CN115705767B

CN115705767B - Wireless configuration and authorization of wall units paired with medical devices

Info

Publication number: CN115705767B
Application number: CN202210846045.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: J·M·威廉姆斯; V·A·塔迪帕特里; S·V·麦凯格; J·V·哈迈耶
Original assignee: Hill Rom Services Inc
Current assignee: Hill Rom Services Inc
Priority date: 2021-08-13
Filing date: 2022-07-18
Publication date: 2025-08-26
Anticipated expiration: 2042-07-18
Also published as: CN115705767A

Abstract

The present invention relates to initiating a time-based wireless pairing operation between a medical device, such as a hospital bed, and a wall module in the hospital room in response to insertion of a power plug of the medical device into a power socket carried by the wall module. The wall module or medical device compares the times determined by the medical device and the wall module's timer so that wireless pairing occurs only with the medical device inserted into the wall module. Different types of plug detectors in wall modules for detecting power plug connections include optical detectors, mechanical switches, and current sensors.

Description

Wireless configuration and authorization of wall units paired with medical devices

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to wireless pairing of medical devices with wall units in a patient room for wireless communication of device data. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to pairing between hospital beds and wall units for wireless communication of bed status data and alarms to nurse call systems and other systems of healthcare facilities.

Background

Well known hospital beds are configured to be coupled to a nurse call system by a wired connection, such as a nurse call cable. For example, hospital beds sold by Hill-Rom corporation are typically connected to a wall-mounted audio station bed connector (ASBS) or Bed Interface Unit (BIU) of a nurse call system by using nurse call cables with 37 pin connectors at opposite ends, respectively, such asThe nurse calls the system. If a caregiver forgets to disconnect the nurse call cable from the ASBC, BIU, or other similar type of wall module before attempting to move the patient bed to another location, the nurse call cable may be damaged if it is suddenly pulled out of the wall module. The joints on the wall modules or the wall modules themselves may also be damaged.

Today, hospital beds with wireless communication capabilities are already on the market. However, removing the wired connection to the wall module presents challenges with respect to wirelessly pairing a patient bed with an appropriate wall module in order to determine an appropriate bed in a healthcare facility. For beds connected to wall modules using cables in the prior art, bed Identification Data (ID) is typically sent to the wall module containing a location ID associated with the room location or some other ID (e.g., wall module ID, MAC address, etc.). The wall module transmits the bed ID received from the bed through the nurse call cable, together with the location ID stored in the wall module, to the nurse call system or some other location server capable of determining the bed location based on the received bed ID and location ID.

When a bed transmits a corresponding bed ID wirelessly, particularly when transmitting with Radio Frequency (RF) signals, the bed ID is often received at a plurality of wall modules or other fixed receiving units such as Wireless Access Points (WAPs), depending on the signal strength of the RF transmission or the wireless technology used for the RF transmission. Indeed, RF transmissions from the bed can in some cases pass through walls, ceilings and floors and then potentially be received by multiple wall modules, including those in disparate rooms. Thus, there is a continuing need to improve wireless pairing of medical devices such as hospital beds with wall modules in the hospital room.

Disclosure of Invention

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

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a system for use in a healthcare facility that may include a network and a nurse call system is provided. The system may include a medical device, and the medical device may have a first wireless transceiver, a first timer, and a power line that may terminate at a power plug. The medical device may have a first sensor to determine that the medical device is receiving power through the power plug and the power line. The system may further have a wall unit, which may be mounted in a fixed location in a hospital ward. The wall unit may have a second wireless transceiver and a second timer. The wall unit may be plugged into a first Alternating Current (AC) outlet of a healthcare facility. The wall unit may have a second AC socket into which the power plug of the medical device may be coupled. The wall unit may have an AC plug sensor that may sense insertion of the power plug into the second AC receptacle. In response to the first sensor sensing that the medical device is receiving power through the power plug and the power line, the first timer may initiate measuring the first uptime. In response to the power plug being plugged into a second AC outlet of the wall unit, a second timer may be started to measure a second uptime. The medical device may be configured to transmit an announcement including the first uptime from the first wireless transceiver to the wall unit. The wall unit may compare the first normal operation time to the second normal operation time, and if the first normal operation time is within a predetermined tolerance of the second normal operation time, the wall unit may send a pairing message to the medical device, which causes the wall unit to automatically pair with the medical device for subsequent wireless communication.

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

The present disclosure contemplates that the medical device of the first aspect may further comprise a first wireless fidelity (WiFi) transceiver that may be configured to transmit WiFi messages to and receive WiFi messages from at least one wireless access point of the network. Optionally, the first wireless transceiver may include a first bluetooth transceiver mountable to a first circuit board of the medical device, and the first WiFi transceiver may be mounted to a second circuit board of the medical device. Optionally, the wall unit may include a second WiFi transceiver that may be configured to send WiFi messages to and receive WiFi messages from at least one wireless access point of the network.

In some embodiments of the first aspect, the second wireless transceiver may comprise a second bluetooth transceiver, and the system may further comprise a first set of switches on the first circuit board and a second set of switches in the wall unit, wherein the first set of switches provides a first contact closure indicative of a plurality of states of the medical device. The second set of switches may have second contact closures that may be controlled by the controller of the wall unit to match the plurality of states of the first contact closures based on data that may be contained in bluetooth messages received by the second bluetooth transceiver from the first bluetooth transceiver.

Optionally, at least one second contact closure may be closed to control a television set in the patient room. Alternatively or additionally, at least one second contact closure may be closed to turn on a light in the patient room. Further alternatively or additionally, the medical device may comprise a hospital bed, the at least one second contact closure may be closed to indicate an alarm state of an out-of-bed system of the hospital bed. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device may comprise a hospital bed, and the at least one second contact closure may be closed to indicate that a sidebar of the hospital bed may have been moved to the lowered position. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device may comprise a hospital bed, and the at least one second contact closure may be closed to indicate that the hospital bed caster brake may be in a released condition. Alternatively or additionally, the medical device may comprise a hospital bed, the at least one second contact closure may be closed to indicate that the upper frame of the hospital bed may be lifted from a lowermost position. Further alternatively or additionally, the medical device may comprise a hospital bed, the at least one second contact closure may be closed to indicate that a nurse call button of the hospital bed has been pressed.

Optionally, the medical device of the first aspect may comprise a speaker and a microphone, and the first wireless transceiver and the second wireless transceiver may be configured to transmit and receive audio messages after the medical device is paired with the wall unit. Further optionally, the wall unit may comprise a light that may illuminate to indicate a pairing status between the medical device and the wall unit. For example, the lamp may surround the outer circumference of the second AC socket.

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

Optionally, the AC plug sensor of the wall unit may include a light emitter and a light detector that may cooperate to detect insertion of at least one prong of the power plug of the medical device into a second AC receptacle of the wall unit. For example, the light emitter may emit Infrared (IR) light in a generally horizontal direction for detection by the light detector, and the at least one pin may block the IR light from reaching the light detector after the power plug is plugged into the second AC outlet. Alternatively, the light emitter may emit Infrared (IR) light in a generally vertical direction for detection by the light detector, and the at least one pin may block the IR light from reaching the light detector after the power plug is plugged into the second AC receptacle.

In some embodiments of the first aspect, the AC plug sensor may include a mechanical switch that is movable from a first state to a second state in response to insertion of a power plug of the medical device into a second AC receptacle of the wall unit. For example, the mechanical switch may comprise a plug switch that may have a plug that may be pressed inwardly by a plug body of the power plug when the power plug is plugged into the second AC outlet. Alternatively or additionally, the AC plug sensor may comprise a current sensor to sense current flowing to at least one pin of the power plug after the power plug is inserted into the second AC socket of the wall unit.

The present disclosure further contemplates that the AC plug sensor of the wall unit may include a reader that may detect a tag that may be coupled to the power plug. If desired, the tag may carry a transponder that is readable by the reader. For example, the transponder may comprise a Near Field Communication (NFC) transponder. Optionally, the NFC transponder may be included in an NFC integrated circuit chip. Optionally, the reader may emit energy to drive the transponder such that the transponder sends a signal back to the reader.

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

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a wall unit may be configured for wireless communication with a medical device. The wall unit may further have a fixed position housing mountable in a hospital ward. The wireless transceiver and the timer may be carried by the housing. The wall unit may be configured to plug into a first Alternating Current (AC) receptacle of a healthcare facility. A second AC receptacle may be carried by the housing and a power plug of the medical device may be coupled into the second AC receptacle. An AC plug sensor may be carried by the housing and may be configured to sense insertion of a power plug of the medical device into the second AC receptacle. In response to the power plug being plugged into the second AC outlet of the wall unit, the timer may be started to measure the first uptime. The wireless transceiver of the wall unit may be configured to receive at least one transmission from the medical device that may include a second uptime. The wall unit may compare the first normal operation time with the second normal operation time, and if the first normal operation time is within a predetermined tolerance of the second normal operation time, the wall unit may send a pairing message to the medical device, which causes the wall unit to automatically pair with the medical device for subsequent wireless communication.

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

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

In some embodiments of the second aspect, the wall unit may further comprise a controller and a set of switches that may be carried by the housing. The set of switches may be configured to provide contact closure indicative of a plurality of states of the medical device based on data contained in a bluetooth message received from the medical device by the bluetooth transceiver.

Optionally, at least one contact closure may be closed to control a television set in the patient room. Alternatively or additionally, at least one contact closure may be closed to turn on a light in the patient room. Further alternatively or additionally, the medical device may comprise a hospital bed, and the at least one contact closure may be closed to indicate an alarm state of an out-of-bed system of the hospital bed. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device may include a patient bed, and the at least one contact closure may be closed to indicate that a sidebar of the patient bed is movable to the lowered position. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device may include a hospital bed, and the at least one contact closure may be closed to indicate that the hospital bed caster brake may be in a released condition. Alternatively or additionally, the medical device may comprise a hospital bed, the at least one contact closure may be closed to indicate that the upper frame of the hospital bed may be lifted from a lowermost position. Further alternatively or additionally, the medical device may comprise a hospital bed, the at least one second contact closure may be closed to indicate that a nurse call button of the hospital bed has been pressed.

Optionally, the medical device of the second aspect may comprise a speaker and a microphone, and the wireless transceiver may be configured to transmit and receive audio messages after the medical device is paired with the wall unit. Further optionally, the housing of the wall unit may carry a light that may illuminate to indicate a pairing status between the medical device and the wall unit. For example, the lamp may surround the outer circumference of the second AC socket.

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

Optionally, the AC plug sensor may include a light emitter and a light detector that may cooperate to detect insertion of at least one prong of a power plug of the medical device into the second AC receptacle. For example, the light emitter may emit Infrared (IR) light in a generally horizontal direction for detection by the light detector, and the at least one pin may block the IR light from reaching the light detector after the power plug is plugged into the second AC outlet. Alternatively, the light emitter may emit Infrared (IR) light in a generally vertical direction for detection by the light detector, and the at least one pin may block the IR light from reaching the light detector after the power plug is plugged into the second AC receptacle.

In some embodiments of the second aspect, the AC plug sensor may include a mechanical switch that is movable from a first state to a second state in response to insertion of a power plug of the medical device into the second AC receptacle. For example, the mechanical switch may comprise a plug switch that may have a plug that may be pressed inwardly by a plug body of the power plug when the power plug is plugged into the second AC outlet. Alternatively or additionally, the AC plug sensor may include a current sensor to sense current flowing to at least one pin of the power plug after the power plug is inserted into the second AC receptacle.

The present disclosure further contemplates that the AC plug sensor may include a reader that may detect a tag that may be coupled to the power plug. Optionally, the reader may be configured to detect the tag by reading a transponder that may be carried by the tag. For example, the reader may be configured to detect the tag by reading a Near Field Communication (NFC) transponder that may be carried by the tag. Optionally, the reader may emit energy to drive the NFC transponder such that the NFC transponder sends a signal back to the reader.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a system for use in a healthcare facility having a network may include a medical device that may have a first wireless transceiver, a first timer, and a first sensor. The system may further comprise a communication unit. The first sensor is operable to determine that the medical device can be hardwired to the communication unit via a wire. The communication unit may have a second wireless transceiver and a second timer. The communication unit may have a port coupleable with a wiring of the medical device. The communication unit may have a wiring sensor to sense that the communication unit may be hardwired to the medical device via the port. In response to the first sensor sensing that the medical device may be hardwired to the communication unit via the wire, the first timer may initiate measuring the first hardwired time. In response to the wire being inserted into the port, the second timer may initiate measuring a second hard-wire connection time. The medical device may be configured to transmit an announcement including a first hard-wired connection time from the first wireless transceiver to the communication unit. The communication unit may compare the first hard-wired connection time to the second hard-wired connection time, and if the first hard-wired connection time is within a predetermined tolerance of the second hard-wired connection time, the communication unit may send a pairing message to the medical device, which may cause the communication unit to automatically pair with the medical device for subsequent wireless communication.

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

Optionally, the communication unit may determine whether to initiate unpairing with the medical device based on device data received by the second wireless transceiver from the first wireless transceiver of the medical device. For example, the medical device may include a frame and casters coupleable to the frame, and at least one of the communication unit and the medical device may initiate de-pairing based on device data indicating that the caster brakes are releasable. Alternatively or additionally, at least one of the communication unit and the medical device may initiate the unpairing based on device data indicating that the wiring of the medical device has been disconnected.

In some embodiments of the third aspect, the wiring sensor of the communication unit may comprise a light emitter and a light detector, both of which may cooperate to detect the presence of wiring. Alternatively, the wiring sensor may comprise a mechanical switch movable from a first state to a second state in response to insertion of a wiring. Further alternatively, the wiring sensor may include a current sensor to sense current flowing into the wiring. Still further alternatively, the wiring sensor of the communication unit may comprise a reader, which may detect a tag coupleable to the wiring.

According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a system for use in a healthcare facility having a network and a nurse call system may include a medical device that may have a first wireless transceiver, a first timer, and a power line that may terminate in a power plug. The medical device may have a first sensor to determine that the medical device is receiving power through the power plug and the power line. The system may further have a wall unit that may be installed in a fixed location in a hospital ward. The wall unit may have a second wireless transceiver and a second timer. The wall unit may receive AC power from the medical facility. The wall unit may carry an AC outlet into which a power plug of the medical device may be coupled. The wall unit may have an AC plug sensor that senses insertion of the power plug into the AC outlet. In response to the first sensor sensing that the medical device may be receiving power through the power plug and the power line, the first timer may initiate measuring the first uptime. The second timer may initiate measuring a second uptime in response to the AC plug sensor of the wall unit sensing the power plug. The wall unit may be configured to transmit an announcement, which may include a second uptime, from the second wireless transceiver to the medical device. The medical device may compare the second normal operation time to the first normal operation time, and if the second normal operation time is within a predetermined tolerance of the first normal operation time, the medical device may send a pairing message to the wall unit, which may cause the wall unit to automatically pair with the medical device for subsequent wireless communication.

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

In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the second wireless transceiver may comprise a second bluetooth transceiver, and the system may further comprise a first set of switches on the first circuit board and a second set of switches in the wall unit, wherein the first set of switches provides a first contact closure indicative of a plurality of states of the medical device. The second set of switches may have second contact closures that may be controlled by the controller of the wall unit to match the plurality of states of the first contact closures based on data that may be contained in bluetooth messages received by the second bluetooth transceiver from the first bluetooth transceiver.

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

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

Optionally, the AC plug sensor of the wall unit may comprise a light emitter and a light detector, which may cooperate to detect insertion of at least one pin of the plug body of the power line or the power plug of the medical device into the AC socket of the wall unit. For example, the light emitter may emit Infrared (IR) light in a generally horizontal direction for detection by the light detector, while the plug body or the at least one pin may block the IR light from reaching the light detector after the power plug is plugged into the AC outlet. Alternatively, the light emitter may emit Infrared (IR) light in a generally vertical direction for detection by the light detector, and the plug body or the at least one pin may block the IR light from reaching the light detector after the power plug is inserted into the AC outlet.

In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the AC plug sensor may comprise a mechanical switch that is movable from a first state to a second state in response to insertion of a power plug of the medical device into an AC receptacle of the wall unit. For example, the mechanical switch may comprise a plug switch that may have a plug that may be pressed inwardly by a plug body of the power plug when the power plug is inserted into the AC receptacle. Alternatively or additionally, the AC plug sensor may comprise a current sensor to sense current flowing to at least one pin of the power plug after the power plug is inserted into the AC socket of the wall unit.

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

According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a medical device may be configured to wirelessly communicate with a wall unit in a healthcare facility and may include a frame configurable for transport within the healthcare facility, a control line loadable by the frame, and a wireless transceiver and timer loadable by the frame and coupleable to the control line. The medical device may have a power cord, which may include a power plug that may be configured to plug into an AC outlet that may be carried by a wall unit. The medical device may also have an AC plug sensor that may be carried by the frame and may be configured to sense that a power plug of the medical device is pluggable into the AC outlet. In response to the power plug being plugged into the AC outlet of the wall unit, the timer may be started to measure a first uptime. The wireless transceiver may be configured to receive at least one transmission from the wall unit that may include a second uptime. The control circuitry of the medical device may be configured to compare the first normal operation time to the second normal operation time, and if the first normal operation time is within a predetermined tolerance of the second normal operation time, the control circuitry may instruct the wireless transceiver to send a pairing message to the medical device, which may cause the wall unit to automatically pair with the medical device for subsequent wireless communication.

In some embodiments of the fifth aspect, the wireless transceiver may comprise a bluetooth transceiver. Optionally, the medical device may further include a set of switches that may be carried by the frame and may be coupled to the control circuitry. The set of switches may be configured to provide contact closure indicative of a plurality of states of the medical device. The control line may be configured to instruct the bluetooth transceiver to transmit a bluetooth message, which may include data regarding the contact closure positions of the set of switches.

Optionally, at least one contact closure may be closed to control a television set in the patient room. Alternatively or additionally, at least one contact closure may be closed to turn on a light in the patient room. Further alternatively or additionally, the medical device may comprise a hospital bed, and the at least one contact closure may be closed to indicate an alarm state of an out-of-bed system of the hospital bed. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device may include a patient bed, and the at least one contact closure may be closed to indicate that a sidebar of the patient bed is movable to the lowered position. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device may include a hospital bed, and the at least one contact closure may be closed to indicate that the hospital bed caster brake may be in a released condition. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device may comprise a hospital bed, the frame may comprise an upper frame, and the at least one contact closure may be closed to indicate that the upper frame of the hospital bed has been raised from a lowermost position. Alternatively or additionally, the medical device may comprise a hospital bed, at least one contact closure may be closed to indicate to a nurse of the hospital bed that a call button may have been pressed.

In some embodiments of the fifth aspect, the medical device may include a speaker and a microphone, and the wireless transceiver may be configured to transmit and receive the audio message after the medical device is paired with the wall unit. The medical device of the fifth aspect may further comprise a Graphical User Interface (GUI) loadable by the frame and coupleable to the control circuitry. In these embodiments, the control circuitry may be configured to instruct the GUI to display information indicative of a pairing status between the medical device and the wall unit.

