Modifiable location system and display system for a healthcare facility

Abstract

A location beacon for determining the location of patient support apparatuses and / or other devices in a healthcare facility includes a housing, display, memory, wireless transceiver, and controller. The housing is detachably mounted to a wall. The display visually displays a location indicator (e.g. "East Corridor") indicative of the beacon's location. The memory includes a unique ID. The wireless transceiver communicates with a patient support apparatus and / or other mobile device. The controller transmits the ID to the patient support apparatus or other mobile device when it is within a threshold distance. The display may be an electronic ink display. The location indicator may be changed via direct interaction with the location beacon, via coupling a computer or cell phone thereto, via the patient support apparatus, and / or via a server. The location beacon is movable to another location and its location indicator is easily updated to match its new location.

Description

MODIFIABLE LOCATION SYSTEM AND DISPLAY SYSTEM FOR A HEALTHCARE FACILITYBACKGROUND

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a location and / or display system for a healthcare facility that is able to automatically provide one or more types of information to people within the healthcare facility.SUMMARY

[0002] According to the various aspects described herein, the present disclosure is directed to a healthcare system that is adapted to automatically display and / or automatically provide certain information to caregivers and / or patients. The information may include location information about a location of a patient support apparatus, the location of a location beacon, patient information, caregiver information, scheduling information, and / or still other information In one aspect, the system includes one or more mobile location beacons that are placed at desired locations within the healthcare facility and that communicate location information visually to people and / or that communicate location information electronically to one or more nearby mobile devices. The mobile location beacons are attachable to a wall or other structure in the healthcare facility. The mobile location beacons include a display that is changeable by a user to visually display a name, or other indicator, of the location at which the location beacon has placed. This allows people to see the name, or other indicator, of the location at which the beacon is positioned. The location beacon automatically communicates with one or more nearby mobile devices and shares location information with the nearby mobile devices The location of the nearby mobile devices can thereby have their location within the healthcare facility determined. If the location beacon is desirably moved to a new location within the healthcare facility, the display of the location indicator can be easily updated through one or more methods to match the new location. In other aspects, a display system is provided that automatically displays information useful to a patient, or others, in response to a triggering event, such as caregiver entering a patient’s room, or otherwise approaching within a vicinity of the patient's patient support apparatus. The automatically displayed information may include the name of a caregiver that has approached, information about the patient’s schedule, information about one or more of the patient’s vital signs, and / or still other information. The information may be displayed on one or more mobile and / or stationary location beacons, and / or on other displays that are viewable to the patient and / or other people. These and other aspects of the present disclosure will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of the following written description and the accompanying drawings.

[0003] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a location beacon for a healthcare facility is provided that includes a housing, a display, a memory, a wireless transceiver, and a controller. The housing is adapted to be detachably mounted to a wall. The display is adapted to visually display a location indicator indicative of a location of the location beacon within the healthcare facility. The memory stores an ID that is unique to the location beacon. The wireless transceiver is adapted to communicate with a patient support apparatus The controller is adapted to use the wireless transceiver to transmit the ID to the patient support apparatus when the patient support apparatus is positioned within a threshold distance of the location beacon and to not transmit the ID to the patient support apparatus when the patient support apparatus is positioned outside of the threshold distance.

[0004] According to other aspects of the present disclosure, the location indicator displayed on the display is adapted to be changeable by a user.

[0005] In some aspects, the location beacon includes a second transceiver adapted to receive a new location indicator, and the controller is adapted to cause the display to stop visually displaying the location indicator on the display and to start visually displaying the new location indicator on the display.

[0006] In some aspects, the second transceiver is a wireless network transceiver adapted to communicate with a local area network of the healthcare facility.

[0007] In some aspects, the second transceiver is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) transceiver adapted to communicate with at least one of a cell phone or portable computer.

[0008] The location beacon, in some aspects, includes an antenna and the second transceiver is adapted to wirelessly communicate with a cell phone The controller is adapted to use the antenna to harvest electrical power from the cell phone

[0009] In some aspects, the display is an electronic ink display

[0010] The wireless transceiver, in some aspects, is an ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver adapted to use ultra-wideband communications to determine a distance between the patient support apparatus and the location beacon.

[0011] The controller, in some aspects, is adapted to transmit the ID to the patient support apparatus when the determined distance is less than the threshold distance and to not transmit the ID to the patient support apparatus when the determined distance it less than the threshold distance.

[0012] The controller, in some aspects, is adapted to automatically change the ID in response to the user changing the location indicator.

[0013] In some aspects, the location indicator and the ID are the same and can be changed by a user.

[0014] The controller, in some aspects, is adapted to receive a new location indicator from the patient support apparatus and to instruct the display to replace the location indicator with the new location indicator on the display

[0015] In some aspects, the location indicator includes alphanumeric characters.

[0016] In some aspects, the location indicator includes one or more words.

[0017] In some aspects, the display is adapted to be powered from a first power source and the wireless transceiver is adapted to be powered from a second power source different from the first power source.

[0018] In some aspects, the first power source is an external power source positioned outside of the housing and the second power source includes a battery positioned inside of the housing.

[0019] The external power source, in some aspects, is contained within at least one of a cell phone or a portable computer.

[0020] The wireless transceiver, in some aspects, is a Bluetooth transceiver.

[0021] The location beacon, in some aspects, includes a second wireless transceiver and the controller is adapted to receive the new location indicator from the patient support apparatus via the second wireless transceiver.

[0022] In some aspects, the wireless transceiver is an ultra-wideband transceiver and the second wireless transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver.

[0023] The location beacon, in some aspects, includes a catch adapted to support the housing on a hook attached to the wall

[0024] The location beacon, in some aspects, includes an adhesive adapted to releasably adhere the location beacon to the wall

[0025] The second controller, in some aspects, includes a second controller adapted to change the location indicator displayed on the display.

[0026] In some aspects, the location beacon includes a second housing and the display and the second controller are located inside the housing. The memory, the wireless transceiver, and the controller are located inside the second housing, and the second housing is adapted to be detached from the housing.

[0027] The second controller, in some aspects, is adapted to allow the location indicator to be changed while the second housing is detached from the housing.

[0028] In some aspects, the location beacon includes a light, and the controller is adapted to illuminate the light in response to receiving a message from the patient support apparatus indicative of a patient calling a remotely positioned nurse

[0029] In some aspects, the location beacon includes a light, and the controller is adapted to illuminate the light in response to receiving a message from the patient support apparatus indicative of an exit detection system of the patient support apparatus issuing an exit alert.

[0030] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a system is provided for providing location information to in a healthcare facility. The system includes a location beacon and a patient support apparatus. The location beacon includes a housing, a display, a first wireless transceiver, and a first controller. The housing is adapted to be mounted to a wall. The display is adapted to visually display a first location indicator indicative of a location of the location beacon within a healthcare facility. The first wireless transceiver is adapted to communicate with the patient support apparatus. The patient support apparatus includes a support surface adapted to support a patient thereon, a second wireless transceiver, a control panel, and a second controller. The second wireless transceiver is adapted to communicate with the first wireless transceiver. The control panel is adapted to receive a second location indicator. The second controller is adapted to transmit the second location indicator to the location beacon using the second wireless transceiver. The first controller is adapted to cause the display to change to visually displaying the second location indicator.

[0031] According to other aspects the location beacon includes a memory in which an ID unique to the location beacon is stored, and the first controller is adapted to transmit the ID to the patient support apparatus when the patient support apparatus is positioned within a threshold distance of the location beacon, and to not transmit the ID to the patient support apparatus when the patient support apparatus is positioned outside of the threshold distance.

[0032] In some aspects, the location beacon includes a third transceiver and the first controller is adapted to use the third transceiver to transmit the ID to the patient support apparatus when the patient support apparatus is positioned within the threshold distance of the location beacon.

[0033] The location beacon, in some aspects, includes a third transceiver and the first controller is adapted to use the third transceiver to determine a distance between the patient support apparatus and the location beacon

[0034] In some aspects, the first controller is adapted to transmit the ID to the patient support apparatus using the first wireless transceiver when the distance is less than the threshold distance.

[0035] The location beacon, in some aspects, includes a network transceiver adapted to communicate with a local area network of the healthcare facility, and the first controller is adapted to receive a third location indicator from a server on the local area network and to cause the display to change to visually displaying the third location indicator.

[0036] In some aspects, the location beacon includes a Universal Serial Bus (USB) transceiver adapted to communicate with at least one of a cell phone or a portable computer, and the first controller is adapted to receive a third location indicator from theat least one of the cell phone or portable computer and to cause the display to change to visually displaying the third location indicator.

[0037] In some aspects, the location beacon includes an antenna and the first controller is adapted to use the antenna to harvest electrical power from a cell phone.

[0038] The first controller, in some aspects, is adapted to wirelessly communicate with the cell phone and to receive a third location indicator from the cell phone.

[0039] The display, in some aspects, is an electronic ink display.

[0040] The location beacon, in some aspects, includes a first ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver adapted to communicate with a second UWB transceiver aboard the patient support apparatus and to use the first UWB transceiver to determine a distance between the patient support apparatus and the location beacon

[0041] In some aspects, the first controller is adapted to automatically change the ID in response to the display changing to visually displaying the second location indicator.

[0042] The first location indicator and the ID are the same in some aspects.

[0043] In some aspects, the first location indicator includes alphanumeric characters

[0044] In some aspects, the first location indicator includes a word.

[0045] The display, in some aspects, is adapted to be powered from a first power source and the third transceiver is adapted to be powered from a second power source different from the first power source.

[0046] In some aspects, the first power source is an external power source positioned outside of the housing and the second power source includes a battery positioned inside of the housing.

[0047] The external power source, in some aspects, is contained within at least one of a cell phone or a portable computer.

[0048] In some aspects, the first and second wireless transceivers are Bluetooth transceivers.

[0049] The location beacon, in some aspects, includes a catch adapted to support the housing on a hook attached to the wall

[0050] In some aspects, the location beacon includes a memory in which an ID unique to the location beacon is stored and a third controller. The third controller is adapted to transmit the ID to the patient support apparatus when the patient support apparatus is positioned within a threshold distance of the location beacon and to not transmit the ID to the patient support apparatus when the patient support apparatus is positioned outside of the threshold distance.

[0051] The location beacon, in some aspects, includes a second housing, and the display and the first controller are located inside the housing; the memory and the third controller are located inside the second housing; and the second housing is adapted to be detached from the housing.

[0052] In some aspects, the first controller is adapted to change the first location indicator while the second housing is detached from the housing.

[0053] In some aspects, the location beacon includes a light, and the first controller is adapted to illuminate the light in response to receiving a message from the patient support apparatus indicative of a patient calling a remotely positioned nurse

[0054] In some aspects, the location beacon includes a light, and the first controller is adapted to illuminate the light in response to receiving a message from the patient support apparatus indicative of an exit detection system of the patient support apparatus issuing an exit alert.

[0055] In some aspects, the system includes a server in communication with the patient support apparatus, and the second controller is adapted to transmit the ID to the server and the server is adapted to correlate the ID to the second location indicator.positioned within the threshold distance of the patient support apparatus; and (4) not transmit the display message to the mobile electronic device if the mobile electronic device is not positioned within the threshold distance of the patient support apparatus The display is positioned on the mobile electronic device.

[0068] The controller, in some aspects, is adapted to perform the following: (1) retrieve a schedule for the patient from the server using the network transceiver; (2) transmit the schedule to the mobile electronic device if the mobile electronic device is positioned within the threshold distance of the patient support apparatus; and (3) not transmit the schedule to the mobile electronic device if the mobile electronic device is not positioned within the threshold distance of the patient support apparatus.

[0069] In some aspects, the controller is adapted to perform the following: (1) retrieve a vital sign for the patient from the server using the network transceiver; (2) transmit the vital sign to the mobile electronic device if the mobile electronic device is positioned within the threshold distance of the patient support apparatus; and (3) not transmit the vital sign to the mobile electronic device if the mobile electronic device is not positioned within the threshold distance of the patient support apparatus

[0070] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a system is provided that includes a patient support apparatus, a proximity sensor, and a software application embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium. The proximity sensor is adapted to detect when a caregiver’s badge is positioned within a range of the patient support apparatus. The patient support apparatus includes a frame, a support surface, a network transceiver, and a controller. The support surface is supported on the frame and adapted to support a patient thereon The controller is adapted to communicate with the network transceiver and to control operation of at least one function of the patient support apparatus. The software application is adapted, when executed by the server, to instruct the server to communicate with the proximity sensor and, in response to a signal from the proximity sensor indicating the caregiver's badge is positioned within the range of the patient support apparatus, to determine at least one of the following: (a) a name of the caregiver associated with the caregiver’s badge, (b) a vital sign of the patient, or (c) a schedule for the patient. The software application is also adapted to instruct the server to transmit a display message to a display positioned within viewing distance of the patient support apparatus. The display message causes the display to display at least one of the following: the name of the caregiver associated with the caregiver badge, the vital sign of the patient, or the schedule for the patient.

[0071] According to other aspects of the present disclosure, the controller is adapted to receive a location ID from a location beacon positioned within communication range of the patient support apparatus, and to transmit the location ID to the server using the network transceiver

[0072] In some aspects, the software application is adapted to instruct the server to determine a location of the patient support apparatus within a healthcare facility by consulting a memory in which correlation data is stored, the correlation data correlating the location ID to a particular location within the healthcare facility.

[0073] In some aspects, the proximity sensor is integrated into the patient support apparatus.

[0074] The proximity sensor, in some aspects, includes an ultra-wideband transceiver adapted to determine a distance between the ultra-wideband transceiver and the caregiver’s badge.

[0075] The proximity sensor, in some aspects, includes a Bluetooth transceiver adapted to determine a distance between the Bluetooth transceiver and the caregiver’s badge.

[0076] The proximity sensor, in some aspects, includes a camera and an image processor. The camera is positioned to have a field of view that encompasses both the patient support apparatus and the range. The image processor is adapted to analyze images captured by the camera to determine when the caregiver’s badge is positioned within the range of the patient support apparatus

[0077] In some aspects, the proximity sensor is integrated into a location beacon adapted to transmit a location ID to the patient support apparatus.

[0078] In some aspects, the proximity sensor includes an ultra-wideband transceiver adapted to determine a distance between the ultra-wideband transceiver and the caregiver’s badge.

[0079] In some aspects, the proximity sensor includes a Bluetooth transceiver adapted to determine a distance between the Bluetooth transceiver and the caregiver’s badge.

[0080] The software application, in some aspects, is adapted to instruct the server to communicate with an Electronic Health Records server to determine the schedule for the patient and to transmit the schedule to the display for displaying thereon.

[0081] The display, in some aspects, is positioned on a location beacon

[0082] The software application, in some aspects, is adapted to transmit the display message to the patient support apparatus, and the controller is adapted to forward the display message to the location beacon

[0083] The software application, in some aspects, is adapted to transmit the display message to the location beacon without using the patient support apparatus as a communication intermediary.

[0084] The software application, in some aspects, is adapted to instruct the server to automatically transmit a clearance message in response to the proximity sensor detecting that the caregiver’s badge is no longer positioned within the range of the patient support apparatus, the clearance message causing the display to stop displaying the name of the caregiver.

[0085] In some aspects, the display is positioned on a mobile electronic device, the software application is adapted to instruct the server to send the display message to the patient support apparatus, and the controller is adapted to perform the following: (1) determine if a mobile electronic device is positioned within a threshold distance of the patient support apparatus; (2) transmit the display message to the mobile electronic device if the mobile electronic device is positioned within the threshold distance of the patient support apparatus; and (3) not transmit the display message to the mobile electronic device if the mobile electronic device is not positioned within the threshold distance of the patient support apparatus.

