Patient support apparatus with multi-component control

Abstract

A patient support apparatus may include a support surface, a multi-component control, first and second components, a memory, and a controller. A patient care protocol is stored in the memory and defines a first desired state for the first component and a second desired state for the second component. The controller, in response to activation of the multi-component control, automatically changes a current state of the first component to match the first desired state of the patient care protocol if the first component is not already in its desired state, as well as to change a current state of the second component to match the second desired state of the patient care protocol if the second component is not already in its desired state. The multi-component control may be located on a mobile device. The controller may also select the patient care protocol from amongst multiple patient care protocols

Description

STR03 FP-708A PCTPATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH MULTI-COMPONENT CONTROLBACKGROUND

[0001] The present disclosure relates to patient support apparatuses, such as beds, cots, stretchers, recliners, or the like, which include a plurality of controllable components

[0002] Existing hospital beds often include a plurality of controls for controlling different components of the patient support apparatus. Some of the components may be movable components that are driven by a powered actuator, such as a Fowler section, a litter frame, and / or other components. Others of the components may be manually movable components, such as a siderail, one or more cords, a restraint, or the like. Still other components may be non-movable components, such as an exit detection system, a brake, a monitoring system, or the like Healthcare facilities often implement one or more patient care protocols that define desired states for a set of these components and expect nurses and / or other caregivers to ensure that the components in the set are in their desired states.SUMMARY

[0003] According to various versions, the present disclosure provides an improved patient support apparatus and / or system that includes a multi-component control that, when activated, automatically changes the state of a plurality of components to their desired state according to a healthcare facility patient care protocol. The multi-component control enables a caregiver to change the state of a plurality of components through the pushing, or other type of activation of, a single control Further, the multicomponent control automatically changes the states to match the patient care protocol that may be implemented for the specific patient assigned to the patient support apparatus. In some instances, the patient support apparatus may be configured to be responsive to a multi-component control that is implemented on a mobile device, such as a mobile phone, badge, or the like. The multi-component control eases the burden of caregivers in their task of ensuring patient support apparatuses are configured in a manner that matches the healthcare facility’s patient care protocols. These and other aspects of the present disclosure will be apparent to a person skilled in the art in light of the accompanying drawings and following description.

[0004] According to a first version of the present disclosure, a patient support apparatus is provided that includes a support surface adapted to support a patient thereon, a display, a first component, a second component, a multi-component control adapted to be activated by a memory, and a controller. The first and second components are both adapted to be changed to different states The memory includes a patient care protocol stored therein. The patient care protocol indicates a first desired state for the first component and a second desired state for the second component. The controller is in communication with the multicomponent control and the memory and is adapted to, in response to activation of the multi-component control, automatically perform the following: (a) change a current state of the first component to match the first desired state of the patient care protocol if the first component is not already in the first desired state; and (b) change a current state of the second component to match the second desired state of the patient care protocol if the second component is not already in the second desired state.

[0005] According to other aspects of the present disclosure, the patient support apparatus includes a third component adapted to be in different states The patient care protocol indicates a third desired state for the third component and the controller is further adapted, in response to activation of the multi-component control, to automatically change a current state of the third component to match the third desired state of the patient care protocol if the third component is not already in the third desired state

[0006] In some aspects, the first component is a brake and the first desired state is an activation of the brake, the second component is a litter frame and the second desired state is a height of the litter frame being below a threshold, and the third component is an exit detection system and the third desired state is an activation of the exit detection system.STR03 FP-708A PCT

[0007] In some aspects, the first component is a siderail and the first desired state is a lowered position of the siderail.

[0008] The first component, in some aspects, is a Fowler section of the patient support apparatus and the first desired state is an orientation of the Fowler section above an angular threshold.

[0009] In some aspects, the patient support apparatus further includes a powered actuator adapted to move the first component to different positions, and a particular one of the different positions is the first desired state

[0010] In some aspects, the multi-component control is a single physical button and the controller is adapted to stop movement of the first component in response to either the first component reaching the first desired state or the user releasing the button.

[0011] In some aspects, the multi-component control is a single icon on a touchscreen and the controller is adapted to stop movement of the first component in response to either the first component reaching the first desired state or the user ceasing to touch the icon on the touchscreen.

[0012] The controller, in some aspects, is further adapted to provide a first indication on the display if the first component is not in the first desired state and a second indication on the display if the second component is not in the second desired state.

[0013] In some aspects, the controller is further adapted to change the first indication in response to the first component changing to the first desired state and to change the second indication in response to the second component changing to the second desired state.

[0014] In some aspects, the patient support apparatus further includes a third component adapted to be in different states, and the patient care protocol indicates a third desired state for the third component. The controller is further adapted, in response to activation of the multi-component control, to automatically provide an indication on the display if the third component does not match the third desired state of the patient care protocol.

[0015] The third component, in some aspects, is a power cord adapted to be plugged into an electrical outlet of a healthcare facility, and the third desired state corresponds to the power cord being plugged into the electrical outlet.

[0016] The third component, in some aspects, is a restraint adapted to secure the patient to the patient support apparatus, and the third desired state corresponds to the restraint securing the patient to the patient support apparatus

[0017] The third component, in some aspects, is a siderail adapted to be moved between raised and lowered positions, and the third desired state corresponds to the siderail being in the raised position.

[0018] In some aspects, the first component is a monitoring system adapted to issue an alert when any one of a plurality of components of the patient support apparatus change from a first state to a second state, and the first desired state corresponds to the monitoring system being activated.

[0019] The controller, in some aspects, is further adapted to change the indication when the third component is changed to the third desired state.

[0020] The controller, in some aspects, is adapted to change the indication by changing a color of the indication.

[0021] In some aspects, the controller is further adapted to display a progress indicator on the display for the first component. The progress indicator indicates the progress the controller is making toward changing the first component to match the first desired state of the patient care protocol

[0022] In some aspects, the controller is further adapted to display an identifier of the patient care protocol on the displaySTR03 FP-708A PCT

[0023] In some aspects, the patient support apparatus includes a network transceiver adapted to communicate with a local area network, and the controller is adapted to receive the patient care protocol from a server hosted on the local area network.

[0024] In some aspects, the patient support apparatus further includes a location transceiver adapted to communicate with a fixed location beacon positioned at a known location within a healthcare facility The controller is adapted to select the patient care protocol from amongst a plurality of potential patient care protocols based on the location of the patient support apparatus in the healthcare facility

[0025] The multi-component control, in some aspects, is a transceiver adapted to wirelessly receive a multi-component command from a mobile device carried by a caregiver.

[0026] In some aspects, the patient support apparatus further includes a proximity sensor adapted to detect a distance between the mobile device and the patient support apparatus. The controller is further adapted to ignore the multi-component command if the mobile device is more than a threshold distance away from the patient support apparatus and to carry out the multicomponent command if the mobile device is less than the threshold distance away from the patient support apparatus.

[0027] In some aspects, the proximity sensor includes an ultra-wideband transceiver.

[0028] In some aspects, the mobile device is one of a badge or cell phone.

[0029] In some aspects, the patient support apparatus further includes a user interface adapted to allow a user to make edits to the patient care protocol.

[0030] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a patient support apparatus is provided that includes a support surface adapted to support a patient thereon, a multi-component control, a display, a first component, a second component, a memory, and a controller The multi-component control is adapted to be activated by a user. The first and second components are adapted to be in different states The memory includes a first patient care protocol and a second patient care protocol. The first patient care protocol identifies a first set of components with corresponding desired first states, and the second patient care protocol identifies a second set of components with corresponding desired second states. The controller is in communication with the multicomponent control and the memory. The controller is adapted to select the first patient care protocol or the second patient care protocol as an active protocol and, in response to activation of the multi-component control, automatically change all of the components of the active protocol to their corresponding desired states.

[0031] According to still other aspects of the present disclosure, the first set of components may include at least one component not in the second set of components.

[0032] In other aspects, the desired first states includes at least one desired state not included in the desired second states.

[0033] In some aspects, the first set of components includes at least two of the following: a brake of the patient support apparatus, a height-adjustable litter frame of the patient support, an exit detection system of the patient support apparatus, a Fowler section of the patient support apparatus, or a multi-component monitoring system of the patient support apparatus

[0034] The multi-component control, in some aspects, is a single physical button and the controller is adapted to stop changing of the components of the active protocol in response to the user releasing the button.

[0035] The multi-component control, in some aspects, is a single icon on a touchscreen and the controller is adapted to stop changing of the components of the active protocol in response to the user ceasing to touch the icon on the touchscreen

[0036] The controller, in some aspects, is adapted to provide an indication on the display of any of the components of the active protocol that are not in their desired statesSTR03 FP-708A PCT

[0037] The controller, in some aspects, is further adapted to change the indication in response to the components of the active protocol changing to their desired states.

[0038] In some aspects, the first patient care protocol further includes a desired state for a manual component, and the controller is adapted to provide an indication on the display if the manual component is not in a desired state and the first patient care protocol is the active protocol

[0039] The manual component, in some aspects, is a power cord adapted to be plugged into an electrical outlet of a healthcare facility, and the desired state of the power cord corresponds to the power cord being plugged into the electrical outlet.

[0040] The manual component, in some aspects, is a restraint adapted to secure the patient to the patient support apparatus, and the desired state of the restraint corresponds to the restraint securing the patient to the patient support apparatus.

[0041] The manual component, in some aspects, is a siderail adapted to be moved between raised and lowered positions, and the desired state of the siderail corresponds to the siderail being in the raised position.

[0042] The controller, in some aspects, is adapted to change the indication by changing a color of the indication.

[0043] In some aspects, the controller is further adapted to display a progress indicator on the display for the components of the active protocol. The progress indicator indicates progress the controller is making in changing the components of the active protocol to their respective desired states.

[0044] The controller, in some aspects, is further adapted to display an identifier of the active protocol on the display.

[0045] In some aspects, the patient support apparatus further includes a network transceiver adapted to communicate with a local area network, and the controller is adapted to receive the first and second patient care protocols from a server hosted on the local area network

[0046] The patient support apparatus, in some aspects, includes a location transceiver adapted to communicate with a fixed location beacon positioned at a known location within a healthcare facility, and the controller is adapted to select the first or second patient care protocol as the active protocol based on the location of the patient support apparatus in the healthcare facility.

[0047] The location transceiver, in some aspects, includes an ultra-wideband transceiver.

[0048] In some aspects, the multi-component control is a transceiver adapted to wirelessly receive a multi-component command from a mobile device carried by a caregiver. The multi-component command instructs the controller to change all of the components of the active protocol to their corresponding desired states.

[0049] In some aspects, the patient support apparatus further includes a proximity sensor adapted to detect a distance between the mobile device and the patient support apparatus, and the controller is further adapted to ignore the multi-component command if the mobile device is more than a threshold distance away from the patient support apparatus and to carry out the multicomponent command if the mobile device is less than the threshold distance away from the patient support apparatus.

[0050] The proximity sensor, in some aspects, includes an ultra-wideband transceiver.

[0051] The mobile device, in some aspects, is one of a badge or cell phone.

[0052] The patient support apparatus, in some aspects, further includes a user interface adapted to allow a user to make edits to the first and second patient care protocols.

[0053] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a patient support apparatus system is provided that includes a patient support apparatus and a software application embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and adapted to be executed by a processor of a mobile device having a first display and a multi-component control The patient support apparatus includes a support surface adapted to support a patient thereon, a transceiver adapted to communicate with a mobile device, a second display, first and second components, a memory, and a controller. The first and second components are adaptedSTR03 FP-708A PCT to be in different states. The memory includes a patient care protocol that defines a first desired state for the first component and a second desired state for the second component. The controller is in communication with the transceiver and the memory The software application is adapted to cause the processor to send a multi-component command to the patient support apparatus in response to activation of the multi-component control The controller is adapted to, in response to receipt of the multi-component command, automatically perform the following: (a) change a current state of the first component to match the first desired state of the patient care protocol if the first component is not already in the first desired state; and (b) change a current state of the second component to match the second desired state of the patient care protocol if the second component is not already in the second desired state.

[0054] According to other aspects of the present disclosure, the patient care protocol includes a third desired state for a third component of the patient support apparatus and the controller is further adapted, in response to receipt of the multi-component command, to automatically change a current state of the third component to match the third desired state of the patient care protocol if the third component is not already in the third desired state

[0055] In some aspects, the first component is a brake and the first desired state is an activation of the brake, the second component is a litter frame and the second desired state is a height of the litter frame being below a threshold, and the third component is an exit detection system and the third desired state is an activation of the exit detection system

[0056] The first component, in some aspects, is a siderail adapted to be raised and lowered, and the first desired state is a lowered position of the siderail.

[0057] The first component, in some aspects, is a Fowler section of the patient support apparatus and the first desired state is an orientation of the Fowler section above an angular threshold.

[0058] The first component, in some aspects, is a powered actuator adapted to move the first component to different positions, and a particular one of the different positions is the first desired state.

[0059] In some aspects, the multi-component control of the mobile device is a single physical button and the controller is adapted to stop movement of the first component in response to either the first component reaching the first desired state or a user releasing the button.

[0060] In some aspects, the multi-component control of the mobile device is a single icon on a touchscreen and the controller is adapted to stop movement of the first component in response to either the first component reaching the first desired state or a user ceasing to touch the icon on the touchscreen.

[0061] The software application, in some aspects, is further configured to cause the processor to provide a first indication on the first display if the first component is not in the first desired state and a second indication on the first display if the second component is not in the second desired state.

[0062] In some aspects, the software application is further configured to cause the processor to change the first indication in response to the first component changing to the first desired state and to change the second indication in response to the second component changing to the second desired state.

[0063] The patient care protocol, in some aspects, includes a third desired state for a third component of the patient support apparatus and the software application is further configured, in response to receipt of the multi-component command, to automatically provide an indication on the first display if the third component does not match the third desired state of the patient care protocol

[0064] The third component, in some aspects, is a power cord adapted to be plugged into an electrical outlet of a healthcare facility, and the third desired state corresponds to the power cord being plugged into the electrical outlet.STR03 FP-708A PCT

[0065] The third component, in some aspects, is a restraint adapted to secure the patient to the patient support apparatus, and the third desired state corresponds to the restraint securing the patient to the patient support apparatus

[0066] The third component, in some aspects, is a siderail adapted to be moved between raised and lowered positions, and the third desired state corresponds to the siderail being in the raised position

[0067] The first component, in some aspects, is a monitoring system adapted to issue an alert when any one of a plurality of components of the patient support apparatus change from a first state to a second state, and the first desired state corresponds to the monitoring system being activated.

[0068] In some aspects, the software application is further configured to cause the processor to change the indication when the third component is changed to the third desired state.

[0069] The software application, in some aspects, is further adapted to cause the processor to change the indication by changing a color of the indication.

[0070] The software application, in some aspects, is further configured to cause the processor to display a progress indicator for the first component on the first display. The progress indicator indicates the progress the controller is making when changing the first component to match the first desired state of the patient care protocol.

[0071] In some aspects, the software application is further configured to cause the processor to display an identifier of the patient care protocol on the first display.