Optionally, the medical device of the fifth aspect is unpaired from the wall unit in response to receiving a unpaired message from the wall unit. For example, the unpaired message may be generated by the wall unit based on device data that may be included in the wireless communication of the medical device to the wall unit. In some embodiments of the fifth aspect, the medical device may further comprise casters coupleable to the frame, and the wall unit may initiate de-pairing based on device data indicating that the caster brakes are releasable. Alternatively, the wall unit may initiate the unpairing based on device data indicating that the power plug of the medical device may have been unplugged. For example, an AC plug sensor of the medical device may sense that the power plug may have been unplugged from an AC outlet of the wall unit.

According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a system for use in a healthcare facility having a network may include a medical device that may have a first wireless transceiver, a first timer, and a first sensor. The system may also have a communication unit. The first sensor is operable to determine that the medical device can be hardwired to the communication unit via a wire. The communication unit may have a second wireless transceiver and a second timer. The communication unit may have a port coupleable with a wiring of the medical device. The communication unit may have a wiring sensor to sense that the communication unit may be hardwired to the medical device via the port. In response to the first sensor sensing that the medical device may be hardwired to the communication unit via the wire, the first timer may initiate measuring the first hardwired time. In response to the wire being inserted into the port, the second timer may initiate measuring a second hard-wire connection time. The medical device may be configured to transmit an announcement including a first hard-wired connection time from the first wireless transceiver to the communication unit. The communication unit may compare the first hard-wired connection time to the second hard-wired connection time, and if the first hard-wired connection time is within a predetermined tolerance of the second hard-wired connection time, the communication unit may send a pairing message to the medical device, which may cause the communication unit to automatically pair with the medical device for subsequent wireless communication.

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

In some embodiments of the sixth aspect, the wiring sensor of the communication unit may comprise a light emitter and a light detector, both of which may cooperate to detect the presence of wiring. Alternatively, the wiring sensor may comprise a mechanical switch movable from a first state to a second state in response to insertion of a wiring. Further alternatively, the wiring sensor may include a current sensor to sense current flowing into the wiring. Still further alternatively, the wiring sensor of the communication unit may comprise a reader, which may detect a tag coupleable to the wiring.

According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a system for use in a healthcare facility having a network may include a medical device that may have a first wireless transceiver, a first timer, and a first sensor. The system may further comprise a communication unit. The first sensor is operable to determine that the medical device can be hardwired to the communication unit via a wire. The communication unit may have a second wireless transceiver and a second timer. The communication unit may have a port coupleable with a wiring of the medical device. The communication unit may have a wiring sensor to sense that the communication unit may be hardwired to the medical device via the port. In response to the first sensor sensing that the medical device may be hardwired to the communication unit via the wire, the first timer may initiate measuring the first hardwired time. In response to the wire being inserted into the port, the second timer may initiate measuring a second hard-wire connection time. The communication unit may be configured to transmit an announcement, which may include a second hard-wired connection time, from the second wireless transceiver to the medical device. The medical device may compare the second hard-wired connection time to the first hard-wired connection time, and if the second hard-wired connection time is within a predetermined tolerance of the first hard-wired connection time, the medical device may send a pairing message to the communication unit, which may cause the communication unit to automatically pair with the medical device for subsequent wireless communication.

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

In some embodiments of the seventh aspect, the wiring sensor of the communication unit may comprise a light emitter and a light detector, both of which may cooperate to detect the presence of wiring. Alternatively, the wiring sensor may comprise a mechanical switch movable from a first state to a second state in response to insertion of a wiring. Further alternatively, the wiring sensor may include a current sensor to sense current flowing into the wiring. Still further alternatively, the wiring sensor of the communication unit may comprise a reader, which may detect a tag coupleable to the wiring.

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

In some embodiments of the eighth aspect, during the first wireless pairing mode, at least one BLE advertisement may be transmitted from the first device to the second device. The at least one BLE advertisement may include vendor data that may identify a vendor of the first device. Optionally, the BLE advertisement may further include a first uptime that may indicate a first amount of time, which may be an elapsed time after the first device sensed the hard-wired connection. Further optionally, the second device may be configured to determine a second normal operation time that may be indicative of a second amount of time, which may be an elapsed time after the second device sensed the hard-wired connection.

Optionally, the second device of the eighth aspect may be configured to compare the first normal run time to the second normal run time and to wirelessly pair the first device with the second device based on a set of conditions that (i) the first normal run time is within a threshold amount of time of the second normal run time, and (ii) vendor data matches authorized device data stored in the second device memory. The at least one BLE advertisement may include a Medium Access Control (MAC) address of the first device. If the set of conditions (i) and (ii) is satisfied, the second device may store the MAC address of the first device in memory, the second device may be configured to send a BR/EDR pairing message to the first device during the second wireless pairing mode, the BR/EDR pairing message may include the MAC address of the first device.

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

The present disclosure contemplates that the first device may comprise a hospital bed and the second device may comprise a wall unit mountable in a fixed location in a healthcare facility. In these embodiments of the eighth aspect, the hard-wired connection may comprise a power line of a hospital bed, which may be configured to plug into an AC socket that may be carried by the wall unit. The system of the eighth aspect may further comprise a nurse call line extending from the wall unit. The nurse call line may terminate at a first nurse call connector, which may be configured to connect to a nurse call port of the nurse call system.

According further to the eighth aspect, the first device may comprise a wall unit mountable in a fixed position in a medical facility, and the second device may comprise a hospital bed. In these embodiments, the hard-wired connection may include a power line of the hospital bed, which may be configured to plug into an AC outlet that may be carried by a wall unit. Further, a nurse call line may extend from the wall unit, and the nurse call line may terminate at a first nurse call connector, which may be configured to connect to a nurse call port of the nurse call system.

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

In some embodiments of the ninth aspect, the first device may comprise a hospital bed and the second device may comprise a medical monitor. Optionally, the hard-wired connection may include Universal Serial Bus (USB) wiring. Further optionally, the bluetooth pairing operation may include the patient bed sending bluetooth notifications to the medical monitor including the first uptime, and the medical monitor scanning for the bluetooth notifications.

Optionally, the medical monitor of the ninth aspect may be configured to subtract the first normal operation time from the second normal operation time to determine a normal operation time difference and compare the normal operation time difference to a threshold value to compare the first normal operation time to the second normal operation time. If the normal run time difference is less than the threshold, the medical monitor may send a pairing message to the hospital bed to wirelessly pair the medical monitor with the hospital bed. After the patient bed is paired with the medical monitor, the medical monitor may send monitoring data to the patient bed for display on a Graphical User Interface (GUI) of the patient bed.

In some embodiments of the ninth aspect, the bluetooth pairing operation may include the medical monitor sending bluetooth notifications to the hospital bed that may include the second uptime, which the hospital bed may scan. Optionally, the patient bed may be configured to subtract the first normal operation time from the second normal operation time to determine a normal operation time difference and compare the normal operation time difference to a threshold value to compare the first normal operation time to the second normal operation time. If the normal run time difference is less than the threshold, the patient bed may send a pairing message to the medical monitor to wirelessly pair the medical monitor with the patient bed. After the patient bed is paired with the medical monitor, the medical monitor may send monitoring data to the patient bed for display on a Graphical User Interface (GUI) of the patient bed.

The present disclosure further contemplates that the first device may comprise a mobile phone and the second device may comprise a speaker unit. Optionally, the hard-wired connection may include a wiring that may have a first connector at one end and a second connector at an opposite end. The first joint and the second joint may be of different types. The bluetooth pairing operation may include the mobile phone sending bluetooth announcements, which may include the first uptime, to the speaker unit, which may scan for these bluetooth announcements. Optionally, the speaker unit may be configured to subtract the first normal operation time from the second normal operation time to determine a normal operation time difference, and compare the normal operation time difference with a threshold value, thereby comparing the first normal operation time with the second normal operation time. If the normal run time difference is less than the threshold, the speaker unit may send a pairing message to the mobile phone to wirelessly pair the speaker unit with the mobile phone.

Alternatively or additionally, the bluetooth pairing operation may include the speaker unit sending bluetooth announcements, which may include the second uptime, to the mobile phone, which may scan for these bluetooth announcements. Optionally, the mobile phone may be configured to subtract the first normal operation time from the second normal operation time to determine a normal operation time difference and compare the normal operation time difference to a threshold value to compare the first normal operation time to the second normal operation time. If the normal run time difference is less than the threshold, the mobile phone may send a pairing message to the speaker unit to wirelessly pair the speaker unit with the mobile phone.

In some embodiments of the ninth aspect, the bluetooth pairing operation includes the first device sending bluetooth advertisements, which may include the first uptime, to the second device, which may scan for these bluetooth advertisements. Optionally, the second device may be configured to subtract the first normal operation time from the second normal operation time to determine a normal operation time difference and compare the normal operation time difference to a threshold value to compare the first normal operation time to the second normal operation time. If the normal run time difference is less than the threshold, the second device may send a pairing message to the first device to wirelessly pair the first device with the second device.

According to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, a system may include a first device that may have a first wireless transceiver, a first sensor, and a first hard-wired port. The system may also include a second device that may have a second wireless transceiver, a second sensor, and a second hard-wired port. The first sensor is operable to sense that the first device may have a hardwired connection to the first hardwired port. The second sensor is operable to sense that the second device may have a hardwired connection to the second hardwired port. In response to the hard-wires being connected to the first hard-wire port and the second hard-wire port, respectively, the first device and the second device may perform a time-based bluetooth pairing operation, wherein a first connection time determinable by the first device may be compared to a second connection time determinable by the second device.

In some embodiments of the tenth aspect, the first connection time may be a first amount of time elapsed after the first sensor sensed a hard-wired connection with the first port, and the second connection time may be a second amount of time elapsed since the second sensor sensed a hard-wired connection with the second port. Optionally, the bluetooth pairing operation may include the first device sending bluetooth advertisements, which may include the first connection time, to the second device, which may scan for these bluetooth advertisements. Optionally, the second device may be configured to subtract the first connection time from the second connection time to determine a connection time difference and compare the connection time difference to a threshold value to compare the first connection time to the second connection time. If the connection time difference is less than the threshold, the second device may send a pairing message to the first device to wirelessly pair the first device with the second device.

The present disclosure contemplates that the first device of the tenth aspect may comprise a hospital bed and the second device of the tenth aspect may comprise a medical monitor. Optionally, the bluetooth pairing operation may include the patient bed sending bluetooth announcements, which may include the first connection time, to the medical monitor, which may scan for these bluetooth announcements. Alternatively or additionally, the medical monitor may be configured to subtract the first connection time from the second connection time to determine a connection time difference and compare the connection time difference to a threshold value to compare the first connection time to the second connection time. If the connection time difference is less than the threshold, the medical monitor may send a pairing message to the hospital bed to wirelessly pair the medical monitor with the hospital bed. Optionally, after the patient bed is paired with the medical monitor, the medical monitor may send monitoring data to the patient bed for display on a Graphical User Interface (GUI) of the patient bed.

Optionally, the bluetooth pairing operation may include the medical monitor sending bluetooth announcements, which may include the second connection time, to the hospital bed, which may scan for these bluetooth announcements. Alternatively or additionally, the patient bed may be configured to subtract the first connection time from the second connection time to determine a connection time difference and compare the connection time difference to a threshold value to compare the first connection time to the second connection time. If the time difference is less than the threshold, the patient bed may send a pairing message to the medical monitor to wirelessly pair the medical monitor with the patient bed. Optionally, after the patient bed is paired with the medical monitor, the medical monitor may send monitoring data to the patient bed for display on a Graphical User Interface (GUI) of the patient bed.

With respect to the tenth aspect, the first and second hard-wired ports may comprise Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports. Alternatively or additionally, the hard-line may include a wiring that may have a first connector at one end and a second connector at an opposite end. The first joint and the second joint may be of different types.

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

Optionally, the bluetooth pairing operation may include the speaker unit sending bluetooth announcements, which may include the second connection time, to the mobile phone, which may scan for these bluetooth announcements. Alternatively or additionally, the mobile phone may be configured to subtract the first connection time from the second connection time to determine a connection time difference and compare the connection time difference to a threshold value to compare the first connection time to the second connection time. If the connection time difference is less than the threshold, the mobile phone may send a pairing message to the speaker unit to wirelessly pair the speaker unit with the mobile phone.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, a wall module may be configured for wireless communication with medical devices in a healthcare facility. The wall module may include a housing configurable to be installed in a fixed location in a hospital ward. The housing may have a front wall housing that may be formed to include a first recess and a rear wall housing that may be formed to include a second recess that may be aligned with the first recess of the front wall housing. The second recess is sized to receive at least a portion of a duplex AC receptacle. The front wall housing and the rear wall housing may each include at least one opening therethrough for communication with the respective front recess and rear recess such that an AC outlet of the duplex AC receptacle is accessible through the front recess. The wall module may further comprise wiring that may be located in the housing. The line may include a wireless transceiver. The wall module may also include first and second conductors extendable from the line and out of the housing for coupling to the hot and neutral of the duplex AC receptacle. The wall module may also include an AC plug sensor that may be carried by the housing and may be configured to sense a power plug of a medical device that may be plugged into an AC outlet of the duplex AC receptacle.

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

The present disclosure further contemplates that the front wall housing of the eleventh aspect may include a main front wall, the first recess may be defined in part by a first recess side wall and a second recess side wall, each of which may extend inwardly from the main front wall toward the intermediate region of the housing. Optionally, the AC plug sensor may include a light emitter that may be aligned with a first aperture formed in a side wall of the first recess and a light detector that may be aligned with a second aperture formed in a side wall of the second recess. In these embodiments, the light emitter and the light detector are positioned to interrupt a light beam transmittable by the light emitter to the light detector in response to insertion of a power plug of the medical device into an AC outlet of the duplex AC receptacle.

Optionally, the circuitry of the wall module of the eleventh aspect may include a timer that may be started in response to insertion of the power plug into the AC socket of the wall unit to measure the first uptime. The wireless transceiver of the wall module may be configured to receive at least one transmission from the medical device that may include a second uptime. The wall module of the eleventh aspect may compare the first normal operation time with the second normal operation time, and if the first normal operation time is within a predetermined tolerance of the second normal operation time, the wall module may send a pairing message to the medical device, which causes the wall module to automatically pair with the medical device for subsequent wireless communication.

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

The present disclosure further contemplates that the wall module of the eleventh aspect may further include a nurse call line extendable from the line and extending out of the housing. For example, the nurse call line may terminate at a first nurse call connector, which may be configured to connect to a nurse call port of a healthcare facility nurse call system. Optionally, the nurse call line of the eleventh aspect may include an auxiliary line leg which may terminate at a second nurse call connector. The second nurse call terminal may be coupled to a third nurse call terminal, which may be located at one end of a facility nurse call line extendable from the medical facility. Alternatively or additionally, the first nurse call connector may be provided in the connector body of the nurse call line. The connector body of the eleventh aspect may have a second nurse call connector that may be configured to couple to a third nurse call connector that may be located at one end of a facility nurse call line extending from the medical facility.

Optionally, the housing of the wall module of the eleventh aspect may carry a first wireless fidelity (WiFi) transceiver that may be configured to send and receive WiFi messages to and from at least one wireless access point of the healthcare facility network. Optionally, the wireless transceiver of the wall module may comprise a bluetooth transceiver. Further optionally, the circuitry may further comprise a controller and a set of switches. The set of switches may be configured to provide contact closure indicative of a plurality of states of the medical device based on data that may be contained in a bluetooth message that the bluetooth transceiver may receive from the medical device.

In an embodiment where the wall module of the eleventh aspect may have a set of switches providing contact closure, at least one contact closure may change state to control a television set in the patient room. Alternatively or additionally, at least one contact closure may change state to turn on a light in the patient room. Further alternatively or additionally, the medical device may comprise a hospital bed, the at least one contact closure may change state to indicate an alarm state of an out-of-bed system of the hospital bed. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device may include a patient bed, the at least one contact closure may change state to indicate that a sidebar of the patient bed is movable to the lowered position.

With respect to embodiments in which the wall module of the eleventh aspect may have a set of switches providing contact closure, the present disclosure further contemplates that the medical device may include a hospital bed, at least one contact closure may change state to indicate that the hospital bed caster brake is in a released condition. Alternatively or additionally, the medical device may comprise a hospital bed, the at least one contact closure may change state to indicate that the upper frame of the hospital bed has been lifted from a lowermost position. Further alternatively or additionally, the medical device may comprise a hospital bed, the at least one second contact closure may change state to indicate to a nurse of the hospital bed that a call button has been pressed.

In some embodiments of the eleventh aspect, the medical device may include a speaker and a microphone, and the circuitry of the wall module may be configured to transmit and receive the audio message through the wireless transceiver after the medical device is paired with the wall unit. Optionally, the housing of the eleventh aspect may carry a light that may illuminate to indicate a pairing status between the medical device and the wall unit. For example, the light may illuminate an icon on the front wall housing that may be located beside the first recess.

The present disclosure also contemplates that the circuitry of the wall module of the eleventh aspect may be configured to co-participate in a time-based wireless pairing operation with a medical device. In response to the AC plug sensor sensing insertion of the power plug of the medical device into the AC outlet of the duplex AC receptacle, a time-based wireless pairing operation may occur. Optionally, the circuitry of the wall module of the eleventh aspect may comprise a controller which may be configured to determine whether to initiate unpairing with the medical device based on device data receivable by the wireless transceiver from the medical device. For example, the medical device may include a frame and casters coupled to the frame, and the controller may initiate the unpairing based on device data indicating that the caster brakes are releasable. Alternatively or additionally, the controller may initiate the unpairing based on device data indicating that the power plug of the medical device has been unplugged. Alternatively or additionally, in response to the AC plug sensor of the wall module sensing that the power plug has been unplugged from the AC outlet, the wall unit may determine whether to initiate unpairing with the medical device.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present disclosure, a method of installing a wall unit for wireless communication with medical devices in a healthcare facility may be provided. The method may include removing an AC receptacle of a healthcare facility from a junction box of the healthcare facility, attaching electrical conductors extendable from a housing of the wall module to live and neutral wires of the AC receptacle, inserting the AC receptacle into a receptacle-receiving recess that may be formed in a back of the wall module, and attaching the AC receptacle to the wall module with at least one first fastener.

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

Optionally, the method of the twelfth aspect may further comprise attaching the wall module to the junction box with a pair of second fasteners. For example, attaching the wall module to the junction box may include inserting a pair of second fasteners into respective apertures that may be formed in a ground frame of the AC receptacle. Optionally, the method of the twelfth aspect may further comprise placing the first and second spacers in receptacle-receiving recesses adjacent to a ground frame of the AC receptacle and inserting a pair of second fasteners into respective passages that may be formed in the first and second spacers. Further optionally, the at least one first fastener may comprise a first screw and the pair of second fasteners may comprise a second screw that may be longer than the first screw. Still further optionally, the first fastener may be located between a pair of second fasteners.