[0086] In some aspects, the display is positioned on a location beacon, the software application is adapted to instruct the server to send the display message to the patient support apparatus, and the controller is adapted to perform the following: (1) determine if a location beacon is positioned within a threshold distance of the patient support apparatus; (2) transmit the display message to the location beacon if the mobile electronic device is positioned within the threshold distance of the patient support apparatus; and (3) not transmit the display message to the location beacon if the mobile electronic device is not positioned within the threshold distance of the patient support apparatus.

[0087] In some aspects, the threshold distance is different from the range, while in other aspects the threshold distance may be the same as the range.

[0088] The software application, in some aspects, is adapted to instruct the server to display a customization option on a computer accessible to an authorized user of the system. The customization option is adapted to allow the authorized user to select any one or more of the following: (1) whether the display message includes the caregiver name; (2) whether the display message includes the vital sign of the patient; or (3) whether the display message includes the schedule for the patient.

[0089] In some aspects, the software application is adapted to instruct the server to display a customization option on a computer accessible to an authorized user of the system. The customization option is adapted to allow the authorized user to select at least one of the following: a specific vital sign of the patient, types of events that appear or don’t appear on the patient’s schedule, or extra information about the caregiver beyond the name of the caregiver.

[0090] In some aspects, the software application is adapted to instruct the server to display a customization option on a computer accessible to an authorized user of the system. The customization option is adapted to allow the authorized user to add information to the display message beyond the name of the caregiver, the vital sign of the patient, and / or the schedule for the patient.

[0091] Before the various aspects of the disclosure are explained in detail, 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 or illustrated in the drawings. The aspects 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 embodiments 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

[0092] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a patient support apparatus according to a first aspect of the present disclosure;

[0093] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a control panel of the patient support apparatus showing a location beacon naming screen;

[0094] FIG. 3 is a system diagram showing a location beacon and patient support apparatus in a hallway, as well as an example of network infrastructure of a healthcare facility that may be in communication with the location beacon and / or patient support apparatus;

[0095] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a location system according to a first aspect of the present disclosure, including a location beacon, a plurality of mobile devices, a patient support apparatus, a location server, and several components that may interact with the location system;

[0096] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the patient support apparatus, a mobile device, a server, and a first version of the location beacon;

[0097] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the patient support apparatus, a mobile device, a server, and a second version of the location beacon;

[0098] FIG. 7 is a side, elevation view of the location beacon shown hooked on a wall of the healthcare facility;

[0099] FIG. 8 is a system diagram showing a display system according to another aspect of the present disclosure;

[0100] FIG. 9 is a first algorithm that may be executed by the display system of FIG. 8;

[0101] FIG. 10 is a second algorithm that may be executed by the display system of FIG. 8;

[0102] FIG. 11 is an example of a first message that may be automatically displayed in accordance with the first algorithm; and

[0103] FIG. 12 is an example of a second message that may be automatically displayed in accordance with the second algorithm.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0104] An illustrative patient support apparatus 20 that may interact with a modifiable location beacon system and / or a display system of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 1. Although the particular form of patient support apparatus 20 illustratedin 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, or any other mobile structure capable of supporting a patient in a healthcare environment

[0105] 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 headboard 32, a footboard 34 and a plurality of siderails 36. Siderails 36 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 siderails 36.

[0106] Lifts 26 are adapted to raise and lower litter frame 28 with respect to base 22 Lifts 26 may be hydraulic 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 can also be adjusted, to place the litter frame 28 in a flat or horizontal orientation, a Trendelenburg orientation, or a reverse Trendelenburg orientation. That is, litter frame 28 includes a head end 38 and a foot end 40, 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 38 and his or her feet will be positioned adjacent foot end 40.

[0107] Litter frame 28 provides a structure for supporting support deck 30, the headboard 32, footboard 34, and siderails 36. Support deck 30 provides a support surface for a mattress 42, or other soft cushion, so that a person may lie and / or sit thereon. In some versions, the mattress 42 includes one or more inflatable bladders that are controllable via a blower, or other source of pressurized air In at least one version, the inflation of the bladders of the mattress 42 is controllable via electronics built into patient support apparatus 20. In one such versions, mattress 42 may take on any of the functions and / or structures of any of the mattresses disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent 9,468,307 issued October 18, 2016, to inventors Patrick Lafleche et al., the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Still other types of mattresses may be used.

[0108] 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 at least a head section 44, a thigh section 46, and a foot section 48, all of which are positioned underneath mattress 42 and which generally form flat surfaces for supporting mattress 42. Head section 44, 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 46 and foot section 48 may also be pivotable about generally horizontal pivot axes.

[0109] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that patient support apparatus 20 can be designed with other types of mechanical constructions that are different from what is shown in the attached drawings, such as, but not limited to, the construction described in commonly assigned, U S. Patent No. 10,130,536 to Roussy et al., entitled PATIENT SUPPORT USABLE WITH BARIATRIC PATIENTS, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In another version, the mechanical construction of patient support apparatus 20 may include the same, or nearly the same, structures as the Model 3002 S3 bed manufactured and sold by Stryker Corporation of Kalamazoo, Michigan. This 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. In still another version, the mechanical construction of patient support apparatus 20 may include the same, or nearly the same, structure as the Model 3009 Procuity MedSurg bed manufactured and sold by Stryker Corporation of Kalamazoo, Michigan. This construction is described in greater detail in the StrykerMaintenance Manual for the 3009 Procuity MedSurg bed (publication 3009-009-002, Rev. A.0), published in 2020 by Stryker Corporation of Kalamazoo, Michigan

[0110] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that patient support apparatus 20 can be designed with still other types of mechanical constructions, such as, but not limited to, those described in commonly assigned, U S. Pat. No. 7,690,59 issued April 6, 2010, to Lemire et al., and entitled HOSPITAL BED; and / or 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, the complete disclosures of both of which are also hereby incorporated herein by reference. The overall mechanical construction of patient support apparatus 20 may also take on still other forms different from what is disclosed in the aforementioned references provided the patient support apparatus includes one or more of the functions, features, and / or structures discussed in greater detail below

[0111] Patient support apparatus 20 further includes a plurality of control panels 54 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 54a, a pair of outer siderail control panels 54b (only one of which is visible), and a pair of inner siderail control panels 54c (only one of which is visible). Footboard control panel 54a and outer siderail control panels 54b are intended to be used by caregivers, or other authorized personnel, while inner siderail control panels 54c are intended to be used by the patient associated with patient support apparatus 20. Each of the control panels 54 includes a plurality of controls 50 (see, e g., FIG. 2), although each control panel 54 does not necessarily include the same controls and / or functionality.

[0112] Among other functions, controls 50 of control panel 54a allow a user to control one or more of the following: change a height of support deck 30; raise or lower head section 44; activate and deactivate a brake for wheels 24; arm and disarm an exit detection system 130 and / or an onboard monitoring system 132 (FIGS. 4-5); change various settings on patient support apparatus 20; change what location information is displayed by, and / or transmitted by, a nearby location beacon 60 (FIGS. 3-5); and perform other actions. One or both of the inner siderail control panels 54c also include at least one nurse call control 50g that enables a patient to call a remotely located nurse (or other caregiver). Still other controls may be included.

[0113] Control panel 54a includes a display 52 (FIG. 2) configured to display a plurality of different screens thereon. Surrounding display 52 is a plurality of navigation controls 50a-f that, when activated, cause the display 52 to display different screens on display 52. More specifically, when a user presses navigation control 50a, control panel 54a displays an exit detection control screen on display 52 that includes one or more icons that, when touched, control an onboard exit detection system 130 (FIGS. 4-5). The exit detection system 130 is as adapted to issue an alert when a patient exits from patient support apparatus 20. Exit detection 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 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.

[0114] When a user presses navigation control 50b (FIG. 2), control panel 54 displays a monitoring control screen that includes a plurality of control icons that, when touched, control the onboard multi-component monitoring system 132 (FIGS. 4-5) built into patient support apparatus 20. The onboard monitoring system 132 alerts the caregiver through a unified indicator, such as a light or a plurality of lights controlled in a unified manner, when any one of a plurality of settings and / or components on patientsupport apparatus 20 are in an undesired state, and uses that same unified indicator to indicate when all of the plurality of settings and / or components are in their respective desired states. Stated alternatively, monitoring system 132, 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 130, 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 etal. 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

[0115] When a user presses navigation control 50c, control panel 54a displays a scale control screen that includes a plurality of control icons that, when touched, control a scale system (not shown) of patient support apparatus 20 Such a scale system 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 130, 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.

[0116] When a user presses navigation control 50d, control panel 54 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 44. In some versions, the motion control screen displayed on display 52 in response to pressing control 50d 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.

[0117] When a user presses navigation control 50e, control panel 54a 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. Such motion lockout functions typically include the ability for a caregiver to use control panel 54a to lock out one or more of the motion controls 50 of the patient control panels 54c such that the patient is not able to use those controls 50 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.

[0118] When a user presses on navigation control 50f, control panel 54a 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 a location beacon control screen 102 that allows a user to change what location information is displayed on a nearby location beacon 60, displaying diagnostic and / or service information for patient support apparatus 20, displaying mattress control and / or status information, and configuration settings, location information, and other settings and / or information.

[0119] For all of the navigation controls 50a-f (FIG. 2), 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 50a-f It will also be understood that, although navigation controls 50a-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 50a-f could alternatively be touchscreen controls that are displayed at one or more locations on display 52. Still further, although controls 50a-f have been shown herein as buttons, it will be understood that any of controls 50a-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 50a-f shown in FIG. 2.

[0120] FIG. 3 illustrates one example of a modifiable location system 150 integrated into a healthcare facility according to one aspect of the present disclosure As will be discussed more below, the modifiable location system 150 includes one or more movable location beacons 60 that, in at least some versions, are able to communicate with a patient support apparatus server 84 and / or one or more patient support apparatuses 20 As shown in FIG. 3, patient support apparatus 20 is positioned within a hallway 58 of a healthcare facility. Patient support apparatus 20 is configured to communicate with location beacon 60 and, in some versions, a conventional local area network 80 of the healthcare facility. Location beacons 60 are movable devices that can be positioned at different locations throughout the healthcare facility depending upon the needs and / or situation within the healthcare facility. As will be discussed in greater detail below, each location beacon 60 may provide both a visual indication of its location within the healthcare facility, as well as an electronic indication of its location within the healthcare facility, and either or both of these locations may be easily changed by authorized individuals in response to the location beacon 60 being relocated.

[0121] Not only are location beacons 60 adapted to provide a visual indication of the location at which they are positioned (e.g “Hallway 1 A” in FIG. 3), but each location beacon 60 is adapted to wirelessly communicate with one or more nearby mobile devices, such as patient support apparatus 20, and provide them with a unique ID of the location beacon 60. As will be discussed in greater detail below, once the patient support apparatus 20 has the unique ID from the location beacon 60, either the patient support apparatus 20 can determine its location from the unique ID and / or forward the unique ID to patient support apparatus server 84 (or remote server 86), and patient support apparatus server 84 (or remote server 86), can use that unique ID to determine the location of the patient support apparatus 20. Information from the patient support apparatus 20 can then be associated with a particular location within the healthcare facility, and when such information is shared with one or more recipients, the location of the patient support apparatus 20 can be included in the information so that the recipient knows where patient support apparatus 20 is currently located.

[0122] Movable location beacons 60 are adapted to be releasably secured to a wall 62, in at least one version (FIG. 3). The releasable securement of movable location beacon 60 to a wall 62 may be accomplished in different manners, includingadhesives, hooks, Velcro-type attachments, and / or other attachments. This releasable attachment allows the healthcare facility to move a location beacon 60 to a particular location within the healthcare facility and attach it to a wall 62. Further, if the location beacon 60 is to be subsequently moved, this can be easily accomplished. Movable location beacon 60 is especially useful in situations where a healthcare facility may be temporarily overcrowded and one or more patient support apparatuses 20 need to be positioned in a hallway, or other non-typical location, where a fixed location beacon is not present.

[0123] As is also shown in FIG. 3, patient support apparatus 20 is further configured to communicate with a local area network 80 of the healthcare facility. In at least one version, patient support apparatus 20 includes a wireless network transceiver 96 (FIGS. 4-5) that communicates wirelessly with local area network 80. Network transceiver 96 is, in at least some versions, a WiFi transceiver (e g , IEEE 80211) that wirelessly communicates with one or more conventional wireless access points 82 of local area network 80 In other versions, network transceiver 96 may be a wireless transceiver that uses conventional 5G technology to communicate with network 80, one or more servers hosted thereon, and / or other devices In some versions, network transceiver 96 may include any of the structures and / or functionality of the communication modules 56 disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent 10,500,401 issued to Michael Hayes and entitled NETWORK COMMUNICATION FOR PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Still other types of wireless network transceivers may be utilized.

[0124] In some versions, network transceiver 96 is a wired transceiver that is adapted to allow patient support apparatus 20 to communicate with network 80 via a wired connection, such as an Ethernet cable that plugs into an Ethernet port (e.g., an RJ-45 style port, an 8P8C port, etc.) built into patient support apparatus 20 In still other versions, patient support apparatus 20 includes both a wired transceiver 96 for communicating with network 80 via a wired connection and a wireless transceiver 96 for wirelessly communicating with network 80.

[0125] Patient support apparatus 20 is configured to communicate with one or more servers on local area network 80 of the healthcare facility (FIG. 3). One such server is a patient support apparatus server 84. Patient support apparatus server 84 is adapted, in at least one version, to execute a software application that carries out the functions of patient support apparatus server 84 described herein. These functions include, but are not limited to, receiving data from the patient support apparatuses 20 positioned within the healthcare facility and distributing this data to caregivers, other servers, and / or other software applications. As noted, patient support apparatus server 84 may also be configured to determine the location of patient support apparatuses 20 that are positioned adjacent to a movable location beacon 60.

[0126] In some versions, patient support apparatus server 84 may be replaced and / or supplemented by a remote server 86 that is positioned geographically remotely from the healthcare facility. Communication between patient support apparatus server 84 and remote server 86 may take place via a conventional network appliance 88, such as, but not limited to, a router and / or a gateway, which is coupled to the Internet 90. The remote server 86, in turn, is also coupled to the Internet 90, and patient support apparatus server 84 is provided with the URL and / or other information necessary to communicate with remote server 86 via the Internet connection between network 80 and server 86.

[0127] As noted, in some versions of modifiable location system 150, any or all of the functions of patient support apparatus server 84 described herein may be moved to one or more cloud-based servers, such as remote server 86 That is, in some versions, the data from patient support apparatuses 20 may be sent to remote server 86 without relying upon any locally hosted servers on network 80, such as patient support apparatus server 84 (which may be omitted). In such versions of system 150, patient support apparatuses 20 may include one or more appropriate device managers that enable them to communicate with one or more cloud-based servers. Such cloud-based server(s) may be hosted on Amazon Web Services, Google’s Cloud Services, othercommercially available cloud services, and / or on private cloud service. In such cases, patient support apparatuses 20 are provided with the URL and / or other information necessary to communicate with remote server 86 via the Internet connection between network 80 and remote server 86. Still other types of direct-to-cloud connections may be utilized with one or more patient support apparatuses 20.