[0072] The patient support apparatus, in some aspects, further includes a network transceiver adapted to communicate with a local area network, and the controller is adapted to receive the patient care protocol from a server hosted on the local area network.

[0073] In some aspects, the controller is adapted to receive the patient care protocol from the mobile device.

[0074] The patient support apparatus, in some aspects, further includes a location transceiver adapted to communicate with a fixed location beacon positioned at a known location within a healthcare facility. The controller is adapted to select the patient care protocol from amongst a plurality of potential patient care protocols based on the location of the patient support apparatus in the healthcare facility.

[0075] The mobile device, in some aspects, includes a location transceiver adapted to communicate with a fixed location beacon positioned at a known location within a healthcare facility. The software application may be configured to instruct the processor to select the patient care protocol from amongst a plurality of potential patient care protocols based on the location of the mobile device in the healthcare facility.

[0076] In some aspects, the patient support apparatus further includes a proximity sensor adapted to detect a distance between the mobile device and the patient support apparatus. The controller is further adapted to ignore the multi-component command if the mobile device is more than a threshold distance away from the patient support apparatus and to carry out the multicomponent command if the mobile device is less than the threshold distance away from the patient support apparatus.

[0077] In some aspects, the proximity sensor includes an ultra-wideband transceiver.

[0078] The mobile device, in some aspects, is a badge or a cell phone.

[0079] In some aspects, the software application is further configured to cause the processor to display an editing control on the first display that is adapted to allow a user to make edits to the patient care protocol

[0080] Before the various versions of the patient support apparatus, patient support apparatus system, methods, and other aspects of the disclosure are explained in detail herein, it is to be understood that the claims are not to be limited to the details of operation or to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description orSTR03 FP-708A PCT illustrated in the drawings. The examples described herein are capable of being practiced or being carried out in alternative ways not expressly disclosed herein. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of "including" and "comprising" and variations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items and equivalents thereof Further, enumeration may be used in the description of various examples Unless otherwise expressly stated, the use of enumeration should not be construed as limiting the claims to any specific order or number of components Nor should the use of enumeration be construed as excluding from the scope of the claims any additional steps or components that might be combined with or into the enumerated steps or components.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0081] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a patient support apparatus according to a first version of the present disclosure;

[0082] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a litter frame and a pair of lift header assemblies of the patient support apparatus;

[0083] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a base and a pair of lifts of the patient support apparatus;

[0084] FIG. 4 is a is a plan view of an illustrative caregiver control panel of the patient support apparatus;

[0085] FIG. 5 is a plan view of another illustrative caregiver control panel of the patient support apparatus;

[0086] FIG. 6 is a diagram of the patient support apparatus, a mobile device, a location beacon, and a portion of the network infrastructure that may be present in a healthcare facility;

[0087] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of several of the structures of FIG. 5 showing some of the internal components of the patient support apparatus, mobile device, and location beacon;

[0088] FIG.8 is a plan view of an illustrative multi-component control screen that may be displayed on a display of the patient support apparatus;

[0089] FIG. 9 is a plan view of a first illustrative multi-component control screen that may be displayed on a display of the mobile device;

[0090] FIG. 10 is a plan view of a second illustrative multi-component control screen that may be displayed on the display of the mobile device; and

[0091] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a litter frame with restrains that may be incorporated into the patient support apparatusDETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0092] An illustrative patient support apparatus 20 according to a first version of the present disclosure is shown in FIG.1. Although the particular form of patient support apparatus 20 illustrated in FIG 1 is a bed adapted for use in a hospital or other medical setting, it will be understood that patient support apparatus 20 could, in different versions, be a cot, a stretcher, a recliner, a chair, or any other patient support structure that is used with patients in a healthcare facility.

[0093] In general, patient support apparatus 20 includes a base 22 having a plurality of wheels 24, a pair of lifts 26 supported on the base 22, a litter frame 28 supported on the lifts 26, and a support deck 30 supported on the litter frame 28. Patient support apparatus 20 further includes a footboard 32 and a plurality of side rails 34. Side rails 34 are all shown in a raised position in FIG. 1 but are each individually movable to a lower position in which ingress into, and egress out of, patient support apparatus 20 is not obstructed by the lowered side rails 34

[0094] Lifts 26 are adapted to raise and lower litter frame 28 with respect to base 22 Lifts 26 may be hydraulic actuators, pneumatic actuators, electric actuators, or any other suitable device for raising and lowering litter frame 28 with respect to base 22. In the illustrated version, lifts 26 are operable independently so that the tilting of litter frame 28 with respect to base 22 canSTR03 FP-708A PCT also be adjusted. That is, litter frame 28 includes a head end 36 and a foot end 38, each of whose height can be independently adjusted by the nearest lift 26. Patient support apparatus 20 is designed so that when an occupant lies thereon, his or her head will be positioned adjacent head end 36 and his or her feet will be positioned adjacent foot end 38.

[0095] Litter frame 28 provides a structure for supporting support deck 30, footboard 32, and side rails 34 Support deck30 provides a support surface for a mattress (not shown in FIG 1), such as, but not limited to, an air, fluid, or gel mattressAlternatively, another type of soft cushion may be supported on support deck 30 so that a person may comfortably lie and / or sit thereon The top surface of the mattress or other cushion forms a support surface for the occupant.

[0096] Support deck 30 is made of a plurality of sections, some of which are pivotable about generally horizontal pivot axes. In the version shown in FIG 1, support deck 30 includes a head section 40, a seat section 42, a thigh section 44, and a foot section 46. Head section 40, which is also sometimes referred to as a Fowler section, is pivotable about a generally horizontal pivot axis between a generally horizontal orientation (not shown in FIG. 1) and a plurality of raised positions (one of which is shown in FIG. 1). Thigh section 44 and foot section 46 may also be pivotable about generally horizontal pivot axes.

[0097] Patient support apparatus 20 further includes a plurality of control panels 48 that enable a user of patient support apparatus 20, such as a patient and / or an associated caregiver, to control one or more aspects of patient support apparatus 20. In the version shown in FIG. 1, patient support apparatus 20 includes a footboard control panel 48a, a pair of outer side rail control panels 48b (only one of which is visible), and a pair of inner side rail control panels 48c (only one of which is visible). Footboard control panel 48a and outer side rail control panels 48b are intended to be used by caregivers, or other authorized personnel, while inner side rail control panels 48c are intended to be used by the patient associated with patient support apparatus 20. Each of the control panels 48 includes a plurality of controls 126 (FIGS. 4-5), although each control panel 48 does not necessarily include the same controls and / or functionality. FIG. 4 illustrates one example of a footboard control panel 48a, although it will be understood that other types of footboard control panels 48a may be used. Controls 126 may be implemented as buttons, switches, dials, pressure sensors, capacitive sensors, icons on a display, such as touchscreen, and / or in other manners.

[0098] Among other functions, the controls of control panel 48a (not shown) allow a user to control one or more of the following: change a height of litter frame 28, raise or lower head section 40, activate and deactivate a brake for wheels 24, arm and disarm an exit detection system 56 (FIG. 7), arm and disarm a multi-component monitoring system 128, control a scale system 130, access different menus, and perform other functions. One or both of the inner siderail control panels 48c may also include at least one nurse call control that enables a patient to call a remotely located nurse (or other caregiver), and / or one or more controls for controlling one or more room devices positioned within the same room as the patient support apparatus 20 (e.g. TV, room light, reading light, etc.). As will be described in more detail below, one or more of the controls on the caregiver control panels 48a and / or 48b may be a multi-component control 116 (FIGS. 7-10) whose function will be described in greater detail below.

[0099] Footboard control panel 48a is implemented in the version shown in FIG 1 as a control panel having a lid(flipped down in FIG. 1) underneath which is positioned a plurality of controls 126. As with all of the controls 126 of the various control panels 48, the controls 126 of control panel 48a may be implemented as buttons, dials, switches, or other devices Any of control panels 48a-c may also include a display 52 (FIG. 4) for displaying information regarding patient support apparatus 20 and / or for displaying controls 126 thereon. The display 52 is a touchscreen in some versions.

[0100] In some versions, footboard control panel 48a may take on the form of the footboard control panel 54a disclosed in commonly assigned PCT patent application serial number PCT / US2021 / 32426 filed May 14, 2021, by applicant Stryker Corporation and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH HEADWALL COMMUNICATION, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference Additionally, or alternatively, patient control panel 48c may take on the form of the patientSTR03 FP-708A PCT control panel 54c disclosed in the aforementioned PCT patent application. Other types of footboard control panels 48a-c may, of course, be implemented.

[0101] Outer siderail control panels 48b may include any or all of the controls found on footboard control panel 48a, or a subset of those controls Outer siderail control panel 48b may also, or alternatively, include one or more controls that are not found on footboard control panel 48a Indeed, in some versions of patient support apparatus 20, footboard control panel 48a may be omitted and all of its functions performed by one or more of the outer siderail control panels 48b

[0102] In addition to controls for controlling the movement of various portions of patient support apparatus 20, patient control panels 48c may include controls for communicating with television 86, a room light and / or a reading light, and / or other controls. Examples of such additional controls are shown in FIG. 7 of commonly assigned U.S patent application serial number 18 / 561,457 filed by inventors Krishna Bhimavarapu et al. on May 24, 2022, and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS AND HEADWALL UNIT SYNCING, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Such additional controls may include controls for turning the TV volume up / down, turning the TV channel up / down, turning the TV power on / off, turning the reading light on / off, and turning the room light on / off.

[0103] FIG. 2 illustrates in greater detail litter frame 28 separated from lifts 26 and base 22. Litter frame 28 is also shown in FIG. 2 with support deck 30 removed. Litter frame 28 is supported by two lift header assemblies 50 A first one of the lift header assemblies 50 is coupled to a top 53 (FIG. 3) of a first one of the lifts 26, and a second one of the lift header assemblies 50 is coupled to the top 53 of the second one of the lifts 26. Each lift header assembly 50 includes a pair of feree sensors 54, which will be described herein as being load cells, but it will be understood that force sensors 54 may be other types of force sensors besides load cells. The illustrated version of patient support apparatus 20 includes a total of four load cells 54, although it will be understood by those skilled in the art that different numbers of load cells may be used in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. Load cells 54 are configured to support litter frame 28. More specifically, load cells 54 are configured such that they provide complete and exclusive mechanical support for litter frame 28 and all of the components that are supported on litter frame 28 (e.g. support deck 30, footboard 32, side rails 34, etc.). Because of this construction, load cells 54 are adapted to detect the weight of not only those components of patient support apparatus 20 that are supported by litter frame 28 (including litter frame 28 itself), but also any objects or persons who are wholly or partially being supported by support deck 30.

[0104] The mechanical construction of patient support apparatus 20, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, may be nearly the same as the mechanical construction of the Model 3002 S3 bed manufactured and sold by Stryker Corporation of Kalamazoo, Michigan. This mechanical construction is described in greater detail in the Stryker Maintenance Manual for the MedSurg Bed, Model 3002 S3, published in 2010 by Stryker Corporation of Kalamazoo, Michigan, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that patient support apparatus 20 can be designed with other types of mechanical constructions, such as, but not limited to, those described in commonly assigned, U.S. Pat. No. 7,690,59 issued to Lemire et al., and entitled HOSPITAL BED; commonly assigned U.S. Pat Publication No. 2007 / 0163045 filed by Becker et al. and entitled PATIENT HANDLING DEVICE INCLUDING LOCAL STATUS INDICATION, ONE-TOUCH FOWLER ANGLE ADJUSTMENT, AND POWER-ON ALARM CONFIGURATION; and / or commonly assigned, U.S. Patent No. 10,130,536 to Roussy et al., entitled PATIENT SUPPORT USABLE WITH BARIATRIC PATIENTS, the complete disclosures of all of which are also hereby incorporated herein by reference The mechanical construction of patient support apparatus 20 may also take on forms different from what is disclosed in the aforementioned references

[0105] Load cells 54 are part of an exit detection system 56 (FIG 7) that, when armed, issues an alert when the patient exits from patient support apparatus 20. Exit detection system 56 is adapted to be armed via control panel 48a. After being armed,STR03 FP-708A PCT exit detection system 56 determines when an occupant of patient support apparatus 20 has left, or is likely to leave, patient support apparatus 20, and issues an alert and / or notification to appropriate personnel so that proper steps can be taken in response to the occupant’s departure (or imminent departure) in a timely fashion. In at least one version, exit detection system 56 monitors the center of gravity of the patient using the system and method disclosed in commonly assigned U S patent 5,276,432 issued to Travis and entitled PATIENT EXIT DETECTION MECHANISM FOR HOSPITAL BED, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference In other versions, exit detection system 56 determines if the occupant is about to exit, or already has exited, from patient support apparatus 20 by determining a distribution of the weights detected by each load cell 54 and comparing the detected weight distribution to one or more thresholds. In such versions, the center of gravity may or may not be explicitly calculated.

[0106] Other manners for functioning as an exit detection system are also possible. These include, but are not limited to, any of the manners disclosed in the following commonly assigned patent applications: U.S. patent application serial number 14 / 873,734 filed October 2, 2015, by inventors Marko Kostic et al. and entitled PERSON SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH MOTION MONITORING; U.S patent publication 2016 / 0022218 filed March 13, 2014, by inventors Michael Hayes et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH PATIENT INFORMATION SENSORS; and U.S. patent application serial number 15 / 266,575 filed September 15, 2016, by inventors Anuj Sidhu et al. and entitled PERSON SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH EXIT DETECTION SYSTEMS , the complete disclosures of all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Further, in some versions, load cells 54 may be part of both an exit detection system and a scale system that measures the weight of a patient supported on support deck 30. The outputs from the load cells 54 are processed, in some versions, in any of the manners disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 62 / 428,834 filed December 1, 2016, by inventors Marko Kostic et al. and entitled PERSON SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH LOAD CELLS, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0107] Regardless of how implemented, patient support apparatus 20 is adapted to communicate an alert when the exit detection system is armed and detects that a patient is about to, or has, exited. One manner in which the alert is communicated to a conventional nurse call system 68 is shown in FIG. 6. In the particular example shown in FIG. 6, patient support apparatus 20 communicates with a nurse call system 68, and vice versa, through a communication link 58 that is established between patient support apparatus 20 and a conventional nurse call wall outlet 60. In the example shown in FIG. 6, communication link 58 is a wireless communication link, but it will be understood that communication link 58 may be wired (i.e., a cable). In addition to forwarding an exit detection alert over communication link 58 from patient support apparatus 20 to nurse call system 68, communication link 58 may be used for communicating a variety of other information, as will be discussed in greater detail below.

[0108] One example of such information are the audio signals of the patient and a remotely positioned nurse. That is, a patient onboard patient support apparatus 20 is able to communicate with a remotely positioned nurse by speaking into a microphone 132 onboard patient support apparatus 20, and patient support apparatus 20 forwards these audio signals to a remotely positioned nurse by transmitting them over communication link 58 to wall outlet 60, which is in communication with nurse call system 68, as will be discussed in greater detail below. Similarly, a remotely positioned nurse is able to speak into a microphone coupled to the nurse call system 68 and have his / her voice signals forwarded to wall outlet 60, which are then transmitted over communication link 58 to a speaker (not shown) onboard patient support apparatus 20.