In some embodiments, the method of the twelfth aspect may further comprise attaching a nurse call connector, which may be located at one end of a nurse call line extendable from the wall module housing, to a nurse call port of a nurse call system of the healthcare facility. Optionally, the AC receptacle of the twelfth aspect may include a duplex AC outlet that may have a first AC outlet and a second AC outlet. In these embodiments, the first fastener may be located between the first AC socket and the second AC socket after attaching the AC socket to the wall module with the second fastener. Alternatively or additionally, the method includes attaching the wall module of the twelfth aspect to the junction box with a pair of second fasteners such that one of the pair of second fasteners may be located over the first AC socket and the other may be located over the second AC socket.

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

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure, a system for use in a healthcare facility that may have a patient room is provided. The system may include a hospital bed that may have a hospital bed line that may include a first wireless transceiver and an AC power line. The system of the thirteenth unit may further comprise a wall unit, which may comprise a housing configurable to be mounted in a fixed position in a hospital ward of the healthcare facility. The housing may carry an AC socket and may have a front wall that may be formed to include a first recess into which the AC socket may enter. The wall module of the thirteenth aspect may further comprise a module line that may be carried by the housing. The module line may include a second wireless transceiver and an AC plug sensor that may form a beam in a recess in front of the AC jack. In response to the insertion of the plug of the AC power line into the AC socket to break the light beam, the second wireless transceiver may communicate with the first wireless transceiver to perform a time-based wireless pairing operation between the wall module and the hospital bed.

In some embodiments, the time-based wireless pairing operation of the thirteenth aspect may involve comparing a first connection time, which is the time when a hospital bed, as calculated by a hospital bed line, may receive power over an AC power line, with a second connection time, which is the time when a plug, as calculated by a module line, may be plugged into an AC socket. Optionally, the time-based wireless pairing operation of the thirteenth aspect may comprise a bluetooth pairing operation, wherein the hospital bed sends bluetooth announcements, which may comprise the first connection time, to the wall module, which may scan for these bluetooth announcements. Further optionally, the wall module may be configured to subtract the first connection time from the second connection time to determine a connection time difference and compare the connection time difference to a threshold value to compare the first connection time to the second connection time. Thereafter, if the connection time difference is less than the threshold, the wall module may send a pairing message to the patient bed to wirelessly pair the wall module with the patient bed.

In other embodiments, the time-based pairing operation of the thirteenth aspect may comprise a bluetooth pairing operation, wherein the wall module may send bluetooth notifications, which may comprise the second connection time, to the hospital bed, which may scan for these bluetooth notifications. Optionally, the patient bed may be configured to subtract the first connection time from the second connection time to determine a connection time difference and compare the connection time difference to a threshold value to compare the first connection time to the second connection time. Thereafter, if the time difference is less than the threshold, the patient bed may send a pairing message to the wall module to wirelessly pair the wall module with the patient bed.

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

In some embodiments, the system of the thirteenth aspect may further comprise a nurse call line extendable from the module line and extending out of the wall module housing. The nurse call line may terminate at a first nurse call connector, which may be configured to connect to a nurse call port of a nurse call system of the healthcare facility. Optionally, the nurse call line may include an auxiliary line leg that may terminate at a second nurse call connector. The second nurse call terminal may be coupled to a third nurse call terminal, which may be located at one end of a hospital bed nurse call line extendable from the hospital bed of the thirteenth aspect. Alternatively or additionally, the first nurse call connector may be provided in the connector body of the nurse call line. The connector body may have a second nurse call connector, which may be configured to couple to a third nurse call connector, which may be located at one end of a hospital bed nurse call line extending from the hospital bed of the thirteenth aspect.

Optionally, the module circuitry of the wall module of the thirteenth aspect may include a first wireless fidelity (WiFi) transceiver that may be configured to send WiFi messages to and receive WiFi messages from at least one wireless access point of the healthcare facility network. Further optionally, the hospital bed line may include a second wireless fidelity (WiFi) transceiver that may be configured to send WiFi messages to and receive WiFi messages from at least one wireless access point of the healthcare facility network. Still further optionally, the module circuit of the thirteenth aspect may further comprise a controller and a set of switches. The set of switches may be configured to provide contact closures that may indicate a plurality of states of the patient bed based on data that may be contained in a wireless message received from the patient bed by the second wireless transceiver.

In an embodiment where the system of the thirteenth aspect may have a set of switches providing contact closure, at least one contact closure may change state to control a television set in the patient room. Alternatively or additionally, at least one contact closure may change state to turn on a light in the patient room. Further alternatively or additionally, the medical device may comprise a hospital bed, the at least one contact closure may change state to indicate an alarm state of an out-of-bed system of the hospital bed. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device may include a patient bed, the at least one contact closure may change state to indicate that a sidebar of the patient bed is movable to the lowered position.

With respect to embodiments in which the thirteenth aspect of the system may have a set of switches providing contact closure, the present disclosure further contemplates that at least one contact closure may change state to indicate that the caster brake is in a released condition. Alternatively or additionally, at least one contact closure may change state to indicate that the upper frame of the hospital bed has been lifted from the lowest position. Further alternatively or additionally, at least one contact closure may change state to indicate to a nurse of the hospital bed that a call button has been pressed.

Optionally, the patient bed of the thirteenth aspect may comprise a speaker and a microphone. In these embodiments, the hospital bed line and the module line may each be configured to transmit and receive audio messages through the respective first wireless transceiver and second wireless transceiver after pairing the hospital bed with the wall module. Optionally, the housing of the wall module of the thirteenth aspect may carry a light which may be lit to indicate a pairing status between the hospital bed and the wall unit. For example, the light may illuminate an icon on the front wall of the housing that may be located beside the first recess.

In some embodiments of the thirteenth aspect, the module line may include a controller that may be configured to determine whether to initiate unpairing with the hospital bed based on device data receivable by the second wireless transceiver from the first wireless transceiver of the hospital bed. For example, a hospital bed may include a frame and casters coupled to the frame, and a controller of the module circuit may initiate de-pairing based on device data indicating that the caster brakes are releasable. Alternatively or additionally, the controller of the module line may initiate unpairing based on device data indicating that the power plug of the hospital bed may have been unplugged. Alternatively or additionally, the controller of the module line initiates unpairing with the hospital bed in response to the AC plug sensor of the wall module sensing that the power plug may have been unplugged from the AC outlet.

With respect to the systems of the first and fourth aspects, the medical device may comprise an ambient light sensor, the wall unit may comprise at least one illuminable indicator, and the brightness of the at least one illuminable indicator of the wall unit may be controlled based on information wirelessly transmittable from the medical device to the wall unit and relating to ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor. In embodiments of the first and fourth aspects in which the wall unit comprises a light as the illuminable indicator, the medical device may comprise an ambient light sensor, the brightness of the light of the wall unit may be controlled based on information wirelessly transmittable from the medical device to the wall unit and relating to ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor.

With respect to the second aspect, the wall unit may further comprise at least one illuminable indicator, the brightness of which may be controlled based on information wirelessly receivable by the wireless transceiver from the medical device and relating to ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor. In embodiments where the wall unit of the second aspect comprises a light as the illuminable indicator, the brightness of the light of the wall unit may be controlled based on information wirelessly receivable by the wireless transceiver from the medical device and relating to ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor.

With respect to the systems of the third and sixth aspects, the medical device may comprise an ambient light sensor, the communication unit may comprise at least one illuminable indicator, and the brightness of the at least one illuminable indicator of the communication unit may be controlled based on information wirelessly transmittable from the medical device to the communication unit and relating to ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor. In embodiments of the third and sixth aspects and embodiments of the seventh aspect wherein the communication unit comprises a lamp as the illuminable indicator, the medical device may comprise an ambient light sensor, the brightness of the lamp of the communication unit may be controlled based on information wirelessly transmittable from the medical device to the communication unit and relating to ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor.

With respect to the sixth aspect, the medical device may further comprise an ambient light sensor that may be carried by the frame and that may be coupled to the control circuitry. The control circuitry may be configured to instruct the wireless transceiver to send information to the wall unit to control the brightness of the wall unit illuminable indicator.

With respect to the systems of the eighth, ninth and tenth aspects, the first device may comprise an ambient light sensor, the second device may comprise at least one illuminable indicator, and the brightness of the at least one illuminable indicator of the second device may be controlled based on information wirelessly transmittable from the first device to the second unit and relating to ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor.

With respect to the eleventh aspect, the wall module may further comprise at least one illuminable indicator, the brightness of the at least one illuminable indicator may be controlled based on information wirelessly receivable by the wireless transceiver from the medical device and relating to ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor. In embodiments in which the wall module of the eleventh aspect comprises a light as the illuminable indicator, the brightness of the light of the wall module may be controlled based on information wirelessly receivable by the wireless transceiver from the medical device and relating to ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor.

With respect to the system of the thirteenth aspect, the patient bed may comprise an ambient light sensor, the wall module may comprise at least one illuminable indicator, and the brightness of the at least one illuminable indicator of the wall module may be controlled based on information wirelessly transmittable from the patient bed to the wall module and relating to ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor. In embodiments in which the wall module comprises a light as the illuminable indicator of the thirteenth aspect, the patient bed may comprise an ambient light sensor, the brightness of the light of the wall module may be controlled based on information wirelessly transmittable from the patient bed to the wall module and relating to ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present disclosure, a system may include a patient bed, a circuit of which may include at least one first controller, a first wireless transceiver coupleable to the at least one first controller, and an ambient light sensor coupleable to the at least one first controller. The wall unit of the system may be spaced from the patient bed and may include at least one second controller, a second wireless transceiver coupleable to the at least one second controller, and an illuminable indicator coupleable to the at least one second controller. The at least one first controller may be configured to transmit information to the second wireless transceiver through the first wireless transceiver. The information may relate to an amount of ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor. The at least one second controller may control the brightness of the illuminable indicator based on the information.

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

Optionally, the at least one second controller of the fourteenth aspect may output a first Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signal of a first duty cycle to the illuminable indicator to operate the illuminable indicator to illuminate at a first brightness, and the at least one second controller may output a second PWM signal of a second duty cycle to the illuminable indicator to operate the illuminable indicator to illuminate at a second brightness.

In some embodiments of the fourteenth aspect, the hospital bed may include a frame and a sidebar couplable to the frame. In these embodiments, an ambient light sensor may be coupled to the sidebar. In other embodiments of the fourteenth aspect, the patient bed may include a frame, a first sidebar couplable to the frame, and a second sidebar couplable to the frame. In these embodiments, the ambient light sensor may include a first ambient light sensor that may be coupled to the first sidebar and a second ambient light sensor that may be coupled to the second sidebar.

Optionally, the patient bed of the fourteenth aspect may further comprise at least one light, the brightness of which may be controlled by the at least one first controller based on the amount of ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor. Further optionally, the at least one light may be operated to illuminate at a first brightness if the amount of light detected by the ambient light sensor may be below a threshold amount, and the at least one light may be operated to illuminate at a second brightness if the amount of light detected by the ambient light sensor may be above the threshold amount. For example, the second luminance may be brighter than the first luminance.

In some embodiments of the fourteenth aspect, the at least one first controller may output a first Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signal of a first duty cycle to the at least one lamp to operate the at least one lamp to illuminate at a first brightness, and the at least one first controller may output a second PWM signal of a second duty cycle to the at least one lamp to operate the at least one lamp to illuminate at a second brightness.

Optionally, the at least one lamp of the fourteenth aspect may comprise at least one Light Emitting Diode (LED). Alternatively, the at least one lamp may comprise a plurality of lamps, each of which may comprise at least one Light Emitting Diode (LED). Optionally, the patient bed may further comprise a Graphical User Interface (GUI), the brightness of which may be controlled by the at least one first controller based on the amount of ambient light detectable by the ambient light sensor. For example, if the amount of light detected by the ambient light sensor may be below a threshold amount, the GUI may be operated to illuminate at a first brightness, and if the amount of light detected by the ambient light sensor may be above the threshold amount, the GUI may be operated to illuminate at a second brightness. The second brightness may be brighter than the first brightness, if desired.

In some embodiments of the fourteenth aspect, the hospital bed may include an AC power line, the wall unit may include a housing that may carry an AC socket, and a front wall of the housing may be formed to include a first recess into which the AC socket may be accessed. The wall unit may further comprise an AC plug sensor that may form a light beam in a recess in front of the AC socket. In response to the insertion of the plug of the AC power line into the AC socket to break the light beam, the second wireless transceiver may communicate with the first wireless transceiver to perform a time-based wireless pairing operation between the wall unit and the hospital bed.

Optionally, the time-based wireless pairing operation of the fourteenth aspect may involve comparing a first connection time, which is a time when the patient bed may receive power over the AC power line as calculated by the at least one first controller of the patient bed, with a second connection time, which is a time when the plug may be plugged into the AC socket as calculated by the at least one second controller. Further optionally, the time-based wireless pairing operation may include a bluetooth pairing operation, wherein the patient bed sends bluetooth notifications to the wall unit, which may include the first connection time, which the wall unit may scan for. Alternatively, the time-based pairing operation may comprise a bluetooth pairing operation, wherein the wall unit may send bluetooth notifications, which may comprise the second connection time, to the hospital bed, which may scan for these bluetooth notifications.

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

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

Optionally, the nurse call line of the fourteenth aspect may include an auxiliary line leg which may terminate at a second nurse call connector. The second nurse call terminal may be coupled to a third nurse call terminal, which may be located at one end of a hospital bed nurse call line that may extend from the hospital bed. Further optionally, the first nurse call connector may be disposed in a connector body of the nurse call line. The connector body may have a second nurse call connector that may be configured to couple to a third nurse call connector that may be located at one end of a hospital bed nurse call line that may extend from the hospital bed.

In some embodiments of the fourteenth aspect, the at least one second controller may be configured to initiate unpairing with the patient bed based on device data of the first wireless transceiver receivable by the second wireless transceiver from the patient bed. For example, the patient bed of the fourteenth aspect may include a frame and casters coupled to the frame. The at least one second controller may initiate unpairing based on device data indicating that the caster brake is releasable. Alternatively or additionally, the at least one second controller of the fourteenth aspect may be configured to initiate unpairing based on device data indicating that a power plug of a hospital bed may have been unplugged, or the at least one second controller may be configured to initiate unpairing in response to an AC plug sensor of a wall unit sensing that a power plug may have been unplugged from an AC outlet.

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

In some embodiments, the system of the fourteenth aspect may further comprise a nurse call system, and the wall unit may further comprise a set of switches. The set of switches may be configured to provide contact closures that indicate to the nurse call system a plurality of states of the hospital bed based on data that may be contained in a wireless message that may be received from the hospital bed by the second wireless transceiver. For example, at least one contact closure may change state to control a television set in a patient room or to control room lights. By way of additional example, at least one contact closure may change state to indicate one or more of an alarm condition of the patient room leaving the bed system, a siderail of the patient bed may have been moved to a lowered position, a foot brake of the patient bed may be in a released condition, an upper rim of the patient bed may have been raised from a lowermost position, or a nurse call button of the patient bed may have been pressed.

The patient bed of the fourteenth aspect may comprise a speaker and a microphone. In these embodiments, the patient bed and the wall unit may each be configured to transmit and receive audio messages through the respective first and second wireless transceivers.

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

In some embodiments of the fifteenth aspect, the first wireless transceiver and the third wireless transceiver may communicate according to a bluetooth protocol. Alternatively or additionally, the second wireless transceiver and the fourth wireless transceiver may communicate via Frequency Modulation (FM). That is, regardless of the type of wireless communication between the first wireless transceiver and the third wireless transceiver, both the second wireless transceiver and the fourth wireless transceiver may communicate over FM.

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

In some embodiments of the fifteenth aspect, the wall module may transmit the available FM transmission channel and the available FM reception channel to a third transceiver of the hospital bed using the first wireless transceiver. Optionally, the wall module may transmit the available FM transmission channel and the available FM reception channel to the third transceiver of the hospital bed using the first wireless transceiver only after the wall module and the hospital bed may be paired by communication between the first wireless transceiver and the third wireless transceiver. Further optionally, the wall module and the patient bed may be paired by performing a time-based pairing operation through communication between the first wireless transceiver and the third wireless transceiver.

The present disclosure contemplates that the pairing between the wall module and the patient bed may include a unique identifier exchange between the first wireless transceiver of the wall module and the third wireless transceiver of the patient bed. Optionally, the patient bed and wall module of the fifteenth aspect may use accessory channel communications to verify that there may be a respective unique identifier from the other of the patient bed and wall module to confirm that the audio transmission received by the corresponding second or fourth wireless transceiver originated from the intended source. Optionally, the patient bed may be configured to tune the transmitter frequency and the receiver frequency of the fourth wireless transceiver to match an available FM transmission channel and an available FM reception channel of the first wireless transceiver that may be received by the third wireless transceiver of the patient bed from the wall module.

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

Optionally, the system of the fifteenth aspect may further comprise a cable that may be configured to form a wired connection between the wall module and the patient bed to communicate the first audio signal and the second audio signal, respectively, between the wall module and the patient bed. In these embodiments, even though a wired connection may be made between the wall module and the patient's bed, the wall module may continue to use the second wireless transceiver to scan FM spectrum channels to determine FM channels currently being used by other devices, and the wall module may continue to select available FM transmission channels and available FM reception channels not currently being used by other devices.

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

Optionally, the system of the fifteenth aspect may further comprise an Audio Station Bed Connector (ASBC) coupleable to the analog audio input of the wall module via a hard-wired connection. The system of the fifteenth aspect may further comprise an audio source communicable with the ASBC. The audio from the audio source may include a first audio signal that is wirelessly transmitted from the second wireless transceiver of the wall module to a fourth wireless transceiver of the patient bed for playback by a speaker of the patient bed.

Optionally, the audio source of the fifteenth aspect may comprise a television. Alternatively or additionally, the audio source may include one or more of a microphone of a main nurse station computer, which may be located at the main nurse station, or a microphone of an audio station in the patient room, or a microphone of an employee station outside the patient room. Further alternatively or additionally, the audio source may comprise a microphone of a mobile wireless device carried by the caregiver.

In some embodiments, the system of the fifteenth embodiment may further comprise a bedside speaker unit coupleable to the ASBC by a bedside speaker cable. The bedside speaker unit may have a bedside speaker that may play audio from the audio source substantially synchronously (e.g., within 50 milliseconds) with the first audio signal played by the speaker of the hospital bed.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present disclosure, a system may include a wall module that may have a first controller, a first audio input that may provide a first audio signal to the first controller, and a first wireless transceiver that may be coupled to the controller and may be configured to wirelessly transmit data and to wirelessly receive data. The wirelessly received data may include audio packets that may be provided as a second audio signal to the first controller such that the first wireless transceiver may act as a second audio input to the controller. The system of the sixteenth aspect may further comprise a first audio source that may be coupled to the first audio input of the wall module and may provide a first audio signal to the first audio input. The system of the sixteenth aspect may further comprise a patient bed, which may have a second controller, a microphone, a speaker, and a second wireless transceiver, which may be coupled to the controller and may be configured to wirelessly receive data transmitted by the first wireless transceiver and to wirelessly transmit the data for receipt by the first wireless transceiver. The data transmitted by the second wireless transceiver may include audio packets that may correspond to audio detected by a microphone of the hospital bed and transmitted to the first wireless transceiver to form the second audio signal. The wall module of the sixteenth aspect may further comprise a correlator for comparing the first audio signal with the second audio signal to determine a correlation parameter. The wall module may operate as a speaker for a mute bed if the value of the associated parameter violates the threshold condition.