[0128] Patient support apparatus server 84 (FIG. 3) is configured to determine the location of one or more patient support apparatuses 20 and / or other mobile devices. In some versions, patient support apparatus server 84 determines the room number, bay area, hallway, section of a hallway, maintenance area, and / or any other particular location of a patient support apparatus 20. As will be discussed in greater detail below, patient support apparatus server 84 may be configured to determine the position of any patient support apparatus 20 and / or mobile device that is positioned within communication range of one or more movable location beacons 60, as will be discussed in greater detail below

[0129] It will be understood that the architecture and content of local area network 80 beyond patient support apparatus server 84 and / or remote server 86 will vary from healthcare facility to healthcare facility, and that the example shown in FIG. 3 is a simplified version of the type of network a healthcare facility may be employ. Typically, one or more additional servers 92 will be hosted on network 80 and one or more of them may be adapted to communicate with patient support apparatus server 84 and / or remote server 86 Local area network 80 will also typically be in communication with one or more mobile device 98 (e.g. via WiFi) via access points 82. Patient support apparatus server 84 and / or remote server 86 may be configured to send location information and / or device information to one or more of these mobile devices 98 informing appropriate personnel of the status and / or location of patient support apparatuses 20 and / or other mobile devices. Such mobile devices 98 include, but are not limited to, smart phones, tablet computers, portable laptops, desktop computers, and other types of electronic devices that include a WiFi capability and that are provided with the proper credentials (e.g., SSID, password, etc.) to access network 80 and patient support apparatus server 84 Such mobile devices 98 may also or alternatively be used to change the location information associated with a movable location beacon 60, as will be discussed in greater detail below.

[0130] The additional servers 92 may include a conventional badge server 210 (see FIG. 8), a conventional EHR server 212 (see FIG. 8), a conventional Admission, Discharge, and Transfer (ADT) server, and / or a conventional caregiver assignment server. Alternatively, patient support apparatus server 84 and / or badge server 94 may be combined, either partially or wholly, with any one or more of these other servers Further information about these servers may be found in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 63 / 717,921 filed November 8, 2024, by inventors Lavanya Vytla et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH EVENT LOGGING, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0131] Turning to FIG. 4, one version of modifiable location system 150 is shown in block diagram format, illustrating several of the internal components of the devices that may be included within system 150, in at least one version. As shown in FIG.4, modifiable location system 150 includes a movable location beacon 60, a patient support apparatus 20, patient support apparatus server 84 (or remote server 86), and, in at least some versions, a mobile device 98. Although FIG. 4 depicts the internal components of only a single movable location beacon 60, a single patient support apparatus 20, and a single mobile device 98, it will be understood that more than one of any of these devices may be included in different versions of modifiable location system 150.

[0132] In the example shown in FIG 4, location beacon 60 includes a controller 100, a first transceiver 104, a network transceiver 106, a Bluetooth transceiver 108, a memory 110, a display 112, power harvesting circuitry 114, an antenna 116, a light 118, one or more controls 120, a unique ID 122, and a power source 124. Controller 100 is adapted to communicate with, and control, the other components of movable location beacon 60 in the manners described herein.

[0133] First transceiver 104 (FIG. 4) is adapted to communicate with patient support apparatus 20 and / or a mobile electronic device 98. In some versions, first transceiver 104 may be configured to receive a location indicator 126 from a communicatively coupled device, such as patient support apparatus 20 and / or mobile device 98. In some versions of movable location beacon, first transceiver 104 may be a Bluetooth transceiver (in which case Bluetooth transceiver 108 is omitted), a near field transceiver, an infrared transceiver, a ZigBee transceiver, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) transceiver, or still another type of transceiver.

[0134] Network transceiver 106 (FIG. 4) may be the same type of transceiver as network transceiver 96 of patient support apparatus 20. That is, network transceiver 106 may be a WiFi transceiver (e g., IEEE 802.11) that wirelessly communicates with one or more conventional wireless access points 82 of local area network 80 In other versions, network transceiver 106 may be a wireless transceiver that uses conventional 5G technology to communicate with network 80, one or more servers hosted thereon, and / or other devices In some versions, network transceiver 106 may include any of the structures and / or functionality of the communication modules 56 disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent 10,500,401 issued to Michael Hayes and entitled NETWORK COMMUNICATION FOR PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Still other types of wireless or wired network transceivers may be utilized.

[0135] Bluetooth transceiver 108 (FIG. 4) is adapted to communicate with a Bluetooth transceiver onboard one or more mobile devices 98 and / or onboard one or more patient support apparatuses 20 using RF waves in accordance with conventional Bluetooth standards (e.g., IEEE 802.14.1 and / or any of the standards maintained by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) of Kirkland, Washington, USA). In some versions, Bluetooth transceiver 108 utilizes Bluetooth Low Energy communications. As will be discussed in greater detail below, Bluetooth transceiver 108 may be configured to communicate unique ID 122 to one or more devices (patient support apparatuses 20 and / or mobile devices 98). Bluetooth transceiver 108 may also, or alternatively, be configured to send and / or receive a location indicator 126 to / from one or more devices. As will be discussed in greater detail below, controller 100 is configured to display the location indicator 126 on display 112.

[0136] Memory 110 may be any conventional memory such as, but not limited to, a flash memory, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, etc. Memory 110 may store the software and / or firmware that is executed by controller 100 in order to carry out the functions described herein. As was noted, memory 110 also stores a location indicator 126. Location indicator 126 is displayed by controller 100 on display 112. Location indicator 126 is generally any combination of letters, numbers, and / or words that designates a particular location within the healthcare facility. Any authorized user can select the location indicator 126 and have it transferred to movable location beacon 60, in which case controller 100 stores it in memory 110. Typically, although not necessarily, location indicator 126 is an alphanumeric identifier that is readable and understandable by humans to refer to a specific location within the healthcare facility. Thus, for example, location indicator 126 may be a string of alphanumeric characters such as, but not limited, to “Hallway,” “Corridor," “Emergency Area," “Foyer,” etc. Additional designators may be added to these words to indicate more specific locations within a general area, such as numbers, geographic directional indicators (e.g “east,” “west’, “north," or “south”), and / or any other adjectives or other descriptors that will be understood by healthcare workers as referring to a known area within the healthcare facility.

[0137] Display 112 (FIG. 4) may be any conventional display, such as Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), or another kind of display. In some versions, in order to conserver power, display 112 may be an electronic ink (e-ink) display. In other words, display 112 may be configured to display location indicator 126 as electronic paper (e-paper). Such electronic paper displays reflect ambientlight, thereby mimicking the appearance of ordinary ink on ordinary paper. Such electronic paper displays may utilize any of a variety of different technologies, including, but not limited to, electrophoretics, electrowetting, interferometry, and / or plasmonics.

[0138] Power harvesting circuitry 114 is circuitry that is adapted to utilize antenna 116 to wirelessly receive power from a nearby mobile phone, or other mobile device 98. Power harvesting circuitry 114, in some versions of movable location beacon 60, is adapted to harvest enough power from the nearby mobile phone, or other mobile device 98, such that controller 100 is able to receive a new location indicator 126 and cause display 112 to switch to displaying the new location indicator 126. In this manner, movable location beacon 60 can have the visible display of location indicator 126 on display 112 changed to another location indicator 126 without requiring an internal source of power to carry out that change. In some versions, power harvesting circuitry 114 and antenna 116 may utilize near field communication (NFC) to draw power from the nearby mobile phone or other mobile device 98 In some such versions, power harvesting circuitry 114 may utilize an Infineon NAC1080 chip to carry out this power harvesting Security features may be programmed into the chip to ensure that only authorized mobile phones and / or other authorized mobile devices 98 are able to supply power to movable location beacon 60 and change the location indicator 126 displayed on display 112.

[0139] Light 118 (FIGS. 4-5) maybe any suitable light (incandescent, LED, fluorescent, etc.), or set of lights, that is adapted to be illuminated by controller 100 in response to one or more triggers. Such triggers typically involve the receipt of one or more messages from patient support apparatus 20. Such messages may be received via any of the transceivers 104, 106, and / or 108 of movable location beacon 60. One example of such a message includes a message from patient support apparatus 20 indicating that exit detection system 130 has detected a patient exit. Another example of such a message is a message from patient support apparatus 20 indicating that a patient thereon has activated a nurse call control on patient support apparatus 20. Such a nurse call control is adapted to be activated when the patient wishes to speak with a remotely positioned nurse (i.e. one not positioned in the same room as, or within conversational range of, the patient). Light 118 is adapted to be seen from a distance, such as from one end of a hallway to an opposite side of the hallway. The illumination of light 118 allows a caregiver to visually see where a patient is located who has pressed the nurse call control, or where a patient is who has exited from patient support apparatus 20. This helps the caregiver respond more efficiently.

[0140] Controls 120 (FIGS. 4-5) of movable beacon may include any one or more structures used to control one or more aspects of movable location beacon 60. Such structures include, but are not limited to, buttons, switches, dials, pressure sensors, capacitive sensors, touchscreen icons, keypads, etc. Controls 120 allows a user to control one or more features of movable location beacon 60. Such controllable features may include, for example, the content of location indicator 126, the content of unique ID 122, the manner in which movable location beacon 60 responds to messages from patient support apparatus 20, and / or other aspects.

[0141] Unique ID 122 is an identifier that uniquely identifies a particular movable location beacon 60, thereby allowing it to be distinguished from other movable location beacons 60 that may be positioned within the same healthcare facility. In some versions of movable location beacon 60, unique ID 122 is stored in memory 110, while in other versions, it may be stored separately. In some versions, unique ID 122 may be static ID that is not changeable by a user. In other versions, unique ID 122 may be changeable by a user. In both versions, controller 100 is configured to transmit the unique ID 122 to a patient support apparatus 20 when the patient support apparatus 20 is positioned within relatively close proximity to the movable location beacon 60. Patient support apparatus 20 then either determines its location from the unique ID 122 (using a table that indicates the location of that particular movable location beacon 60), or sends the unique ID 122 to patient support apparatus server 84 (or server 86), which determines the location of the patient support apparatus 20 from the unique ID 122 ((using a table that indicates the location of that particular movable location beacon 60) The table is generated by appropriate healthcare workers at the time of, or shortlythereafter, the installation of movable location beacon 60 at a particular location within the healthcare facility. That is, the appropriate healthcare worker enters the particular location of an installed movable location beacon 60 into one or more of patient support apparatus server 84, patient support apparatus 20, or the movable location beacon 60 itself.

[0142] Power source 124 (FIG. 4) provides power to the electrical components of movable location beacon 60. Power source 124 may include one or more batteries. In some versions, power source 124 may include a transformer and power cable allowing movable location beacon 60 to be plugged into a conventional electrical outlet. However, because movable location beacon 60 is intended to be moved to any desired location within the healthcare facility, healthcare facility personnel may end up placing it in an area that is not within a cord’s length of a conventional AC outlet. Accordingly, most versions of movable location beacon 60 will include a battery so that the movable location beacon 60 in not limited to where it can be placed within the healthcare facility In some versions, power source 124 may include both a battery and appropriate circuitry (and a power cord) that enables it to be plugged into a conventional electrical outlet

[0143] Proximity transceiver 128 (FIG. 4) is adapted to communicate with patient support apparatus 20 when patient support apparatus 20 is positioned within a relatively close distance to movable location beacon 60 (e.g. zero to five meters or so, although other distances may be used) Communication between proximity transceiver 128 and patient support apparatus 20 is used to conclude that patient support apparatus 20 is positioned relatively close to movable location beacon 60, and that the location of movable location beacon 60 can therefore serve as a proxy for the location of patient support apparatus 20. In other words, proximity transceiver 128 is used to determine if patient support apparatus 20 is positioned sufficiently close to the movable location beacon 60 such that the patient support apparatus 20 can be considered to be at the same location as the location beacon 60. In some versions of movable location beacon 60, proximity transceiver 128 may be an ultra-wideband transceiver. In other versions, proximity transceiver 128 may be an infrared transceiver or a Bluetooth transceiver (in the latter case, Bluetooth transceiver 108 may be omitted to avoid redundant Bluetooth transceivers). In some versions, one or more of the functions of proximity transceiver 128 may be combined with Bluetooth transceiver 108 and / or first transceiver 104, or vice versa.

[0144] It will be understood that one or more of the components of movable location beacon 60 shown in FIGS. 4-5 may be omitted, supplemented, and / or changed from what is shown therein. For example, movable location beacon 60, in some versions, may omit power harvesting circuitry 114 and antenna 116; one or more of the transceivers 104, 106, and / or 108; light 118; one, multiple, or all of controls 120; network transceiver 106, and / or other components. One or more additional components may also, or alternatively, be added to movable location beacon 60. In some versions, movable location beacon 60 may include circuitry enabling it to communicatively couple to a conventional nurse call outlet, which is often a 37-pin outlet that enables communications between patient support apparatus 20 and a conventional nurse call system (as well as a reading light, room light, and / or nearby television) to take place. In some versions, movable location beacon 60 may also include any of the features and / or functionality of any 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, movable location beacons 60 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, movable location beacons 60 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 20bdisclosed 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.

[0145] Patient support apparatus 20, as illustrated in FIGS. 4-5, includes a controller 134, a memory 136, a nurse call control 50g, a Bluetooth transceiver 138, and a proximity transceiver 142, as well as network transceiver 96, control panel(s) 54, display 52, exit detection system 130, monitoring system 132, as well as a plurality of additional components that are not shown in FIGS. 4-5. Memory 136 includes an ID 140 that uniquely identifies patient support apparatus 20 and distinguishes patient support apparatus 20 from other patient support apparatuses 20. Nurse call control 50g is adapted to be activated by a patient when the patient wishes to speak to, and / or summon, a remotely positioned nurse In some versions of patient support apparatus 20, nurse call control 50g may be integrated into one or more of the control panels 54 (e g patient control panel 54c)

[0146] Bluetooth transceiver 138 is adapted to communicate with Bluetooth transceiver 108 of movable location beacon 60, if included on movable location beacon 60. As will be discussed, Bluetooth transceiver 138 may be utilized to communicate a new location indicator 126 to movable location beacon 60, in response to which controller 100 of movable location beacon 60 is configured to display the new location indicator 126 on display 112. Alternatively, of additionally, patient support apparatus 20 may be configured to transmit a new location indicator 126 to patient support apparatus 20 using one of its other transceivers (e.g. proximity transceiver 142, network transceiver 96, and / or another transceiver.

[0147] Proximity transceiver 142 is configured to communicate with the proximity transceiver 128 of a nearby location beacon 60. In some versions, proximity transceivers 128 and 142 are UWB transceivers that are adapted to determine their distance from each other and, if the distance is less than a threshold, controller 134 is configured to consider itself associated with that particular movable location beacon 60. Once associated, controller 134 reports its location to patient support apparatus server 84 (via network transceiver 96) as corresponding to the location of that particular movable location beacon 60. In some versions, the threshold distance is on the order of zero to several meters, although other distances may be used as the threshold. In other versions, proximity transceivers 128 and 142 may be infrared transceivers adapted to perform line-of-sight communications, which is a proxy for proximity. Further details regarding the use of short range infrared communications for location determination are described in commonly assigned U.S. patent 9,999,375 issued June 19, 2018, to inventors Michael Hayes et al. and entitled LOCATION DETECTION SYSTEMSAND METHODS, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0148] In still other versions, proximity transceivers 128 and 142 may be Bluetooth or other transceivers that are used to determine the relative position of patient support apparatus 20 to movable location beacon 60. When proximity transceiver 142 is a Bluetooth transceiver, or another transceiver that is already shown in FIGS. 4-5, the Bluetooth transceiver (e.g. 108, 138) may be omitted and its function performed by the proximity transceivers 128, 142, or the proximity transceivers 128, 142 may be omitted and their functions performed by the other transceiver. In other words, different versions of movable location beacon 60 and / or patient support apparatus 20, one or more of the transceivers illustrated in FIGS. 4-5 may be eliminated and their functions performed by one or more of the other remaining transceivers.