[0109] FIG 4 illustrates one example of a caregiver control panel 48a Control panel 48a is configured to display a plurality of different screens on display 52 Surrounding display 52 are a plurality of navigation controls 126a-f that, when activated, cause the display 52 to display different screens thereon More specifically, when a user presses navigation control 126a, control panel 48a displays an exit detection control screen on display 52 that includes one or more icons that, when touched, control exitSTR03 FP-708A PCT detection system 56 (FIG. 7). The exit detection system 56 is as adapted to issue an alert when a patient exits from patient support apparatus 20. Exit detection system 56 may include any of the same features and functions as, and / or may be constructed in any of the same manners as, the exit detection system disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application 62 / 889,254 filed August 20, 2019, by inventors Sujay Sukumaran et al and entitled PERSON SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH ADJUSTABLE EXIT DETECTION ZONES, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference Other types of exit detection systems may be included within patient support apparatus 20

[0110] When a user presses navigation control 126b (FIG 4), control panel 48 displays a monitoring control screen that includes a plurality of control icons that, when touched, control the onboard multi-component monitoring system 128 (FIG. 7) built into patient support apparatus 20. The onboard monitoring system 128 alerts the caregiver through a unified indicator, such as a light or a plurality of lights controlled in a unified manner, when any one or more of multiple components on patient support apparatus 20 are in an undesired state, and uses that same unified indicator to indicate when all of the multiple components are in their respective desired states. Stated alternatively, monitoring system 128, when armed, monitors a plurality of conditions of patient support apparatus 20 (such as, but not limited to, any one or more of the following: brake status, siderail position, litter frame height, exit detection system 56, A / C cord status, nurse call cable status, etc.) and issues an alert if any one of those conditions are in an undesired state. Further details of one type of monitoring system that may be built into patient support apparatus 20 are disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 62 / 864,638 filed June 21 , 2019, by inventors Kurosh Nahavandi et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH CAREGIVER REMINDERS, as well as commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 16 / 721,133 filed December 19, 2019, by inventors Kurosh Nahavandi et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH MOTION CUSTOMIZATION, the complete disclosures of both of which are incorporated herein by reference. Other types of monitoring systems may be included within patient support apparatus 20

[0111] When a user presses navigation control 126c, control panel 48a displays a scale control screen that includes a plurality of control icons that, when touched, control scale system 130 (FIG. 7) of patient support apparatus 20. Such a scale system 130 may include any of the same features and functions as, and / or may be constructed in any of the same manners as, the scale systems disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application 62 / 889,254 filed August 20, 2019, by inventors Sujay Sukumaran et al. and entitled PERSON SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH ADJUSTABLE EXIT DETECTION ZONES, and U.S. patent application serial number 62 / 885,954 filed August 13, 2019, by inventors Kurosh Nahavandi et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH EQUIPMENT WEIGHT LOG, the complete disclosures of both of which are incorporated herein by reference. The scale system may utilize the same force sensors and / or other components that are utilized by the exit detection system 56, or it may utilize one or more different sensors and / or other components. Other scale systems besides those mentioned above in the '254 and ‘954 applications may alternatively be included within patient support apparatus 20.

[0112] When a user presses navigation control 126d, control panel 48 displays a motion control screen that includes a plurality of control icons that, when touched, control the movement of various components of patient support apparatus 20, such as, but not limited to, the height of litter frame 28 and the pivoting of head section 40. In some versions, the motion control screen displayed on display 52 in response to pressing control 126d may be the same as, or similar to, the position control screen 216 disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 62 / 885,953 filed August 13, 2019, by inventors Kurosh Nahavandi et al and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH TOUCHSCREEN, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference Other types of motion control screens may be included on patient support apparatus 20

[0113] When a user presses navigation control 126e, control panel 48a displays a motion lock control screen that includes a plurality of control icons that, when touched, control one or more motion lockout functions of patient support apparatus 20.STR03 FP-708A PCTSuch motion lockout functions typically include the ability for a caregiver to use control panel 48a to lock out one or more of the motion controls of the patient control panels 54c such that the patient is not able to use those controls on control panels 54c to control the movement of one or more components of patient support apparatus 20. The motion lockout screen may include any of the features and functions as, and / or may be constructed in any of the same manners as, the motion lockout features, functions, and constructions disclosed in commonly assigned U S patent application serial number 16 / 721,133 filed December 19, 2019, by inventors Kurosh Nahavandi et al and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH MOTION CUSTOMIZATION, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Other types of motion lockouts may be included within patient support apparatus 20.

[0114] When a user presses on navigation control 126f, control panel 48a displays a menu screen that includes a plurality of menu icons that, when touched, bring up one or more additional screens for controlling and / or viewing one or more other aspects of patient support apparatus 20. Such other aspects include, but are not limited to, displaying information about one or more devices that are currently associated with patient support apparatus 20, diagnostic and / or service information for patient support apparatus 20, mattress control and / or status information, configuration settings, location information, and other settings and / or information. One example of a suitable menu screen is the menu screen 100 disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 62 / 885,953 filed August 13, 2019, by inventors Kurosh Nahavandi et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH TOUCHSCREEN, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Other types of menus and / or settings may be included within patient support apparatus 20. In at least one version, utilization of navigation control 126f allows a user to navigate to a screen that enables a user to customize one or more patient care protocols that patient support apparatus 20 may be configured to follow in different situations.

[0115] For all of the navigation controls 126a-f (FIG. 4), screens other than the ones specifically mentioned above may be displayed on display 52 in other versions of patient support apparatus 20 in response to a user pressing these controls. Thus, it will be understood that the specific screens mentioned above are merely representative of the types of screens that are displayable on display 52 in response to a user pressing on one or more of navigation controls 126a-f. It will also be understood that, although navigation controls 126a-f have all been illustrated in the accompanying drawings as dedicated controls that are positioned adjacent display 52, any one or more of these controls 126a-f could alternatively be touchscreen controls that are displayed at one or more locations on display 52. Still further, although controls 126a-f have been shown herein as buttons, it will be understood that any of controls 126a-f could also, or alternatively, be switches, dials, or other types of non-button controls. Additionally, patient support apparatus 20 may be modified to include additional, fewer, and / or different navigation controls from the navigation controls 126a-f shown in FIG. 4.

[0116] Turning to FIG. 5, an illustrative caregiver control panel 48b that may be positioned on an outer face of a siderail34, or elsewhere, is shown. In the version shown in FIG. 1, patient support apparatus 20 includes two caregiver control panels 48b (as well as two patient control panels 48c), each with a plurality of controls 126. Caregiver control panel 48b includes an angle indicator 70, a flat configuration control 126g, an examination position control 126h, a Trendelenburg control 1261, a reverse Trendelenburg control 126j, a vascular position control 126k, a knee up control 1261, a knee down control 126m, a Fowler up control 126n, a Fowler down control 126o, a height up control 126p, a height down control 126q, a knee manual lockout control 126r, a Fowler manual lockout control 126s, and a manual height lockout control 126t Caregiver control panel 48b further includes a knee lockout indicator 72a, a Fowler lockout indicator 72b, and a height lockout indicator 72c

[0117] Each caregiver control panel 48b is in electrical communication with controller 100 When a caregiver presses on examination control 126h, a controller 100 of patient support apparatus 20 (FIG 7) is configured to automatically control theSTR03 FP-708A PCT movement of the powered actuators of lifts 26 to bring frame 28 and support deck 30 to a predefined examination position. Although the predefined positions of the litter frame 28 and support deck 30 may vary for a given examination position, in at least one embodiment, controller 100 is configured to move the support deck 30 and litter frame 28 to flat orientations, and to raise the height of the litter frame 28 to its maximum extent (or to a different height that makes it easy for a caregiver to exam the patient while he / she is positioned on patient support apparatus 20)

[0118] When a caregiver presses on Trendelenburg control 1261, controller 100 is configured to automatically control the movement of lifts 26 so as to bring litter frame 28 to a conventional Trendelenburg position. In the Trendelenburg position, the litter frame 28 is tilted so that head end 36 is positioned lower than foot end 38. The Fowler section and / or knee section of support deck 30 may be flat or raised while in the Trendelenburg position. When a caregiver presses on reverse Trendelenburg control 126j, controller 100 is configured to automatically control the movement of lifts 26 so as to bring litter frame 28 to a conventional reverse Trendelenburg position. In the reverse Trendelenburg position, the litter frame 28 is tilted so that foot end 38 is positioned lower than head end 36. The Fowler section and / or knee section of support deck 30 may be flat or raised while in the reverse Trendelenburg position. When a caregiver presses on vascular control 126k, controller 100 is configured to automatically control the movement of lifts 26 and its corresponding powered actuators so as to bring litter frame 28 and deck 30 to a vascular position. In the vascular position, the Fowler section 40 and knee section (i.e. the joint between thigh and foot sections 44 and 46) of patient support deck 30 are lowered to a flat orientation (zero degree angle with the main plane of the support deck 30) and lifts 26 are controlled so as to lower head end 36 lower than foot end 38. The vascular position is similar to the Trendelenburg position except that it also flattens the Fowler section and knee sections. Also, the angle of litter frame 28 when in the vascular position may be the same as, or different from, the angle of litter frame 28 when it is in the Trendelenburg position.

[0119] When a caregiver presses on knee up control 1261 or knee down control 126m, controller 100 is configured to raise or lower, respectively, the knee section of support deck 30 by activating a knee actuator. When a caregiver presses on Fowler up control 126n or Fowler down control 126o, controller 100 is configured to raise or lower, respectively, the Fowler section or support deck 30 by activating a Fowler actuator. When a caregiver presses on height up control 126p or height down control 126q, controller 100 is configured to raise or lower, respectively, the height of litter frame 28 by activating lifts 26.

[0120] Lockout indicators 72a-c (FIG. 5) are illuminated when a corresponding control 126 on the patient control panel48c has been locked out For example, knee lockout indicator 72a is illuminated when the knee up or knee down controls (not shown) on the patient caregiver control panel 48c are locked out. Fowler lockout indicator 72b is illuminated when the Fowler controls on the patient control panel 48c are locked out. Height lockout indicator 72c is illuminated when the height controls on patient control panel 48c are locked out.

[0121] It will be understood that the locking out of a control serves to disable that control on the patient’s control panel48c. The locking out of a control does not disable the corresponding control on caregiver control panel 48a or 48b, in at least some versions of patient support apparatus 20. In other versions, controller 100 may be configured to lock out a control 126 both on the patient control panels 44c and the two siderail caregiver control panels 44b, but not lock out the corresponding control on footboard control panel 48a. Other arrangements of what controls are locked out on what control panels may also, or alternatively, be implemented.

[0122] FIG 6 illustrates additional details of a typical healthcare facility 64 As shown therein, healthcare facility 64 includes a headwall 66, nurse call system 68, a plurality of rooms 102 (102a, 102b 102x), one or more nurses’ stations 134, a local area network 74, one or more wireless access points 76, a patient support apparatus server 78, and one or more network appliances 80 that couple LAN 74 to the internet 82, thereby enabling server 78 and other applications on LAN 74 to communicate withSTR03 FP-708A PCT computers outside of healthcare facility 64, such as, but not limited to, a geographically remote server 84. Wall outlet 60 is typically electrically coupled by one or more conductors 92 to one or more room devices, such as a television 86, a room light (not shown), and / or a reading light (not shown).

[0123] It will be understood by those skilled in the art, however, that the healthcare facility infrastructure shown in FIG 6 may vary widely from healthcare facility to healthcare facility For example, patient support apparatus 20 may be used in healthcare facilities having no wireless access points 76, no connection to the internet 82 (e g no network appliances 80), and / or no patient support apparatus server 78. Still further, local area network 74 may include other and / or additional servers installed thereon, and room 102, in some healthcare facilities 64, may be semi-private room having multiple patient support apparatuses 20 and multiple wall outlets 60. Still other variations are possible. It will therefore be understood that the particular healthcare facility infrastructure shown in FIG. 6 is merely illustrative, and that patient support apparatus 20 is constructed to be communicatively coupled to healthcare facility communication infrastructures which are arranged differently from that of FIG. 6.

[0124] In a typical healthcare facility, local area network 74 will have access to both an EMR server 62 and anAdmission, Discharge, and Transfer (ADT) server (not shown). The ADT server, which may be a conventional server, stores patient information, including the identity of patients and the corresponding rooms and / or bays within rooms to which the patients are assigned. The patient’s names are entered into the ADT server by one or more healthcare facility staff whenever a patient checks into the healthcare facility and the patient is assigned to a particular room within the healthcare facility. If and / or when a patient is transferred to a different room and / or discharged from the healthcare facility, the staff of the healthcare facility update the ADT server. The ADT server therefore maintains an up-to-date set of data that correlates patient names with their assigned rooms. The ADT server may be a conventional server marketed by Cerner Corporation of North Kansas City, Missouri; EPIC Systems of Madison, Wisconsin; Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc. of Chicago, Illinois; and / or by other companies. Still other types of ADT servers may, of course, be used. In some embodiments, the ADT server and / or a portion of its functions may be integrated into, or combined with, those of EMR server 62.

[0125] EMR server 62 (FIG. 7) stores the medical records of individual patients. Such patient records identify a patient by name and the medical information associated with that patient. Such medical information may include all of the medical information generated from the patient’s current stay in the healthcare facility as well as medical information from previous visits. It will be understood that the term “EMR server,” as used herein, also includes Electronic Health Records servers, or EHR servers for short, and that the present disclosure does not distinguish between electronic medical records and electronic health records. EMR server 62 may be a conventional server marketed by Cerner Corporation of North Kansas City, Missouri; EPIC Systems of Madison, Wisconsin; Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc. of Chicago, Illinois; and / or by other companies. Still other types of EMR servers 62 may, of course, be used. In some instances, a patient care protocol 114, as discussed in greater detail below, may be stored in EMR server 62, and / or the patient care protocol 114 may be selected based upon patient information that is stored in EMR server 62 (and / or in the ADT server).

[0126] As is shown in FIG. 6, patient support apparatus 20 is adapted to be communicatively coupled to the wall outlet60 on wall 66 by way of wireless communication link 58 that wirelessly couples patient support apparatus 20 to a wireless location beacon 94. Location beacon 94, in turn, is coupled by way of a cable 90 to wall outlet 60. Beacon 94 and patient support apparatus 20 are able to communicate wirelessly with each other in a bidirectional fashion That is, messages can be wirelessly sent from patient support apparatus 20 to location beacon 94, and messages can be wirelessly sent from location beacon 94 to patient support apparatus 20STR03 FP-708A PCT

[0127] Although not shown in FIG. 6, patient support apparatus 20 may further be configured to be able to communicate with wall outlet 60 via a cable, if desired. When such wired communication is desired, a nurse call cable 90 is connected directly from patient support apparatus 20 to wall outlet 60. Unless wall outlet 60 has room for two cable plugs, the end of cable 90 shown in FIG 6 that is plugged into wall outlet 60 is removed in order to allow the cable from patient support apparatus 20 to be inserted therein Alternatively, the end of the cable 90 shown in FIG 6 that is plugged into location beacon 94 may be removed and plugged into patient support apparatus 20 However attained, once a cable 90 is coupled between patient support apparatus 20 and wall outlet 60, a wired connection is established that bypasses location beacon 94 (if present). Even when bypassed, location beacon 94 is able to provide location information to patient support apparatus 20, as will be discussed in greater detail below.