In some embodiments of the sixteenth aspect, the correlator may be a software correlator executable by the first controller. Alternatively or additionally, the correlator is operable to determine a correlation coefficient having an absolute value between 0 and 1. Optionally, the system of the sixteenth aspect may further comprise a pillow edge speaker unit coupleable to the wall module via a hard-wired connection. The bedside speaker unit may include a bedside speaker that may play sound originating from the first audio source. The bed speaker may also play sound originating from the first audio source and transmitted as wireless audio data from the first wireless transceiver to the second wireless transceiver before the bed speaker is muted such that a communication delay between the first wireless transceiver and the second wireless transceiver may result in a time delay between the first audio signal and the second audio signal.

Optionally, the audio source of the sixteenth aspect may comprise a television. Alternatively or additionally, the audio source of the sixteenth aspect may comprise one or more of a microphone of a main nurse station computer, which may be located at the main nurse station, or a microphone of an audio station in the patient room, or a microphone of an employee station outside the patient room. Further alternatively or additionally, the audio source of the sixteenth aspect may comprise a microphone of a mobile wireless device carried by a caregiver.

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

Optionally, after the bed speaker is muted, the second wireless transceiver may continue to transmit audio packets to the first wireless transceiver corresponding to audio detected by the microphone of the hospital bed so that the first wireless transceiver may continue to receive the second audio signal. In these embodiments, the wall module is operable to un-mute the bed's speakers if it is determined that the relevant parameter is no longer violating the threshold condition. For example, the wall module may be operable to un-mute the bed's speakers by re-enabling transmission of audio packets from the first wireless transceiver to the second wireless transceiver. Alternatively, the wall module is operable to un-mute the bed's speakers by wirelessly transmitting a mute release command signal from the first wireless transceiver to the second wireless transceiver, such that the second controller may un-mute the bed's speakers in response to the mute release command signal.

In some embodiments of the sixteenth aspect, the second wireless transceiver may transmit audio packets to the first wireless transceiver corresponding to audio detected by a microphone of the hospital bed only after the wall module and the hospital bed have been paired by communication between the first wireless transceiver and the second wireless transceiver. Optionally, the wall module and the patient bed may be paired by performing a time-based pairing operation through communication between the first wireless transceiver and the second wireless transceiver. Further optionally, the pairing between the wall module and the patient bed may comprise a unique identifier exchange between the first wireless transceiver of the wall module and the third wireless transceiver of the patient bed.

In some embodiments of the systems of the first and fourth aspects, the wall unit may include a first Frequency Modulation (FM) transceiver, the medical device may include a second FM transceiver, and the audio signal may be communicated between the wall unit and the medical device using the first FM transceiver and the second FM transceiver. Optionally, embodiments of the systems of the first and fourth aspects incorporating features described in paragraph 102 may include a first FM transceiver and a second FM transceiver.

In some embodiments of the wall unit of the second aspect, the wall module may further comprise a Frequency Modulation (FM) transceiver to transmit and receive audio signals to and from the medical device. Optionally, an FM transceiver may be included in embodiments of the wall unit incorporating features described in paragraph 103.

In some embodiments of the systems of the third, sixth and seventh aspects, the communication unit may comprise a first Frequency Modulation (FM) transceiver, the medical device may comprise a second FM transceiver, and the audio signal may be communicated between the communication unit and the medical device using the first FM transceiver and the second FM transceiver. Optionally, embodiments of the system of the third, sixth and seventh aspects incorporating features described in paragraphs 104 and 105 may include a first FM transceiver and a second FM transceiver.

In some embodiments of the fifth aspect, the medical device may further comprise a Frequency Modulation (FM) transceiver to transmit audio signals to and receive audio signals from the wall unit. Optionally, an FM transceiver may be included in embodiments where the medical device has an ambient light sensor that generates a signal for controlling the brightness of the lights on the wall unit.

In some embodiments of the system of any of the eighth, ninth, and tenth aspects, the first device may comprise a first Frequency Modulation (FM) transceiver, the second device may comprise a second FM transceiver, and the audio signals may be communicated between the first device and the second device using the first FM transceiver and the second FM transceiver. Optionally, embodiments of the system of the eighth, ninth and tenth aspects in combination with the features described in paragraph 106 may include a first FM transceiver and a second FM transceiver.

In some embodiments of the eleventh aspect, the wall module may further comprise a Frequency Modulation (FM) transceiver to transmit and receive audio signals to and from the medical device. Optionally, an FM transceiver may be included in embodiments of the wall module incorporating features described in paragraph 107.

In some embodiments of the system of the thirteenth aspect, the wall module may comprise a first Frequency Modulation (FM) transceiver, the patient bed may comprise a second FM transceiver, and the audio signal may be communicated between the wall module and the patient bed using the first FM transceiver and the second FM transceiver. Optionally, embodiments of the system of the thirteenth aspect incorporating features described in paragraph 108 may include a first FM transceiver and a second FM transceiver.

In some embodiments of the systems of the first and fourth aspects, the wall unit may comprise a correlator to compare a first audio signal received over a wired connection with a second audio signal received wirelessly to determine the correlation parameter. The wall unit may be operable to mute the speaker of the medical device if the value of the associated parameter violates the threshold condition. Optionally, a correlator may be included in embodiments of the first and fourth aspects incorporating features described in paragraph 102.

In some embodiments of the wall unit of the second aspect, the wall unit may further comprise a correlator for comparing the first audio signal received over the wired connection with the second audio signal received wirelessly to determine the correlation parameter. The wall unit of the second aspect is operable to mute the speaker of the medical device if the value of the relevant parameter violates the threshold condition. Optionally, a correlator may be included in embodiments of the second aspect that incorporate features described in paragraph 103.

In some embodiments of the systems of the third, sixth and seventh aspects, the communication unit may comprise a correlator to compare the first audio signal received over the wired connection with the second audio signal received wirelessly to determine the correlation parameter. The communication module of the third, sixth and seventh aspects is operable to mute a speaker of the medical device if the value of the relevant parameter violates the threshold condition. Optionally, a correlator may be included in embodiments of the first and fourth aspects that incorporate the features described in paragraphs 104 and 105.

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

In some embodiments of the systems of the eighth, ninth and tenth aspects, the second device may comprise a correlator to compare the first audio signal received over the wired connection with the second audio signal received wirelessly to determine the correlation parameter. The second device of the eighth, ninth and tenth aspects is operable to mute the speaker of the first device if the value of the relevant parameter violates the threshold condition. Optionally, a correlator may be included in embodiments of the eighth, ninth and tenth aspects in combination with the features described in paragraph 106.

In some embodiments of the eleventh aspect, the wall module may further comprise a correlator to compare the first audio signal received over the wired connection with the second audio signal received wirelessly to determine the correlation parameter. The wall module of the eleventh aspect is operable to mute the speaker of the medical device if the value of the relevant parameter violates the threshold condition. Optionally, a correlator may be included in an embodiment of the wall module of the eleventh aspect in combination with the features described in paragraph 107.

In some embodiments of the system of the thirteenth aspect, the wall module may comprise a correlator to compare the first audio signal received over the wired connection with the second audio signal received wirelessly to determine the correlation parameter. The wall module of the thirteenth aspect is operable to mute a speaker of the hospital bed if the value of the relevant parameter violates the threshold condition. Optionally, a correlator may be included in an embodiment of the thirteenth aspect in combination with the features described in paragraph 108.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present disclosure, a system may include a wall module that may have a first wireless transceiver and a first line that may be configured to receive an audio feed and a data feed. The system may include a patient bed, which may have a second wireless transceiver, a speaker, and a second line, which may be coupled to the speaker and the second wireless transceiver. The second wireless transceiver may be configured to wirelessly communicate with the first wireless transceiver. The system of the seventeenth aspect may further comprise a mobile device that may be configured to temporarily link with the first wireless transceiver for wireless communication to configure the wiring of the wall module. The mobile device may be configured to receive a first user input to command the circuitry of the wall module to mute a speaker of the patient bed. In response to receiving a first user input to mute a speaker of the patient bed, the circuitry of the wall module may communicate with the second wireless transceiver through the first wireless transceiver in a first manner that may prevent the audio feed from being audibly played through the speaker of the patient bed.

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

Optionally, the mobile device may be configured to display a mute/un-mute slider. Thus, the first user input may correspond to the mute/un-mute slider being in a first position, and the second user input may correspond to the mute/un-mute slider being in a second position. Optionally, the mobile device may be configured to receive firmware installation input from a user to upload firmware to the line of the wall module through the first transceiver.

The patient bed of the seventeenth aspect may include a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that may be configured to receive input from a user to control functions of the patient bed. The GUI may be configured to receive a third user input, which may cause a mute command to be transmitted from the second wireless transceiver of the patient bed to the first wireless transceiver of the wall module to command the circuitry of the wall module to operate in the first manner to mute the speaker of the patient bed. The GUI may be configured to receive a fourth user input, which may cause an unmute command to be transmitted from the second wireless transceiver of the hospital bed to the first wireless transceiver of the wall module to command the circuitry of the wall module to operate in a second manner that allows the audio feed to be audibly played through the speakers of the hospital bed.

According further to the seventeenth aspect, the first line of the wall module and the second line of the hospital bed may perform a time-based pairing operation to pair the hospital bed with the wall module. If desired, the time-based pairing operation may be initiated by inserting a power plug of the hospital bed into a power socket of the wall module.

In some embodiments of the seventeenth aspect, inserting the power line into the power outlet may cause a first timer of the hospital bed to be started to measure the first uptime. Additionally, inserting the power line into the power outlet may cause a second timer of the wall module to be started to measure a second uptime. The wall module may be configured to transmit an announcement, which may include the second normal operation time, from the first wireless transceiver to the hospital bed. The patient bed may compare the second normal operation time to the first normal operation time, and if the second normal operation time is within a predetermined tolerance of the first normal operation time, the patient bed may send a pairing message to the wall module, which may cause the wall module to automatically pair with the patient bed for subsequent wireless communication.

In other embodiments of the seventeenth aspect, inserting the power line into the power outlet may cause a first timer of the hospital bed to be started to measure the first uptime. Additionally, inserting the power line into the power outlet may cause a second timer of the wall module to be started to measure a second uptime. The patient bed may be configured to transmit an announcement, which may include the first uptime, from the second wireless transceiver to the wall module. The wall module may compare the first normal operation time to the second normal operation time, and if the first normal operation time is within a predetermined tolerance of the second normal operation time, the wall module may send a pairing message to the patient bed, which may cause the wall module to automatically pair with the patient bed for subsequent wireless communication.

Optionally, a nurse call line may extend from the wall module, and the nurse call line may terminate at a first nurse call connector, which may be configured to connect to a nurse call port of the nurse call system. Optionally, the nurse call line may include an auxiliary line leg that may terminate at a second nurse call connector. The second nurse call terminal may be coupled to a third nurse call terminal, which may be located at one end of a hospital bed nurse call line that may extend from the hospital bed. Optionally, the patient bed may comprise a first WiFi transceiver and the wall module may comprise a second WiFi transceiver. The first and second WiFi transceivers may each be configured to transmit WiFi messages to and receive WiFi messages from at least one wireless access point of the network.

According to an eighteenth aspect of the present disclosure, a system may include a wall module that may have a first wireless transceiver and a first line that may be configured to receive an audio feed and a data feed. The system of the eighteenth aspect may further comprise a patient bed, which may have a second wireless transceiver, a speaker, and a second line, which may be coupled to the speaker and the second wireless transceiver. The second wireless transceiver may be configured to wirelessly communicate with the first wireless transceiver. The patient bed may include a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that may be configured to receive input from a user to control functions of the patient bed. The GUI may be configured to receive a first user input, which may cause a mute command to be transmitted from the second wireless transceiver of the patient bed to the first wireless transceiver of the wall module to command the first line of the wall module to mute a speaker of the patient bed. In response to receiving a mute command to mute a speaker of the patient bed, the first line of the wall module may communicate with the second wireless transceiver through the first wireless transceiver in a first manner that may prevent the audio feed from being audibly played through the speaker of the patient bed.

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

Optionally, the GUI of the eighteenth aspect may be configured to display an on button and an off button. The on button may be selected to cause the wall module to unmute a speaker of the patient bed, and the off button may be selected to cause the wall module to mute a speaker of the patient bed. Optionally, the system of the eighteenth aspect may further comprise a mobile device that may be configured to temporarily link with the first wireless transceiver for wireless communication to configure the wiring of the wall module. The mobile device may be configured to receive a third user input to instruct the first line of the wall module to mute a speaker of the patient bed. Optionally, the mobile device may be configured to receive a firmware installation input from a user to load firmware into the first line of the wall module through the first transceiver. Further optionally, the first line of the wall module and the second line of the hospital bed may perform a time-based pairing operation to pair the hospital bed with the wall module. The time-based pairing operation may be initiated by inserting a power plug of the hospital bed into a power socket of the wall module.

In some embodiments of the eighteenth aspect, inserting the power line into the power outlet may cause a first timer of the hospital bed to be started to measure the first uptime. Additionally, inserting the power line into the power outlet may cause a second timer of the wall module to be started to measure a second uptime. The wall module may be configured to transmit an announcement, which may include the second normal operation time, from the first wireless transceiver to the hospital bed. The patient bed may compare the second normal operation time to the first normal operation time, and if the second normal operation time is within a predetermined tolerance of the first normal operation time, the patient bed may send a pairing message to the wall module, which may cause the wall module to automatically pair with the patient bed for subsequent wireless communication.

In other embodiments of the eighteenth aspect, inserting the power line into the power socket may cause a first timer of the hospital bed to be started to measure the first uptime. Additionally, inserting the power line into the power outlet may cause a second timer of the wall module to be started to measure a second uptime. The patient bed may be configured to transmit an announcement, which may include the first uptime, from the second wireless transceiver to the wall module. The wall module may compare the first normal operation time to the second normal operation time, and if the first normal operation time is within a predetermined tolerance of the second normal operation time, the wall module may send a pairing message to the patient bed, which may cause the wall module to automatically pair with the patient bed for subsequent wireless communication.

Optionally, a nurse call line may extend from the wall module. The nurse call line may terminate at a first nurse call connector, which may be configured to connect to a nurse call port of the nurse call system. Optionally, the nurse call line may include an auxiliary line leg that may terminate at a second nurse call connector. The second nurse call terminal may be coupled to a third nurse call terminal located at one end of a hospital bed nurse call line that may extend from the hospital bed. Optionally, the patient bed may comprise a first WiFi transceiver and the wall module may comprise a second WiFi transceiver. The first and second WiFi transceivers may each be configured to transmit WiFi messages to and receive WiFi messages from at least one wireless access point of the network.

According to a nineteenth aspect of the present disclosure, a system for wireless pairing may include a connection device that may have a first device line that may include a first wireless transceiver. The system may also include an advertising device that may have a second device line that may include a second wireless transceiver. The second device line may be configured to broadcast an announcement over the second wireless line to initiate pairing operations with other devices. The connection device may be configured to receive at least one of the notifications via the first wireless transceiver. The first device line may be configured to transmit a connection message through the first wireless transceiver in response to receiving at least one of the notifications. Responsive to the advertising device receiving the connection message, the advertising device may transmit an authorization challenge. The connecting device may be configured to receive and process the authorization challenge and may transmit an authorization response message to the advertising device. If the authorization response message indicates that the connected device is an authorized device, the advertising device may automatically pair with the connected device for subsequent wireless communication.

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

In some embodiments of the nineteenth aspect, inserting the power line into the power outlet may cause a first timer of the connected device to start to measure the first uptime. Additionally, inserting the power line into the power outlet may cause a second timer of the notification device to start to measure a second uptime. The notification transmitted by the notification device may include a second uptime. The connecting device may compare the second normal operation time with the first normal operation time, and if the second normal operation time is within a predetermined tolerance of the first normal operation time, the connecting device may send a pairing message to the advertising device, which may cause the advertising device to automatically pair with the connecting device for subsequent wireless communication if the authorization response message also indicates that the connecting device is an authorized device.

In some embodiments of the nineteenth aspect, inserting the power line into the power outlet may cause a first timer of the connected device to start to measure the first uptime. Additionally, inserting the power line into the power outlet may cause a second timer of the notification device to start to measure a second uptime. The connection device may be configured to transmit a message including the first uptime to the notification device. The advertising device may compare the first normal operation time with the second normal operation time, and if the first normal operation time is within a predetermined tolerance of the second normal operation time, the advertising device may send a pairing message to the connecting device, which may cause the advertising device to automatically pair with the connecting device for subsequent wireless communications if the authorization response message also indicates that the connecting device is an authorized device. Regardless of the time-based pairing operation used, the advertising device may ignore transmissions from any other device that did not successfully respond to the authorization challenge.

Optionally, the connection device of the nineteenth aspect may comprise a hospital bed and the notification device may comprise a wall module mountable in a fixed position in the hospital bed. Further optionally, the wall module may be connected to at least one nurse call computer and may be configured to transmit a message received wirelessly from the hospital bed to the nurse call computer.

According to a twentieth aspect of the present disclosure, a wireless adapter is provided for use with a hospital bed that may have a power port and a nurse call connector port, and also for use with a wall module that may have wireless communication capabilities. The wireless adapter may include a housing configurable to mount to a hospital bed, a line configurable to wirelessly communicate with a wall module, a first power line extendable from the housing and configurable to couple to a power port of the hospital bed, a nurse call cable extendable from the housing and configurable to couple to a nurse call connector port of the hospital bed, and a second power line extendable from the housing and configurable to couple to an Alternating Current (AC) outlet that may be carried by the wall module. Power from the AC outlet may be provided to the patient bed through the first and second power lines.

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

In some embodiments of the twentieth aspect, inserting the second power line into the AC outlet may cause a first timer of the line of the wireless adapter to be started to measure the first uptime. Additionally, inserting a second power line into the AC outlet may cause a second timer of the wall module to be started to measure a second uptime. The wall module may be configured to transmit an announcement to the wireless adapter that may include the second uptime. The wireless adapter may compare the second normal run time to the first normal run time, and if the second normal run time is within a predetermined tolerance of the first normal run time, the wireless adapter may send a pairing message to the wall module, which may cause the wall module to automatically pair with the wireless adapter for subsequent wireless communications.

In other embodiments of the twentieth aspect, inserting the power line into the AC outlet may cause a first timer of the line of the wireless adapter to be started to measure the first uptime. Additionally, inserting the power line into the AC outlet may cause a second timer of the wall module to be started to measure a second uptime. The wireless adapter may be configured to send a message to the wall module that may include the second uptime. The wall module may compare the first normal operation time to the second normal operation time, and if the first normal operation time is within a predetermined tolerance of the second normal operation time, the wall module may send a pairing message to the wireless adapter, which causes the wall module to automatically pair with the patient bed for subsequent wireless communication.