[0149] Controller 134 is adapted to transmit the unique ID 140 of patient support apparatus 20 to patient support apparatus server 84 in its communications so that patient support apparatus server 84 is able to know which specific patient support apparatus 20 it is in communication with. When patient support apparatus server 84 receives a location beacon ID 122 of a movable location beacon 60 from patient support apparatus 20, patient support apparatus server 84 is able to determine which specific patient support apparatus 20 is positioned in proximity to the specific movable location beacon 60 having that specific ID 122. Patientsupport apparatus server 84 is then able to forward messages to one or more mobile devices 98 and / or stationary computers indicating the status of a patient support apparatus 20, as well as its location within the healthcare facility. In this manner, if a patient has requested help (e.g. nurse call control 50g), an exit alert has gone off, or some other relevant data regarding patient support apparatus 20 has been generated, patient support apparatus server 84 is able to inform appropriate personnel and identify where that particular patient support apparatus 20 is located within the healthcare facility.

[0150] When proximity transceivers 128 and / or 142 are UWB transceivers, and patient support apparatus 20 includes more than one UWB transceiver, each UWB transceiver onboard patient support apparatus 20 is positioned at a known location on patient support apparatus 20. This known location information is stored in memory 136 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 the UWB transceivers 142 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 142, but also the spatial relationships between UWB transceivers 142 and one or more of the following: the head end 38 of patient support apparatus 20, the foot end 40 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 In some versions, this location information is used to determine the orientation of patient support apparatus 20 with respect to one or more walls 62, movable location beacons 60, another patient support apparatus 20, and / or another object or structure within the healthcare facility.

[0151] Although not shown in FIGS 4-5, patient support apparatus 20 may also include a microphone (not shown) that is used to detect the voice of the patient when the patient wants to speak to a remotely positioned nurse. The patient’s voice is converted to audio signals by the microphone and controller 134 is adapted to forward these audio signals to a conventional nurse call system, if patient support apparatus 20 is communicatively coupled to such a nurse call system. In some situations, movable location beacon 60 may be placed in a location of healthcare facility where there is no communication outlet that is able for communicatively coupling patient support apparatus 20 to the healthcare facility’s nurse call system This is because movable location beacons 60 are adapted to be positioned at any desirable location and to be moved throughout the healthcare facility, rather that remaining fixed and stationary at locations that are near nurse call communication outlets. In such situations, if the patient activates nurse call control 50g and patient support apparatus 20 is not communicatively coupled to the nurse call system (via a communication outlet), controller 134 is adapted to transmit a wireless signal to the associated location beacon 60 instructing it to illuminate light 118, thereby providing a visual indication to any caregiver within visual range that the patient has requested to speak with the nurse. Additionally, in some versions, controller 134 may be configured to transmit a message to patient support apparatus server 84 via network transceiver 96 indicating that the patient has activated the nurse call control 50g. Patient support apparatus server 84 may display this information on one or more dashboards, transmit to one or more mobile devices 98 and / or stationary computers, and / or forward it to the conventional nurse call system via local area network 80.

[0152] It will be understood that one or more of the components of the patient support apparatus 20 shown in FIGS. 4-5 may be omitted, supplemented, and / or changed from what is shown therein. For example, patient support apparatus 20, in some versions, may omit any one or more of its transceivers 138, 142, and / or 96; exit detection system 130, monitoring system 132, nurse call control 50g, display 52, and / or other components. One or more additional components may also, or alternatively, be added to patient support apparatus 20.

[0153] Mobile electronic device 98 (FIGS. 4-5) may be a conventional smart phone, badge, tablet computer, laptop computer, and / or other mobile computer. As shown in FIGS. 4-5, mobile device 98 includes a controller 156, one or more controls 158, a display 160, an antenna 162, and a software application 164, among other components not shown. Controls 158 may include a conventional keypad, one or more buttons, switches, dials, pressure switches, touchscreen controls, and / or other types of controls. Display 160 may be a conventional Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a touch screen, and / or another type of electronic display. Antenna 162 may be a conventional antenna adapted to interact with antenna 116 of movable location beacon 60. As was mentioned previously, antenna 162 may communicate with antenna 116 using near field communication, and antenna 162 may be conventionally built into many conventional smart phones and other mobile electronic devices.

[0154] Software app 164 (FIGS 4-5) is a non-conventional software app that is adapted to instruct controller 156 to carry out the functions described herein More specifically, software app 164 may be configured to allow a user of mobile device 98 to perform one or more of the following functions: (1) supply a new location indicator 126 to memory 110 of a communicatively-coupled movable location beacon 60; (2) supply a new unique ID 122 to a communicatively-coupled movable location beacon 60; and / or (3) supply power to a communicatively-coupled movable location beacon 60. The communicative coupling may utilize one or more components of mobile device 98 that are not shown in FIGS. 4-5, such as a Bluetooth transceiver, a Universal Serial Port (USB) transceiver (and cable port with cable), an ultra-wideband transceiver, a near field communication transceiver, and / or another type of transceiver that enables communication between mobile electronic device 98 and the movable location beacon 60.

[0155] The purpose of coupling mobile device 98 to movable location beacon 60 is to allow the user of mobile device 98 to control one or more of the above-mentioned aspects of the movable location beacon 60. Controlling these aspects allows a user to easily move location beacon 60 to a new location and then update the location indicator 126 and / or unique ID 122 to correspond to the new location via their mobile device 98. Further, if the mobile device 98 and movable location beacon 60 both have antennas (e.g. 116 and 162), then the movable location beacon 60 can be designed to either omit power source 124, or reduce the power draw that is required for updating location indicator 126 and / or unique ID 122, as well as the power draw that is required for display 12 to switch to displaying the new location indicator 126. This enables location beacon 60 to be more compact and / or use consume less power, thereby either reducing its size and / or increasing the longevity of its use without requiring recharged and / or replaced batteries.

[0156] After a location beacon 60 is moved to a desired location within a healthcare facility, it is configured, in at least some versions, to be able to have its location indicator 126 and / or unique ID 122 easily changed to match that new location in any one or more of the four following manners: (1) utilizing a communicatively-coupled mobile device 98; (2) utilizing a communicatively coupled patient support apparatus 20; (3) utilizing one or more of the controls 120 on the movable location beacon 60; and / or (4) utilizing a computer in communication with local area network 80 (which then sends the new location indicator and / or unique ID 122 to the movable location beacon 60 via network transceiver 106). Using anyone of these four devices and / or methods enables a user to easily update the location indicator 126 and / or unique ID 122 of the movable location beacon 60. Still further, when the location indicator 126 is updated, controller 100 of the movable location beacon 60 automatically changes what location information is displayed on display 112. Accordingly, anyone of these four devices and / or methods can be used to change the location information (i.e. location indicator 126) that is displayed on the movable location beacon 60.

[0157] It will be understood that one or more of the components of the mobile device 98 shown in FIGS. 4-5 may be omitted, supplemented, and / or changed from what is shown therein. For example, mobile device 98, in some versions, may omit antenna 162 and / or one or more controls 158. As another example, particularly when mobile device 98 is a conventional smartphone, tablet computer, or other computer, mobile device 98 may additionally include one or more wired or wireless transceivers, including a network transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, a near field communication transceiver, a universal serial bus transceiver, an ultra-wideband transceiver, and / or still other types of transceivers. One or more additional components may also, or alternatively, be added to one or more of the mobile devices 98.

[0158] Controller 156 of mobile device 98, as well as controller 100 of movable location beacon 60 and controller 134 of patient support apparatus 20, may take on a variety of different forms. For example, each of these controllers 100, 134, and / or 156 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 unitor distributed across multiple units. The instructions followed by controllers 100, 134, and / or 156 (e.g. software app 164) 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 110 for controller 100). In some versions, controllers 100, 134, and / or 156 may include and / or work with one or more microcontrollers that are integrated into, or associated with, the Bluetooth and / or UWB transceiver(s) aboard that particular device.

[0159] Controller 100 of movable location beacon 60 is configured to automatically share its unique ID 122 with any patient support apparatus 20 (and, in some versions, one or more other mobile electronic devices) if the patient support apparatus 20 (or other device) are within proximity to the location beacon 60. In some versions, patient support apparatus 20 is configured to send out an interrogation message in response to one or more triggering actions, and location beacon 60, if it is close enough to receive the interrogation message, is configured to respond with its unique ID 122. The triggering conditions for sending out the interrogation message may be varied. In some versions of patient support apparatus 20, the triggering conditions may include any one or more of the following: the activation of a brake onboard patient support apparatus 20, the plugging in of an AC power cord of the patient support apparatus 20 into an electrical outlet; the stopping of movement of the patient support apparatus 20, and / or other triggering conditions.

[0160] In some versions of movable location beacon 60, controller 100 may be configured to periodically send out an interrogation message and / or a message containing its unique ID 122 to any patient support apparatuses 20 that are within communication range. In those versions of movable location beacon 60 that utilize one or more UWB transceivers, controller 100 may be configured to first determine the relative distance between itself and a patient support apparatus 20 and, if the distance is less than a threshold, to then send outs unique ID 122 to the patient support apparatus 20.

[0161] In any of the versions described herein, once patient support apparatus 20 receives a unique ID 122 from a movable location beacon 60, controller 134 is configured to either consult an onboard table that correlates the unique ID 122 to a specific location within the healthcare facility, and / or to send the unique ID 122 to patient support apparatus server 84, which contains a table correlating the unique ID to a specific location within the healthcare facility. In either situation, the data in the correlation table has to be manually input into either the patient support apparatus 20 and / or the patient support apparatus server 84. Thus, in at least one version, if a person hangs up, or otherwise affixes to a wall, a movable location beacon 60, the person shouldalso input data into patient support apparatus server 84 and / or patient support apparatuses 20, data that identifies where within the healthcare facility that particular movable location beacon 60 (identified by its unique ID 122) is located.

[0162] Alternatively, in some versions of movable location beacon 60, the unique ID 122 may be omitted and the location indicator 126 may be shared by controller 100 with any patient support apparatuses 20 (or other mobile devices) that are positioned within a threshold distance of the movable location beacon 60 In such versions, once the patient support apparatus 20 receives the location indicator 126, the patient support apparatus 20 is informed of its location within the healthcare facility and does not need to consult a table correlating the location indicator 126 to a specific location within the healthcare facility. This is because the location indicator 126 is itself a verbal descriptor of the location of the movable location beacon 60 In contrast, the unique ID 122 is typically a code, serial number, or other alphanumeric identifier that, on its face, does not indicate a specific location within the healthcare facility

[0163] The same is true for patient support apparatus server 84 That is, in those versions of location beacon 60 in which controller 100 sends out location indicator 126 to a nearby patient support apparatus 20, rather than unique ID 122, and the patient support apparatus 20 then sends the location indicator 126 to patient support apparatus server 84, it is not necessary for patient support apparatus server 84 to consult a table correlating the location indicator 126 to a specific location with healthcare facility. Instead, the location indicator 126 itself identifies the specific location within the healthcare facility. Patient support apparatus server 84 can therefore simply forward the location indicator 126 to one or more recipient devices (e.g. mobile devices 98 and / or dashboards), and the recipient devices can display the location indicator 126 on their display, which will indicate to the viewer(s) of those displays the specific location of the patient support apparatus 20 within the healthcare facility.

[0164] It can therefore be seen that, in those versions of movable location beacons 60 in which controller 100 sends out location indicator 126 to nearby patient support apparatuses 20 instead of unique ID 122, the person who initially installs the movable location beacon 60 at a particular location does not need to enter any data into patient support apparatus 20 and / or patient support apparatus server 84 that correlates the movable location beacon 60 to a specific location within the healthcare facility. Instead, the user merely needs to input a new location indicator 126 into the movable location beacon 60. The new location indicator 126 will correspond to the particular location of that movable location beacon 60 within the healthcare facility (e.g. “Hallway 1”). As was noted previously, this entry of the location indicator 126 into the movable location beacon 60 maybe accomplished, in at least some versions, in anyone or more of four different manners: (1) via controls 120; (2) via a mobile electronic device 98 (using a wired or wireless connection); (3) via patient support apparatus 20; and / or (4) via patient support apparatus server 84. In these versions of movable location beacon 60, there is less work involved when moving a movable location beacon 60 to a new location. That is, after moving a movable location beacon 60 to a new location, the user simply updates location indicator 126 on the movable location beacon 60 itself.

[0165] In contrast, when a user moves a movable location beacon 60 to a new location within the healthcare facility and that version of location beacon 60 is configured to send out unique ID 122 to patient support apparatuses 20 (and / or other mobile devices), the user needs to not only update the location indicator 126 to the new location, but also input data into patient support apparatus 20 and / or patient support apparatus server 84 that correlates the unique ID 122 of that movable location beacon 60 to its new location within the healthcare facility.

[0166] In at least one version of movable location beacon 60, the location of a patient support apparatus 20 (or other mobile device) is determined solely through the exchange of the unique ID 122 (and / or location indicator 126) with the patient support apparatus 20 (or other mobile device). That is, in such versions, the determination of the patient support apparatus’sposition (or the position of another mobile device) does not rely upon communications with other additional location beacons 60 and triangulation and / or trilateration calculations that are made from the communications with those other location beacons 60. Instead, the location of the patient support apparatus 20 (or other mobile device) is simply concluded to be the same as the location of the movable location beacon 60 if the patient support apparatus 20 (or other mobile device) is positioned within a threshold distance of the movable location beacon 60. The threshold distance may have a numeric value that is compared to a measurement of the distance from the location beacon 60 (which may be measured by using UWB). Alternatively, the threshold distance may simply be the natural range of a short range transceiver (e.g. an infrared transceiver).

[0167] In some versions of movable location beacon 60 and / or patient support apparatus 20, the location of the patient support apparatus 20 and / or other mobile device may be determined from communication with multiple location beacons 60 That is, in some versions of patient support apparatus 20 (or other mobile devices), the location may be determined utilizing triangulation and / or trilateration with more than one location beacon 60 and / or with one or more access points 82 of known position via WiFi (network transceiver 96). For example, in at least one version of patient support apparatuses 20, the location of the patient support apparatus 20 may be determined in any of the manners disclosed in commonly assigned Indian patent application serial number 202411097963, filed December 11, 2024, by inventors Celso Pereira et al. and entitled HEALTHCARE FACILITY LOCATION SYSTEM, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0168] FIG. 5 illustrates another version of a movable location beacon 60a that is made of two separate housings: a first housing 66 and a second housing 68. Second housing 68 is adapted to be releasably coupled and uncoupled from first housing 66. That is, second housing is adapted to be releasable attached to first housing 66. A user can therefore attach and detach second housing 68 from first housing 66, when desired. In some versions, the attachment and detachment of second housing 68 from first housing 66 is designed such that no tools are required and nothing needs to be damaged, unscrewed, or otherwise disassembled in order to attach or detach the two housings to and / or from each other. In some versions, second housing 68 may be configured to be plugged into first housing 66, or vice versa, and such “plugging in” is sufficient to secure the two housings together. Unplugging one housing from another can be done by applying a small amount of force (i.e. a force any adult is typically capable of applying without tools).

[0169] Movable location beacon 60a provides the same function as movable location beacon 60. Movable location beacon 60a differs from movable location beacon 60 in that it can be installed in two different configurations, with each configuration providing a different level of functionality. That is, movable location beacon 60a can be installed in a location of healthcare facility with only first housing 66, or it can be installed in a location of the healthcare facility with both first housing 66 and second housing 68. When installed with only first housing 66, movable location beacon 60a is only able to share its location indicator 126 with any nearby patient support apparatuses 20 (or other mobile devices), and not its unique ID 122. Further, when installed with only first housing 66, movable location beacon 60a may have more limited options for changing location indicator 126. Such limited options may include (1) using a mobile device 98 (which mayor may not supply power to the components of first housing 66 via power harvesting circuitry 114), which may communicate with the first transceiver 104 of first housing 66; (2) using patient support apparatus 20 (via first transceiver 104); or (3) using one or more of controls 120. As indicated in FIG. 5, first housing 66 does not include network transceiver 106, thereby preventing location indicator 126 from being updated via local area network 80 when second housing 68 is not coupled to first housing 66.