[0128] Wall outlet 60 is coupled to one or more conventional conductors 92 that electrically couple the wall outlet 60 to nurse call system 68 and to one or more other devices, such as television 86, a room light, and / or a reading light. Conductors 92 are typically located behind walls 66 and not visible. In some healthcare facilities, conductors 92 may first couple to a room interface board that includes one or more electrical connections electrically coupling the room interface board to television 86 and / or nurse call system 68. Still other communicative arrangements for coupling wall outlet 60 to nurse call system 68 and television 86 are possible.

[0129] Communication link 58 (FIG. 6) enables patient support apparatus 20 to communicate with nurse call system 68, television 86, and the room / readings lights (if any). A patient supported on patient support apparatus 20 who activates a nurse call control on patient support apparatus 20 causes a signal to be conveyed via communication link 58 to the nurse call system 68, which then sends a notification to one or more remotely located nurses (e.g. nurses at one of the nurses’ stations 134). If the patient uses a TV control (not shown) positioned on one of the control panels 48 to change a channel or change the volume of television 86, the control conveys a signal along link 58 to the wall outlet 60, and the signal is thereafter passed from outlet 60 to television 86.Similarly, if the patient uses a room light or reading light control on one of the control panels 48, he or she is able to turn on or off the room light and reading light.

[0130] Location beacon 94 (FIG. 6) includes a power cable 106 having an end adapted to be inserted into a conventional electrical outlet 108. Power cable 106 enables location beacon 94 to receive power from the mains electrical supply via outlet 108 It will be appreciated that, in some versions, location beacon 94 is battery operated and cable 106 may be omitted. In still other versions, location beacon 94 may be both battery operated and include cable 106 so that in the event of a power failure, battery power supplies power to location beacon 94, and / or in the event of a battery failure, electrical power is received through outlet 108

[0131] Location beacon 94 is adapted to communicate wirelessly with a nearby patient support apparatus 20 and / or mobile device 150 in a manner that allows the location of the patient support apparatus 20 and / or mobile device 150 within the healthcare facility to be determined. A transceiver of location beacon 94 sends a location code, a unique identifier, or other location information, to patient support apparatus 20 that indicates the location of location beacon 94 within the healthcare facility. In some versions, the transceiver may be a short range transceiver (e.g., an IR transceiver) that emits a short range signal containing an identifier that is unique to that particular wireless location beacon and that can only be detected by patient support apparatus 20 when patient support apparatus 20 is positioned in close proximity to location beacon 94. In other versions, the transceiver may be an ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver that ranges with the patient support apparatus 20 and / or mobile device 150 to determine the distance therebetween

[0132] Patient support apparatus 20 and / or mobile device 150 may forward the location signal it receives from location beacon 94 to an off board server, such as server 78 and / or remote server 84, which contains a table correlating the location code (or other unique identifiers or location information) of each location beacon 94 to their location within the healthcare facility. This table isSTR03 FP-708A PCT generated during a survey of the location beacons 94 when they are initially installed within the healthcare facility. Server 78 is therefore able to determine the location of each patient support apparatus 20 and / or mobile device 150 within the healthcare facility whenever the patient support apparatus 20 and / or mobile device 150 is positioned within communication range of a location beacon 94 Further explanation of one manner in which the transceivers of location beacon 94 and the transceivers of patient support apparatus 20 and / or mobile device 150 may operate are provided in the following commonly assigned U S patent applications: serial number 16 / 215,911 filed December 11, 2018, by inventors Alexander Bodurka et al and entitled HOSPITAL HEADWALL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM; serial number 16 / 217,203 filed December 12, 2018, by inventor Alexander Bodurka, and entitled SMART HOSPITAL HEADWALL SYSTEM; and serial number 16 / 193,150 filed November 16, 2018, by inventors Alexander Bodurka et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH LOCATION / MOVEMENT DETECTION, the complete disclosures of all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0133] In some versions, location beacon may also include any of the components and / or functionality of the headwall units 76 disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 16 / 215,911 filed December 11 , 2018, by inventors Alexander Bodurka et al. and entitled HOSPITAL HEADWALL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Alternatively, or additionally, location beacon 94 may include any and / or all of the same functionality as, and / or components of, the headwall interface 38 disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent publication 2016 / 0038361 published February 11, 2016, entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH WIRELESS HEADWALL COMMUNICATION, and filed by inventors Krishna Bhimavarapu et al., the complete disclosure of which is also incorporated herein by reference. Still further, location beacon 94 and / or patient support apparatus 20 may include any of the functionality and / or components of the headwall units 140, 140a and / or patient support apparatuses 20, 20a, and / or 20b disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 62 / 833,943 filed April 15, 2019, by inventors Alexander Bodurka et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH NURSE CALL AUDIO MANAGEMENT, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0134] FIG. 7 illustrates further details of the internal components of patient support apparatus 20, of a mobile device150, and of a location beacon 94. Patient support apparatus 20, in addition to including control panels 48, exit detection system 56, monitoring system 128, scale system 130 and microphone 132, also includes a controller 100, a nurse call interface 88, a Bluetooth transceiver 112, a network transceiver 118, one or more sensors 120, a memory 144, a brake 122, a power supply 124, and, in some versions, one or more ultra-wideband transceivers 136. It will be understood that patient support apparatus 20 may include different components from those shown in FIG. 7, including additional components, as well as fewer components than those shown. It will also be understood that, although FIG. 7 only shows a single control panel 48a, patient support apparatus 20 may include any one or more of the other control panels 48b, c disclosed herein.

[0135] Nurse call interface 88 is adapted to either electrically couple to wall outlet 60 via a cable or to wirelessly connect to location beacon 94 (which in turn may be electrically coupled to wall outlet 60 via a cable). When coupled to outlet 60 via a cable, the cable is connected to a cable port 110 of nurse call interface 88. Signals between patient support apparatus 20 and wall outlet 60 are then transmitted back and forth over the cable. When wirelessly coupled to location beacon 94, signals are transmitted from Bluetooth transceiver 112 of patient support apparatus 20 to a Bluetooth transceiver onboard location beacon 94. The location beacon then forwards, as appropriate, corresponding signals to wall outlet 60 via a cable connection between location beacon 94 and wall outlet 60 In turn, signals received from wall outlet 60 are passed by cable to location beacon 94 and, as appropriate, are forwarded to patient support apparatus 20 via the Bluetooth transceiver onboard location beacon 94STR03 FP-708A PCT

[0136] Some versions of location beacon 94 may omit a cable connection to wall outlet 60. In such versions, patient support apparatus 20 may receive location information from location beacon 94 and communicate with nurse call system 68 (and TV 86, etc.) via a cable coupled to wall outlet 60. That is, in some versions of location beacon 94, location beacon 94 may simply provide location information to patient support apparatus 20 (and / or mobile device 150) and not act as a communication intermediary between wall outlet 60 and the patient support apparatus 20 (or mobile device 150)

[0137] Power supply 124 supplies electrical power to patient support apparatus 20 As shown in FIG 7, power supply124 is adapted to electrically couple to a power cord 98 having a power plug 96 that is adapted to be inserted into the conventional power outlet 108 (FIG. 6). Power cord 98 may be permanently coupled to power supply 124, or it may be releasably coupled thereto. In either case, power supply 124 receives power from AC outlet 108 when cord 98 is plugged therein, and power supply 124 supplies power to all of the electrical components of patient support apparatus 20. At least one sensor 120 of patient support apparatus 20 is included to detect when power supply 124 is connected to AC outlet 108 by cord 98. In other words, at least one sensor 120 determines whether patient support apparatus 20 is currently receiving its power from AC outlet 108, or from an onboard battery (not shown).

[0138] Patient support apparatus 20 uses Bluetooth transceiver 112 to communicate with another Bluetooth transceiver142 (FIG. 7) onboard location beacon 94 and / or mobile device 150. In some versions, controller 100 of patient support apparatus 20 automatically pairs Bluetooth transceiver 112 with another Bluetooth device (e.g. location beacon 94 and / or mobile device 150) if the device is positioned within a defined proximity to patient support apparatus 20. This proximity may be determined automatically through the one or more ultra-wideband (UWB) transceivers 136 onboard patient support apparatus 20.

[0139] Bluetooth transceivers 112 and 142 may be used by patient support apparatus 20 and / or location beacon 94 to transmit audio signals therebetween, such as, but not limited to, the audio signals used to convey the voice signals of the patient and the remotely positioned nurse. Such audio signals may also include the audio signals from television 86 and / or a radio or other entertainment device positioned in the room 102. Bluetooth transceivers 112 and 142 may also be used to transmit other data, such as, but not limited to, status data regarding the status of patient support apparatus 20, one or more messages indicating an exit detection alert has been issued, and / or other data. In some versions, location beacon 94 and patient support apparatus 20 are configured to exchange audio signals therebetween in any of the manners disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 62 / 833,943 filed April 15, 2019, by inventors Alexander Bodurka et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH NURSE CALL AUDIO MANAGEMENT, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0140] Network transceiver 118 of patient support apparatus 20 (FIG. 7) is a wireless transceiver adapted to communicate with one or more wireless access points 76 of the healthcare facility’s local area network 74. In some versions, transceiver 118 may be a WiFi transceiver adapted to transmit and receive wireless electrical signals using any of the various WiFi protocols (IEEE 802.11b, 801.11g, 802 11 n, 802.11ac, etc ). In other versions, network transceiver 118 may be a transceiver adapted to communicate using any of the frequencies, protocols, and / or standards disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 62 / 430,500 filed December 6, 2016, by inventor Michael Hayes and entitled NETWORK COMMUNICATION FOR PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In still other versions, transceiver 118 may be a wired transceiver that communicates with network 74 over a wired network, such as an Ethernet cable or the like Regardless of whether transceiver 118 is a wired or wireless transceiver, it enables controller 100 to communicate with one or more servers on the healthcare facility’s computer network 74, such as, but not limited to, patient support apparatus server 78 and / or an electronic medical records server 62STR03 FP-708A PCT

[0141] Controller 100 uses network transceiver 118 to send messages to server 78 (and / or server 84) indicating the status of patient support apparatus 20 and / or information about one or more patient care protocols. Such patient care protocols, as will be discussed in greater detail below, define the desired states for a set of multiple of components of patient support apparatus 20 In some instances, controller receives one or more patient care protocols from server 78 Controller 100 may also transmit information to server 78 regarding edits made by an authorized caregiver to the patient care protocols, and / or information about the components being monitoring in accordance with the currently active patient care protocol

[0142] Memory 144 may be comprised of any one or more of the following: non-volatile flash memory, Random AccessMemory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), a mechanical hard drive, a solid-state hard drive, etc. Memory 144 may contain not only the instructions followed by controller 100 and the data used for carrying out those instructions, but also a unique patient support apparatus ID 104 and one or more of the previously discussed patient care protocols 114. Controller 100 is adapted to, in certain cases, activate a patient care protocol 114, in which case controller 100 checks the states of the components of patient support apparatus 20 that are defined in the protocol and, if they are not in their desired states, changes them to their desired states, if possible, in response to a user activating a multi-component control 116, as will be discussed in greater detail below.

[0143] Brake 122 (FIG. 7) is adapted to, when activated, prevent the rolling movement of one or more of the wheels 24 of patient support apparatus 20. In many versions of patient support apparatus 20, brake 122 includes a powered actuator for activating and deactivating the brake 122, either in addition to, or in lieu of, a mechanical structure (e.g. a pedal) that a user may utilize to manually activate and deactivate brake 122. When patient support apparatus 20 includes a powered actuator for activating (or deactivating) brake 122, controller 100 may be configured to automatically brake 122 in response to a user activating a multicomponent control 116, as will be discussed in greater detail below. Patient support apparatus 20 also includes at least one sensor 120 that detects what state brake 122 is in: activated (i.e., braked) or inactivated (i.e., unbraked). The brake sensor 120 forwards this information to controller 100.

[0144] Sensors 124 may also include a plurality of siderail sensors that detect the current position of each siderail 34.That is, each siderail sensor 120 detects whether a corresponding siderail 34 is currently in a raised position or a lowered position. The siderail sensors 120 report the state of the siderails 34 to controller 100. In some versions of patient support apparatus 20, each siderail 34 is only manually movable between the raised and lowered positions by a person physically manipulating the siderail 34. IN other versions of patient support apparatus 20, one or more of the siderails 34 may also, or alternatively, include a powered actuator adapted to raise or lower the siderail 34 without requiring a person to manually manipulate the siderail. In any of these versions, the position of the siderail (raised or lowered) is detected by a corresponding sensor 120 and reported to controller 100.

[0145] Sensors 124 may also include one or more restraint sensors that are adapted to detect whether one or more restraints 180 have been applied to a patient. Such restraints 180 and their corresponding sensors 120 are discussed in greater detail below with respect to FIG. 11.

[0146] UWB transceiver(s) 136 are adapted to range with corresponding UWB transceivers onboard location beacon 94 and / or mobile device 150. Each UWB transceiver 136 is positioned at a known location on patient support apparatus 20. This known location information is stored in memory 144 and / or elsewhere, and may be defined with respect to any suitable frame of reference that is common to patient support apparatus 20. The known location information may include the spatial relationship between UWB transceivers 136 and / or any other components of patient support apparatus 20 For example, in some versions, the known location information includes the spatial relationship not only between UWB transceivers 136, but also the spatial relationships between UWB transceivers 136 and one or more of the following: the head end 36 of patient support apparatus 20, theSTR03 FP-708A PCT foot end 38 of patient support apparatus 20, the sides of patient support apparatus 20, a reference point defined on patient support apparatus 20, the floor, and / or other components and / or landmarks of patient support apparatus 20.

[0147] In some versions, patient support apparatus 20 includes four UWB transceivers 136, each of which are positioned generally adjacent one of the four corners of patient support apparatus 20 In some such versions, the four UWB transceiver 136 are attached to, or positioned near, the four corners of litter frame 28 In other versions, the four UWB transceivers 136 are attached to, or positioned near, the four corners of base 22 In some versions, each of the four UWB transceivers 136 are attached to the corners of support deck 30. Still other locations of the UWB transceivers 136, as well as different numbers of the UWB transceivers 136, may be incorporated into patient support apparatus 20. In those versions of patient support apparatus 20 where one or more of the UWB transceivers 136 are coupled to components of patient support apparatus 20 that are movable (e.g. litter frame 28, which can have its height and orientation changed; or support deck 30 that can have its sections, such as head section 40, pivoted), sensors are included within patient support apparatus 20 that communicate the current position of the movable component to controller 100 so that controller 100 is able to determine the current positions of the UWB transceivers 136 and use those positions when determining the current location of location beacon 94 and / or a mobile device 150.