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

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

According to a twenty-first aspect of the present disclosure, a system may include a hospital bed that may have a power port, a nurse call terminal port, a wall module that may have wireless communication capability and have an Alternating Current (AC) outlet, and a wireless adapter that may be configured to provide wireless communication capability to the hospital bed. The wireless adapter may include a housing configurable to mount to a patient bed, a line positionable within the housing and configurable to wirelessly communicate with the wall module, a first power line extendable from the housing and configurable to couple to a power port of the patient bed, a nurse call cable extendable from the housing and configurable to couple to a nurse call connector port of the patient bed, and a second power line extendable from the housing and configurable to couple to an AC outlet of the wall module. Power from the AC outlet may be provided to the patient bed through the first and second power lines.

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

In some embodiments of the twenty-first aspect, inserting the second power line into the AC outlet may cause a first timer of the line of the wireless adapter to be started to measure the first uptime. Additionally, inserting a second power line into the AC outlet may cause a second timer of the wall module to be started to measure a second uptime. The wall module may be configured to transmit an announcement to the wireless adapter that may include the second uptime. The wireless adapter may compare the second normal run time to the first normal run time, and if the second normal run time is within a predetermined tolerance of the first normal run time, the wireless adapter may send a pairing message to the wall module, which may cause the wall module to automatically pair with the wireless adapter for subsequent wireless communications.

In other embodiments of the twenty-first aspect, inserting the power line into the AC outlet may cause a first timer of the line of the wireless adapter to be started to measure the first uptime. Additionally, inserting the power line into the AC outlet may cause a second timer of the wall module to be started to measure a second uptime. The wireless adapter may be configured to send a message to the wall module that may include the second uptime. The wall module may compare the first normal operation time to the second normal operation time, and if the first normal operation time is within a predetermined tolerance of the second normal operation time, the wall module may send a pairing message to the wireless adapter, which causes the wall module to automatically pair with the patient bed for subsequent wireless communication.

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

The present disclosure further contemplates that the circuitry of the wireless adapter may include a controller and at least one shift register or relay coupleable to the controller. The nurse call line may include one or more conductors coupleable to the at least one shift register or relay. Alternatively or additionally, the circuitry may comprise a controller and at least one audio encoder/decoder (codec) coupleable to the controller. The nurse call line may include one or more conductors that may be coupled to the audio codec. Further alternatively or additionally, the line may include a controller, and the nurse call line may include at least one Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) conductor that may be coupled to the controller to communicate bed data received through the nurse call line to the controller for wireless transmission to the wall module.

According to a twenty-second aspect of the present disclosure, a method of adding wireless communication capability to a hospital bed lacking wireless communication capability is provided. The method may include attaching a housing of a wireless adapter to a hospital bed, inserting a first power line extendable from the housing into a power port of the hospital bed, inserting a nurse call cable extendable from the housing into a nurse call connector port of the hospital bed, and inserting a second power line extendable from the housing into an Alternating Current (AC) outlet that may be carried by a wall module, such that power from the AC outlet may be provided to the hospital bed through the first and second power lines.

In some embodiments, the method may further include performing a time-based pairing operation with the wall module using the wiring of the wireless adapter, thereby pairing for subsequent wireless communications. For example, in response to inserting a power plug of the second power line into the AC outlet, a time-based pairing operation may be initiated. Optionally, the circuitry of the wireless adapter may include a current sensor that may sense whether the second power line is receiving AC power.

In some embodiments, the method of the twenty-second aspect may further include starting a first timer of the line of the wireless adapter to measure a first normal running time in response to the second power line being inserted into the AC outlet, starting a second timer of the wall module to measure a second normal running time in response to the second power line being inserted into the AC outlet, transmitting an announcement from the wall module to the wireless adapter that may include the second normal running time, comparing the second normal running time with the first normal running time with the line of the wireless adapter, and transmitting a pairing message from the wireless adapter to the wall module if the second normal running time is within a predetermined tolerance of the first normal running time, which may cause the wall module to automatically pair with the wireless adapter for subsequent wireless communication.

In other embodiments, the method of the twenty-second aspect may further include starting a first timer of the line of the wireless adapter to measure a first normal running time in response to the second power line being inserted into the AC outlet, starting a second timer of the wall module to measure a second normal running time in response to the second power line being inserted into the AC outlet, transmitting a message from the wireless adapter to the wall module that may include the first normal running time, comparing the first normal running time with the second normal running time with the wall module, and transmitting a pairing message from the wall module to the wireless adapter if the first normal running time is within a predetermined tolerance of the second normal running time, which may cause the wall module to automatically pair with the wireless adapter for subsequent wireless communication.

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

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

According to a twenty-third aspect of the present disclosure, a system may include a first medical device, which may have a first wireless transceiver, a first sensor, and an Alternating Current (AC) outlet. The system of the twenty-third aspect may further comprise a second device, which may have a second wireless transceiver, a second sensor, and a power line that may terminate in a power plug. The first sensor and the second sensor are each operable to sense that a power plug of a power line of the second medical device is insertable into an AC outlet of the first medical device. In response to the power plug of the second medical device being plugged into the AC socket of the first medical device, the first medical device and the second medical device may perform a time-based wireless pairing operation, wherein a first normal run time that may be calculated by the first medical device may be compared to a second normal run time that may be calculated by the second medical device. The first uptime may be a first amount of time that elapses since the first sensor sensed that the power connector was plugged into the AC outlet. The second normal operation time may be a second amount of time that elapses since the second sensor senses that the power plug is inserted into the AC outlet.

In some embodiments of the twenty-third aspect, the first device may comprise a hospital bed and the second device may comprise a medical monitor. In some embodiments, a hospital bed may include a frame and an AC jack mountable to the frame. Optionally, the wireless pairing operation may include the patient bed sending notifications to the medical monitor that may include the first uptime, which the medical monitor may scan. Optionally, the medical monitor may be configured to subtract the first normal operation time from the second normal operation time to determine a normal operation time difference, thereby comparing the first normal operation time to the second normal operation time, and the medical monitor may compare the normal operation time difference to a threshold. If the normal run time difference is less than the threshold, the medical monitor may send a pairing message to the hospital bed to wirelessly pair the medical monitor with the hospital bed. Further optionally, after the patient bed is paired with the medical monitor in this manner, the medical monitor may send monitoring data to the patient bed for display on a Graphical User Interface (GUI) of the patient bed.

The present disclosure further contemplates that the wireless pairing operation may include the medical monitor sending notifications to the patient bed that may include the second uptime, which may be scanned by the patient bed. Optionally, the patient bed may be configured to subtract the first normal operation time from the second normal operation time to determine a normal operation time difference, thereby comparing the first normal operation time to the second normal operation time, and the patient bed may compare the normal operation time difference to a threshold. If the normal run time difference is less than the threshold, the patient bed may send a pairing message to the medical monitor to wirelessly pair the medical monitor with the patient bed. Further optionally, after the hospital bed is paired with the medical monitor in this alternative manner, the medical monitor may send monitoring data to the hospital bed for display on a Graphical User Interface (GUI) of the hospital bed.

In general, the wireless pairing operation of the twenty-third aspect may include the first medical device sending notifications to the second medical device, which may include the first uptime, which may be scanned by the second medical device. Optionally, the second medical device may be configured to subtract the first normal operation time from the second normal operation time to determine a normal operation time difference, thereby comparing the first normal operation time to the second normal operation time, and the second medical device may compare the normal operation time difference to a threshold. In these embodiments, if the normal run time difference is less than the threshold, the second medical device may send a pairing message to the first medical device to wirelessly pair the first medical device with the second medical device.

Alternatively, the wireless pairing operation of the twenty-third aspect may include the second medical device sending notifications to the first medical device, which may include the first uptime, which the first medical device may scan. Optionally, the first medical device may be configured to subtract the first normal operation time from the second normal operation time to determine a normal operation time difference, thereby comparing the first normal operation time to the second normal operation time, and the first medical device may compare the normal operation time difference to a threshold. In these embodiments, if the normal run time difference is less than the threshold, the first medical device may send a pairing message to the second medical device to wirelessly pair the first medical device with the second medical device.

Optionally, the first medical device comprises an ambient light sensor, the second medical device comprises at least one illuminable indicator, and the brightness of the at least one illuminable indicator of the second medical device may be controlled based on information that may be wirelessly transmitted from the first medical device to the second medical device and may be related to ambient light detected by the ambient light sensor. Optionally, after pairing the first medical device and the second medical device, the second medical device may send data to the first medical device for display on a Graphical User Interface (GUI) of the first medical device.

In some embodiments of the twenty-third aspect, after pairing the first medical device and the second medical device, the second medical device may wirelessly transmit data to the first medical device for subsequent transmission by the first medical device to a remote computer. For example, the remote computer can include one of a nurse call server, a nurse call master computer, an electronic medical record server, and a healthcare information system server.

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

In some embodiments of the twenty-third aspect, the first medical device may further comprise a second power line, which may terminate in a second power plug, and the wall unit may comprise a second AC socket. In response to the second power plug of the first medical device being plugged into the second AC socket of the wall unit, the first medical device and the wall unit may perform a time-based wireless pairing operation, wherein a third normal operation time, which may be calculated by the first medical device, may be compared to a fourth normal operation time, which may be calculated by the wall unit.

According to a twenty-fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a system may include a wall module that may have a first wireless transceiver and a first line that may be configured to transmit an audio feed. The twenty-fourth system can further comprise a patient bed, which can include a second wireless transceiver, a speaker, and a second line, which can be coupled to the speaker and the second wireless transceiver. The second wireless transceiver may be configured to wirelessly communicate with the first wireless transceiver. The first circuitry of the wall module may be configured to detect the presence of the bedside speaker unit, and in response to the circuitry of the wall module detecting the bedside speaker unit, the wall module may be configured to communicate with the second wireless transceiver through the first wireless transceiver in a first manner that may prevent the audio feed from being audibly played through the speakers of the hospital bed.

In some embodiments of the twenty-fourth aspect of the system, the first line may instruct the first wireless transceiver to transmit an audio packet that may correspond to silence in response to detecting the presence of the occipital speaker. For example, an audio packet corresponding to silence may contain all zeros. Optionally, the first line of the wall module may be further configured to detect the absence of the bedside speaker unit, and in response to the first line detecting the absence of the bedside speaker unit, the wall module may be configured to communicate with the second wireless transceiver through the first wireless transceiver in a second manner that may allow the audio feed to be audibly played through the speakers of the hospital bed.

Optionally, the system of the twenty-fourth aspect may further comprise a mobile device, which may be configured to communicate wirelessly with the wall module, and may be configured to display user input, which may be used to command the wall module to operate in the first or second manner. Optionally, the mobile device may be further configured to receive a firmware installation input from a user to upload the firmware to the first line of the wall module through the first transceiver.

In some embodiments of the twenty-fourth aspect system, the patient bed may include a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that may be configured to receive input from a user to control functions of the patient bed. In these embodiments, the GUI may be configured to receive a first user input, which may cause a mute command to be transmitted from the second wireless transceiver of the hospital bed to the first wireless transceiver of the wall module to command the first line of the wall module to operate in the first manner, thereby muting the speaker of the hospital bed. Optionally, the GUI of the twenty-fourth aspect may be configured to receive a second user input, which may cause an unmute command to be transmitted from the second wireless transceiver of the hospital bed to the first wireless transceiver of the wall module to command the first line of the wall module to operate in a second manner that may allow the audio feed to be audibly played through the speakers of the hospital bed.

Optionally, with respect to the system of the twenty-fourth aspect, the first line of the wall module and the second line of the hospital bed may perform a time-based pairing operation to pair the hospital bed with the wall module. For example, a time-based pairing operation may be initiated by inserting a power plug of a hospital bed into a power socket of a wall module.

In some embodiments of the twenty-fourth aspect, inserting the power line into the power outlet may cause a first timer of the hospital bed to be started to measure a first normal run time and may cause a second timer of the wall module to be started to measure a second normal run time. The wall module of the twenty-fourth aspect may be configured to transmit an announcement from the first wireless transceiver to the patient bed that may include the second normal operation time, and the patient bed may be configured to compare the second normal operation time with the first normal operation time. If the second normal operation time is within the predetermined tolerance of the first normal operation time, the patient bed of the twenty-fourth aspect may be configured to send a pairing message to the wall module, which may cause the wall module to automatically pair with the patient bed for subsequent wireless communication. Alternatively, the patient bed of the twenty-fourth aspect may be configured to transmit a message from the second wireless transceiver to the wall module that may include the first normal run time, and the wall module may be configured to compare the first normal run time to the second normal run time, and if the first normal run time is within a predetermined tolerance of the second normal run time, the wall module may be configured to send a pairing message to the patient bed, which may cause the wall module to automatically pair with the patient bed for subsequent wireless communication.

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

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

In some embodiments, the first line of the wall module of the twenty-fourth aspect may be configured to determine that an echo is present due to the same or similar audio being played by the bedside speaker unit and the speakers of the hospital bed, thereby detecting the presence of the bedside speaker unit. Alternatively or additionally, the first line of the wall module of the twenty-fourth aspect may be configured to receive a signal from the nurse call system that the bedside speaker unit is connectable to the nurse call system, thereby detecting the presence of the bedside speaker unit.

Additional features may include patentable subject matter, alone or in combination with any of the other features as set forth above and in the claims, and will become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the following detailed description of various embodiments which illustrates the best mode of carrying out the embodiments as currently recognized.

Drawings

The details are described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a partially schematic, partially perspective view of a healthcare facility network in which a hospital bed is paired with and in wireless communication with a wall module that in turn communicates with a nurse call system via a wired connection and can communicate wirelessly with one or more access points (WAP), and a bed can also communicate wirelessly with one or more WAP;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the electrical component parts of the bed and wall module;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a wall module arranged to couple to an Alternating Current (AC) duplex receptacle mounted to a panel attached to a wall of a patient room adjacent to a head end of a hospital bed, and showing a nurse call line extending from a bottom of the wall module and terminating in a nurse call connector arranged to couple to a nurse call port mounted to an audio station-to-bed connector (ASBC) at a bed locator unit mounted to the wall of the patient room;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view similar to fig. 3 showing the wall module coupled to the AC duplex receptacle, a nurse call connector coupled to the nurse call port, and a power plug of a power cable extending from the hospital bed and arranged to be coupled to the AC receptacle of the wall module;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 4, showing the power cable of the patient bed plugged into the power plug in the wall module, initiating a time-based wireless pairing operation between the patient bed and the wall module;

FIG. 6A is a swim lane diagram showing steps of a time-based wireless pairing operation in which a wall module starts a first timer in response to a power plug of a bed being plugged into a receptacle of the wall module, the bed starts a second timer in response to receiving AC power from the wall module, the wall module performs a series of Bluetooth (BT) scan listening to the bed, the bed transmits one or more BT announcements including bed uptime as measured by the second timer, and the wall module initiates a wireless pairing with the hospital bed in response to the bed uptime from the hospital bed being within a predetermined tolerance of the module uptime as measured by the first timer;

FIG. 6B is a swim lane diagram showing steps of an alternative time-based wireless pairing operation in which a wall module starts a first timer in response to a power plug of a bed being plugged into a receptacle of the wall module, the bed starts a second timer in response to receiving AC power from the wall module, the wall module transmits a series of BT announcements to the bed that include wall module normal operation time as measured by the first timer, the bed performs one or more BT scans, and the bed initiates a wireless pairing with the wall module in response to the wall module normal operation time from the wall module being within a predetermined tolerance of the bed normal operation time as measured by the second timer;

Fig. 6C is a swim lane diagram showing steps of an alternative wireless pairing operation, wherein the wall module transmits a low power Bluetooth (BLE) advertisement including vendor (MFG) data, the bed performs a series of BLE scans after the bed is BT radio ready, the bed compares the received MFG data with stored MFG data, if the MFG data matches, the bed stores a BLE Medium Access Control (MAC) address of the wall module in memory, and then the bed switches from BLE communication mode to BT basic rate/enhanced data rate (BR/EDR) communication mode, wherein wireless pairing occurs in response to the bed transmitting the MAC address of the wall module back to the wall module while in BR/EDR communication mode;

Fig. 6D is a swim lane diagram showing the steps of another alternative wireless pairing operation, wherein the bed transmits a low power Bluetooth (BLE) announcement including vendor (MFG) data, the wall module performs a series of BLE scans after the wall module BT is ready for radio, the wall module compares the received MFG data with stored MFG data, if the MFG data matches, the wall module stores the BLE MAC address of the bed in memory, and then the wall module switches from BLE communication mode to BR/EDR communication mode, wherein wireless pairing occurs in response to the wall module transmitting the MAC address of the bed back to the bed while in BR/EDR communication mode;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 5 but showing a Y-cable extending from the bottom of the wall module, the Y-cable having a first nurse call connector coupled to the nurse call port of the ASBC, and the Y-cable having a second nurse call connector configured to be coupled to a mating nurse call connector located at one end of the nurse call cable extending from the hospital bed;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view similar to fig. 7, with a second nurse call connector of the Y-cable connected to a nurse call cable extending from the patient room to enable wired data communication between the patient bed and the wall module and to enable wired data communication between the patient bed and the ASBC;

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

FIG. 10 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 8 showing an alternate embodiment cable extending from the bottom of the wall module, the alternate embodiment cable terminating in a dual-coupler nurse call connector, a first coupler of the dual-coupler nurse call connector configured to mate with a nurse call port of an ASBC, and a second coupler of the dual-coupler nurse call connector configured to mate with a connector at one end of a nurse call cable (not shown in FIG. 10) extending from the bed;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 10 showing the connector at one end of a nurse call cable extending from the bed coupled to the second coupler of the dual coupler nurse call connector, thereby providing a wired connection between the hospital bed and the nurse call system;

Fig. 12 is a perspective view similar to fig. 5, showing an alternate embodiment wall module having a nurse call connection port located alongside a duplex AC receptacle of the wall module, the nurse call connection port of the wall module configured to mate with a connector at one end of a nurse call cable (not shown in fig. 12) extending from the bed;

fig. 13 is a perspective view similar to fig. 12 showing a connector at one end of a nurse call cable extending from the bed coupled to a nurse call connection port of the wall module to provide a wired connection between the hospital bed and the nurse call system through the wall module;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of a first embodiment of a plug detector for use in a wall module, the first embodiment of the plug detector including a light emitter/light detector pair aligned generally horizontally with the power pin receiving openings of the respective receptacles of a wall unit duplex AC receptacle;

Fig. 15 is a schematic view of a second embodiment of a plug detector for use in a wall module, the second embodiment of the plug detector including a light emitter and a light detector aligned generally vertically with a power pin receiving port of a wall unit duplex AC receptacle;

FIG. 16 is a schematic view of a third embodiment of a plug detector for use in a wall module, the third embodiment of the plug detector including a mechanical switch that changes from an open state to a closed state in response to insertion of a plug into each of the wall module duplex AC outlets;