[0170] When second housing 68 is coupled to first housing 66, movable location beacon 60a is able to perform additional functions, including, but not necessarily limited to: communicating with patient support apparatus server 84 (and / or otherservers accessible via network 80), transmitting unique ID 122 to a nearby patient support apparatus 20 (or other device); receiving updates for location indicator 126 and / or unique ID 122 via Bluetooth transceiver 108, and / or illuminating light 118 in response to an exit detection alert on patient support apparatus 20 and / or a patient activating nurse call control 50g on patient support apparatus 20. More specifically, when second housing 68 is coupled to first housing 66, movable location beacon 60a is capable of performing any or all of the functions described above with respect to movable location beacon 60.

[0171] Second housing 68 includes a second power supply 124b and a second controller 100b. Second power supply 124b is adapted to supply power to all of the components of second housing 68. Second power supply 124b may be provided in order to minimize or completely eliminate the parasitic power draw that any of the components of second housing 68 might otherwise draw from first power source 124a were second power supply 124b to be omitted This allows first power supply 124a, which may include one or more batteries, to last longer and / or utilize batteries of reduced size In some versions of movable location beacon 60a, first power source 124a only supplies power to the components of first housing 66, and to none of the components of second housing 68. In some versions, first power source 124a only supplies power to display 112 for displaying location indicator 126 When a user wishes to change location indicator 126, the components of first housing 66 that are utilized to make this change (e g. first controller 100a, memory 110, controls 120, and / or first transceiver! 04) draw power supplied from power harvesting circuitry 114. Thus, in some versions of location beacon 60a, first power source 124a supplies the power needed to display location indicator 126 on display 112, while power harvesting circuitry 114 supplies power (drawn from a nearby smart phone, or the like) for making changes to location indicator 126 and / or for transmitting location indicator 126 to a nearby patient support apparatus 20 (or other mobile device whose location is to be determined).

[0172] FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of one version of a movable location beacon 60a. As shown therein, location beacon 60a includes first housing 66 and second housing 68 positioned underneath, and releasably coupled to, first housing 66. Display 112 is part of first housing 66 and is sized sufficiently large to have the information displayed thereon (i.e. location indicator 126) be relatively easily readable by caregivers and / or other personnel who are positioned within the vicinity of the location beacon 60a. As shown in FIG. 6, movable location beacon 60a may include one or more controls 120. Such controls may be used to directly update location indicator 126 and to change the content of the information displayed on display 112. In the version shown in FIG. 6, location beacon 60a also includes a USB port 170 for receiving a USB cable. The USB port is coupled to a USB transceiver internal to first housing 66, such as, but not limited to, first transceiver 104. A user can therefore couple his or her smart phone, or other mobile electronic device 98, to first housing 66 via a USB cable, and therefore use software app 164 to send a new location indicator 126 to movable location beacon 60a. In some versions of movable location beacons 60, 60a, USB port 170 may be omitted.

[0173] FIG. 7 illustrates one manner in which location beacon 60 (or 60a) may be releasably secured to a wall 62 In the example shown in FIG. 7, location beacon 60 includes a catch 72 defined thereon that is adapted to releasably hold onto a hook 70 secured to wall 62. It will, of course, be understood that, in some versions, location beacon 60 may alternatively include a hook that releasably catches onto a catch secured to wall 62. Still other variations are possible for releasably securing movable location beacon 60 (or 60a) to a wall 62, and / or to another structure within a healthcare facility.

[0174] FIG. 2 illustrates one example of a location beacon control screen 102 that may be displayed on display 52 of patient support apparatus 20 and used to control one or more aspects of a nearby movable location beacon. It will be understood that location beacon control screen 102, or a modified version of it, may also, or alternatively, be displayed on other devices that are used to control one or more aspects of a movable location beacon 60, such as, but not limited to, on a mobile electronic device 98(display 160), on a remote computer coupled to the movable location beacon 60 via network 80, and / or on movable location beacon 60 itself (i.e. display 112).

[0175] Location beacon control screen 102 is adapted to allow a user to input a new location indicator 126 into a movable location beacon 60. In the example shown in FIG. 2, location beacon control screen 102 includes a virtual alphanumeric keyboard 74 and a location indicator entry field 76. Alphanumeric keyboard 74 allows a user to type in a new location indicator 126 into entry field 76 After the desired new location indicator 126 has been entered into entry field 76, location beacon control screen 102 may be adapted to display a “transmit” or “update” control (not shown) that, when activated by the user, transmits the new location indicator 126 to the location beacon 60. In some versions, this transmission may automatically take place in response to the user activating the “enter” or “return” key of virtual keyboard 74 In response to receipt of the new location indicator 126, controller 100 stores the new location indicator 126 in memory 110 and displays it on display 112 In those instances where location beacon control screen 102 is displayed on display 112 of a location beacon 60 itself, it is not necessary to transmit the new location indicator 126 to the location beacon 60, so controller 100 merely updates display 112 and memory 110 after the new location indicator 126 has been entered.

[0176] It will be understood that substantial variations may be made to location beacon control screen 102, including the inclusion of one or more additional controls, the removal of one or more of the controls shown thereon, and / or other changes. For example, in some versions, a full virtual alphanumeric keyboard 74 may be replaced with a smaller virtual alphanumeric keyboard 74. Other means for entering location indicator 126 besides a virtual keyboard may also, or alternatively, be utilized. Still other changes are possible.

[0177] Some healthcare facilities may have mixture of movable location beacons 60 and fixed location beacons. Such fixed location beacons, in some versions, may include the same functionality as location beacons 60, but omit display 112 and location indicator 126 (and / or one or more other components), as well as the function of displaying and / or transmitting the location indicator 126. Patient support apparatus 20 may be configured to receive location information from the fixed location beacons and the movable location beacons 60 in the same manner, or it may be configured to receive location information from the two different types of beacons in different manners. In some versions, the fixed location beacons may include the additional ability of being communicatively coupled to a nurse call outlet defined in a wall of the healthcare facility, in which case the fixed location beacon may act as a communication intermediary (or conduit) between the patient support apparatus 20 and the healthcare facility’s nurse call system. Because the fixed location beacons may not include a location indicator 126, but instead transmit a unique ID 122, the location of the fixed location beacons may need to be determined during installation via a surveying operation, and the results of this surveying operation may be stored in patient support apparatus server 84 and / or onboard each patient support apparatus 20, thereby allowing server 84 and / or patient support apparatuses 20 to determine their location from the unique ID 122 they receive from a nearby fixed location beacon.

[0178] When proximity transceivers 128 and 142 are implemented as ultra-wideband transceivers, the UWB transceivers may be configured to determine the distance between themselves using time of flight (TOF) computations. In other versions, transceivers 128 and 142 may utilize other techniques (e.g., time difference of arrival, two-way ranging, angle of arrival, channel state information, etc.) for determining their distances from each other, either in addition to, or in lieu of, TOF computations. In some versions, proximity transceivers 128 and 142 may also determine an angle between themselves using angular information derived from antenna arrays positions onboard transceivers 128 and 142, or by using other techniques. The position and orientation of each proximity transceiver 142 onboard patient support apparatus 20 (if there is more than one) may be stored in memory 136 andused to determine the position and orientation of patient support apparatus 20 with respect to the location beacon(s) 60 with which it is communicating. Such position and orientation information may be determined using conventional trilateration and / or triangulation techniques, or other techniques.

[0179] In some versions of modifiable location system 150 in which proximity transceivers 128 and 142 are UWB transceivers, the transceivers 128 and 142 may be 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

[0180] In those versions of modifiable location system 150 that include one or more UWB transceivers (e.g. transceivers 128, 142), the UWB transceivers may operate in the same manner as, and include any of the same functions as, the anchors and pseudo-anchors disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 63 / 193,777 filed May 27, 2021, by inventors Thomas Deeds et al. and entitled SYSTEM FOR ASSOCIATING MEDICAL DEVICE DATA, the complete disclosure of which has already been incorporated herein by reference.

[0181] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a display system 200 that may be implemented using one or more of the devices described herein, such as, but not limited to, patient support apparatus 20, movable location beacons 60, and / or still other components Display system 200 is adapted to automatically display, and / or automatically stop displaying, one or more items of information on one or more displays in response to one or more triggering conditions, such as, but not limited to, a caregiver entering or leaving a room in which patient support apparatus 20 is positioned (or otherwise approaching or leaving the vicinity of patient support apparatus 20) It will be understood that display system 200 may be implemented completely independently of modifiable location system 150, or it may be implemented with one or more features of modifiable location system 150. Further, it will be understood that the present disclosure contemplates a modifiable location system 150 that includes no features and / or functions of the display system 200; it contemplates a display system 200 that includes no features and / or functions of the modifiable location system 150; and it contemplates an intermixed system that either wholly or partially combines one or more features of the display system 200 with the modifiable location system 150.

[0182] Components of one example of the display system 200 are shown in FIG. 8. These include patient support apparatus 20, a location beacon 60a, a caregiver badge 202, a camera unit 204, and patient support apparatus server 84 configured to execute a software application 224. One or more of these components may also communicate with one or more conventional devices that are typically installed within a healthcare facility, such as, but not limited to, an electronic medical or health records server (EHR server) 212, a badge server 210, and / or other servers. It will be noted that the present disclosure treats electronic medical records (EMR) servers and electronic health records (EHR) servers synonymously.

[0183] It will be understood that not all versions of display system 200 need to include all of these components shown in FIG. 8, and that some versions of display system 200 may include additional components beyond what is shown in FIG. 8. As but one example, in some versions of display system 200, no camera units 204 are included. Other examples are possible. It will also be understood that multiple location beacons 60a, multiple camera units 204, and / or multiple badges 202 may be included within system 200. Some of these components may be present in combination with each other in some locations of a healthcare facility,while only one or a subset of these components may be present in other locations of the healthcare facility. For example, a camera unit 204 as well as at least one location beacon 60a may be present in each room of a healthcare facility. A location beacon 60a may also be present in designated hallways and / or other areas of the healthcare facility, either alone or in combination with a nearby camera unit 204. Alternatively, in some versions of display system 200, only a camera unit 204 or a location beacon 60a are present in the same location. Generally speaking, at least one camera unit 204 or location beacon 60 is present in the vicinity of where a patient support apparatus 20 is expected to be parked. In some situations, both a camera unit 204 and a location beacon 60 may be present at all or some of these locations.

[0184] Location beacons 60a may be the same as location beacons 60 described above with respect to modifiable location system 150 However, location beacons 60a may also differ from the previously described location beacons 60 in that location beacons 60a may refer to stationary location beacons that are mounted in fixed locations (i e not easily moved without unscrewing them from walls and / or other structures to which they may be secured) Thus, it will be understood that all references to location beacons 60a made herein refer to stationary and / or movable location beacons, while all references to location beacons 60 made herein refer to only movable location beacons.

[0185] Location beacons 60a includes a controller 100, a display 112, a unique ID 122 and a proximity transceiver 128. It will be understood that location beacons 60a may also include additional structures, particularly if the location beacon 60a is a stationary location beacon. For example, in some versions, location beacons 60a may include a cable interface, such as the cable interface 88 described in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 63 / 193,778 filed May 27, 2021, by inventors Krishna Bhimavarapu et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS AND HEADWALL UNIT SYNCING, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Alternatively, or additionally, location beacon 60a may include a headwall interface, such as the headwall interface 120 disclosed in commonly assigned U S. patent application serial number 63 / 131,508 filed December 29, 2020, by inventors Kirby Neihouser et al. and entitled TOOL FOR CONFIGURING HEADWALL UNITS USED FOR PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS COMMUNICATION, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Still further, location beacons 60a may include circuitry to control a television and such circuitry may carry out any of the same functions as, and / or be constructed in any of the same manners as, the configuration circuitry 132 and the TV control circuit 134 of commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 63 / 131,508 filed December 29, 2020, by inventors Kirby Neihouser et al. and entitled TOOL FOR CONFIGURING HEADWALL UNITS USED FOR PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS COMMUNICATION, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Location beacons 60a may also, or alternatively, include one or more Bluetooth transceivers, infrared transceivers, and / or still other components.

[0186] In some versions, location beacons 60a may include any of the functions and / or features of the unlinked locator units 60b described in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 63 / 306,279 filed February 3, 2022, by inventors Madhu Sandeep Thota et al. and entitled COMMUNICATION SYSTEM FOR PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In some versions, location beacons 60a may include any of the functions and / or features of the unlinked locator units 60a described in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 63 / 356,061 filed June 28, 2022, by inventors Krishna Bhimavarapu et al. and entitled BADGE AND PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0187] Camera unit 204 includes one or more cameras 206, one or more processors 208, one or more network transceivers 216, and one or motors (not shown) or other actuators for aiming the camera(s) 206. Camera unit 204 may also include other components that are not shown in FIG. 8, such as, but not limited to, a Bluetooth transceiver, an infrared transceiver, and / orother types of transceivers. In the illustrated example, camera unit 204 also includes a display 220, which may be a computermonitor type display, a flat-screen TV type of display, or another type of display. Camera units 204 are positioned affixed locations within the healthcare facility. Typically, a camera unit 204 is positioned inside of each patient room in a location where camera 206 will have a field of view that captures a patient support apparatus 20 In other words, each camera unit 204 is typically positioned such that its camera(s) 206 will be pointed toward a bed bay of a room or area of the healthcare facility. In some healthcare facilities, camera units 204 may be placed elsewhere, such as in hallways, or other areas. Each camera unit 204 includes a unique identifier that is communicated to patient support apparatus server 84. The location of each camera unit 204 is surveyed after installation and stored in a memory, along with its unique identifier, which is accessible to server 84. In this manner, server 84 is able to correlate messages from camera units 204 (received through network transceiver 216’s connection to an access point 82) to specific locations within the healthcare facility For example, if a first camera unit 204 is installed in room 402 and bears the unique identifier XYZ, that camera unit 204 will include the unique identifier XYZ in its communications so that server 84 will know which specific camera unit 204 is it communicating with. Further, from the results of the surveying operation, server 84 will be able to determine the location of that particular camera unit 204 within the healthcare facility.

[0188] Camera unit 204 may be a camera unit of the type formerly marketed by careai.com of Orlando, Florida, and now marketed by Stryker Corporation of Kalamazoo and integrated into Stryker’s SmartCare Platform. Such camera units include, but are not limited to, the Smart Patient Room AMS-RS-PRO, the Virtual Care AMS-0RS Ultra, the AMS-M2-PRO, the Smart Spaces AMS-M2 Ultra, the AMS-T2, and still other types of camera units. Camera unit 204 may, of course, take on other forms and / or be manufactured by other entities.

[0189] Processor 208 and camera 206 together form a proximity sensor 218. That is, processor 208 is adapted to process images captured by camera 206 to determine when a patient support apparatus 20 and / or badge 202 are positioned within the field of view of camera 206. Such visual analysis may include not only a determination that badge 202 and / or patient support apparatus 20 are within the field of view of camera 206, but also an identification of the specific badge 202 and / or specific patient support apparatus 20 that are within the field of view. Still further, the visual analysis of the images captured by camera 206 may include a determination of whether the badge 202 and / or patient support apparatus 20 are positioned within a threshold distance of each other and / or a threshold distance to one or more other devices and / or structures that are also positioned within the field of view of the camera 206. Thus, in combination, camera 206 and processor 208 may form a proximity sensor 218 that determines when, for example, a badge 202 is within a threshold distance of a specific patient support apparatus 20 and / or location beacon 60a; when a patient support apparatus 20 is within a threshold distance of a location beacon, and / or when another object / devices is positioned within a threshold distance of a badge 202, patient support apparatus 20, and / or location beacon 60a.

