one side of the patient's body, such as the arms, legs, waist, or head.

[0049] The biosensor (144) is a component provided to measure a patient's body information such as body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, brain waves, or electrocardiogram, and may be composed of commercially available sensors that are mounted on one side of the strap (142) and operate by receiving power from an independently provided battery (B).

[0050] These biosensors (144) can be selectively combined according to the patient's disease and mounted on a strap (142), and various measured body information can be transmitted to a Bluetooth receiver (136b) via the Bluetooth transmitter (136a) described above, and then transmitted to a control unit (150).

[0051] The fall sensor (146) is a component specially provided to detect a fatal fall accident to a patient moving with the IV stand (100).

[0052] This fall sensor (146) may be composed of an acceleration sensor (146a) and an atmospheric pressure sensor (146b) that are mounted on one side of the strap (142) together with the biosensor (144) described above and operate by receiving power from an independently provided battery (B).

[0053] At this time, the acceleration sensor (146a) is a component provided to detect a sudden change in the body's speed in one direction when the patient falls.

[0054] And the atmospheric pressure sensor (146b) is a component additionally provided to complement the acceleration sensor (146a) described above in order to determine whether a fall has occurred more accurately without error, and detects changes in atmospheric pressure that change slightly instantaneously when a fall occurs.

[0055] As described above, the information detected by the fall sensor (146), which is composed of an acceleration sensor (146a) and an atmospheric pressure sensor (146b), is transmitted to the Bluetooth receiver (136b) via the Bluetooth transmitter (136a) described above, and then transmitted to the control unit (150) to be used to comprehensively determine whether a fall has occurred.

[0056] The coupler (148) is a component provided to prevent the ringer holder (100) from tipping over with the patient by inducing the separation of the ringer hose (12) connecting the ringer (10) and the patient in the event of a fall of the patient, and as shown in FIG. 1, it may be configured to include a fastening member (148a) and a connecting hole (148b), etc.

[0057] Here, the connecting member (148a) is a component formed at both ends of the separated ringer hose (12) so that the two cut ends are each fitted inwardly and pressurized, and can be manufactured in a structure that can be easily detached from the cut ends by a predetermined tension applied to the ringer hose (12) in the event of a patient's fall.

[0058] This fastening member (148a) may be composed of an insertion hole into which the two cut ends of the ringer hose (12) are inserted, and a pressure projection that protrudes inward from the inner surface of the insertion hole and presses the outer surface of the two cut ends of the ringer hose (12).

[0059] The connecting hole (148b) is a component formed by penetrating the central part of the aforementioned fastening member (148a) so that the cut portions on both sides are connected to each other.

[0060] Due to the coupler (148) described above, the tipping of the IV stand (100) that may occur along with the patient's fall, as well as secondary accidents caused by the separation of the injection needle connected to the IV hose (12), can be effectively prevented or avoided.

[0061] The control unit (150) is a component that controls operation by being connected to the driving unit (130) described above, receives and processes information measured or detected by the load cell (120) and the fall processing unit (140), and communicates with an external terminal held by a guardian and medical staff to provide the measured or detected information.

[0062] This control unit (150) may be configured to include an information processing unit capable of programming information processing and sequence control, such as an independently manufactured MCU (micro controller unit), microcomputer, Arduino, PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), a battery that provides power to connected devices, a communication module for communicating with external terminals, and a GPS module for location verification.

[0063] The control unit (150) described above can receive weight information of the ringer (10) measured in real time through the load cell (120) as shown in FIG. 5, calculate the remaining amount of the ringer (10) in comparison with the initial weight of the ringer (10), and if the remaining amount is less than or equal to a predetermined amount, transmit the information to the guardian and medical staff.

[0064] Additionally, the control unit (150), as shown in FIG. 5, determines the positional relationship between the patient and the ringer frame (110) based on the signal strength (RSSI) received from the Bluetooth receiver (136b), and then controls the operation of a pair of motors (134) so ​​that the driving unit (130) maintains a certain distance from the patient and follows the patient in real time.

[0065] Additionally, the control unit (150) can perform the operation of receiving various body information measured from the biosensor (144) through the Bluetooth transmitter (136a) and receiver (136b), as shown in FIG. 5, and transmitting the information to a guardian and medical staff at set time intervals.

[0066] Additionally, the control unit (150) can perform the operation of immediately transmitting the information and location to a guardian and medical staff when it is determined to be a fall by synthesizing the information received through the Bluetooth transmitter (136a) and receiver (136b) and detected by the fall sensor (146) composed of an acceleration sensor (146a) and an atmospheric pressure sensor (146b), as shown in FIG. 5.

[0067] With the autonomous driving smart ring holder (100) according to the present invention described above, the convenience of movement for patients and guardians and the convenience of work for medical staff can be enhanced, and not only can falls that may occur during the movement of elderly patients, which are increasing in the aging society, be dealt with quickly, but various safety accidents can also be effectively prevented.

[0069] Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated above, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments and can be modified and varied in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, such modifications or variations should not be understood individually from the technical spirit or perspective of the present invention, and the modified embodiments should be considered to fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention. Explanation of the symbols

[0070] 10: IV drip 12: IV drip hose 20: External terminal 100: Autonomous driving smart IV drip holder 110: IV drip frame 112: Vertical bar 114: Horizontal bar 116: Tray 120: Load cell 130: Driving unit 132: Driving body 132a: Wheel 134: Motor 136: Bluetooth module 136a: Transmitter 136b: Receiver 140: Fall detection unit 142: Strap 142a: Velcro tape 144: Biometric sensor 146: Fall sensor 146a: Accelerometer 146b: Atmospheric pressure sensor B: Battery 148: Coupler 148a: Fastening member 148b: Communication hole 150: Control unit

Claims

Claim 1 A ringer frame composed of a vertical bar and a horizontal bar for suspending and mounting a ringer; a load cell provided on the horizontal bar for measuring the weight of the ringer; a driving unit provided at the bottom of the ringer frame and driven to follow the patient; a fall processing unit worn on the patient's body to detect whether a fall has occurred; and a control unit connected to the driving unit to control operation, processing information measured or detected by the load cell and the fall processing unit, and communicating with an external terminal, wherein the fall processing unit comprises: a strap worn on one side of the patient's body equipped with a biosensor for measuring the patient's body information such as body temperature, heart rate, or blood pressure; and a fall sensor provided on the strap to detect changes in speed and atmospheric pressure occurring when the patient falls. An autonomous driving smart IV stand comprising: a coupler that induces the separation of an IV hose connecting the IV and the patient in the event of a fall, wherein the coupler comprises an insertion hole formed at both ends so that the two cut ends of the IV hose are each inserted inwardly, and a pressure projection protruding from the inner surface of the insertion hole and pressing the outer surface of the cut end, so as to be detachable from the cut end by a predetermined tension applied to the IV hose in the event of a fall; and a communication hole formed through the center of the fastening member so that the two cut ends are in communication with each other. Claim 2 An autonomous driving smart IV stand according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit comprises: a driving body that drives by means of a pair of wheels rotatably installed to the left and right and has variable steering, coupled to the lower end of the vertical bar; a motor provided in the driving body to provide rotational driving force to the wheels; and a Bluetooth module installed between the patient and the IV frame so that the driving body follows the patient through motor control by the control unit based on Bluetooth signal strength. Claim 3 delete Claim 4 delete Claim 5 An autonomous driving smart ring holder according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs the operation of transmitting information measured or detected by the load cell and the fall processing unit in real time to an external terminal that can be viewed by a guardian or medical staff.

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