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of a fourth embodiment of a plug detector for use in a wall module, the fourth embodiment of the plug detector including current sensors coupled to power pins of respective ones of a wall module duplex AC outlet;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 4 showing the transponder tag attached to a power plug located at one end of a power line extending from a hospital bed;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 18 showing the plug and transponder tag inserted into one of the receptacles of the wall module duplex AC receptacle such that a reader within the wall module can sense the transponder of the transponder tag and initiate a timer of the wall module as part of a time-based wireless pairing operation;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing a medical bed connected to a medical monitor by Universal Serial Bus (USB) wiring to initiate a wireless pairing operation between the bed and the monitor;

FIG. 21 is a lane diagram showing steps in the wireless pairing operation between the beds and monitors of FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a mobile phone connected to a speaker unit through a mini-USB connection or such similar connection to initiate a wireless pairing operation between the phone and the speaker unit;

Fig. 23 is a swim lane diagram showing steps in the wireless pairing operation between the telephone and speaker units of fig. 22;

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment wall module showing a healthcare facility duplex AC receptacle accessible within a recess formed in a front wall of a housing of the alternate embodiment wall module, showing a illuminable wireless bed communication icon to the left of the recess in the front wall of the housing, and showing a bed icon signage on a top wall of the housing for indicating that a power line from a bed should be plugged into one of the AC receptacles of the duplex receptacle;

fig. 25 is a front view of the wall module of fig. 24 showing an alert icon displayed below a nurse call icon;

fig. 26 is a perspective view similar to fig. 7 showing a Y-cable extending from the bottom of the wall module of fig. 24 and 25, the Y-cable having a first nurse call connector coupled to the nurse call port of the ASBC and the Y-cable having a second nurse call connector configured to couple to a mating nurse call connector located at one end of the nurse call cable extending from the hospital bed;

FIG. 27 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 26, showing the bed icon sign omitted from the top wall of the housing and replaced with a bed power sign adhered to the vertical wall of the maintenance case and located above the wall module;

Fig. 28 is a perspective view of a first step of the installation process of the wall module of fig. 24 and 25, showing the healthcare facility duplex AC receptacle removed from the healthcare facility electrical junction box and arranged to be inserted into a recess formed in the back wall of the wall module, showing a short coupling screw in front of the wall module, and showing electrical wiring from the wall module attached by screws to neutral and live wires on either side of the healthcare facility duplex AC receptacle;

Fig. 29 is a perspective view similar to fig. 28, showing the duplex AC receptacle received in the recess of the wall module back wall, the upper and lower spacers arranged to be inserted into the recess of the wall module back wall and aligned with the respective upper and lower flanges of the ground frame of the duplex AC receptacle, and showing the upper and lower long screws arranged to be inserted through the wall module front and rear walls, through the apertures in the respective upper and lower flanges of the ground frame, and through the respective upper and lower spacers for receipt in the threaded receptacles of the junction box;

FIG. 30 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 29, illustrating the upper and lower spacers received in recesses in the back wall of the wall module and showing the threaded portions of the long screws protruding from the upper and lower spacers toward the junction box, at a still further step in the installation process;

FIG. 31 is a perspective view of a still further step of the installation process similar to FIG. 30, showing the wall module secured to the junction box;

fig. 32 is a perspective view of the wall module of fig. 24-31 showing a modified nurse call cable extending from the bottom of the wall module and terminating in a nurse call connector arranged to couple to a nurse call port of an audio station-bed connector (ASBC) mounted on a wall of a room in a patient room;

Fig. 33 is a perspective view similar to fig. 32 showing a nurse call connector of the modified nurse call cable coupled to a nurse call port of the ASBC to complete the installation process of the wall module of fig. 24-32;

Fig. 34 is an exploded view of the wall module of fig. 24-33, showing from left to right the upper spacer, the lower spacer, the healthcare facility duplex AC receptacle, four coupling screws, the molded back plate of the housing with the nurse call cable extending downwardly from the back plate, the grommet for the wall module electrical wiring, the nurse call circuit board, the main circuit board with a rectangular opening for receiving the AC receptacle of the duplex AC receptacle and with the light emitters and light detectors supported on opposite sides of the rectangular opening, the WiFi/bluetooth antenna, the molded front plate of the housing, the decorative cover piece, the long screws and the short screws;

Fig. 35 is a cross-sectional view of the wall module taken along line 35-35 of fig. 33, showing one of the light emitters and one of the light detectors in optical communication through respective apertures formed in a side wall of a portion of the front plate of the housing, defining a recess in the front wall of the housing, and showing the nurse call circuit board and the main circuit board supported in spaced, parallel relationship to each other within the interior region of the housing of the wall module;

Fig. 36 is a schematic diagram showing a first system architecture in which the wall module of fig. 24-35 communicates wirelessly with the bed and with the ASBC via a wired communication link, and the nurse call server communicates with a remote server via the internet (i.e., cloud), wherein the nurse call software on the bed, wall module, ASBC and nurse call server are all provided by the same vendor;

Fig. 37 is a schematic view similar to fig. 36 showing a second system architecture in which the wall module of fig. 24-35 communicates wirelessly with the bed and with a nurse call interface and a nurse call server over a wired communication link, wherein the nurse call software on the nurse call interface and the nurse call server is provided by different vendors with the bed and wall module;

FIG. 38 is a schematic diagram similar to FIG. 37, showing a third system architecture in which the bed is configured to communicate wirelessly with a remote server over the Internet (i.e., cloud);

FIG. 39 is a schematic diagram similar to FIG. 38, showing a fourth system architecture in which both the bed and wall modules are configured to communicate wirelessly with a remote server over the Internet (i.e., cloud);

FIG. 40 is a schematic view similar to FIG. 38, showing a fifth system architecture in which the bed is configured to wirelessly communicate with one or more bed data servers of the healthcare facility;

FIG. 41 is a schematic diagram of a sixth system architecture in which a bed is coupled to a wall module by a wired connection, the wall module is coupled to an ASBC and one or more bed data servers by a wired communication link, wherein the bed is configured to wirelessly communicate with one or more remote servers and one or more digital health portal servers;

Fig. 42 is a schematic diagram of a seventh system architecture in which a wall module is in wireless communication with a bed and in communication with an ASBC and a nurse call server, also acting as a bed data server, via a wired communication link, the wall module further configured to be in wireless communication with the bed data server and one or more digital health portal servers and/or remote servers, wherein the bed is configured to be in wireless communication with one or more remote servers;

FIG. 43 is a schematic diagram showing a hospital bed having ambient light sensor circuitry located in a sidebar of the hospital bed for each controller controlling the brightness of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and Graphical User Interface (GUI) lighting, and showing a wall unit having an indicator and a controller of the wall unit configured to control the brightness of the wall unit indicator based on information about ambient light detected by the ambient light sensor circuitry transmitted wirelessly from the hospital bed;

FIG. 44 is a schematic circuit diagram of one of the ambient light sensor circuits, wherein the other ambient light sensor circuit is identical;

FIGS. 45A and 45B are system block diagrams in which a wall module communicates data with a patient's bed via a Bluetooth transceiver and also communicates audio via a Frequency Modulation (FM) transceiver;

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

FIG. 47 is an algorithm performed by the wall module of FIG. 46 to determine whether to mute one or more speakers of a hospital bed;

FIG. 48 is a screen shot of an example of a landing page that appears on a service technician's mobile device during initial configuration of a wall module in response to the service technician launching a configuration application;

FIG. 49 is a screen shot of an example device page that appears on the service technician's mobile device in response to selection of the wireless cable communication icon or button on the login page of FIG. 48, the device page listing the wall module IDs of wall modules that are within Bluetooth communication range of the service technician's mobile device;

FIG. 50 is a screen shot of an example configuration home page that appears on a service technician's mobile device in response to selection of a connect button on a device page that appears adjacent to a module ID of a wireless module that the service technician desires to connect for configuration purposes;

FIG. 51 is a screen shot of an example of a setup page that appears on a service technician's mobile device in response to selection of a setup icon on the home page of FIG. 50, the setup page including a speaker slider bar that can be slid between an open position and a closed position to un-mute and mute, respectively, speakers of a bed that will be paired with a selected wall module or that is currently paired with the wall module, the setup page further having a date and time field selectable to adjust the date and time, the setup page still further having a nurse call slider bar that is movable between an active position and an inactive position;

FIG. 52 is a screen shot of an example of a maintenance page that appears on a service technician's mobile device in response to selection of a maintenance icon on the home page of FIG. 50 or the setup page of FIG. 51, the maintenance page including a firmware version field indicating a wall module firmware version stored on the service technician's mobile device that is designated for uploading to the wall module;

FIG. 53 is a screen shot of an example of a setup/preference page that appears on a Graphical User Interface (GUI) of a hospital bed as part of the bed's configuration audio;

FIG. 54 is a screen shot of an example of a bed feature page that appears on the GUI in response to selection of the bed feature button on the setup/preference page of FIG. 53;

FIG. 55 is a screen shot of an example of a wireless audio page that appears on the GUI in response to selection of a wireless audio button on the bed feature page of FIG. 54, the wireless audio page including a close button selectable as a mute bed speaker and an open button selectable as a un-mute bed speaker;

FIG. 56 is a swim lane diagram showing steps of a wireless audio configuration operation between a bed and a wall module when the bed is used to mute bed audio;

FIGS. 57A and 57B are system block diagrams in which the wall module communicates data and audio with the patient's bed via a Bluetooth transceiver, yet allows for mute audio;

FIG. 58 is a swim lane diagram showing steps of an authorization operation in which an advertising device issues an authorization challenge to determine a device to eliminate the possibility of Bluetooth pairing with the advertising device;

FIG. 59 is a perspective view of a portion of a head end of a conventional hospital bed having a wireless adapter mounted to a base frame of the bed, the wireless adapter configured to wirelessly mate with and communicate with a wall module after mating, and the wireless adapter configured to convert a conventional hospital bed that is not wirelessly communicable with the wall module into a hospital bed that is wirelessly communicable with the wall module;

Fig. 60 is a schematic view of an electrical component portion of the wireless adapter of fig. 59;

FIG. 61 is a flowchart illustrating the steps of retrofitting the wireless adapter of FIGS. 59 and 60 to a conventional hospital bed to enable wireless communication between the conventional hospital bed and a wall module;

FIG. 62 is a perspective view showing a power plug at one end of a power line of the medical monitor configured to connect to an AC outlet mounted on the patient bed frame to initiate a wireless pairing operation between the medical bed and the medical monitor;

FIG. 63 is a lane diagram showing steps of a first embodiment of a wireless pairing operation between the medical bed and the medical monitor of FIG. 62, and

Fig. 64 is a lane diagram showing steps of a second embodiment of the wireless pairing operation between the medical bed and the medical monitor in fig. 62.

Detailed Description

System 20 for use in healthcare facility 22 includes a medical device 30 and a wall module or wall unit 32 in wireless communication with medical device 30 according to a first wireless communication technique as shown in fig. 1. The terms "wall module" and "wall unit" are used interchangeably herein. The wall unit 32 is one example of a communication unit according to the present disclosure. The illustrative medical device 30 includes a hospital bed 30, but the principles of the present disclosure are applicable to other types of medical devices as well. For example, these other types of medical devices may include, but are not limited to, physiological monitors such as Electrocardiographs (EKG), electroencephalograms (EEG), pulse oximeters, blood pressure monitors, heart rate monitors, respiratory rate monitors, and body temperature monitors, other patient care devices including Intravenous (IV) pumps, drug infusion pumps, respiratory therapy devices, ventilators, continuous compression devices (SCD) to prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), hemodialysis machines, renal therapy devices, and passive exercise machines, and other types of patient support devices such as stretchers, chairs, wheelchairs, operating tables, patient lifts, and examination tables, to name a few.

The bed 30 communicates with the wall module 32 via a two-way wireless communication link 34 as schematically shown in fig. 1. In the illustrative example, the wireless communication between the bed 30 and the wall unit 32 is in accordance with the bluetooth communication protocol, so the communication link 34 comprises a bluetooth communication link 34. The communication range of Bluetooth (BT) technology generally depends on the power of the BT transmitter, whereas BT devices include class 1 devices, which are highest powered and operable at distances up to about 100 meters (m) (about 330 feet), class 2 devices, which are the most common types of BT devices and operable at distances up to about 10m (about 33 feet), and class 3 devices, which typically do not operate at distances exceeding about 1m (3.3 feet). For BT communication between the bed 30 and the wall module 32 as contemplated herein, it is sufficient to use a 2-level or 3-level BT device, but this does not exclude the possibility of using a 1-level BT device in the bed 30 and the wall module 32. In the illustrative embodiment, low power Bluetooth (BLE) is used as a communication technology between the bed 30 and the wall module 32.

The wireless communication from the bed 30 to the wall unit 32 over link 34 includes wireless bed data, including a bed Identification (ID), and wireless audio data, where appropriate. Wireless communication from the bed 30 to the wall unit 32 via link 34 also includes nurse calls, bed alarms and room instrument control signals, as appropriate. The wireless communication from the bed 30 to the wall unit 32 over link 34 includes wireless command messages for controlling the various features and functions of the bed 30 and, where appropriate, wireless audio data. The bed 30 also exchanges wireless pairing messages with the wall unit 32 to "pair" the bed 30 with the wall unit 32, as described in detail below in conjunction with fig. 6A and 6B. In the illustrative embodiment, bluetooth technology is the only wireless communication technology used for wireless communication between the bed 30 and the wall unit 32.

After pairing, the wall unit 32 sends the smart location text string 36 as a one-way message 37 as schematically shown in fig. 1. The smart text string 36 matches the name of the room location where the wall module 32, and thus the bed 30, is located. The smart text string 36 may have a format such as "Room 308-a (Room 308-a)", just to name a few. In some embodiments, the smart text string 36 is displayed by the bed 30 on a Graphical User Interface (GUI) 38. In the illustrative example, the bed 30 is obtained from Instana Bei Ciwei, hill-Rom, incA hospital bed, and has a GUI 38 on one or both of the headboxes 40. Additional details of bed 30 may be found, for example, in U.S. patent number 10,517,784, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety to the extent that it is consistent with the present disclosure, which is to be taken as being subject to any inconsistency.

Still referring to fig. 1, the wall module 32 is connected to a nurse call infrastructure 42 by a wired data link 44. The nurse call infrastructure 42 includes nurse call components such as Graphic Room Stations (GRS), graphic Audio Stations (GAS), standard Room Stations (SRS), employee audio stations (SAS), indicator lights (i.e., overhead lights) disposed in the healthcare facility hallway adjacent to the ward doorway, input/output (I/O) boards, routers, gateways, and other equipment that provide the overall system 20 with a nurse call system portion 43 (sometimes referred to herein simply as a nurse call system 43). As shown in fig. 1, the nurse call system 43 also includes a nurse call server, one or more status boards 48, and one or more nurse call master stations 50, or the like, coupled to the nurse call infrastructure 42, for example, by suitable cabling.

In some embodiments, the nurse call system 43 is obtained from the company of Dianana Bei CiweiThe nurse calls the system. Additional details of a suitable nurse call system 43 contemplated by the present disclosure may be found in U.S. patent nos. 8,598,995、8,384,526、8,169,304、8,046,625、7,746,218、7,538,659、7,319,386、7,242,308、6,897,780、6,362,725、6,147,592、5,838,223、5,699,038 and 5,561,412, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety to the extent that it is consistent with the present disclosure, and for any inconsistency, the present disclosure is control. Additional details of status panel 48 and the types of information displayed thereon may be found in U.S. patent No. 8,779,924, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety to the extent that it is consistent with this disclosure, which controls the present disclosure for any inconsistency.

As shown in fig. 1, wall module 32 is further configured to communicate with one or more Wireless Access Points (WAPs) 52 of healthcare facility 22 via a wireless communication link 54. In some embodiments, the bed 30 is also configured to communicate with one or more WAPs 52 via a wireless communication link 56. The wireless communication over links 54, 56 is, for example, in accordance with one or more IEEE 802.11WiFi communication protocols. Links 54, 56 are each bi-directional communication links so that wireless data and/or messages may be transmitted from wall module 32 and bed 30 over each link 54, 56 and wireless data and/or messages may be received by wall module 32 and bed 30 over links 54, 56. It should be appreciated that the bed 30 and wall module 32 may or may not communicate with the same one or more WAPs 52 via links 54, 56.

WAP 52 is coupled to facility network 60 by a suitable cable or the like for bi-directional communication as schematically indicated in FIG. 1. The facility network 60 is coupled to or includes one or more servers, such as a local bed data server 62, an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) server 64, an admission/discharge/transfer (ADT) server 66, and one or more other servers 68 of the system 20. In some embodiments, multiple ones of the servers 46, 62, 64, 66, 68 are combined into a single server. For example, in some embodiments of the system 20, the software implementing the functions of the local bed data server 62 is SMARTSYNC ^TM software available from Yinglong, while the software implementing the functions of the nurse call server 46 is also available from YinglongThe nurse calls the software to the device, both stored and run on the same server. In other words, in some embodiments, the local bed data server 62 and the nurse call server 46 are combined into one server.

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

The control panel 78 of the couch 30 also includes a nurse call input, typically buttons for the patient to make a nurse call. When a nurse call is made, a nurse call signal is sent from the bed 30 to the wall module 32 over the wired link 34, then to the nurse call infrastructure 42 over the wired link 44, and then to one or more of the nurse call master 50, status board 48, and nurse call server 46. Thereafter, the caregiver of the master station 50 can open an audio communication channel from the slave station 50 to the bed 30, including through the wireless link 34 between the wall module 32 and the bed 30, to thereby talk to the patient making the nurse call. Thus, two-way audio communication between the patient and the caregivers of the primary nurses' station 50 is through the wireless communication link 34 between the bed 30 and the wall unit 32.

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

It should be appreciated that the bed alarm described above is communicated from the bed 30 only when the line of the bed 30 has been enabled (e.g., turned on) to monitor a particular feature corresponding to the alarm. Thus, when monitoring of this particular feature is disabled (e.g., turned off), a corresponding alarm is not sent from the bed 30 over the wireless link 34. In some embodiments, other types of bed alarms, such as alarms related to mattress airbag inflation (e.g., the pneumatic system of the bed 30 fails to inflate one or more airbags to a target pressure) and motor over-temperature alarms (e.g., the motor of the bed 30 is overheated) are also transmitted from the bed 30 over the wireless link 34, just to name a few.