[0190] Processor 208 also controls the motors used to aim and / or focus camera 206. Processor 208 may be configured to control these motors in order to aim and / or focus camera 206 in a manner such that the field of view of camera 206 captures patient support apparatus 20 and a nearby location beacon 60a. Processor 208 may take on a variety of different forms, such as one or more conventional microcontrollers. However, processor 208 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 followedby processor 208 when carrying out the functions described herein, as well as the data necessary for carrying out these functions, are stored in one or more accessible memories.

[0191] Badges 202 are adapted to be worn and / or carried by caregivers and / or other personnel within the healthcare facility. Badges 202 include a badge controller 230, a badge ID 232, and a proximity transceiver 234. Badge controller 230, like controller 134 of patient support apparatus 20, may include one or more microcontrollers, microprocessors, and / or other circuitry designed to carry out the functions described herein. Badge ID 232 is a unique number, or other identifier, which is unique to a particular badge 202 such that one badge 202 can be distinguished from other badges 202. Proximity transceiver 234 may be an ultra-wideband transceiver of the type already discussed. That is, proximity transceiver 234 may be implemented in the same manner as proximity transceivers 128 of location beacons 60 or 60a and / or proximity transceivers 142 of patient support apparatus 20 Alternatively, proximity transceiver 128 may take on other forms

[0192] Badge ID 232 is a unique identifier that distinguishes a particular badge 202 from all of the other badges 202 that may be present within the healthcare facility In some versions of badge 202, controller 230 is adapted to transmit badge ID 232 to one or more nearby devices, such as, but not limited to, patient support apparatus 20, location beacon 60a, and / or mobile device 98a. The transmission may be made using proximity transceiver 234 and / or via another transceiver (e.g Bluetooth, not shown) that is part of badge 202.

[0193] The recipient of the badge ID 232 is configured to send the badge ID 232 to patient support apparatus server 84 and / or badge server 210. Badge server 210 is able to convert the badge ID 232 into an identity of the caregiver who is carrying that particular badge 210. That is, badge server 210 stores a table, or other type of data format, which associates badge IDs 232 with particular healthcare workers. The recipient of the badge ID 232 and / or patient support apparatus server 84 may be configured to send an inquiry to badge server 210, that includes badge ID 232, that requests the identity of the healthcare worker associated with that particular badge ID 232. The identity of the particular caregiver can then be displayed on one or more displays, as will be discussed in greater detail below.

[0194] In some versions of badge 202, badge 202 may include a visual marking that is visually detectable by camera unit 204 when badge 202 is positioned within the field of view of camera 206. The visual marking may be a bar code, QR code, or other type of visual indicator that uniquely identifies a particular badge 202, thereby enabling camera unit 204 to detect which specific badge 202 is present within the field of view of camera 206. This allows camera unit 204 to determine which healthcare worker the badge 202 belongs to by consulting with badge server 210, as noted above In some versions, the visual identifier may correspond to a visual representation of unique ID 122.

[0195] Badges 202 may be badges of the type sold or marketed by Stryker Corporation 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 202 include the ability to transmit voice communications of healthcare workers to other badges 202 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 display system 200 and / or modifiable location system 150 described herein, such badges 202 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 location beacons 60a, as will be discussed in greater detail herein. That is, patient support apparatus 20 and / or location beacons 60a may be configured to repetitively determine the location of any of the badges 202 that are positioned within range of its ultra-wideband transceivers and determine whether the badge 202 is positioned inside oroutside of one or more thresholds distances of a patient support apparatus 20 and / or location beacon 60a, as will also be discussed in greater detail below

[0196] Badge server 210 (FIG. 8) is configured to manage communications between, and keep track of the location of, badges 202. Badges 202 are typically worn by healthcare workers, such as caregivers, service technicians, cleaning personnel, transportation assistants, etc. Badge server 210 typically maintains a database that correlates badge IDs 232 with individual healthcare workers. When a healthcare worker arrives at a healthcare facility, he or she typically grabs a badge 202 from a common collection of badges 202 and wears it for the duration of his or her work shift (and returns it to the general collection after his / her shift). In conventional badge servers 210, in order for server 210 to know that a particular badge 202 is assigned to a particular healthcare worker, the worker has to manually associate the particular badge 202 they chose to wear that day with their name (or some other worker ID) This manual association may involve scanning the badge on a badge reader that knows, or receives, the healthcare worker’s ID, and that communicates with server 210, or it may involve typing information (such as the badge ID and / or the worker’s ID) into a computer coupled to server 210, or it may involve entering information into badge 202 (if it is a badge that allows data entry), performing other actions, and / or a combination of these steps.

[0197] As shown in FIG. 8, display system 200 may include a mobile device 98a. When included, the mobile device 98a may communicate with location beacon 60a, badge 202, patient support apparatus 20, and / or patient support apparatus server 84. Mobile device 98a differs from mobile device 98a in that it includes a proximity transceiver 240. The proximity transmitter 240 enables the mobile device 98a to determine its distance from any of patient support apparatus 20, location beacon 60a, and / or badge 202. Alternatively, or additionally, proximity transmitter 240 ranges with corresponding proximity transceivers 234, 128, and / or 142 to enable those proximity transceivers (or their associated controller) to determine the distance between themselves and mobile device 98a. Depending upon the distance, display system 200 may send a display message to mobile device 98a to display content on tis corresponding display 160, as will be discussed in greater detail below.

[0198] Proximity transceivers 234 of badges 202 are adapted to automatically communicate with the proximity transceivers 128 and / or 142 of location beacon 60a and / or patient support apparatus 20, respectively, in order to determine the distance between badge 202 and either or both of location beacon 60a and / or patient support apparatus 20. One or more of these distances may be communicated to patient support apparatus server 84, and software application 224 is configured to analyze these distances to determine whether to automatically display content on one more displays of system 200. Such displays may include display 112 of a location beacon 60a, display 52 of patient support apparatus 20, display 160 of a mobile device 98a, and / or a display 260 that may be integrated into, or otherwise associated with, a camera unit 204.

[0199] Proximity transceivers 128, 142, 234, and 240 may use any suitable technology for measuring the distance between itself and themselves. In some versions, proximity transceivers 128, 142, 234, and 240 may be infrared transceivers that are adapted to communicate with each other only when they are within a line of sight and within a relatively small distance (e.g. 5 to 10 feet, although other thresholds maybe used). In other versions, proximity transceivers 128, 142, 234, and 240 may comprise one or more Bluetooth transceivers that are adapted to determine the distance between themselves (such as by using the Channel Sounding feature of Bluetooth 60 and / or later versions). In still other versions, proximity transceivers 128, 142, 234, and 240 may be ultra-wideband (UWB) transceivers that are adapted to use ultra-wideband communication to determine the distances between themselves.

[0200] When implemented as UWB transceivers, proximity transceivers 128, 142, 234, and 240 may use time of flight (ToF) computations to determine the distance between themselves. In other versions, proximity transceivers 128, 142, 234, and 240may utilize other techniques (e.g., time difference of arrival, two-way ranging, angle of arrival, channel state information, etc.) for determining their distance from each other (and thus the distance between the devices to which they are attached), either in addition to, or in lieu of, ToF computations. In some versions, proximity transceivers 128, 142, 234, and 240, when implemented as UWB transceivers, may also determine an angle between themselves using angular information derived from antenna arrays positioned onboard each of the devices 20, 60a, 98a, and / or 202, or by using other techniques. The position and orientation of each proximity transceiver 128, 142, 234, and 240 onboard each device may be measured during manufacture (or prior to use) and stored in an onboard memory and used to determine the position and orientation of one or more of devices 20, 60a, 98a, and / or 202. Such position and / or orientation information may be determined using conventional trilateration and / or triangulation techniques, or other techniques

[0201] In some versions of proximity transceivers 128, 142, 234, and / or 240 that are implemented as UWB transceivers, proximity transceivers 128, 142, 234, and 240 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 , ASMOP1COOR1 , 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 proximity transceivers 128, 142, 234, and / or 240.

[0202] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a first display algorithm 270 that may be executed by some versions of display system 200. Display algorithm 270 may be carried out by patient support apparatus 20, mobile device 92a, camera unit 204, and / or location beacon 60a. For purposes of the following description, first display algorithm 270 will be described as being carried out by patient support apparatus 20, but it will be understood that this description applies equally to mobile device 92a, camera unit 204, and location beacon 60a.

[0203] First display algorithm 270 begins at a step 272 where a healthcare worker's presence within a proximity of a patient support apparatus 20 is detected. More specifically, step 272 takes place by proximity transceiver 142 of patient support apparatus 20 detecting when a healthcare worker’s badge 202 comes within a threshold distance of patient support apparatus 20. This is accomplished through ranging communications between proximity transceiver 142 of patient support apparatus 20 and proximity transceiver 234 of badge 202 Controller 134 of patient support apparatus 20 processes the outputs of these ranging sessions— which are distances between patient support apparatus 20 and badge 202— and looks to see if these distances are less than a threshold amount defined and stored in memory 136. The threshold amount may be defined with different values. In some versions, the threshold amount is distance generally equal to the distance of the patient support apparatus 20 to the nearest door in a healthcare facility room, which may be on the order of a one to ten meters, although other distances may be used. By defining the threshold distance in this manner, patient support apparatus 20 essentially determines at step 272 when a healthcare worker wearing a badge 202 enters the room in which patient support apparatus 20 is positioned. If patient support apparatus 20 is not positioned in a room (e.g. it is in a hallway), the threshold distance corresponds to a distance at which the healthcare worker begins to approach the patient support apparatus 20.

[0204] Regardless of the specific value of the threshold distance used at step 272 of first display algorithm 270, controller 134 of patient support apparatus 20 moves to step 274 if a badge 202 is detected that is positioned less this thresholddistance from patient support apparatus 20. If no badge 202 is detected, or if the distance between the badge 202 and the patient support apparatus 20 is greater than the threshold distance, controller 134 of patient support apparatus 20 returns to step 272 and continues to periodically perform step 272.

[0205] At step 274, controller 134 reads the badge ID 232 from the badge 202 that has moved within the threshold distance of patient support apparatus 20. In some versions of badge 202, this may be accomplished by controller 230 of the badge 202 transmitting the badge ID 232 to patient support apparatus 20 using proximity transceiver 234. In other versions, badge 202 may include a different wireless transceiver that it uses to transmit the badge ID 232 to patient support apparatus 20. However transmitted, after controller 134 receives the badge ID 232, it then proceeds to step 276 (FIG. 9).

[0206] At step 274 (FIG 9) of first display algorithm 270, controller 134 determines from the badge ID 232 who the healthcare worker (or other healthcare worker) is who is associated with the badge ID 202 In other words, controller 134 determines the name of the person who is carrying the badge 202 that just moved within the threshold distance of patient support apparatus 20 Step 276 may be performed in different manners In one version, controller 134 of patient support apparatus 20 transmits badge ID 232 to patient support apparatus server 84 and software application 224 requests the name of the healthcare worker associated with that badge ID 232 from badge server 210 As was noted previously, badge server 210 stores a list of the names of healthcare workers who have been assigned a badge, as well as the badge ID 232 corresponding to each of those names. Badge server 210 therefore transmits the healthcare worker’s name to patient support apparatus server 84 and software application 224, which then forwards the healthcare worker’s name to patient support apparatus 20 at step 274 via one or more access points 82 and network transceiver 96 of patient support apparatus 20

[0207] In another version of patient support apparatus 20, controller 134 retrieves the healthcare worker’s name at step 276 by directly contacting badge server 210 Thus, instead of, or in addition to, sending the badge ID 232 to patient support apparatus server 84, controller 134 sends the badge ID 232 to badge server 210 via network transceiver 96. Badge server 210 then responds directly to patient support apparatus 20 with the name of the healthcare worker. The healthcare worker’s name is transmitted to patient support apparatus 20 via its network transceiver 96.

[0208] After receiving the healthcare worker’s name, controller 134 proceeds to step 278 of first display algorithm 270 (FIG. 9). Patient support apparatus 20 may display the healthcare worker’s name on any one or more of several displays that are positioned on, or adjacent to, patient support apparatus 20. In one version, controller 134 of patient support apparatus 20 transmits the healthcare worker’s name to a nearby display 260, which may be part of, or separate from, a camera unit 204. The nearby display 260 is ideally positioned at a location where a patient supported on patient support apparatus 20 can see display 260, and therefore will be apprised of the healthcare worker’s name when the healthcare worker enters the room. That is, display 260 will automatically display the healthcare worker’s name shortly after the healthcare worker walks into the patient’s room, and if display 260 is positioned so that the patient can see display 260, the patient will be able to see the name of the healthcare worker’s name displayed thereon shortly after the healthcare worker enters the room. The patient will therefore be informed and / or reminded of the healthcare worker’s name as they enter room without requiring the patient to inquire about this name from the healthcare worker.

[0209] As an alternative to, or in addition to, displaying the healthcare worker’s name on display 260, controller 134 may be configured to display the healthcare worker’s name on display 112 of the nearby location beacon 60a as part of step 278. Controller 134 may also, or alternatively, be configured to automatically display the healthcare worker’s name on the display 160 of the patient’s cell phone 98a and / or tablet computer 98a. Still further, in some versions, controller 134 may also or alternatively be configured to automatically display the healthcare worker’s name on a display (e.g. display 52) of patient support apparatus 20,particularly if there is a display 52 on patient support apparatus 20 that is facing toward the patient so that patient can see the healthcare worker’s name.

[0210] In some versions of algorithm 270, patient support apparatus 20 is customizable by an authorized individual of the healthcare facility in terms of where the healthcare worker’s name is to be displayed. That is, controller 134 is adapted to allow an authorized individual to customize which displays (112, 260, 160, and / or 52) the healthcare worker’s name is displayed on at step 278. Such customization may occur through one or more control panels 54 of patient support apparatus 20, or through one or more computers that are in communication with patient support apparatus server 84 (which then informs controller 134 which display(s) 112, 260, 160, and / or 52 are to be used at step 278).

[0211] At step 280, controller 134 determines whether badge 202 has moved outside of the threshold distance That is, at step 280, controller 134 determines when the healthcare worker has left the room, or otherwise moved sufficiently far away from patient support apparatus 20 (i.e. beyond the threshold distance) Controller 134 performs step 280 by repetitively measuring the distance between badge 202 and patient support apparatus 20 using proximity transceivers 142 and 234. If the healthcare worker has not moved away from patient support apparatus 20 by more than the threshold distance, controller 134 returns to step 278 and continues to display the healthcare worker’s name on a display (e g. display 260). If the healthcare worker has moved away from patient support apparatus 20 by more than the threshold distance, controller 134 proceeds to step 282, where it then stops the further display of the healthcare worker’s name. This is accomplished by controller 134 sending a clearance message to the corresponding display(s) 112, 260, 160, and / or 52, wherein the clearance message instructs the corresponding display to stop displaying the healthcare worker’s name. In some versions, controller 134 may be configured to send this clearance message after a threshold amount of time elapses after the healthcare worker has left the room, thereby enabling the patient to continue to see the healthcare worker’s name for a threshold amount of time. The threshold amount of time may be defined with a specific numeric value, or it may be defined in terms of an event (e.g. until another healthcare worker enters the room, until the display enters a sleep mode, until the patient leaves the room, etc.).

[0212] FIG. 11 depicts one example of the type of healthcare worker’s name that may be displayed automatically at step 278 of first display algorithm 270. As shown in FIG 11, not only is the healthcare worker’s name 262 displayed, but the healthcare worker’s title 264 is displayed Still further, in the example shown in FIG. 11, the healthcare worker’s preferred pronouns 266 are displayed. The worker’s title 264 and preferred pronouns 266 may be retrieved and displayed in the same manner as was discussed previously for retrieving the healthcare worker’s name 262. That is, the title 264 and pronouns 266 may be stored in badge server 210 and retrieved in response to receiving a particular badge ID 232. Alternatively, or additionally, the title and / or preferred pronouns may be stored in another server, or servers, in which case patient support apparatus server 84 and / or controller 134 are configured to automatically retrieve this additional information via network transceiver 96 at step 276.