[0148] FIG. 7 also illustrates several internal components of location beacon 94. These components include a controller 138, a UWB transceiver 140, a Bluetooth transceiver 142 and a unique location ID 146. UWB transceiver 140 is configured to range with UWB transceiver(s) 136 of patient support apparatus 20 and / or one or more UWB transceivers of mobile device 150. Bluetooth transceiver 142 is configured to communicate with Bluetooth transceiver 112 of patient support apparatus 20 and / or with a Bluetooth transceiver of a mobile device 150.

[0149] Controller 138 communicates with transceivers 140 and 142, as well as with additional electronics that may be present on location beacon 94. The additional electronics may include any of the electronics disclosed in any of the following commonly assigned patent applications, and wireless location beacon 94 may be configured to perform any of the functions disclosed in the following commonly assigned patent applications: serial number 16 / 215,911 filed December 11, 2018, by inventors Alexander Bodurka et al. and entitled HOSPITAL HEADWALL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM; serial number 16 / 217,203 filed December 12, 2018, by inventor Alexander Bodurka, and entitled SMART HOSPITAL HEADWALL SYSTEM; and serial number 16 / 193,150 filed November 16, 2018, by inventors Alexander Bodurka et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH LOCATION / MOVEMENT DETECTION, the complete disclosures of both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0150] In some versions, location beacon 94 is coupled to a wall outlet 60 by way of cable 90 having a connector that is adapted to be inserted into wall outlet 60. In alternative versions, cable 90 may be omitted and wireless location beacon 94a may be inserted directly into wall outlet 60 by way of a rigid connector. In still other versions, location beacon may not communicate with wall outlet 60 at all, but instead only provide location information to patient support apparatus 20 and / or mobile device(s) 150. When location beacon 94 is adapted to communicate with wall outlet 60, it may include additional electronics and / or components beyond those shown in FIG. 6, such as, but not limited to, any of the electronics and / or components of the headwall modules 144, 144a disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent publication 2023 / 0110653 published April 13, 2023, and filed by inventors Alexander Bodurka et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH HEADWALL COMMUNICATION, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference

[0151] FIG 7 also illustrates several internal components of a mobile device 150 As was noted, mobile device may be a conventional smartphone, tablet computer, badge, or other electronic device that includes a non-conventional protocol assistance software application 148 that is adapted to be executed by a controller 152 onboard the mobile device 150 Alternatively, mobile device 150 may be a non-conventional electronic device that includes either software application 148 stored therein, or thatSTR03 FP-708A PCT otherwise carries out the functionality of software application 148, as will be discussed in greater detail below. Mobile device 150 may also include fewer components, or additional components, from what is shown in FIG. 7.

[0152] When implemented as a badge, mobile devices 150 may be badges of the type sold or marketed by StrykerCorporation of Kalamazoo, Michigan, under the names Vocera Badge, Vocera Smartbadge, and / or Vocera Minibadge Other types of badges may also, or alternatively, be used Such badges include the ability to transmit voice communications of healthcare workers to other badges and / or other locations within a healthcare facility Some of the badges may also include text messaging abilities, alarm notifications, and other functions. When integrated into the system described herein, such badges may be modified to include one or more ultra-wideband transceivers and / or tags that communicate with ultra-wideband transceivers onboard patient support apparatus 20 and / or built into location beacon 94. That is, patient support apparatus 20 and / or locator beacons 94 may be configured to repetitively determine the location of any of the badges 150 that are positioned within range of its ultra-wideband transceivers and determine whether the badge 150 is positioned within a threshold distance of patient support apparatus 20, within a threshold distance of a location beacon 94, within a particular room, and / or at another location. Badges 150 that do not include a UWB transceiver 154 may also be incorporated into the communication system described herein.

[0153] Mobile device 150, in addition to controller 152 and software app 148, may also include a UWB transceiver 154, a Bluetooth transceiver 156, a plurality of controls 158, a user interface 160, a unique identifier 162, and a network transceiver 164. UWB transceiver 154 is configured to communicate with UWB transceiver(s) 136 of patient support apparatus 20 and / or UWB transceiver(s) 140 of location beacons 94 Bluetooth transceiver 156 is adapted to communicate with Bluetooth transceiver 112 of patient support apparatus 20 and / or with Bluetooth transceiver 142 of location beacon 94. Controls 158 may be part of the user interface 160, may be separate from user interface 160, or may be a combination of the two. Such controls 158 may include buttons, switches, dials, pressure sensors, icons on a touchscreen, etc.

[0154] User interface 160 of mobile device 150 includes a display 166, which may be a touchscreen, a conventionalLCD screen, or another type of display. User interface 160 also includes a multi-component control 116a that, as will be discussed, performs the same function as the multi-component control 116 that is positioned onboard patient support apparatus 20.

[0155] Unique identifier 162 of mobile device 150 may refer to a MAC address or other unique identifier that allows one mobile device 150 to be distinguished from another mobile device 150. Unique identifier 162 allows BT communications and / or UWB communications with mobile device 150 to be separated from other BT or UWB communications that may be going on with other mobile devices 150 that are positioned in the area. That is, patient support apparatus 20 and / or location beacon 94 may utilize unique identifier 162 to send messages to a specific mobile device 150 and to know which specific mobile device 150 they may be receiving messages from.

[0156] Controller 152 of mobile device 150, as well as controllers 100 and 138, may take on a variety of different forms.For example, each of these controllers 100, 138, and / or 152 may be implemented as conventional microcontrollers. However, these controllers may be modified to use a variety of other types of circuits— either alone or in combination with one or more microcontrollers— such as, but not limited to, any one or more microprocessors, field programmable gate arrays, systems on a chip, volatile or nonvolatile memory, discrete circuitry, and / or other hardware, software, or firmware that is capable of carrying out the functions described herein, as would be known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Such components can be physically configured in any suitable manner, such as by mounting them to one or more circuit boards, or arranging them in other manners, whether combined into a single unit or distributed across multiple units The instructions followed by controllers 100, 138, and / or 152 (e g software app 148 for mobile device 150) when carrying out the functions described herein, as well as the data necessary for carrying out these functions, are stored in a corresponding memory that is accessible to that particular controller (e.g. memory 144 forSTR03 FP-708A PCT controller 100). In some versions, controllers 100, 138, and / or 152 may include and / or work with a microcontroller that is integrated into, or associated with, the UWB transceiver(s) aboard that particular device (e.g. UWB transceivers 136, 140, and 154), and that microcontroller may act as a location engine, either alone or in combination with controller 100, 138, and / or 152, for determining the locations of the other UWB transceivers with which it is in communication

[0157] Controller 100 of patient support apparatus 20 utilizes UWB transceivers 136 to determine the relative position of patient support apparatus 20 with respect to one or more nearby locator beacons 94 and one or more mobile devices 150 In some versions, patient support apparatus 20 may also use UWB transceiver 136 to determine the relative position of other objects to patient support apparatus 20, such as one or more medical devices, or other types of devices. If patient support apparatus 20 is positioned within range of a location beacon 94, its UWB transceivers 136 communicate with the UWB transceiver 140 positioned on that location beacon 94, and the transceivers 136 and 140 exchange signals that enable them to determine the distances between themselves. This distance-determining exchange of signals is often referred to as ranging. This distance determination may be done for each UWB transceiver 136 positioned onboard patient support apparatus 20 (or for as many as is necessary in order to determine an accurate position of location beacon 94 and / or mobile device 150 relative to patient support apparatus 20).

[0158] In some versions, the UWB transceivers 136, 140, and / or 154 may also be configured to determine an angular relationship between themselves. The distance (and angle information) in at least some versions is calculated by UWB transceiver 136 and / or controller 100 of patient support apparatus 20. In other versions, one or more of location beacon 94 and / or mobile device 150 may also, or alternatively, calculate the distance (and angle information) and forward the results of this calculation to patient support apparatus 20 (either via a UWB transceiver or BT transceiver) or server 78. In either situation, patient support apparatus controller 100 is informed of the distances (and, in some versions, as noted, the angle information) between its UWB transceivers 136 and those onboard a nearby device (e.g., 94 or 150). These distances and orientations are then used to determine if the mobile device 150 is to be associated with the patient support apparatus 20 or not. This determination is based upon the mobile device 150 being within a threshold distance of the patient support apparatus 20 (such as a constant distance that defines a spherical shape or within a non-spherical volume of space). As will be discussed in greater detail below, when a mobile device is associated with patient support apparatus 20, the mobile device 150 is allowed by the patient support apparatus 20 to remotely control one or more functions of the patient support apparatus 20, including, but not necessarily limited to, the function carried out by multi-component control 116a

[0159] In some versions, transceivers 136, 140, and / or 154 are implemented as any of the Trimension™ ultra-wideband modules available from NXP Semiconductors of Austin, Texas. These modules include, but are not limited to, the Trimension™ UWB modules ASMOP1 BOON 1 , ASMOP1 CO0R1 , and / or the ASMOP1 CO0A1 , that utilize any of the following chips: the NXP SR150, SR100T, SR040, NCJ29D5, and / or the OL23DO chips. Modules manufactured and / or marketed by other companies may also be used, including, but not limited to, the Decawave DWM1000, DWM10001C, DWM3000 modules (available from Decawave of Dublin, Ireland); the Nordic TSG5162 SiP module (available from Tsingoal Technology of Beijing, China); and / or the UWB hub, wand, and / or sensors available from Zebra technologies of Lincolnshire, Illinois. Still other types of UWB modules may be used to implement transceivers 136, 140, and / or 154.

[0160] Further details regarding the manner in which the distances between patient support apparatus 20, mobile devices 150, and / or location beacons 94 may be determined are disclosed in the following commonly assigned patent applications: PCT application serial number PCT / US2023 / 026440 filed June 28, 2023, by applicant Stryker Corporation and entitled BADGE AND PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS COMMUNICATION; PCT application serial number PCT / US2023 / 026462 filed June 28, 2023, by applicant Stryker Corporation and entitled BADGE AND PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS COMMUNICATION; PCT applicationSTR03 FP-708A PCT serial number PCT / US2023 / 026418 filed June 28, 2023, by applicant Stryker Corporation and entitled BADGE AND PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS COMMUNICATION; US application serial number 63 / 565,946 filed March 15, 2024, by inventor Kyle Thomas and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTION, the complete disclosures of all of which are incorporated herein by reference Other manners of determining the proximity of a mobile device 150 to patient support apparatus 20 may also or alternatively be used, including, but not limited to, Bluetooth communications, conventional WiFi and access point 76 triangulation, conventional Real Time Location Systems (RTLS), and / or still other methods

[0161] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a multi-component control 116. In the example shown in FIG. 8, multicomponent control 116 is displayed on a touchscreen display, such as display 52 of patient support apparatus 20. The display 52 is shown in FIG. 8 to be displaying a patient care protocol screen 170 that is adapted to help caregivers ensure that patient support apparatus 20 is configured in the manners desired by the administrators of the healthcare facility in which patient support apparatus 20 is located. Patient care protocol screen 170 includes, in addition to multi-component control 116, a protocol identifier field 172, a plurality of state indicators 174a-m.

[0162] Protocol identifier field 172 includes a window in which one or more patient care protocols 114 are identified. In the example of FIG. 8, field 172 includes two patient care protocols 114: a low fall risk protocol 114a and a pneumonia protocol 114b. It will be understood that these two protocols 114 are merely illustrative of the types of protocols that may be implemented with patient support apparatus 20, and that other protocols 114 may be used with patient support apparatus 20, including, but not limited to: a high fall risk protocol, a medium fall risk protocol, a bed-sore prevention protocol, a restraint protocol, and / or still other protocols. Each protocol 114 specifies one or more desired states for one or more components of patient support apparatus 20 Each protocol 114 may be tailored according to one or more characteristics of the patient assigned to patient support apparatus 20 and / or according to other criteria, any one or which may be customized by authorized personnel of the healthcare facility in which patient support apparatus 20 is positioned. That is, authorized individuals can edit, create, and / or delete the patient care protocols either by using one of control panels 48 on patient support apparatus 20 itself, or using a computer with access and credentials to server 78 and / or server 84. In the case of servers 78 or 84, the new, deleted, or modified patient care protocols are made accessible to the patient support apparatuses 20 through their respective network transceivers 136.

[0163] One example of a patient care protocol is a high fall risk patient care protocol. Such a high fall risk protocol may specify the following: the brake 122 should be activated, the AC power cord 98 should be plugged into the AC outlet 108, the litter frame 28 should be at its lowest height (or a height below a threshold), the exit detection system 56 should be armed, the Head-of- Bed (HoB) angle should be thirty-degrees or higher (or a lockout on the patient support apparatus 20 should be activated that prevents the HoB angle from going less than 30 degrees), at least three of the siderails 34 should be in their raised position, and no restraints 180 (if patient support apparatus 20 possesses any) need to be actively used on the patient. This high fall risk patient care protocol can, of course, be modified in any manner for any healthcare facility. As but one example, another healthcare facility might include all of the same desired states, but require that all four siderails be in their raised position, or they may implement a high fall risk patient care protocol that does not specify that the HoB angle has to be above an angular threshold, or that the AC cord 98 needs to be plugged in, or that any one or more of the other parameters discussed above need to be in the states mentioned. Indeed, a healthcare facility administrator may reduce or increase the number of states that are defined for any given patient care protocol

[0164] Patient care protocols 114 may also specify additional information about the state of exit detection system 56 beyond merely its armed or disarmed state Specifically, exit detection system 56 may have different levels of sensitivity, and one or more patient care protocols 114 may not only specify that exit detection system 56 should be armed, but also which sensitivity level itSTR03 FP-708A PCT should be armed at. If the exit detection system 56 is armed, but not at the right sensitivity level, controller 100 is configured to display indicator 174d in a manner that indicates exit detection system 56 is not in its desired state. As will be discussed in greater detail below, when a user presses on multi-component control 116, controller 100 is configured to change exit detection system 56 to the desired sensitivity level (as well as make other changes that may be specified by the currently active patient care protocol)

[0165] Patient care protocols 114 may also specify that a multi-component monitoring system 128 should be armed, or need not be armed The multi-component monitoring system 128 is adapted to issue an alert when any of the multiple components of patient support apparatus 20 that is monitors are changed to an undesired state. The components monitored by the monitoring system 128 may be the same as, or different from, the components whose desired states are defined in a patient care protocol 114.

[0166] In some versions, such as that shown in FIG. 8, controller 100 is configured to change the manner in which the indicators 174 of a given patient care protocol are displayed on screen 170 according to whether or not the particular component corresponding to the particular indicator 174 is in its desired or undesired state, according to the currently active patient care protocol. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, controller 100 may illuminate those indicators 174 of the components that are currently in their desired states (according to low fall risk patient care protocol) in a green color, and those indicators 174 of the components that are currently not in their desired states in an amber, or other non-green color. Thus, controller 100 may display on screen 170 color changes for indicators 174 according to whether the corresponding components are in their desired or undesired states.