In some embodiments, the nurse call initiated by the patient and the bed alarm generated by the bed 30 are also sent to a wireless communication device carried by the caregiver. For example, these wireless communication devices may include tablet-type computers or portable telephones, such as smartphones or wireless handsets. In this regard, see, for example, U.S. patent No. 7,319,386 and U.S. patent application publication nos. 2020/041179 and 2020/0066415, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety to the extent that it is consistent with the present disclosure, for any inconsistency, the present disclosure is control. Thus, in some embodiments, other servers 68 of system 20 may include communication servers, such as voice over internet protocol (VoIP). Communication of these alerts to the wireless communication device of the healthcare worker is initiated, for example, by the nurse call server 46.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the couch 30 also detects and transmits a large amount of couch data unrelated to nurse calls and couch alarms and stores such couch data in one or more of the nurse call server 46, the local couch data server 62, and the remote couch data server 70. In this regard, reference is made to U.S. patent application publication No. 2012/0316892, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety to the extent that it is consistent with the present disclosure, for any inconsistency, which includes table 1 listing various bed data. In these embodiments, all available bed data is transmitted to server 62 and server 70. In other embodiments, it is up to the system designer or system administrator to transmit different subsets of bed data to different servers 46, 62, 70.

Some of the bed data may be transmitted from the bed 30 only through the wireless communication link 56, while some of the bed data may be transmitted from the bed 30 only through the wireless communication link 34. The bed data received by the wall module 32 may in turn be transmitted over one or both of the communication links 44, 54. In some embodiments, wall module 32 transmits some of the received bed data over wired communication link 44 and some of the received bed data over wireless communication link 54. Again, the type of bed data that the bed 30 and wall module 32 transmit over the various communication links 34, 44, 54, 56 is determined by the system designer or system administrator. The transfer message containing the bed data from the bed 30 and the wall module 32 includes a destination address (e.g., an IP address or a Media Access Control (MAC) address) of the device (e.g., the wall module 32 or the servers 46, 62, 70) that is to receive the message containing the bed data.

Referring now to fig. 2, the bed 30 includes a Main Control Board (MCB) 92 and a stand-alone communication board 94. The MCB 92 includes a microprocessor 96 and a memory 98, the memory 98 storing bed operating software that is executed by the microprocessor 96 to perform various bed functions of the MCB 92. In some embodiments, the microprocessor 96 and memory 98 are included in a microcontroller. MCB 92 also includes a WiFi module or transceiver 100, such as a WiFi radio, that provides bed 30 with the ability to communicate bi-directionally with WAP 52 via wireless communication link 56. In some embodiments, some or all of the microprocessor 96, memory 98, and WiFi transceiver 100 are included in a System on Chip (SoC), a programmable System on Chip (Programmable System on Chip, PSoC), a computer on Module (Computer on Module, coM), or a System on Module (SoM). In some embodiments, the VAR-SOM-MX6 model on-module system (SoM) available from VARISCITE of Islandia is used as or disposed on the MCB 92 of the bed 30.

The communication board 94 includes a microprocessor 102 and a memory 104, the memory 104 storing operating software that is executed by the microprocessor 102 to carry out the various functions of the communication board 94. In some embodiments, the microprocessor 102 and the memory 104 are included in a microcontroller. The communication board also includes a bluetooth module 106, such as a bluetooth radio or transceiver, that provides the bed 30 with the ability to communicate bi-directionally with the wall module 32 via the wireless communication link 34. In addition, the communication board 94 includes a set of relays 108 or similar elements (e.g., micro-switches, etc.), which assume an open state and a closed state based on user input and bed alarms. For example, one repeater 108 may be closed when the patient makes a nurse call, another repeater 108 may be closed in response to an out-of-bed alarm occurring, yet another repeater 108 may be closed in response to a room light being on, and so on.

Bed 30 further includes a speaker 110 and a microphone 112 to provide audio communication capabilities to bed 30. In some embodiments, speaker 110 also acts as a microphone, leaving out a separate microphone 112. In fig. 2, the GUI 38 of the bed 30 is labeled with the acronym "FUD", which is an abbreviation for "Flip-up Display". The abbreviation FUD is used because, in the illustrative example, the GUI 38 is pivotable upward from the recess of the sidebar 40 to make it more ergonomic for viewing by a healthcare worker standing beside the bed 30. In any event, GUI 38 and FUD 38 are used interchangeably herein. In the illustrative example, the FUD 38 is electrically coupled to the communication board 94. In other examples, the FUD 38 is electrically coupled to the MCB 92.

Still referring to fig. 2, the wall module 32 includes a system on module (SoM) including a microprocessor 116 and a memory 118, the wall module operating software stored in the memory 118 being executed by the microprocessor 116 to perform various functions of the SoM 114. SOM 114 also includes a WiFi module 120, such as a WiFi radio or transceiver, and a bluetooth module 122, such as a bluetooth radio or transceiver. The WiFi transceiver 120 provides the wall module 32 with the capability to communicate bi-directionally with the WAP 52 over the wireless communication link 54. Bluetooth transceiver 122 provides wall module 32 with the ability to communicate bi-directionally with bed 30 via wireless communication link 54. In some embodiments, SOM 114 is the DART 6Ul model system available from VARISCITE company, criticism.

The wall module 32 also includes a set of repeaters 124 as schematically illustrated in fig. 2. The repeater 124 of the wall module 32 is substantially identical to the repeater 108 of the communication board 94 of the MCB 92 of the bed 30. Based on the bluetooth radio 122 of the SOM 114 of the wall module 32 receiving the bed data from the bed 30 over the wireless communication link 34, the SOM 114 sends signals to the repeaters 124 such that the open and closed states of the respective repeaters 124 match the states of the repeaters 108 of the bed 30. The wall module 32 also includes a nurse call cable, such as a 37 pin cable, forming a wired communication link 44 from the wall module 32 to the nurse call infrastructure. In fig. 2, a 37 pin nurse call cable 44 is connected to a nurse call wall socket, such as a 37 pin wall socket or port 126, as one of the components of the nurse call infrastructure 42. The 37 pin cable 44 includes one or more wires as data conductors over which serial data, such as data according to the Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) protocol, is transmitted to the nurse call system 43. These data conductors do not have any repeater 124 associated with themselves, but are routed from the SOM 114 to the conductors of the 37-pin cable 44. This will be more apparent in connection with the discussion of fig. 9 below.

Optionally, the wall module 32 includes a port or input 128 for wired 37 pin connection with a 37 pin cable 232 extending between the bed 30 and the wall module 32. The type of cable 232 is, for example, a standard nurse call cable that is used today to connect the bed 30 with the wall socket 126 of the nurse call system 43 without the use of a wall module 32. In addition to the illustration of fig. 2, an embodiment of the wall module 32 including a 37 pin port 128 is shown and described below in connection with fig. 12 and 13. The port 128 is electrically coupled to the repeater 124, which repeater 124 is in turn coupled to a wall socket 126 of the nurse call system 43 by a cable 44. Thus, port 128 allows for a pass-through of wired communication between bed 30 and nurse call system 43 through wall module 32. In some embodiments, when the cable 232 is coupled to the port 128, bluetooth communication between the wall module 32 and the bed 30 is not established or is paused if established. Thus, wired communication between the bed 30 and the wall module 32 via the cable 232 takes precedence over wireless communication between the bed 30 and the wall module via the wireless communication link 34.

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

As also shown in fig. 2, the wall module 32 includes a plug detector 132 electrically coupled to the SOM 114. As shown in fig. 1 and 3-5, the wall module 32 includes a box-shaped housing 134, the housing 134 having a duplex AC outlet 136 accessible at a front wall 138 of the housing 134. In some embodiments, the housing 134 has a width of about 4.5 inches to about 5 inches, a height of about 5.5 inches, and a depth of about 1.25 inches to about 2.25 inches. The SOM 114, relay 124, and plug detector 132 are located within an interior region of a housing 134 of the wall module 32. As indicated schematically by blocks 140, 142 in fig. 2, a caregiver or other employee such as a shipper moves the bed 30 to the ward and then inserts the power cord 144 of the bed 30 into one of the outlets of the duplex receptacle 136 of the wall module 32. In response to the insertion of the power cord 144 into the wall module 32, the plug detector 132 sends a signal to the SOM 114, and the SOM 114 initiates a wireless pairing process between the wall module 32 and the bed 30, as will be described in further detail below in connection with fig. 6A and 6B. Various embodiments of the plug detector 132 will be discussed below in connection with fig. 14-17.

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

If a location ID is assigned to the wall module 32 at the time of installation, a message containing the assigned location ID is transmitted to the wall module 32 over one of the communication links 44, 54 for storage in the memory 118 of the SOM 114. Also, in some embodiments, the assigned location ID is different from the smart location text 36. The transmission of the location ID to the installed wall unit 32 is initiated by the remote computer under the control of a system administrator or other user of the remote computer. In some of the embodiments described above, the remote computer used to send the location ID to the wall module 32 may include, for example, a computer coupled to the nurse call server 46 (e.g., the master station 50), a computer coupled to the local bed data server 62, or a computer coupled to a real-time positioning system (RTLS) server in the other server 68. Alternatively, to provide the location ID to the wall module 32, a technician installing the wall module 32 may link a tablet or other handheld device to the wall module 32 through a wired connection to a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port or other type of port, such as a Joint Test Action Group (JTAG) port, provided on or within the housing 32 or 134. Thus, in some embodiments, a portion of the housing 134 is disassembled in order to access the port to program the location ID into the SOM 114.

Referring now to fig. 3, the wall module 32 is shown arranged to be coupled to an Alternating Current (AC) duplex receptacle 146 mounted on a panel 148 of a maintenance box 150, which maintenance box 150 is attached to a wall 152 of a patient room. The wall module 32 has a first set of pins 154 configured to be inserted into complementary openings of a first socket 156 of the receptacle 146 and a second set of pins 158 configured to be inserted into complementary openings of a second socket 160 of the receptacle 146. After the wall module 32 is inserted into the receptacle 146, power received by the pins 154 from the sockets 156 of the receptacle 146 is transferred through the wall module 32 to the upper sockets of the duplex receptacle 136, and power received by the pins 158 from the sockets 160 of the receptacle 146 is transferred through the wall module to the lower sockets of the duplex receptacle 136.

As shown in fig. 3, the cable 44 extends downwardly from the bottom wall of the wall unit 32 and terminates in a nurse call connector 162, such as a 37 pin nurse call connector, configured to be coupled to the wall socket 126. In the illustrative example, the wall outlet 126 is included in an Audio Station Bed Connector (ASBC) unit 164 of the type available from Hill-Rom company, indiana Bei Ciwei. As described above, ASBC is of the component type included in the nurse call infrastructure 42 of the nurse call system 43.

The ASBC unit 164 (sometimes referred to herein as ASBC 164) includes a bedside speaker port 166 for connection to a bedside speaker connector at one end of a wiring of a bedside speaker (not shown) as is known in the art. The ASBC 164 further comprises a 1/4 inch jack socket 168 for receiving a 1/4 jack provided at one end of a cable extending from a piece of patient care equipment. A universal alert signal is provided by the piece of patient care equipment to the receptacle jack 168 of the ASBC 164. Thus, the jack socket 168 receives a simple on or off signal to indicate the presence or absence, respectively, of an alarm condition for the patient care instrument. In some embodiments, the universal alert signal is associated with a particular type of patient care appliance. In this regard, reference is made to U.S. patent No. 9,411,934, which is incorporated herein by reference to the extent that it is consistent with the present disclosure, and which controls the present disclosure for any inconsistency.

In the illustrative example of fig. 3, the ASBC 164 is mounted to a side wall 170 of a bed locator unit 172, which bed locator unit 172 is mounted to the wall 152 of the patient room. The bed locator unit 172 is sometimes referred to herein simply as a bed locator 172. In the context of the present disclosure, the bed locator 172 is a building product that indicates where the head end of the hospital bed 30 should be located in the patient room. Thus, the bed 30 is generally centered relative to the bed positioner 172 such that its head end faces and is immediately adjacent to the front wall 174 of the bed positioner 172 (e.g., within 1 foot or less). The maintenance box 15 is mounted to the room wall 152 offset to one side from the bed positioner 72 but still immediately adjacent to the bed positioner 172 (e.g., within 2 feet or less). The length of the cable 44 is sufficient for the nurse call connector 162 to reach the receptacle 126 of the ASBC 164 when the wall module 32 is plugged into the receptacle 146. Thus, in some embodiments, the length of the cable 44 is approximately 3 feet or 36 inches. However, embodiments of the wall module 32 in which the cable 44 is shorter or longer than 36 inches are within the scope of the present disclosure.

Referring now to fig. 4, the wall module 32 is inserted into the receptacle 146 so as to obscure the receptacle 146 from view, and the nurse call connector 162 is coupled to the port 126 of the ASBC 164 so as to obscure the port 126 from view. In some embodiments, one or more screws (not shown) for mounting the cover plate of the receptacle 146 in place are removed, after which the wall module 32 is inserted into the receptacle 146, after which the wall module 32 is securely mounted to the receptacle 146 using one or more long screws. In this regard, the housing 134 includes a front wall 138 and a peripheral wall 176 (e.g., top, bottom, and side walls) integrally molded with the front wall 138, with a front cover portion of the housing 134 removed from a back wall 178 of the wall module 32. The back wall 178 has one or more openings that align with one or more threaded openings previously received one or more overlay screws. Thereafter, one or more long screws are inserted into one or more openings in the back wall 178 and threaded into respective threaded openings that previously received one or more overlay plate screws. After the one or more long screws are tightened, the covered portion including walls 138, 176 is reattached back to back wall 178. Thus, when installed in this manner, the wall module is fixed in place within the patient room relative to the wall 152 and cannot be easily removed without disassembling and removing one or more long screws.

Still referring to fig. 4, the power plug 180 at one end of the power cord 144 of the bed 30 is arranged such that the prongs 182 of the plug 180 (only two of the three prongs 182 are visible in fig. 4) are oriented to be inserted into one of a pair of the duplex receptacles 136 of the wall unit 32. It should be noted that plug 180 may be plugged into either of duplex receptacles 136 and wall module 32 will begin the bluetooth pairing process with bed 30. The wall module 32 includes a light 184 that lights up to indicate the pairing status between the bed 30 and the wall unit 32. In the illustrative example, the lights 184 are generally rectangular and surround the perimeter of the duplex AC receptacle 136. In some embodiments, the lamp 184 includes a tube, such as a tube made of a propylene material. In this manner, a single multi-color Light Emitting Diode (LED) is capable of emitting light into the lamp tube at discrete locations, causing the entire lamp tube to be illuminated. Alternatively, two single color LEDs are used to illuminate the tube of the light 184. In some embodiments, the light 184 lights up blue when the wall module 32 is not wirelessly paired with a medical device such as the bed 30, and the light 30 lights up green when the wall module 32 is wirelessly paired with a medical device such as the bed 30. In other embodiments, the light 184 is illuminated in some other color, such as amber or red, to indicate the wireless pairing status.

Referring now to fig. 5, a power plug 180 is inserted into the bottom socket of duplex receptacle 136. Plug detector 132 detects the connection of plug 180 to receptacle 136 and the signal SOM 114 of the connection. In response, SOM 114 initiates a time-based wireless pairing operation between wall module 32 and bed 30. In some embodiments, during a time-based pairing operation that may require approximately 45 seconds to complete in some cases, the light 184 continues to illuminate blue and may flash or flash. After the time-based pairing operation is successfully completed, the light 184 is illuminated green to provide visual feedback to the healthcare worker that the bed 30 was successfully paired with the wall module 32.

Referring now to fig. 6A, a swim lane diagram of a time-based wireless pairing operation 200 between a wall module 32 and a bed 30 (labeled "bed module" in fig. 6A) is shown. Operation 200 begins with inserting power plug 180 of bed 30 into receptacle 136 of wall module 32 as indicated by arrow 186"ac plug-in". In the example of fig. 6A, the plug detector 132 of the wall module 32 includes a line that detects the current flowing through the power plug 180 to the power line 144 and starts a timer of the wall module, as indicated by block 188 labeled "sense current, start timer". The current sense line is discussed below in connection with fig. 17. Other types of plug detectors 132 used in the wall module 32 in alternative embodiments are discussed below in connection with fig. 14-16. In an alternative embodiment, the timer of the wall module 32 associated with block 188 of fig. 6A is started in response to detecting an RFID tag or Near Field Communication (NFC) tag attached to the plug 180.

Bed 30 also includes circuitry, such as a current sense circuit, that detects current flowing into power line 144 as a result of plug 180 being connected to a power outlet. In response to bed 30 detecting receipt of power over power line 144, bed 30 starts a bed timer as indicated by a block 190 "start uptime timer". The timers of the wall module 32 and the bed 30 are software timers implemented by software according to the present disclosure. That is, the time at which the wall module 32 initially detected the plug 180 (e.g., an initial time) is stored in the memory 118, after which the initial time is subtracted by a discrete interval or a subsequent time when a specific event occurs, thereby obtaining the amount of time that has elapsed since the plug detector 132 of the wall module 32 initially detected the plug 180.

Similarly, the time that the bed 30 initially detected receipt of power through the power line 144 (e.g., sensed current flowing into the power line 144) is stored in the memory 98 of the MCB 92, after which the initial time is subtracted by the discrete interval or subsequent time when a particular event occurred, obtaining the amount of time that has elapsed since the bed 30 initially detected current flowing into the power line 144. In fig. 6A, the time calculated by the microprocessor 96 of the MCB 92 of the bed 30 is referred to as "normal running time". For example, as shown in fig. 6B, the elapsed time calculated by the microprocessor 116 of the SOM 114 of the wall module 32 is sometimes referred to herein as "normal run time". In an alternative embodiment, a hardware timer such as a clock circuit or clock chip is used to implement a timer for calculating the normal run time by the bed 30 and wall module 32.

After the wall module 32 senses "AC plug-in" 186 at block 188, a series of Bluetooth (BT) scans 192 are transmitted from the BT transceiver 122 of the wall module 32 to the BT transceiver 106 of the bed 30. Specifically, BT scan 192 includes query information to elicit a response message from any device within reception range of BT transceiver 122 of wall module 32. Of course, as the bed 30 is inserted into the wall module 32, it will be believed to be one of the devices that is within the reception range of the BT transceiver 122 of the wall module 32. In addition to the query message, BT scan 192 also includes a Media Access Control (MAC) address of BT transceiver 122 of wall module 32. In the illustrative example, three BT scans 192 are shown, but it is within the scope of the invention for more or less than three BT scans 192 to occur during the time-based wireless pairing process 200.

In response to receiving the one or more BT scans 192, the BT transceiver 106 is ready for BT communication, as indicated by a "BT radio ready" indication in block 194 of fig. 6A. Before transmitting any BT communications, the microprocessor 102 of the communication board 94 transmits a normal run time query message to the microprocessor 96 of the MCB 92 to obtain the current normal run time value of the bed 30, as indicated by a block 196 "acquire normal run time from MCB". The microprocessor 96 of the MCB 92 calculates or otherwise obtains the current normal run time in response to receiving the normal run time query message from the microprocessor 102 and reverts to the calculated or obtained current normal run time. After the microprocessor 102 of the communication board 94 receives the current normal run time, the BT radio 106 transmits a first "BT announce (including normal run time)" message, as indicated by arrow 198 in fig. 6A. In addition to normal run time, message 198 includes the vendor ID of bed 30, the product ID of bed 30, and the MAC address and/or Bluetooth ID address of BT transceiver 106.