[0213] In some versions of display system 200, patient support apparatus 20 and / or patient support apparatus server 84 (via software application 224) are customizable by authorized individuals of the healthcare facility so that they can select whether the healthcare worker’s title 264 and / or preferred pronouns 266 are to be displayed or not. System 200 is also customizable such that different selected information (e g. name 262, title 264, and / or pronouns 266) is automatically displayed in some locations of the healthcare facility and not in other locations of the healthcare facility. In other words, display system 200 is customizable such that an authorized user can specify which rooms and / or other areas of the healthcare facility algorithm 270 will display which one or more of items 262, 264, and / or 266, and which areas of the healthcare facility algorithm 270 will not display one or more of items 262, 264, and / or 266. In addition to such location-based customization, display system 200 may be customizable by an authorized individualwith respect to the particular healthcare worker, their title, and / or other information, thus causing algorithm 270 to display a first set of one or more items 262, 264, and / or 266 for certain healthcare workers, and a different set of one or more of items 262, 264, and / or 266 for certain other healthcare workers. Still other types of custom izations are possible.

[0214] Display system 200 may also, or alternatively, be configured to implement a second display algorithm 290 (FIG 10). As with first display algorithm 270, second display algorithm 290 will be described herein as being implemented by patient support apparatus 20, but it will be understood that second display algorithm 290 could alternatively, or additionally, be performed by any one or more of location beacon 60a, camera unit 204, and / or mobile device 98a.

[0215] Second display algorithm 290 begins at step 292 where controller 134 of patient support apparatus 20 determines when a healthcare worker has entered a proximity of patient support apparatus 20 Step 292 may be the same as step 272 of first display algorithm 270, and therefore does not need further description If no healthcare worker is detected (via their accompanying badge 202) at step 292, controller 134 continues to periodically repeat step 292 If a healthcare worker is detected at step 292 within the threshold distance, controller 134 proceeds to step 294, where it determines the location of the specific patient support apparatus 20 which badge 202 is positioned near (i.e. within the threshold distance of).

[0216] In some versions, the location of patient support apparatus 20 is already known by patient support apparatus server 84, in which case, controller 134 need not take any additional steps to determine the location of the patient support apparatus 20 at step 294. The location of patient support apparatus 20 may automatically be determined by patient support apparatus 20 based on communication between a patient support apparatus 20 and a location beacon 60a. That is, when a particular location beacon 60a detects a patient support apparatus 20 is positioned nearby (i.e. within a threshold distance), the location beacon 60a sends its unique ID 122 to the patient support apparatus 20 and controller 134 forwards the unique ID 122 and a patient support apparatus ID 140 to patient support apparatus server 84. Patient support apparatus server 84 has access to a memory in which is stored the locations of each location beacon 60a within the healthcare facility. From the location beacon ID 122 it receives from a particular patient support apparatus 20, it can then determine that that particular patient support apparatus 20 is positioned at a particular location within the healthcare facility (i.e. the location at which the nearby location beacon 60a is positioned).

[0217] Once the location of the patient support apparatus 20 is known, second display algorithm 290 proceeds to step 296 (FIG. 10), wherein software application 224 of patient support apparatus server 84 determines the identity of the patient assigned to patient support apparatus 20. Patient support apparatus server 84 determines the patient identity using a conventional server with which software application 224 is in communication. Typically, the identity of each patient in a healthcare facility is stored in an Admission, Discharge, and Transfer (ADT) server (not shown). This ADT server also stores the locations that have been assigned to each patient in the healthcare facility (i.e. the room number, bay number, or other specified location within the healthcare facility). Patient support apparatus server 84 sends an inquiry to the ADT server requesting the name (or other identifier) of the patient assigned to the location that was determined at step 294. The ADT server responds with this patient name (or other identifier).

[0218] After receiving the patient’s name (or other identifier) at step 296, patient support apparatus server 84 retrieves one or more pieces of information about the patient at step 298 of algorithm 290 (FIG. 10) The particular pieces of patient information that are retrieved at step 298 can be customized by an authorized user of display system 200. That is, software application 224 is adapted to interact with one or more computers via network 80, and authorized users of those computers can instruct software application 224 which specific pieces of patient information they want displayed as part of algorithm 290. Thepieces of information that can be selected include one or more patient vital signs, patient weight, patient height, patient name, patient pronouns, patient age, a schedule for the patient, a diagnosis for the patient, and / or still other information about the patient.

[0219] At step 298, software application 224 retrieves the user-specified patient information Typically this patient information is retrieved via communication with the EHR server 212. That is, software application 224 reads the patient information from EHR server 212. If any of the patient information is stored in a server other than EHR server 212, software application 224 communicates with those other servers in order to retrieve this other patient information. After retrieving the patient information at step 298, software application 224 proceeds to step 300 (FIG. 10).

[0220] At step 300, software application 224 proceeds to display the patient information on one or more displays positioned on, or adjacent to, patient support apparatus 20 The particular display(s) on which this patient information is to be displayed is also customizable by the user of software application 224 Software application 224 displays the patient information on the selected display(s) by transmitting the patient information to the patient support apparatus 20 and instructing controller 134 of patient support apparatus 20 to carry out the corresponding display of the patient information, and / or by transmitting the patient information directly to one or more display devices (e.g. location beacon 60a, mobile device 98a, badge 202, and / or display 260) directly without using patient support apparatus 20 as a communication intermediary. The direct transmission of the patient information is carried out through network 80, one or more access point 82, and the network transceivers of the corresponding device (e.g. network transceiver 216 of camera unit 204 and network transceivers that may be included within mobile device 98a and / or badge 202 (not shown)).

[0221] When software application 224 transmits the patient information to patient support apparatus 20, it may include instructions to controller 134 specifying which display(s) the patient information should be displayed on. If the specified display(s) include any display that is not positioned onboard patient support apparatus 20, controller 134 forwards the patient information to the corresponding device with the specified display (e.g. to location beacon 60a). The corresponding device then displays the received patient information on its corresponding display. In this manner, when a healthcare worker, such as, but not limited to, a caregiver enters a patient’s room, or otherwise walks within a defined proximity to patient support apparatus 20, the healthcare worker will see automatically see information about the patient displayed on one or more displays. This enables the healthcare worker to easily see certain relevant pieces of information regarding the patient at or near the moment the healthcare worker is approaching the patient.

[0222] It will be understood that the patient information that is displayed at step 300 does not all need to be displayed on the same display(s) That is, software application 224 can be configured to display a first set of patient information on a first set of one or more displays and a second set of patient information on a second set of one or more displays. And, of course, second display algorithm 290 can be mixed in any manner with first display algorithm 270 so that any desired combination of patient information can be displayed either with, or separately from, the caregiver information of first display algorithm 270 (e.g. name 262, title 264, and / or preferred pronouns 266t).

[0223] After displaying all of the specified patient information at step 300, algorithm 290 moves to step 302, where it detects if the healthcare worker has left the vicinity of patient support apparatus 20. If so, it moves to steps 304 and 306. If not, it returns to step 300 and continues to display the patient information. Step 302 is carried out in the same manner as step 280 of algorithm 270.

[0224] If patient support apparatus controller 134 detects at step 302 that the healthcare worker has left the vicinity of patient support apparatus 20, it moves to step 302 where it consults customization information stored in memory 136 and / or in memory accessible to patient support apparatus server 84 Such customization data may be specified by an authorized user ofdisplay system 200. The customization data dictates what patient information, if any, is to continue to be displayed after the healthcare worker leaves the vicinity of patient support apparatus 20, and what patient information, is to not be displayed after the healthcare worker leaves the vicinity of the patient support apparatus 20. Thus, for example, if the patient information includes a patient schedule, it may be advisable for the patient schedule to remain displayed for the benefit of the patient, who has not left the room (or the vicinity of patient support apparatus 20). Alternatively, other information, such as the patient’s breathing rate or blood pressure, may not be of interest to the patient, and if the breathing rate or blood pressure was automatically displayed in response to the caregiver approaching the patient support apparatus 20, the customization data may specify that the breathing rate and / or blood pressure should cease to be displayed after the healthcare worker has left the patient’s room (or the vicinity of patient support apparatus 20)

[0225] After consulting the customization data at step 304, algorithm 290 moves to step 306 where software application 224 and / or patient support apparatus controller 134 send one or more clearance messages to the one or more devices that are displaying patient information that is to no longer be displayed, as defined in the customization data Thus, as one example, patient support apparatus controller 134 may send a clearance message at step 306 to display 260 (and / or to camera unit 204) instructing display 260 to stop displaying the patient’s blood pressure and / or breathing rate. Similarly, at step 306, patient support apparatus controller 134 may send a clearance message to display 52 onboard patient support apparatus 20 instructing it to stop displaying the patient’s breathing rate and / or blood pressure. As a result, one or more displays will no longer display certain patient information in response to the healthcare worker leaving the vicinity of patient support apparatus 20. After completing step 306, algorithm 290 returns to step 292 and repeats.

[0226] It will be understood that some or all of the patient information that is displayed as part of algorithm 290 may be of more interest to the healthcare worker than to the patient, and vice versa Accordingly, algorithms 270 and 290 may specify different displaying their respective information (i e. caregiver information versus patient information). In general, algorithm 290 is configured to display patient information on one or more displays that are easily seen by the caregiver, but not necessarily the patient. Conversely, algorithm 270 is configured to display caregiver information on one or more displays that are easily seen by the patient. Accordingly, the displays used for algorithms 270 and 290 may be different, although they may overlap, or be the same, in some versions. Further, some patient information may also, or alternatively, be desirable seen by the patient, such as the patient’s schedule, in which case such information may be more usefully displayed on a display that is more easily seen by the patient, rather than the caregiver. Software application 224 may be customized to select the particular displays for a particular room or bay based on the physical position of camera unit 204 (and display 260) and / or the physical position of location beacon 60a in that particular room or bay so that the information displayed in algorithms 270 and / or 290 is more easily seen by the intended recipient of that information.

[0227] FIG. 12 provides one example of the type of information that may be displayed on display 260 as part of second display algorithm 290. FIG. 12 shows display 260 displaying all or a portion of a patient’s schedule 268 and a patient’s blood pressure 288. Other types of patient information may also, or alternatively, be displayed, and other displays (e.g. display 52, display 112, and / or display 160) may also, or alternatively, be used for displaying one or more pieces of patient information.

[0228] It will be understood that the use of the term “display” herein is not intended to limit the type of device that may display relevant information as part of algorithms 270 and / or 290. Thus, for example, any of the displays referenced herein may also, or alternatively, include one or more televisions, projection devices, and / or similar devices. Such televisions may be incommunication with patient support apparatus server 84 and / or patient support apparatus 20 via a network connection (e.g. a WiFi connection to an access point 82 or a cable connection to network 80).

[0229] It will also be understood that algorithm 270 may be repeated in situations where multiple caregivers enter a patient’s room at the same, thereby displaying to the patient each of the names of the caregivers who are present in the patient’s room Similarly, algorithm 290 may be repeated for multiple caregivers entering a patient’s room wherein different sets of patient information may be displayed for the different caregivers.

[0230] In summary, display system 200 is configured to sense which caregiver enters a room by ranging with the caregiver badge 202. Once the caregiver is inside the room, the patient support apparatus 20 may communicate with server 84 to reach any display in the room that is communicatively coupled to server 84 Patient support apparatus server 84, under the direction of software application 224, then communicates with the healthcare facility system and / or network 80 to reach the appropriate display device(s) Those devices will then show the appropriate caregiver and / or patient information Thus, for example, if a patient’s assigned nurse enters the room, the one or more display may show the nurse’s name and indicate she’s the assigned caregiver. If a doctor enters the room, display system 200 will show the doctor’s name and, in some cases, the purpose of the visit (as determined from information received from EHR server 212). If both a nurse and doctor enter the room, display system 200 may show both pieces of information If a transporter enters the room to take the patient to a procedure, display system 200 may automatically show the transporter’s name and which procedure that person is taking the patient to (as is also determined from information read from the EHR server 212). The display may also show the patient’s schedule for the day, for example, showing when imaging is scheduled, or which medication is needed at what time, allowed visit times, etc. System 200 therefore may keep the patient more informed above the team who is taking care of him / her and their schedule within the healthcare facility, and / or help keep the caregivers more informed about the patient.

[0231] In some versions, the patient information shown by algorithm 290 may include the patient’s name, title, and / or preferred pronouns for the caregiver to see automatically when entering the room. This display of the patient’s name, title, and / or pronouns may occur at the same time algorithm 270 displays the caregiver’s name, title, and / or preferred pronouns (in accordance with algorithm 270), or it may occur by itself. Whether combined or separately performed, the display of the caregiver’s information may be displayed on a display more easily seen by the patient, and the display of the patient information may be displayed on a display more easily seen by the caregiver, as was noted previously.

[0232] It will also be understood that, in some versions of display system 200, algorithm 270 and / or 290 may choose what display(s) to display patient and / or caregiver information on based on the distance between patient support apparatus 20 and another device having a display (e.g. badge 202, mobile device 98a, location beacon 60a, etc.). Thus, for example, controller 134 and / or software application 224 may display the caregiver’s name on mobile device 98a as part of algorithm 270, but only if mobile device 98a is positioned within a threshold distance of patient support apparatus 20. If it is not positioned within that threshold distance (which may be different from the other threshold distances discussed herein), then controller 134 and / or software application 224 may omit sending a display message to mobile device 98a. Similarly, if a location beacon 60a is more than a threshold distance away from patient support apparatus 20, controller 134 and / or software application 224 may determine that any display of patient and / or caregiver information will not be sent to that location beacon 60a. However, if the location beacon 60a or mobile device 98a are positioned within their respective threshold distances (which may be the same or different), then controller 134 and / or software application 224 will send a display message to these devices instructing them to display the appropriate patient and / or caregiver information on their respective displays 112 and 160.

[0233] 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

[0234] 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

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A location beacon for a healthcare facility comprising:a housing adapted to be mounted to a wall;a display adapted to visually display a location indicator indicative of a location of the location beacon within the healthcare facility;a memory in which an ID unique to the location beacon is stored;a wireless transceiver adapted to communicate with a patient support apparatus; anda controller adapted to use the wireless transceiver to transmit the ID to the patient support apparatus when the patient support apparatus is positioned within a threshold distance of the location beacon and to not transmit the ID to the patient support apparatus when the patient support apparatus is positioned outside of the threshold distance.

2. The location beacon of claim 1 wherein the location indicator displayed on the display is adapted to be changeable by a user.

3. The location beacon of claim 1 further comprising a second transceiver adapted to receive a new location indicator, and wherein the controller is adapted to cause the display to stop visually displaying the location indicator on the display and to start visually displaying the new location indicator on the display.

4. The location beacon of claim 3 wherein the second transceiver is a wireless network transceiver adapted to communicate with a local area network of the healthcare facility.

5. The location beacon of claim 3 wherein the second transceiver is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) transceiver adapted to communicate with at least one of a cell phone or portable computer.

6. The location beacon of claim 3 further including an antenna; wherein the second transceiver is adapted to wirelessly communicate with a cell phone; and the controller is adapted to use the antenna to harvest electrical power from the cell phone.

7. The location beacon of claim 1 wherein the display is an electronic ink display.

8. The location beacon of claim 1 wherein the wireless transceiver is an ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver adapted to use ultra-wideband communications to determine a distance between the patient support apparatus and the location beacon.

9. The location beacon of claim 8 wherein the controller is adapted to transmit the ID to the patient support apparatus when the determined distance is less than the threshold distance and to not transmit the ID to the patient support apparatus when the determined distance it less than the threshold distance10. The location beacon of claim 2 wherein the controller is adapted to automatically change the ID in response to the user changing the location indicator.