[0167] In order to assist caregivers in ensuring that each patient support apparatus 20 is in its desired state according to the currently active patient care protocol 114, controller 100 is configured to include a multi-component control 116 that is adapted to automatically change as many of the components of patient support apparatus 20 as possible to their respective desired states, as defined in the currently active patient care protocol. This is carried out with a single press of the multi-component control 116, or another single-action form of activation

[0168] The components that controller 100 automatically changes to their desired states in response to the activation of multi-component control 116 are those components that are under the control of controller 100. These include, but are not necessarily limited to: brake 122, lifts 26 (which control the height of litter frame 28), the armed / disarmed state of exit detection system 56, the powered actuator that moves Fowler section 40 (and thus controls the HoB angle), any lockouts associated with the HoB angle, and in some versions of patient support apparatus 20, the position of siderails 34. Those components that are typically not under the control of controller 100 include the AC cord 98, any restraints 180, and, in some versions, siderails 34.

[0169] Some patient care protocols 114 will specify desired states for a mix of components that are controllable and non-controllable by controller 100. Others may only specify controllable components or non-controllable components. For any patient care protocol 114 that specifies at least one non-controllable component, controller 100 may be adapted to display an indicator 174 on screen 170 that indicates the status of the non-controllable component, thereby informing the caregiver of the status of those components. If the non-controllable component is not in its desired state according to the currently active protocol, then controller 100 may display the indicator 174 for that non-controllable component in a manner different from the components that are in their desired state, such as displaying it in an amber color, or other non-green color, as was previously discussed.

[0170] When a user presses on, or otherwise activates, multi-component control 116, controller 100 is configured to not only display indicators 174 in a manner that tells the user what components are in their desired state and what components are in their undesired state, such as by displaying indicators 174 in different colors, but controller 100 is also configured to update the indicators 174 in real time, or near real time, as those components are changed to their desired states In some versions of patient support apparatus 20, controller 100 may be configured to illuminate a portion of the indicator 174 for a component in its undesiredSTR03 FP-708A PCT state in an amber color, and then decrease the amber-colored portion (by increasing a green-colored portion) as the component’s state is gradually changed to its desired state.

[0171] For example, if the litter frame 28 is not currently in its lowest height, and the active patient care protocol specifies that it should be at its lowest height, controller 100 may be configured to illuminate a portion of indicator 174c in amber and the other portion in green As controller 100 activates lifts 26 and lowers litter frame 28 (in response to the user activating multicomponent control 116), controller 100 may update display screen 170 such that the green portion of indicator 174c increases and the amber portion of indicator 174c decreases while the litter frame 28 is being lowered. When the litter frame 28 reaches it lowest height (or other desired height), controller 100 will change the color of indicator 174c so that it is all green.

[0172] In some versions, the amount of the indicator 174 that is displayed in an amber color may be approximately proportional to how far away the component is from its desired state, while in other versions of patient support apparatus 20, the amount of the indicator 174 that is displayed in an amber color may be a standardized or fixed amount, regardless of how far away a component is from its desired state. Still further, for some indicators 174, controller 100 may display the entirety of those indicators 174 in an amber color when the corresponding component(s) is not in its desired state. This may be particularly true for those components of patient support apparatus 20 that are not controllable by controller 100, such as AC cord 98, restraints 180, and (in some cases) siderails 34. For these components that are not controllable by controller 100, controller 100 may display the entirety of the corresponding indicators 174 in amber, and then change the entirety of the indicator 174 to green when the corresponding sensor 120 indicates that the corresponding component has changed to its desired state.

[0173] For those components that do not move, such as exit detection system 56, controller 100 may be configured to change the proportion of the amber and green color of indicator 174d based upon how much time it will take to arm exit detection system 56 (if disarmed) and / or to implement the correct sensitivity level.

[0174] In the example shown in FIG 8, each siderail 34 includes a corresponding indicator 174j-m and each restraint180 (if included on patient support apparatus 20) includes its own corresponding indicator 174f-i. In this example, controller 100 illuminates each indicator 174 according to the individual state of the respective siderail or restraint. That is, controller 100 illuminates indicator 174j in different colors, depending upon whether the left head end siderail 34 is in its raised or lowered position. Controller 100 illuminates indicator 174k in different colors depending upon whether the left foot end siderail 34 is in its raised or lowered position. Controller 100 illuminates indicator 1741 in different colors depending upon whether the right head end siderail 34 is in its raised or lowered position. And controller 100 illuminates indicator 174m in different colors depending upon whether the right foot end siderail 34 is in its raised or lowered position.

[0175] Similarly, controller 100 illuminates indicator 174f in different colors depending upon whether the left head end restraint 180 is securing the patient to patient support apparatus 20 or not. Controller 100 illuminates indicator 174g in different colors depending upon whether the left foot end restraint 180 is securing the patient to patient support apparatus 20 or not. Controller 100 illuminates indicator 174h in different colors depending upon whether the right head end restraint 180 is securing the patient to patient support apparatus 20 or not. Controller 100 illuminates indicator 174i in different colors depending upon whether the right foot end restraint 180 is securing the patient to patient support apparatus 20 or not.

[0176] It will, of course, be understood that controller 100 may alter any of indicators 174 in manners other than, or in addition to, changing their color in order to indicate the current state of the corresponding components, including, but not limited to, adding icons when the corresponding component is in a desired and / or undesired state, removing icons when the corresponding component is in a desired and / or undesired state, modifying the size, shape, and / or overall design of an icon when it is in a desired and / or undesired state, and / or still other changes.STR03 FP-708A PCT

[0177] It will also be understood that the shapes shown in FIGS. 8-10 for indicators 174 are merely illustrative examples of the types of icons that may be displayed on screen 170 for indicating the status of the corresponding components. For example, the basic triangle, pentagon, circle, and triangle shapes of indicators 174a-e may be replaced by any other icons, including, but not limited to, icons that graphically depict a portion of the corresponding component and / or the function of the corresponding component

[0178] In some versions of patient support apparatus 20, controller 100 is configured to display multi-component control116 at all times on display 52 when display 52 is active (i.e. not asleep), while in other versions, controller 100 is configured to display multi-component control 116 at only selected times. In some versions, patient support apparatus 20 may also, or alternatively, include a multi-component control 116 that is physically built into patient support apparatus 20, rather than a touchscreen control In those versions where controller 100 only display multi-component control 116 at selected times, controller 100 may be configured to automatically check on the current states of an active patient care protocol in response to one or more triggers, such as scale system 130 detecting a patient weight on litter frame 28, a new patient being assigned to patient support apparatus 20, a patient's UWB wristband being detected in the vicinity of patient support apparatus 20, and / or other triggers.

[0179] Regardless of the specific trigger(s), controller 100 may be configured, after checking the current states of the components in an active patient care protocol, to display an indicator on display 52 if any of the components are in their undesired state. In some cases, the indicator may be multi-component control 116 itself In other cases, controller 100 may display a different indicator, such as, but not limited to, a warning message (e.g. “protocol non-compliance”), a warning icon, a combination of the two, or still another type of indicator. In such versions, the indicator may include a control that, when activated by the user, brings up patient care protocol screen 170. In some cases, the indicator may be the control itself (i.e. pressing on the indicator may cause controller 100 to display patient care protocol screen 170).

[0180] In some versions of patient support apparatus 20, controller 100 may be configured to display multi-component control 116 with indicators 174 at certain times and to display multi-component control 116 without indicators 174 at other times. During those times when controller 100 displays multi-component control 116 without indicators 174, controller 100 may be configured to display other information, icons, and / or controls on display 52 with multi-component control 116, and to switch to displaying indicators 174 in response to the user activating multi-component control 116 and / or in response to the user manually activating another control that causes controller 100 to display indicators 174.

[0181] In some versions of patient support apparatus 20, controller 100 may also, or alternatively, be configured to display all, or a portion of, patient care protocol screen 170 in response to the user manually navigating to screen 170. In some of such versions, controller 100 may display portions of patient care protocol screen 170 on different screens of display 52. For example, patient care protocol field 172 may be displayed on different screens of display 52 in order to let the caregiver know what patient care protocol is currently active, even when the caregiver is using a different screen on display 52 (e.g. a scale control screen for controlling scale system 130, a motion control screen for moving components of patient support apparatus 20, an exit detection control screen for controlling exit detection system 56, and / or another type of screen) Alternatively, or additionally, as mentioned previously, controller 100 may be configured to automatically display multi-component control 116 whenever controller 100 is triggered to check the states of the currently active patient care protocol and finds one or more of the components of the active patient care protocol to be in an undesired state

[0182] As was discussed previously, whenever a user activates multi-component control 116, such as by pressing on it(when displayed on a touchscreen display 52), controller 100 is configured to automatically and simultaneously change all of the components that it is capable of changing from their undesired state to their desired state. Thus, for example, if the active patientSTR03 FP-708A PCT care protocol indicates that exit detection system 56 should be armed but it currently is not, and that litter frame 28 should be at its lowest height but it currently is not, controller 100 will, in response to the activation of multi-component control 116, automatically lower lifts 26 to bring litter frame 28 to its lowest height while also arming exit detection system 56. If there are other components that are in their undesired state and under the control of controller 100, controller 100 will also change those components to their desired state(s) in response to activation of multi-component control 116 Multi-component control 116 therefore acts as a single control that is able to automatically change one or more components of patient support apparatus 20 to a state that is compliant with whatever patient care protocol is currently active.

[0183] The manner in which a particular patient care protocol 114 becomes an active patient care protocol 114 may vary. In some situations, the patient care protocols 114 are defined by administrators of the healthcare facility and input into server 78, which then disseminates these one or more protocols to each patient support apparatus 20 using network 74 and network transceivers 118. In such situations, the administrator may specify only a single patient care protocol for each patient support apparatus 20, or they may specify multiple patient care protocols to one or more of the patient support apparatuses. In the former case, controller 100 uses the single patient care protocol 114 it received from server 78 as the active patient care protocol, and no decision needs to be made as to which of multiple patient care protocols is the active patient care protocol. In the latter case, the controllers 100 of each patient support apparatus 20 will decide which of the multiple patient care protocols 114 is active at a given time. Controllers 100 may be configured to make this decision based on the current location of patient support apparatus 20, the current time of day, the current day of the week, the current calendar day, the current work shift, information from the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) server 62, information from other servers (e.g. an ADT server, a workflow server, a caregiver assignment server, etc.), and / or other criteria.

[0184] For example, in some situations, controller 100 may be configured to automatically select a patient care protocol114 as the active patient care protocol based on the patient’s fall risk, which may be determined either by reading such information from EMR server 62 and / or by a caregiver entering a fall risk score into patient support apparatus 20 manually. As another example, a healthcare facility may want a particular patient care protocol 114 to be the active patient care protocol for specific areas of the healthcare facility (e.g specific wings, floor, departments, units, etc.). In such a case, controller 100 selects the active patient care protocol based on its current location (which may be determined from the unit ID 146 of a nearby location beacon 94, as discussed previously). Still further, controller 100 may select an active patient care protocol 114 based upon other (i.e. non-fall risk) information from EMR server 62, such as information indicating the particular patient assigned to patient support apparatus 20 is on a ventilator, or is at risk of developing bed sores, or has some other medical condition that dictates a particular patient care protocol 114

[0185] The logic used by controller 100 in selecting an active patient care protocol 114 is configurable by a healthcare administrator either through server 78, server 84, and / or through one or more of the caregiver control panels 48a-b. That is, an authorized administrator can specify the logic controller 100 uses for selecting an active patient care protocol 114. When configured to allow this logic to be input into patient support apparatus 20 through a control panel 48a and / or b, controller 100 may require a password, PIN, or other authentication information to be entered prior to the entry of such logic in order to control who is and isn’t allowed to input and / or change such logic.

[0186] In some versions of patient support apparatus 20, caregivers are not able to change a patient care protocol 114 using any of control panels 48a-b In such versions, only authorized individuals having access to server 78 can make changes to the patient care protocols 114 However, in other versions of patient support apparatus 20, caregivers are able to make temporary modifications to the patient care protocols 114 using one or more of control panels 48a-b Such modifications are temporary in the sense that they only last for as long as a particular patient is assigned to patient support apparatus 20 After that particular patient isSTR03 FP-708A PCT discharged, or assigned to a different patient support apparatus 20, controller 100 automatically reverts the modified patient care protocol 114 back to its unmodified state. In such versions, controller 100 may be configured to automatically send a message to server 78 whenever a caregiver makes a change to a patient care protocol 114, and server 78 may be configured to send a notification to one or more caregiver supervisors so that appropriate personnel are alerted to the fact that a patient care protocol has been temporarily modified

[0187] Regardless of whether or not controller 100 allows a caregiver to modify a patient care protocol 114 using one or more of controls panels 48a-b, controller 100 may be configured to allow a caregiver to change the active patient care protocol 114 using one or more of control panels 48a-b. That is, a caregiver may be able to override the automatic selection of a patient care protocol 114 by controller 100. Alternatively, in some versions, controller 100 may not make an automatic selection of the patient care protocol, but instead rely on the caregiver to manually make this selection using one of control panels 48a-b. Regardless of whether the caregiver is selecting an active patient care protocol 114 or overriding a patient care protocol 114 selected by controller 100, controller 100 may be configured to automatically send a message to server 78 whenever a caregiver selects the active patient care protocol (or overrides the selected patient care protocol), and server 78 may be configured to send a notification to one or more caregiver supervisors so that appropriate personnel are alerted to which patient care protocol 114 is the active patient care protocol 114 for that particular patient support apparatus 20.

[0188] FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate different examples of patient care protocol screens 170a and 170b that may be displayed on a display 166 of a mobile device 150. As was noted earlier, the mobile device 150 may be a smart phone, a caregiver badge, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, or another type of portable electronic device having a display and software-execution ability. Screens 170a and 170b operate in the same manner as previously described That is, screens 170a and 170b includes the same indicators 174a-m of screen 170 and the same protocol identifier field 172. Controller 152 of mobile device 150 also oversees the display and operation of patient care protocol screens 170a and 170b in the same manner as controller 100 oversees the display and operation of patient care protocol screen 170, except that controller 152 does not control the components of patient support apparatus 20 directly, but instead must transmit commands to patient support apparatus 20 to be executed by controller 100. That is, software app 148 is configured to instruct controller 152 to communicate with controller 100 of patient support apparatus 20 in such a manner that a user of mobile device 150 is able to utilize patient care protocol screens 170a and 170b in the same manner as a user of patient support apparatus 20 is able to utilize patient care protocol screen 170

[0189] Thus, for example, if a user of mobile device 150 activates multi-component control 116 on screen 170a of mobile device 150, controller 152 of mobile device 150 will send commands to controller 100 of patient support apparatus 20 instructing it to change the state of any components of patient support apparatus 20 that are not currently in their desired state, according to the currently active patient care protocol. Controller 100 of patient support apparatus 20 will respond by implementing those commands, as well as sending messages back to controller 152 of mobile device 150 that indicate the current state of the components of patient support apparatus 20. Controller 152 of mobile device 150 will then update indicators 174 based on the current state of the corresponding components of patient support apparatus 20, as indicated in the messages received from patient support apparatus 20.

[0190] Software application 148 therefore controls controller 152 in a manner that matches the functionality carried out by controller 100 with respect to patient care protocol screen 170 Software application 148 instructs controller 152 to communicate with patient support apparatus 20 in order to determine the current states of the various components of patient support apparatus 20 so that controller 152 may display these states via indicators 174a-m on screens 170a and / or 170b Software application 148 also instructs controller 100 to send one or more appropriate commands to patient support apparatus 20 in response to the activation ofSTR03 FP-708A PCT multi-component control 116. Still further, software application 148 may also request the currently active patient care protocol 114 from patient support apparatus 20, request the currently active patient care protocol 114 from server 78 or 84, or determine the currently active patient care protocol 114 itself using similar logic to that which has been described herein (i.e software application 148 may communicate with EMR server 62, it may determine its location with the healthcare facility, it may determine the time, day of week, calendar, etc and use any one or more of these pieces of information to automatically select the active patient care protocol 114

[0191] The communication of commands, status data regarding the components of patient support apparatus 20, data regarding the active patient care protocol, and / or other information may take place between patient support apparatus 20 and mobile device 150 using Bluetooth transceiver 112 and 156. Alternatively, or additionally, such commands and / or data may be communicated between patient support apparatus 20 and mobile device 150 using UWB transceivers 136 and 154. Still further, such commands and / or data may be communicated using a combination of BT and UWB transceivers, or still other types of transceivers.

[0192] In some versions, software application 148 is configured to instruct mobile device 150 to automatically pair itsBluetooth transceiver 156 with the Bluetooth transceiver 112 of patient support apparatus 20 in response to the movement of mobile device 150 within the vicinity of patient support apparatus 20. In such versions, software application 148 repetitively monitors its proximity to patient support apparatus 20 using UWB transceiver 154. That is, UWB transceiver 154 automatically and repetitively attempts to range with nearby UWB transceivers When mobile device 150 is within communication range of UWB transceiver 136 of patient support apparatus 20, software application 148 instructs UWB transceiver 154 to range with the UWB transceiver(s) 136 of patient support apparatus 20 to determine the distance therebetween. When mobile device 150 moves within a threshold distance of patient support apparatus 20 (as defined by software application 148), software application 148 instructs controller 152 to exchange Bluetooth credentials with patient support apparatus 20 using UWB communication. Once these credentials have been exchanged using UWB, Bluetooth pairing is established between transceivers 112 and 156, thereby enabling the communication of any of the aforementioned information between mobile device 150 and patient support apparatus 20. Because this exchange of Bluetooth credentials occurs automatically in response to mobile device 150 moving within proximity of patient support apparatus 20, and because the UWB communication between patient support apparatus 20 and mobile device 150 also happen automatically, it is not necessary for a user of mobile device 150 to take any manual actions to establish communication between mobile device 150 and patient support apparatus 20.

[0193] Because a user of mobile device 150 does not have to take any manual action to establish communication between mobile device 150 and patient support apparatus 20, a user likewise does not have to take any manual action to ensure that the patient care protocol 114 displayed on screen 170a or 170b corresponds to the correct patient. In other words, as the user moves throughout the healthcare facility and comes within a threshold distance of different patient support apparatuses 20, software application 148 will automatically establish communication with whichever patient support apparatus 20 is within the threshold distance and thereafter display a patient care protocol screen 170a or 170b that is matched to the particular patient support apparatus 20 that is within the threshold distance. Thus, if a caregiver moves to a first room with a first patient on a first patient support apparatus 20, software application 148 will instruct controller 152 to display a first patient care protocol screen 170a or b that corresponds to the first patient care protocol that is to be used with the first patient If the caregiver thereafter moves to a second room with a second patient assigned to a second patient support apparatus 20, software application 148 will instruct controller 152 to display a second patient care protocol screen 170a or b that corresponds to the second patient care protocol that is to be used with the second patient. The first and second patient care protocols screens may be the same or different. Thus, a caregiver can useSTR03 FP-708A PCT his / her mobile device 150 to implement the multi-component control 116 of mobile device 150 on different patient support apparatus 20, and whenever the caregiver uses multi-component control 116, it will automatically change whichever components of the particular patient support apparatus 20 it is currently nearby from their undesired states to their desired states according to whichever patient care protocol is used for that particular patient support apparatus 20

[0194] Software application 148 is adapted to instruct controller 152 when to display and not to display patient care protocol screen 170a and / or b, as well as when to enable and disable the multi-component control 116. Controller 152 may be instructed to display multi-component control 116 and / or patient care protocol screen 170a or b at all times on display 166 when mobile device 150 is within a threshold distance of patient support apparatus 20, while in other versions, controller 152 is configured to display multi-component control 116 at only selected times. In those versions where controller 152 only display multi-component control 116 at selected times, controller 152 may be configured to automatically check on the current states of an active patient care protocol in response to one or more of the same triggers discussed previously (i.e., scale system 130 detecting a patient weight on litter frame 28, a new patient being assigned to patient support apparatus 20, a patient’s UWB wristband being detected in the vicinity of patient support apparatus 20, and / or other triggers), or in response to mobile device 150 moving within a threshold distance of patient support apparatus 20.

[0195] Regardless of the specific trigger(s), controller 152 may be configured, after checking the current states of the components in an active patient care protocol, to display an indicator on display 166 if any of the components are in their undesired state In some cases, the indicator may be multi-component control 116 itself In other cases, controller 152 may display a different indicator, such as, but not limited to, a warning message (e.g. “protocol non-compliance”), a warning icon, a combination of the two, or still another type of indicator. In such versions, the indicator may include a control that, when activated by the user, brings up patient care protocol screen 170a or b. In some cases, the indicator may be the control itself (i e. pressing on the indicator may cause controller 152 to display patient care protocol screen 170a or b).

[0196] In some versions, software application 148 may be configured to instruct controller 152 to display multicomponent control 116 with indicators 174 at certain times and to display multi-component control 116 without indicators 174 at other times. During those times when controller 152 displays multi-component control 116 without indicators 174, controller 152 may be configured to display other information, icons, and / or controls on display 166 with multi-component control 116, and to switch to displaying indicators 174 in response to the user activating multi-component control 116 and / or in response to the user manually activating another control that causes controller 152 to display indicators 174.

[0197] In some versions, software application 148 may be configured to instruct controller 152 to also, or alternatively, be configured to display all, or a portion of, patient care protocol screen 170a or b in response to the user manually navigating to screen 170a or b. In some of such versions, controller 152 may display portions of patient care protocol screen 170 on different screens of display 166. For example, patient care protocol field 172 may be displayed on different screens of display 166 in order to let the caregiver know what patient care protocol is currently active, even when the caregiver is using a different screen on display 166 (e.g. a scale control screen for controlling scale system 130, a motion control screen for moving components of patient support apparatus 20, an exit detection control screen for controlling exit detection system 56, and / or another type of screen). Alternatively, or additionally, as mentioned previously, controller 152 may be configured to automatically display multi-component control 116 whenever controller 152 is triggered to check the states of the currently active patient care protocol and finds one or more of the components of the active patient care protocol to be in an undesired state.STR03 FP-708A PCT

[0198] Software application 148 is also configured to instruct controller 152 to automatically disable multi-component control 116 on mobile device 150 when the mobile device moves outside of a first threshold distance from patient support apparatus 20, and to automatically enable multi-component control 116 on mobile device 150 when the mobile device 150 moves within a second threshold distance of a patient support apparatus 20 The first and second threshold distances may be the same or different In some versions, the threshold distance is within several meters to ten or more meters In general, the threshold distance may be chosen so that, when the mobile device is within the threshold distance, the patient support apparatus 20 is within visual range of the caregiver. In some versions, the threshold distance refers to being in the same room and / or bay as the patient support apparatus 20.

[0199] FIG. 10 illustrates a patient care protocol screen 170b in which no active patient care protocol 114 has been selected. In such situations, software application 148 may be configured to use a default patient care protocol 114, or it may be configured to deactivate multi-component control 116 until a patient care protocol 114 has been activated. As illustrated in FIG. 10, controller 152 of mobile device 150 is configured to populate protocol identifier field 172 with an indication that no patient care protocol is active (e.g. “not set,” as shown in FIG 10).

[0200] FIG. 11 illustrates one example of a litter frame 28 that may be used with patient support apparatus 20. Litter frame 28 includes a plurality of restraint attachments 182 to which restraints 180 may be secured Restraints 180 are flexible belts, straps, or other structures that each include a free end 184 that is adapted to be releasable coupled to another free end 184 of another restraint 180, or to an attachment 182 on the opposite side of litter frame 28. Each restraint 180 may include one or more sensors 120 that are adapted to detect when the restraint 180 is secured to an attachment 182 at one end and to a free end 184 of another restraint 180 on its opposite end (or to another attachment 182). Any suitable sensor(s) 120 for carrying out this sensing may be used, including pressure sensors, electrical sensors, switches, etc. In some versions of patient support apparatus 20, litter frame 28 may include restraints 180 and / or restraint sensors 120 of the types disclosed in commonly assigned PCT patent application serial number PCT / US2024 / 014966 filed February 8, 2024, by applicant Stryker Corporation and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS SYSTEM, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Such restraint sensors include, but are not limited to, cameras or other image sensors that detect the presence of restraints 180 and their state (secured or unsecured). In some versions of patient support apparatus 20, restraints 180 and / or restraint attachments 182 may take on the form of the restraints and attachments disclosed in commonly assigned U.S patent application serial number 17 / 945,264 filed September 15, 2022, by inventors Michael W. Graves et al. and entitled COVER SYSTEMS FOR BLOCKING APERTURES OF PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES, the complete disclosure of which is also incorporated herein by reference. Still other types of restraints and attachments may also or alternatively be used.

[0201] It will be understood that, although FIGS. 8-10 include the label “press and hold” on the multi-component control116, the activation of multi-component control 116 may be carried out either in a press-and-hold manner, or it may be carried out in a single press and release manner. When configured in the press-and-hold manner, movement of any components of patient support apparatus 20 to their desired state will immediately stop as soon as the user releases his or her finger from multi-component control 116. In some cases, the transition from an undesired state to a desired state for a non-moving component (e g. exit detection system 56) may stop upon the release of multi-component control, or it may continue When configured in a press-and-release manner, the changing of any components from their undesired state to their desired state, whether involving a moving component or a non-moving component, is carried out until the desired state is reached, even if the user release his or her finger from multicomponent control 116 prior to the desired state being reachedSTR03 FP-708A PCT

[0202] It will also be understood that, although FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate patient care protocol screens 170a and 170b, respectively, there is no difference in the functionality of these two screens. Screen 170b only differs from screen 170a in the fact that there is no active patient care protocol in the situation illustrated by FIG. 10.

[0203]

[0204]

[0205] From the foregoing description, it should be clear that multi-component control 116 differs from prior movement controls on patient support apparatus 20 in several ways, including the fact that it changes or moves multiple components (from an undesired state to a desired state) that would otherwise need to be changed or moved using at least two different controls on the patient support apparatus 20. Thus, for example, prior art patient support apparatuses will typically include a first control for moving the height of litter frame 28 and a second control for activati n g / deacti vati n g the exit detection system. Similarly, separate controls are typically provided on prior art patient support apparatuses for activating / deactivating a brake, for limiting or locking out movement of the Fowler section 40 below an angular threshold, and for performing other state changes Multi-component control 116 not only consolidates these controls into a single control, but it also dynamically adjusts its function according to the active patient care protocol 114 and according to which components are currently not in their desired state In other words, if two components are not in their desired state, multi-component control 116, when activated, will change both of those components to their desired state. If the patient support apparatus 20 is in a different configuration at a different time and there are three components in their undesired state, multi-component control 116, when activated, will change all three of those components to their desired states. Accordingly, the number of components that are changed by the activation of multi-component control 116 will automatically vary based on the number of components that are currently not in their desired state Still further, the number of components, and / or the identity of those components, which are controlled by the activation of multi-component control 116 may change based upon different active patient care protocols. Multi-component control 116 therefore may vary the components it controls based on both the current state of patient support apparatus 20 as well as the current patient care protocol 114 that is active. Multi-component control 116 is therefore a dynamic control that may carry out different functions at different times, depending upon the current state of patient support apparatus 20 and / or the currently active patient care protocol.

[0206] It will also be understood that an active patient care protocol 114 simply refers to the patient care protocol 114 that controller 100 (or controller 152) is currently using to compare the current states of the components of patient support apparatus 20 to. Any inactive patient care protocols 114 that may be stored in memory 144 (or in a memory of mobile device 150) are patient care protocols that are not currently being used to assess the states of the components of patient support apparatus 20, but that may be changed to an active patient care protocol in response to a particular triggering condition, as discussed above.

[0207] In some versions of patient support apparatus 20 and / or software application 148, a reset control (not shown) may be displayed on display 52 or 166, respectively, that a caregiver can use to reset the patient support apparatus 20 to a desired state after the patient has been discharged from the healthcare facility or transferred to a new patient support apparatus 20. The reset control works in the same manner as the multi-component control 116 except that, instead of following a patient care protocol 114, it follows a patient discharge protocol, or the like. That is, upon activating the reset control, controller 100 and / or controller 152 checks the current states of all of the components identified in the patient discharge protocol and, if they are not in their desired states, automatically changes them to the desired states defined in the patient discharge protocol The content of both patient care protocols and patient discharge protocols can be customized by authorized healthcare administrators and / or caregivers based upon individual patients, patient characteristics of health conditions (e g fall risks, pneumonia, ventilator usage, etc ) locations in theSTR03 FP-708A PCT healthcare facility, and / or other condition. Once defined, patient support apparatus 20 and / or mobile device 150 may retrieve these patient care protocols and / or patient discharge protocols from server 78 and / or server 84.

[0208] Although not shown in FIG. 7, patient support apparatus 20 may include a clock and / or calendar in order to select an active patient care protocol 114 in those situations where a patient care protocol 114 may be time-dependent In such situations, patient support apparatus 20 may determine the current time and / or date in any of the manners disclosed in commonly assigned U S patent 10,816,937 issued October 27, 2020, to inventors Anuj K Sidhu et al and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH CLOCKS, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Other manners of determining the time and / or date may also, or alternatively, be used.

[0209] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the use of the term “transceiver” throughout this specification is not intended to be limited to devices in which a transmitter and receiver are necessarily within the same housing, or share some circuitry. Instead, the term "transceiver” is used broadly herein to refer to both structures in which circuitry is shared between the transmitter and receiver, and transmitter-receivers in which the transmitter and receiver do not share circuitry and / or a common housing. Thus, the term “transceiver” refers to any device having a transmitter component and a receiver component, regardless of whether the two components are a common entity, separate entities, or have some overlap in their structures

[0210] Various additional alterations and changes beyond those already mentioned herein can be made to the abovedescribed embodiments. This disclosure is presented for illustrative purposes and should not be interpreted as an exhaustive description of all embodiments or to limit the scope of the claims to the specific elements illustrated or described in connection with these embodiments For example, and without limitation, any individual elements) of the described embodiments may be replaced by alternative elements that provide substantially similar functionality or otherwise provide adequate operation. This includes, for example, presently known alternative elements, such as those that might be currently known to one skilled in the art, and alternative elements that may be developed in the future, such as those that one skilled in the art might, upon development, recognize as an alternative. Any reference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” “the” or “said,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular.