11. The location beacon of claim 1 wherein the location indicator and the ID are the same and can be changed by a user.

12. The location beacon of claim 1 wherein the controller is adapted to receive a new location indicator from the patient support apparatus and to instruct the display to replace the location indicator with the new location indicator on the display13 The location beacon of claim 1 wherein the location indicator includes alphanumeric characters14. The location beacon of claim 1 wherein the location indicator includes a word15. The location beacon of claim 1 wherein the display is adapted to be powered from a first power source and the wireless transceiver is adapted to be powered from a second power source different from the first power source16. The location beacon of claim 15 wherein the first power source is an external power source positioned outside of the housing and the second power source includes a battery positioned inside of the housing.

17. The location beacon of claim 16 wherein the external power source is contained within at least one of a cell phone or a portable computer.

18. The location beacon of claim 1 wherein the wireless transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver.

19. The location beacon of claim 12 further including a second wireless transceiver and the controller is adapted to receive the new location indicator from the patient support apparatus via the second wireless transceiver.

20. The location beacon of claim 19 wherein the wireless transceiver is an ultra-wideband transceiver and the second wireless transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver.

21. The location beacon of claim 1 further including a catch adapted to support the housing on a hook attached to the wall22. The location beacon of claim 1 further including a second controller adapted to change the location indicator displayed on the display.

23. The location beacon of claim 22 further comprising a second housing, wherein the display and the second controller are located inside the housing; the memory, the wireless transceiver, and the controller are located inside the second housing; and the second housing is adapted to be detached from the housing.

24. The location beacon of claim 23 wherein the second controller is adapted to allow the location indicator to be changed while the second housing is detached from the housing.

25. The location beacon of claim 2 further including a light, and wherein the controller is adapted to illuminate the light in response to receiving a message from the patient support apparatus indicative of a patient calling a remotely positioned nurse26. The location beacon of claim 2 further including a light, and wherein the controller is adapted to illuminate the light in response to receiving a message from the patient support apparatus indicative of an exit detection system of the patient support apparatus issuing an exit alert.

27. A system for providing location information comprising a patient support apparatus and a location beacon adapted to be mounted to a wall, the location beacon comprising:(a) a housing adapted to be mounted to the wall;(b) a display adapted to visually display a first location indicator indicative of a location of the location beacon within a healthcare facility;(c) a first wireless transceiver adapted to communicate with the patient support apparatus; and (d) a first controller;wherein the patient support apparatus comprises:(i) a support surface adapted to support a patient thereon;(ii) a second wireless transceiver adapted to communicate with the first wireless transceiver;(iii) a control panel adapted to receive a second location indicator; and(iv) a second controller adapted to transmit the second location indicator to the location beacon using the second wireless transceiver;wherein the first controller is adapted to cause the display to change to visually displaying the second location indicator.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the location beacon includes a memory in which an ID unique to the location beacon is stored, and the first controller is adapted to transmit the ID to the patient support apparatus when the patient support apparatus is positioned within a threshold distance of the location beacon and to not transmit the ID to the patient support apparatus when the patient support apparatus is positioned outside of the threshold distance.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the location beacon includes a third transceiver and the first controller is adapted to use the third transceiver to transmit the ID to the patient support apparatus when the patient support apparatus is positioned within the threshold distance of the location beacon.

30. The system of claim 28 wherein the location beacon includes a third transceiver and the first controller is adapted to use the third transceiver to determine a distance between the patient support apparatus and the location beacon.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein the first controller is adapted to transmit the ID to the patient support apparatus using the first wireless transceiver when the distance is less than the threshold distance32 The system of claim 27 wherein the location beacon includes a network transceiver adapted to communicate with a local area network of the healthcare facility, and wherein the first controller is adapted to receive a third location indicator from a server on the local area network and to cause the display to change to visually displaying the third location indicator.

33. The system of claim 27 wherein the location beacon includes a Universal Serial Bus (USB) transceiver adapted to communicate with at least one of a cell phone or a portable computer, and wherein the first controller is adapted to receive a third location indicator from the at least one of the cell phone or portable computer and to cause the display to change to visually displaying the third location indicator34. The system of claim 28 wherein the location beacon includes an antenna and the first controller is adapted to use the antenna to harvest electrical power from a cell phone.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein the first controller is adapted to wirelessly communicate with the cell phone and to receive a third location indicator from the cell phone.

36. The system of claim 27 wherein the display is an electronic ink display.

37. The system of claim 28 wherein the location beacon includes a first ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver adapted to communicate with a second UWB transceiver aboard the patient support apparatus and to use the first UWB transceiver to determine a distance between the patient support apparatus and the location beacon38. The system of claim 37 wherein the first controller is adapted to automatically change the ID in response to the display changing to visually displaying the second location indicator.

39. The system of claim 38 wherein the first location indicator and the ID are the same.

40. Th system of claim 27 wherein the first location indicator includes alphanumeric characters.

41. The system of claim 40 wherein the first location indicator includes a word.

42. The system of claim 29 wherein the display is adapted to be powered from a first power source and the third transceiver is adapted to be powered from a second power source different from the first power source.

43. The system of claim 42 wherein the first power source is an external power source positioned outside of the housing and the second power source includes a battery positioned inside of the housing.44 The system of claim 43 wherein the external power source is contained within at least one of a cell phone or a portable computer45. The system of claim 27 wherein the first and second wireless transceivers are Bluetooth transceivers.

46. The system of claim 27 wherein the location beacon includes a catch adapted to support the housing on a hook attached to the wall.

47. The system of claim 27 wherein the location beacon includes a memory in which an ID unique to the location beacon is stored and a third controller, the third controller adapted to transmit the ID to the patient support apparatus when the patient support apparatus is positioned within a threshold distance of the location beacon and to not transmit the ID to the patient support apparatus when the patient support apparatus is positioned outside of the threshold distance.

48. The system of claim 47 wherein the location beacon includes a second housing, wherein the display and the first controller are located inside the housing; the memory and the third controller are located inside the second housing; and the second housing is adapted to be detached from the housing.

49. The system of claim 48 wherein the first controller is adapted to change the first location indicator while the second housing is detached from the housing.

50. The system of claim 27 wherein the location beacon includes a light, and the first controller is adapted to illuminate the light in response to receiving a message from the patient support apparatus indicative of a patient calling a remotely positioned nurse.

51. The system of claim 27 wherein the location beacon includes a light, and the first controller is adapted to illuminate the light in response to receiving a message from the patient support apparatus indicative of an exit detection system of the patient support apparatus issuing an exit alert.

52. The system of claim 28 further comprising a server in communication with the patient support apparatus, wherein the second controller is adapted to transmit the ID to the server and the server is adapted to correlate the ID to the second location indicator.

53. The system of claim 52 wherein the second controller is adapted to transmit patient support apparatus data to the server, and the server is adapted to transmit the second location indicator and the patient support apparatus data to an electronic device adapted to display the patient support apparatus data in association with the second location indicator54 The system of claim 52 wherein the server is adapted to transmit a third location indicator to the patient support apparatus, the second controller is adapted to transmit the third location indicator to the location beacon, and the first controller is adapted to cause the display to change to visually displaying the third location indicator55. A patient support apparatus comprising:a frame;a support surface supported on the frame and adapted to support a patient thereon;a proximity sensor adapted to detect when a caregiver’s badge is positioned within a range of the patient support apparatus; anda controller in communication with the proximity sensor, the controller adapted to automatically transmit a display message in response to the caregiver's badge being positioned within the range of the patient support apparatus, the display message causing a display positioned within viewing distance of the patient support apparatus to display at least one of the following: a name of the caregiver associated with the caregiver badge, a vital sign of the patient, or a schedule for the patient.

56. The patient support apparatus of claim 55 wherein the proximity sensor includes an ultra-wideband transceiver adapted to determine a distance between the ultra-wideband transceiver and the caregiver’s badge.

57. The patient support apparatus of claim 55 wherein the proximity sensor includes a Bluetooth transceiver adapted to determine a distance between the Bluetooth transceiver and the caregiver’s badge.

58. The patient support apparatus of claim 55 wherein the controller is adapted to transmit the display message to a server, the server adapted to determine the name of the caregiver associated with the caregiver badge and to transmit the name to the display.

59. The patient support apparatus of claim 58 wherein the server is adapted to communicate with an Electronic Health Records server to determine the schedule for the patient, and to transmit the schedule to the display for displaying thereon.

60. The patient support apparatus of claim 55 further including a network transceiver adapted to communicate with a server, the controller adapted to retrieve the caregiver’s name from the server using the network transceiver and to transmit the display message to a location beacon, wherein the display is positioned on the location beacon.

61. The patient support apparatus of claim 60 wherein the controller is adapted to retrieve a schedule for the patient from the server using the network transceiver, and to transmit the schedule to the location beacon for displaying on the display.

62. The patient support apparatus of claim 60 wherein the controller is adapted to retrieve the vital sign for the patient from the server using the network transceiver, and to transmit the vital sign to the location beacon for displaying on the display.63 The patient support apparatus of claim 55 wherein the controller is adapted to automatically perform the following in response to the proximity sensor detecting that the caregiver's badge is no longer positioned within the range of the patient support apparatus: transmit a clearance message, the clearance message causing the display to stop displaying the name of the caregiver.

64. The patient support apparatus of claim 55 further including a network transceiver adapted to communicate with a server, wherein the controller is adapted to perform the following:retrieve the caregiver's name from the server using the network transceiver;use the proximity sensor to determine if a mobile electronic device is positioned within a threshold distance of the patient support apparatus;transmit the display message to the mobile electronic device if the mobile electronic device is positioned within the threshold distance of the patient support apparatus; andnot transmit the display message to the mobile electronic device if the mobile electronic device is not positioned within the threshold distance of the patient support apparatus;wherein the display is positioned on the mobile electronic device.

65. The patient support apparatus of claim 64 wherein the controller is adapted to perform the following:retrieve a schedule for the patient from the server using the network transceiver;transmit the schedule to the mobile electronic device if the mobile electronic device is positioned within the threshold distance of the patient support apparatus; andnot transmit the schedule to the mobile electronic device if the mobile electronic device is not positioned within the threshold distance of the patient support apparatus.

66. The patient support apparatus of claim 64 wherein the controller is adapted to perform the following:retrieve a vital sign for the patient from the server using the network transceiver;transmit the vital sign to the mobile electronic device if the mobile electronic device is positioned within the threshold distance of the patient support apparatus; andnot transmit the vital sign to the mobile electronic device if the mobile electronic device is not positioned within the threshold distance of the patient support apparatus.

67. A system comprising a patient support apparatus, a proximity sensor, and a software application embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium;wherein the proximity sensor is adapted to detect when a caregiver’s badge is positioned within a range of the patient support apparatus;wherein the patient support apparatus includes:(a) a frame;(b) a support surface supported on the frame and adapted to support a patient thereon;(c) a network transceiver; and(d) a controller in communication with the network transceiver, the controller adapted to control operation of at least one function of the patient support apparatus;wherein the software application is adapted, when executed by a server, to instruct the server to communicate with the proximity sensor and, in response to a signal from the proximity sensor indicating the caregiver’s badge is positioned within the range of the patient support apparatus, to determine at least one of the following: (a) a name of the caregiver associated with the caregiver’s badge, (b) a vital sign of the patient, or (c) a schedule for the patient; the software application further adapted to instruct the server to transmit a display message to a display positioned within viewing distance of the patient support apparatus, the display message causing the display to display at least one of the following: the name of the caregiver associated with the caregiver badge, the vital sign of the patient, or the schedule for the patient.

68. The system of claim 67 wherein the controller is adapted to receive a location ID from a location beacon positioned within communication range of the patient support apparatus, and to transmit the location ID to the server using the network transceiver69. The system of claim 68 wherein the software application is adapted to instruct the server to determine a location of the patient support apparatus within a healthcare facility by consulting a memory in which correlation data is stored, the correlation data correlating the location ID to a particular location within the healthcare facility.

70. The system of claim 67 wherein the proximity sensor is integrated into the patient support apparatus.

71. The system of claim 70 wherein the proximity sensor includes an ultra-wideband transceiver adapted to determine a distance between the ultra-wideband transceiver and the caregiver’s badge.

72. The system of claim 70 wherein the proximity sensor includes a Bluetooth transceiver adapted to determine a distance between the Bluetooth transceiver and the caregiver’s badge.

73. The system of claim 67 wherein the proximity sensor includes a camera and an image processor, the camera having a field of view encompassing both the patient support apparatus and the range, and wherein the image processor is adapted to analyze images captured by the camera to determine when the caregiver’s badge is positioned within the range of the patient support apparatus.

74. The system of claim 67 wherein the proximity sensor is integrated into a location beacon adapted to transmit a location ID to the patient support apparatus.

75. The system of claim 67 wherein the proximity sensor includes an ultra-wideband transceiver adapted to determine a distance between the ultra-wideband transceiver and the caregiver’s badge.

76. The system of claim 67 wherein the proximity sensor includes a Bluetooth transceiver adapted to determine a distance between the Bluetooth transceiver and the caregiver’s badge77 The system of claim 68 wherein the software application is adapted to instruct the server to communicate with an Electronic Health Records server to determine the schedule for the patient and to transmit the schedule to the display for displaying thereon78. The system of claim 68 wherein the display is positioned on the location beacon.

79. The system of claim 78 wherein the software application is adapted to transmit the display message to the patient support apparatus, and the controller is adapted to forward the display message to the location beacon.

80. The system of claim 78 wherein the software application is adapted to transmit the display message to the location beacon without using the patient support apparatus as a communication intermediary.

81. The system of claim 68 wherein the software application is adapted to instruct the server to automatically transmit a clearance message in response to the proximity sensor detecting that the caregiver’s badge is no longer positioned within the range of the patient support apparatus, the clearance message causing the display to stop displaying the name of the caregiver.

82. The system of claim 68 wherein the software application is adapted to instruct the server to send the display message to the patient support apparatus, and the controller is adapted to perform the following:determine if a mobile electronic device is positioned within a threshold distance of the patient support apparatus; transmit the display message to the mobile electronic device if the mobile electronic device is positioned within the threshold distance of the patient support apparatus; andnot transmit the display message to the mobile electronic device if the mobile electronic device is not positioned within the threshold distance of the patient support apparatus;wherein the display is positioned on the mobile electronic device.

83. The system of claim 82 wherein the software application is adapted to instruct the server to send the display message to the patient support apparatus, and the controller is adapted to perform the following:determine if a location beacon is positioned within a threshold distance of the patient support apparatus;transmit the display message to the location beacon if the mobile electronic device is positioned within the threshold distance of the patient support apparatus; andnot transmit the display message to the location beacon if the mobile electronic device is not positioned within the threshold distance of the patient support apparatus;wherein the display is positioned on the location beacon.

84. The system of claim 82 wherein the threshold distance is different from the range.85 The system of claim 68 wherein the software application is adapted to instruct the server to display a customization option on a computer accessible to an authorized user of the system, the customization option adapted to allow the authorized user to select any one or more of the following:whether the display message includes the caregiver’s name;whether the display message includes the vital sign of the patient; orwhether the display message includes the schedule for the patient.

86. The system of claim 68 wherein the software application is adapted to instruct the server to display a customization option on a computer accessible to an authorized user of the system, the customization option adapted to allow the authorized user to select at least one of the following: a specific vital sign of the patient, types of events that appear or don't appear on the patient’s schedule, or extra information about the caregiver beyond the name of the caregiver.

87. The system of claim 68 wherein the software application is further adapted to instruct the server to display a customization option on a computer accessible to an authorized user of the system, the customization option adapted to allow the authorized user to add information to the display message beyond the name of the caregiver, the vital sign of the patient, and the schedule for the patient.

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