Claims

STR03 FP-708A PCTCLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A patient support apparatus comprising: a support surface adapted to support a patient thereon; a multi-component control adapted to be activated by a user; a display; a first component adapted to be in different states; a second component adapted be in different states; a memory in which a patient care protocol is stored, the patient care protocol indicating a first desired state for the first component and a second desired state for the second component; a controller in communication with the multi-component control and the memory, the controller adapted to, in response to activation of the multi-component control, automatically perform the following:(a) change a current state of the first component to match the first desired state of the patient care protocol if the first component is not already in the first desired state; and(b) change a current state of the second component to match the second desired state of the patient care protocol if the second component is not already in the second desired state2. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a third component adapted to be in different states, wherein the patient care protocol indicates a third desired state for the third component and the controller is further adapted, in response to activation of the multi-component control, to automatically change a current state of the third component to match the third desired state of the patient care protocol if the third component is not already in the third desired state.

3. The patient support apparatus of claim 2 wherein the first component is a brake and the first desired state is an activation of the brake, the second component is a litter frame and the second desired state is a height of the litter frame being below a threshold, and the third component is an exit detection system and the third desired state is an activation of the exit detection system.

4. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first component is a siderail and the first desired state is a lowered position of the siderail.

5. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first component is a Fowler section of the patient support apparatus and the first desired state is an orientation of the Fowler section above an angular threshold.

6. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a powered actuator adapted to move the first component to different positions, wherein a particular one of the different positions is the first desired state.

7. The patient support apparatus of claim 6 wherein the multi-component control is a single physical button and the controller is adapted to stop movement of the first component in response to either the first component reaching the first desired state or the user releasing the button.

8. The patient support apparatus of claim 6 wherein the multi-component control is a single icon on a touchscreen and the controller is adapted to stop movement of the first component in response to either the first component reaching the first desired state or the user ceasing to touch the icon on the touchscreen9 The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is further adapted to provide a first indication on the display if the first component is not in the first desired state and a second indication on the display if the second component is not in the second desired state.STR03 FP-708A PCT10. The patient support apparatus of claim 9 wherein the controller is further adapted to change the first indication in response to the first component changing to the first desired state and to change the second indication in response to the second component changing to the second desired state.11 The patient support apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a third component adapted to be in different states, wherein the patient care protocol indicates a third desired state for the third component and the controller is further adapted, in response to activation of the multi-component control, to automatically provide an indication on the display if the third component does not match the third desired state of the patient care protocol.

12. The patient support apparatus of claim 11 wherein the third component is a power cord adapted to be plugged into an electrical outlet of a healthcare facility, and the third desired state corresponds to the power cord being plugged into the electrical outlet.

13. The patient support apparatus of claim 11 wherein the third component is a restraint adapted to secure the patient to the patient support apparatus, and the third desired state corresponds to the restraint securing the patient to the patient support apparatus.

14. The patient support apparatus of claim 11 wherein the third component is a siderail adapted to be moved between raised and lowered positions, and the third desired state corresponds to the siderail being in the raised position.

15. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first component is a monitoring system adapted to issue an alert when any one of a plurality of components of the patient support apparatus change from a first state to a second state, and the first desired state corresponds to the monitoring system being activated.

16. The patient support apparatus of claim 11 wherein the controller is further adapted to change the indication when the third component is changed to the third desired state.

17. The patient support apparatus of claim 16 wherein the controller is adapted to change the indication by changing a color of the indication.

18. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is further adapted to display a progress indicator on the display for the first component, the progress indicator indicating progress the controller is making when changing the first component to match the first desired state of the patient care protocol.

19. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is further adapted to display an identifier of the patient care protocol on the display.

20. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 further including a network transceiver adapted to communicate with a local area network, wherein the controller is adapted to receive the patient care protocol from a server hosted on the local area network.

21. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a location transceiver adapted to communicate with a fixed location beacon positioned at a known location within a healthcare facility, and the controller is adapted to select the patient care protocol from amongst a plurality of potential patient care protocols based on the location of the patient support apparatus in the healthcare facility.

22. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the multi-component control is a transceiver adapted to wirelessly receive a multi-component command from a mobile device carried by a caregiver23 The patient support apparatus of claim 22 further including a proximity sensor adapted to detect a distance between the mobile device and the patient support apparatus, and wherein the controller is further adapted to ignore the multi-STR03 FP-708A PCT component command if the mobile device is more than a threshold distance away from the patient support apparatus and to carry out the multi-component command if the mobile device is less than the threshold distance away from the patient support apparatus24. The patient support apparatus of claim 23 wherein the proximity sensor includes an ultra-wideband transceiver.25 The patient support apparatus of claim 22 wherein the mobile device is one of a badge or cell phone26 The patient support apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a user interface adapted to allow a user to make edits to the patient care protocol27. A patient support apparatus comprising: a support surface adapted to support a patient thereon; a multi-component control adapted to be activated by a user; a display; a first component adapted to be in different states; a second component adapted be in different states; a memory in which a first patient care protocol and a second patient care protocol is stored, the first patient care protocol identifying a first set of components with corresponding desired first states, and the second patient care protocol identifying a second set of components with corresponding desired second states; a controller in communication with the multi-component control and the memory, the controller adapted to select the first patient care protocol or the second patient care protocol as an active protocol and, in response to activation of the multicomponent control, automatically change all of the components of the active protocol to their corresponding desired states.

28. The patient support apparatus of claim 27 wherein the first set of components includes at least one component not in the second set of components.

29. The patient support apparatus of claim 27 wherein the desired first states includes at least one desired state not included in the desired second states.

30. The patient support apparatus of claim 27 wherein the first set of components includes at least two of the following: a brake of the patient support apparatus, a height-adjustable litter frame of the patient support, an exit detection system of the patient support apparatus, a Fowler section of the patient support apparatus, or a multi-component monitoring system of the patient support apparatus.

31. The patient support apparatus of claim 27 wherein the multi-component control is a single physical button and the controller is adapted to stop changing of the components of the active protocol in response to the user releasing the button.

32. The patient support apparatus of claim 27 wherein the multi-component control is a single icon on a touchscreen and the controller is adapted to stop changing of the components of the active protocol in response to the user ceasing to touch the icon on the touchscreen.

33. The patient support apparatus of claim 27 wherein the controller is further adapted to provide an indication on the display of any of the components of the active protocol that are not in their desired states.

34. The patient support apparatus of claim 33 wherein the controller is further adapted to change the indication in response to the components of the active protocol changing to their desired states.35 The patient support apparatus of claim 27 wherein the first patient care protocol further includes a desired state for a manual component, and the controller is adapted to provide an indication on the display if the manual component is not in a desired state and the first patient care protocol is the active protocolSTR03 FP-708A PCT36. The patient support apparatus of claim 35 wherein the manual component is a power cord adapted to be plugged into an electrical outlet of a healthcare facility, and the desired state of the power cord corresponds to the power cord being plugged into the electrical outlet.37 The patient support apparatus of claim 35 wherein the manual component is a restraint adapted to secure the patient to the patient support apparatus, and the desired state of the restraint corresponds to the restraint securing the patient to the patient support apparatus38. The patient support apparatus of claim 35 wherein the manual component is a siderail adapted to be moved between raised and lowered positions, and the desired state of the siderail corresponds to the siderail being in the raised position.

39. The patient support apparatus of claim 34 wherein the controller is adapted to change the indication by changing a color of the indication.

40. The patient support apparatus of claim 27 wherein the controller is further adapted to display a progress indicator on the display for the components of the active protocol, the progress indicator indicating progress the controller is making when changing the components of the active protocol to their respective desired states.

41. The patient support apparatus of claim 27 wherein the controller is further adapted to display an identifier of the active protocol on the display.

42. The patient support apparatus of claim 27 further including a network transceiver adapted to communicate with a local area network, wherein the controller is adapted to receive the first and second patient care protocols from a server hosted on the local area network43. The patient support apparatus of claim 27 further comprising a location transceiver adapted to communicate with a fixed location beacon positioned at a known location within a healthcare facility, and the controller is adapted to select the first or second patient care protocol as the active protocol based on the location of the patient support apparatus in the healthcare facility.

44. The patient support apparatus of claim 43 wherein the location transceiver includes a ultra-wideband transceiver.

45. The patient support apparatus of claim 27 wherein the multi-component control is a transceiver adapted to wirelessly receive a multi-component command from a mobile device carried by a caregiver, the multi-component command instructing the controller to change all of the components of the active protocol to their corresponding desired states.

46. The patient support apparatus of claim 45 further including a proximity sensor adapted to detect a distance between the mobile device and the patient support apparatus, and wherein the controller is further adapted to ignore the multicomponent command if the mobile device is more than a threshold distance away from the patient support apparatus and to carry out the multi-component command if the mobile device is less than the threshold distance away from the patient support apparatus47. The patient support apparatus of claim 46 wherein the proximity sensor includes an ultra-wideband transceiver.

48. The patient support apparatus of claim 45 wherein the mobile device is one of a badge or cell phone.

49. The patient support apparatus of claim 27 further comprising a user interface adapted to allow a user to make edits to the first and second patient care protocols.

50. A patient support apparatus system comprising a patient support apparatus and a software application embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and adapted to be executed by a first controller of a mobile device having a first display and a multi-component control; wherein the patient support apparatus comprises: a support surface adapted to support a patient thereon; a transceiver adapted to communicate with the mobile device;STR03 FP-708A PCT a second display; a first component adapted to be in different states; a second component adapted be in different states; a memory in which a patient care protocol is stored, the patient care protocol indicating a first desired state for the first component and a second desired state for the second component; a second controller in communication with the transceiver and the memory; wherein the software application is adapted to cause the first controller to send a multi-component command to the patient support apparatus in response to activation of the multi-component control; and the second controller is adapted to, in response to receipt of the multi-component command, automatically perform the following:(a) change a current state of the first component to match the first desired state of the patient care protocol if the first component is not already in the first desired state; and(b) change a current state of the second component to match the second desired state of the patient care protocol if the second component is not already in the second desired state51. The patient support apparatus system of claim 50 wherein the patient care protocol indicates a third desired state for a third component of the patient support apparatus and the second controller is further adapted, in response to receipt of the multi-component command, to automatically change a current state of the third component to match the third desired state of the patient care protocol if the third component is not already in the third desired state.

52. The patient support apparatus system of claim 51 wherein the first component is a brake and the first desired state is an activation of the brake, the second component is a litter frame and the second desired state is a height of the litter frame being below a threshold, and the third component is an exit detection system and the third desired state is an activation of the exit detection system.

53. The patient support apparatus system of claim 50 wherein the first component is a siderail and the first desired state is a lowered position of the siderail.

54. The patient support apparatus system of claim 50 wherein the first component is a Fowler section of the patient support apparatus and the first desired state is an orientation of the Fowler section above an angular threshold.

55. The patient support apparatus system of claim 50 further comprising a powered actuator adapted to move the first component to different positions, wherein a particular one of the different positions is the first desired state.

56. The patient support apparatus system of claim 55 wherein the multi-component control of the mobile device is a single physical button and the second controller is adapted to stop movement of the first component in response to either the first component reaching the first desired state or a user releasing the button.

57. The patient support apparatus system of claim 55 wherein the multi-component control of the mobile device is a single icon on a touchscreen and the second controller is adapted to stop movement of the first component in response to either the first component reaching the first desired state or a user ceasing to touch the icon on the touchscreen.

58. The patient support apparatus system of claim 50 wherein the software application is further configured to cause the first controller to provide a first indication on the first display if the first component is not in the first desired state and a second indication on the first display if the second component is not in the second desired stateSTR03 FP-708A PCT59. The patient support apparatus system of claim 58 wherein the software application is further configured to cause the first controller to change the first indication in response to the first component changing to the first desired state and to change the second indication in response to the second component changing to the second desired state.60 The patient support apparatus system of claim 50 wherein the patient care protocol indicates a third desired state for a third component of the patient support apparatus and the software application is further configured, in response to receipt of the multi-component command, to automatically provide an indication on the first display if the third component does not match the third desired state of the patient care protocol.

61. The patient support apparatus system of claim 60 wherein the third component is a power cord adapted to be plugged into an electrical outlet of a healthcare facility, and the third desired state corresponds to the power cord being plugged into the electrical outlet.

62. The patient support apparatus system of claim 60 wherein the third component is a restraint adapted to secure the patient to the patient support apparatus, and the third desired state corresponds to the restraint securing the patient to the patient support apparatus.

63. The patient support apparatus system of claim 60 wherein the third component is a siderail adapted to be moved between raised and lowered positions, and the third desired state corresponds to the siderail being in the raised position.

64. The patient support apparatus system of claim 50 wherein the first component is a monitoring system adapted to issue an alert when any one of a plurality of components of the patient support apparatus change from a first state to a second state, and the first desired state corresponds to the monitoring system being activated.

65. The patient support apparatus system of claim 60 wherein the software application is further configured to cause the first controller to change the indication when the third component is changed to the third desired state.

66. The patient support apparatus system of claim 65 wherein the software application is further configured to cause the first controller to change the indication by changing a color of the indication.

67. The patient support apparatus system of claim 50 wherein the software application is further configured to cause the first controller to display a progress indicator for the first component on the first display, the progress indicator indicating progress the second controller is making when changing the first component to match the first desired state of the patient care protocol.

68. The patient support apparatus system of claim 50 wherein the software application is further configured to cause the first controller to display an identifier of the patient care protocol on the first display.

69. The patient support apparatus system of claim 50 wherein the patient support apparatus further includes a network transceiver adapted to communicate with a local area network, and the second controller is adapted to receive the patient care protocol from a server hosted on the local area network.

70. The patient support apparatus of claim 50 wherein the second controller is adapted to receive the patient care protocol from the mobile device.

71. The patient support apparatus system of claim 50 wherein the patient support apparatus further includes a location transceiver adapted to communicate with a fixed location beacon positioned at a known location within a healthcare facility, and the second controller is adapted to select the patient care protocol from amongst a plurality of potential patient care protocols based on the location of the patient support apparatus in the healthcare facility72 The patient support apparatus system of claim 50 wherein the patient support apparatus further includes a proximity sensor adapted to detect a distance between the mobile device and the patient support apparatus, and wherein the second controller is further adapted to ignore the multi-component command if the mobile device is more than a threshold distance awaySTR03 FP-708A PCT from the patient support apparatus and to carry out the multi-component command if the mobile device is less than the threshold distance away from the patient support apparatus.

73. The patient support apparatus system of claim 72 wherein the proximity sensor includes an ultra-wideband transceiver74 The patient support apparatus system of claim 50 wherein the mobile device is one of a badge or cell phone75 The patient support apparatus system of claim 50 wherein the software application is further configured to cause the first controller to display an editing control on the first display, the editing control allowing a user to make edits to the patient care protocol.

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