After the BT transceiver of the bed 30 sends the message 198 to the BT transceiver 122 of the wall module 32, the microprocessor 102 of the communication board 94 sends another normal run time query message to the microprocessor 96 of the MCB 92 to obtain an updated normal run time, as indicated by block 202 "update normal run time". After the microprocessor 102 of the communication board 94 receives the updated normal run time, the BT radio 106 transmits a second "BT announce (including normal run time)" message, as indicated by arrow 204 in fig. 3. Similar to message 198, message 204 also includes the vendor ID of bed 30, the product ID of bed 30, and the MAC address and/or Bluetooth ID address of BT transceiver 106. This cycle of updating the normal run time and sending another "BT announce (including normal run time)" message is repeated one or more times periodically as indicated by another block 206 "update the normal run time" and another arrow 208.

When ready, the microprocessor 116 of the SOM 114 of the wall module 32 compares the normal run time received from the bed 30 in one or more BT advertisement messages 198, 204, 208 to the time elapsed by the internal timer of the wall module 32 as indicated by block 210 "compare normal run time to internal timer" in fig. 6A. If the normal run time received from the bed 30 in one or more messages 198, 204, 208 matches or in some embodiments is within tolerance of the normal run time elapsed by the wall module timer, as indicated by block 212 "if the normal run time is within range", the bluetooth transceiver 122 of the wall module 32 sends a pairing message, as indicated by a "pairing" arrow 214, which causes the wall module 32 to pair with the bed 30 for subsequent communication of wireless data and messages over the wireless communication link 34.

The tolerance range used to compare the normal operating time of the bed 30 to the normal operating time of the wall module 32 is used to account for the line processing delays of the two devices. For example, the microprocessor 102 of the communication board 94 requires some processing time (e.g., milliseconds or microseconds) to query and obtain the normal run time from the microprocessor 96 of the MCB 92, while the microprocessor 96 of the MCB 92 itself also requires some processing time to calculate the normal run time when requested. At the wall module 32, the microprocessor 116 requires some processing time to determine that the bluetooth transceiver 122 has received the BT transceiver message 198, 204, 208 containing the normal run time and to calculate the time elapsed since the wall module timer was started at block 188. Thus, depending on the number of significant digits used, as determined by the system designer or programmer, it is unlikely that the uptime and elapsed time will match exactly. On the other hand, if these times are rounded to the second bit or 5 seconds, then the rounded uptime is more likely to match exactly.

In some embodiments, it may be desirable to compare the normal run time from the bed 30 with the normal run time elapsed by the internal timer of the wall module 32 at block 210, and after more than one positive match of BT advertisement messages 198, 204, 208 is taken, transmit a pairing message 214 from the wall module 32 to the bed 30, thereby establishing a wireless pairing between these devices. For example, three proportional comparisons may be required before sending the wireless pairing message 214, just to name a few. However, more or less than three positive comparisons are also within the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, in an alternative embodiment, the roles of the bed 30 and the wall module 32 are reversed in the time-based pairing operation 200. In these embodiments, blocks 188, 210 correspond to functions performed by bed 30, blocks 190, 194, 196, 202, 206 correspond to functions performed by wall module 32, and the direction of arrows 192, 198, 204, 208, 214 is reversed. However, the direction of arrow 186 remains unchanged, as the power plug 180 of the power cord 144 of the bed 30 is still inserted into the receptacle 136 of the wall module 32.

After successful wireless pairing of the bed 30 with the wireless module 32, each message from the bed 30 to the wall module 32 includes a MAC address and/or a bluetooth ID address and/or a sequential ID and/or other protocol message header of the bluetooth transceiver 106. If the SOM 114 of the wall module 32 determines that the MAC address and/or bluetooth ID address and/or sequence ID and/or other protocol message header included in the wireless message corresponds to the paired bed 30 of the wall module 32, as the case may be, the message is processed by the SOM 114. Otherwise, the message is ignored. Similarly, after a successful wireless pairing of bed 30 with wireless module 32, each message from wall module 32 to bed 30 includes a MAC address and/or a bluetooth ID address and/or a sequential ID and/or other protocol message header of bluetooth transceiver 122. If the communication board 94 of the bed 30 determines that the MAC address and/or bluetooth ID address and/or sequence ID and/or other protocol message header included in the wireless message corresponds to the paired wall module 32 of the bed 30, as the case may be, the message is processed by the communication board 94. Otherwise, the message is ignored.

In some embodiments, power plug 180 of power line 144 is plugged into one of duplex AC jacks 136 of wall module 32, as indicated by arrow 186"AC plug plugged in" in fig. 6A, starting time-based bluetooth pairing process 200, at which time light 184 of wall module 32 remains blue, but begins to flash or flash to indicate that pairing process 200 is occurring. Thus, in some embodiments, the light 184 operates in three states, 1) illuminated blue, no blinking, indicating that there is no Bluetooth pairing with any medical device 30, 2) illuminated blue, blinking, indicating that the Bluetooth pairing process 200 is occurring between the wall module 32 and the medical device 30, and 3) illuminated green, no blinking, indicating that the pairing process has been completed, and that the medical device 30 was successfully paired with the wall module 32.

In some embodiments of the bed 30, a message is displayed on the GUI 38 during the time-based wireless pairing operation 200. For example, when the BT scan 192 and BT announcements 198, 204, 208 are being interacted with by the bed 30 and the wall module 32, a message "pairing" or a similar meaning message is displayed on the GUI 38. After the bed 30 receives the "pairing" message 214, the GUI 38 displays, for example, a "complete pairing" message or a message of similar meaning for a threshold period of time (such as 10 seconds, 30 seconds, or 1 minute, to name a few).

Referring now to fig. 6B, a swim lane diagram of a time-based wireless pairing operation 300 between a bed 30 (labeled "bed module" in fig. 6B) and a wall module 32 is shown. In the embodiment of fig. 6A, the wall module 32 is a BT scanner, but in the embodiment of fig. 6B, the bed 30 is a BT scanner, so that operation 300 is an alternative embodiment to the one described above, in which the roles of the bed 30 and wall module 32 are reversed. However, similar to operation 200, operation 300 begins with insertion of power plug 180 of bed 30 into receptacle 136 of wall module 32, as indicated by arrow 302"ac plug insertion". It is contemplated in connection with operation 300 that plug detector 132 of wall module 32 may be any type of plug detector, including the plug detectors discussed below in connection with fig. 14-17. In response to the wall module 32 detecting insertion of the bed's power line 144 into the receptacle 136, the wall module normal run time timer is started, as indicated by block 304 labeled "insert sensed, start normal run time timer". In an alternative embodiment, the timer of the wall module 32 associated with block 304 in fig. 6B is started in response to detecting an RFID tag or Near Field Communication (NFC) tag attached to the plug 180.

As described above, the bed 30 also includes a circuit, such as a current sense circuit, that detects the current flowing into the power line 144 as a result of the plug 180 being connected to the power outlet. In response to bed 30 detecting receipt of power over power line 144, bed 30 starts a bed normal run time timer, as indicated by block 306 labeled "insert sensed, start normal run time timer". One of the normal run time timers of blocks 304, 306 may be arbitrarily referred to herein as a "first normal run time timer" or a "first timer". The other normal run time timer of blocks 304, 306 may be arbitrarily referred to herein as a "second normal run time timer" or "second timer". In general, the two adjectives "first" and "second" refer only to which timer is first mentioned and which timer is second mentioned in any given scenario or embodiment. The discussion above of operation 200 in fig. 6A regarding the use of a software timer or a hardware timer as the normal run time timer for the bed 30 and wall module 32 applies equally to operation 300 in fig. 6B and is not repeated.

After the wall module 32 senses "AC plug-in" 302 at block 304, a first BT advertisement including wall module normal run time as measured by a timer of the wall module 32 is transmitted by the BT transceiver 122 of the wall module 32 to the BT transceiver 106 of the bed 30 as indicated by arrow 308"BT advertisement (including normal run time)". Thereafter, the wall module 32 updates its own uptime, as indicated by a first "update uptime" block 310. Thereafter, the BT transceiver 122 of the wall module 32 transmits a second BT advertisement including the updated normal run time of block 310, as indicated by arrow 312"BT advertisement (including normal run time)". This process may be repeated one or more times, as indicated by block 314 "update uptime" and arrow 316 in FIG. 6B.

In response to receiving one or more BT announcements 308, 312, 316 with respective uptime of the wall module 32, the BT transceiver 106 of the bed 30 is ready for BT communication, as indicated by block 318"BT radio ready" in fig. 6B. Before transmitting any BT communications, the microprocessor 102 of the communication board 94 transmits a normal run time query message to the microprocessor 96 of the MCB92 to obtain the current normal run time value of the bed 30, as indicated by block 320 "acquire normal run time from MCB". The microprocessor 96 of the MCB92 calculates or otherwise obtains the current normal operation time of the bed 30 in response to receiving the normal operation time query message from the microprocessor 102 and reverts to the calculated or obtained current normal operation time. Thereafter, the BT radio 106 of the bed 30 performs a series of BT scans, as indicated by the "BT scan" arrow 322 in fig. 6B, to listen for more BT announcements from the wall module 32 or to initiate more BT announcements from the wall module 32 via a query message. The bed 30 receives via BT radio 122 of module 32.

When ready, the microprocessor 102 of the communication board 94 of the bed 30 compares the normal run time received from the wall module 32 in one or more BT advertisement messages 308, 312, 316 to the time elapsed by the internal timer of the bed 30, as indicated by block 324 "compare normal run time to internal timer" in fig. 6B. If the normal run time received from the wall module 32 in one or more messages 308, 312, 316 matches or in some embodiments is within tolerance of the normal run time elapsed by the bed timer, as indicated by block 326 "if the normal run time is within range", the BT transceiver 106 of the bed 30 sends a pairing message to the BT transceiver 122 of the wall module 32, as indicated by arrow 328 "pairing", which causes the wall module 32 to pair with the bed 30 for subsequent communication of wireless data and messages over the wireless communication link 34. The discussion above of operation 200 in fig. 6A regarding the manner in which the lights 184 of the wall module 32 and the GUI 38 of the bed 30 may selectively operate during pairing is equally applicable to operation 300 in fig. 6B and will not be repeated.

With respect to BT announcements 308, 312, 316, the packets sent in the announcements include the MAC address of the wall module 32, which is a public address or a random address. If the bed 30, which is the scanner, chooses to connect or pair with the wall module, which is the advertiser, the wall module 32 perceives the bed 30 through a connection request packet (i.e., a pairing message indicated by arrow 328) sent by the bed 30, which in some embodiments includes the MAC address of the bed 30. In some embodiments, after the MAC address is interacted between the wall module 32 and the bed 30, the MAC address is no longer used for pairing of the bed 30 with the wall module 32, and the sequential ID and/or other protocol message header is used to facilitate paired communication between the bed 30 and the wall module 32. As described above, other information such as vendor ID and product ID is included in BT announcements and active BT scans.

In connection with the scanning and advertising quantities described in fig. 6A and 6B, it should be noted that Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is designed for low power. Thus, in typical applications, the BT radio of a device implementing BLE communication may be turned on and off at intervals to conserve power. When advertising or scanning, these intervals may be programmatically configured depending on the power requirements of the application. With respect to the bed 30 and wall module 32 in the illustrated embodiment, no power limitations need be considered, as both devices are plugged into AC power. Thus, the advertisement and scanning intervals in operations 200, 300 are relatively short, which is advantageous for speeding up discovery and connection times. Even so, multiple announcements and scans are typically required because a scanner may not hear a particular channel while an announcer is advertising on that channel while operating in a typical passive scanning mode.

For BT pairing using BLE, the "scanning window" and the "advertised window" must coincide on the same channel at the same time to be found. Three announcement channels are used in BLE. Thus, in the swim lane diagrams of fig. 6A and 6B, the BT advertisement and BT scan are shown as separate, but it should be appreciated that at some point in actual practice, the BT advertisement and BT scan will coincide to achieve a successful BT pairing between the two devices. For clarity, in fig. 6A, the bed 30 is the advertiser and the wall module 32 is the scanner, and in fig. 6B, the bed 30 is the scanner and the wall module 32 is the advertiser.

Referring now to fig. 6C, a swim lane diagram is shown in lieu of wireless pairing operation 330. Operation 330 is a dual mode pairing operation in which some wireless communications between bed 30 and wall module 32 are bluetooth low power (BLE) communications and others are bluetooth basic rate/enhanced data rate (BT BR/EDR or only BR/EDR as used herein) communications. BR/EDR is sometimes referred to as classical Bluetooth (Bluetooth Classic). Thus, communication between the bed 30 and the wall module 32 includes a first mode and a second mode, such as a BLE mode and a BR/EDR mode. BLE provides an announcement field for vendor specific data that vendors can decide to program at their discretion. However, BLE connection aims at short bursts of data in long time intervals when BT devices are paired. Therefore, BLE is not suitable for streaming audio or large amounts of data. Such a design aims at saving electricity.

On the other hand, the BR/EDR design is a continuous connection that includes audio. However, BR/EDR querying and scanning procedures are not as flexible as BLE, and thus BR/EDR pairing connections need to be made based on advertised Universally Unique Identification (UUID) profiles rather than vendor provided data. To take advantage of the advertising flexibility of BLE and the data throughput of BR/EDR, a dual mode approach is contemplated herein in connection with operation 330. The dual mode bluetooth device is capable of communicating with both the BLE device and the BR/EDR device.

According to operation 330, the wall module 32 transmits a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) advertisement 332 that includes vendor (MFG) data, such as vendor ID and/or a particular device type, which may be a universal unique identification code of the vendor company, if desired. In some embodiments, BLE advertisement 332 is transmitted periodically because module 32 is in discoverable mode, regardless of whether any beds 30 are present in the patient room or are otherwise within communication range of wall module 32. In other embodiments, BLE advertisement 332 is initiated after insertion of bed 30 is detected, as described in other paragraphs herein. In some embodiments, BLE advertisement 332 also includes a normal run time as determined by wall module 32 in the manner described above in connection with fig. 6A and 6B. In BLE discoverable mode, if wall module 32 receives such BR/EDR communications, wall module 32 can also use BR/EDR for the connection.

After the bed 30 inserts received power, the BT radio 106 is ready to communicate as indicated by block 334"BT radio ready" and then proceeds to a series of BLE scans 336 to listen for BLE announcements 332. After detecting BLE advertisement 332 in one BLE scan 336, the bed 30 compares the vendor data included in the detected BLE advertisement 332 with vendor data stored in the bed 30, as indicated by block 338 "compare vendor data". For example, in some embodiments, the microprocessor 102 of the communication board 96 performs the comparison while the stored vendor data resides in the memory 104. In other embodiments, the microprocessor 96 of the MCB 92 performs the comparison while the stored vendor data resides in the memory 98. This does not exclude the possibility of the microprocessor 96 comparing based on vendor data residing in the memory 104 or the possibility of the microprocessor 102 comparing based on vendor data residing in the memory 98.

Still referring to fig. 6C, if the comparison of vendor data matches, as indicated by block 340, the bed 30 stores the BLE Medium Access Control (MAC) address of the wall module 32 in memory (e.g., memory 98 or memory 104), as indicated by block 342 "store BLE MAC address". In some embodiments, bed 30 also determines the uptime in the same manner as described above in connection with fig. 6A and 6B. In these embodiments, the bed normal run time is compared to the wall module normal run time and if the normal run time matches, e.g., is within a threshold amount of time, operation 330 proceeds to block 342.

After storing the BLE MAC address at block 342, the bed 30 switches from the BLE communication mode to the BR/EDR communication mode, wherein wireless pairing occurs in response to the bed 30 transmitting a BR/EDR packet back to the wall module 32 that includes the MAC address of the wall module 32, as indicated by arrow 344 labeled "pairing with BR/EDR and stored MAC address". After pairing the bed 30 with the wall module 32, the subsequent BT communication 34 between the two proceeds according to the BR/EDR protocol, but this does not mean that BLE communication does not occur over the data link 34 if necessary. For example, bed status packets and alarm/alert packets may be transmitted from bed 30 to wall module 32 according to the BLE protocol, while audio communications may be transmitted between bed 30 and wall module 32 through the BR/EDR protocol.

In accordance with the present disclosure, in some embodiments, the bed 30 implements a timer to perform BLE scan 336 only for a threshold period of time (such as 5 seconds, 10 seconds, or 30 seconds, to name just a few) after insertion and/or after the BT radio 106 begins scanning. If no notification 332 from the wall module 32 is detected within a threshold period of time, the bed 30 stops scanning. In some embodiments in which the wall module 32 senses insertion of the bed 30, the BLE advertisement 332 is transmitted only for a threshold period of time, such as 5 seconds, 10 seconds, or 30 seconds, to name a few. The time threshold for the wall module 32 to send the notification 332 may or may not be the same as the time threshold used by the bed 30. After expiration of the time threshold of the wall module, no more notifications 332 are sent.

Optionally, after bed 30 stops scanning due to a timeout (e.g., expiration of a scan time threshold), the message appears on GUI 38 for a period of time, e.g., 10 seconds, just to name a few, indicating that no bluetooth pairing has occurred. In addition, after wall module 32 is paired with bed 30, wall module 32 stops transmitting notifications 332 and bed 30 stops scanning 336. In this way, other beds 30 that are within communication range of the wall module 32 are prevented from receiving the notification 332 and attempting to pair with the wall module 32 after the pairing has been achieved but not terminated by the wall module 32 as described below. In some embodiments, after the wall module 32 terminates pairing with a bed 30 as described below, the wall module 32 begins transmitting notifications 332 to enter a discoverable mode for the next bed 30 (or for the same bed 30, if the bed 30 is not left in the room and is reinserted after removal). In other embodiments, after the wall module 32 terminates pairing with the bed 30, the wall module 32 does not begin transmitting the notification 332 until the wall module 32 detects the next insertion.

Referring now to fig. 6D, a swim lane diagram of another alternative wireless pairing operation 350 is shown. Similar to operation 330, operation 350 is a dual mode pairing operation, wherein some wireless communications between the bed 30 and the wall module 32 are BLE communications and others are BR/EDR communications. However, in fig. 6D, the identities of the bed 30 and the wall module 32 as the scanner and the notifier are reversed compared to operation 330 in fig. 6C. That is, in fig. 6C, the wall module 32 is the advertiser and the bed 30 is the scanner, and in fig. 6D, the bed 30 is the advertiser and the wall module 32 is the scanner. Due to the similarity between fig. 6C and 6D, the same reference numerals are used in fig. 6D as in fig. 6C, but an apostrophe is added to the reference numerals of fig. 6D.

In operation 350, communication between the bed 30 and the wall module 32 includes a BLE mode and a BR/EDR mode. As such, operation 350 also exploits the advertising flexibility of BLE and the data throughput of BR/EDR. The above description of operation 330 in fig. 6C is mostly equally applicable to operation 350 in fig. 6D, and thus will not be repeated, but the following discussion of operation 350 and operation 330 may be repeated slightly. In other words, the following description of operation 350 focuses on the distinction between operations 330/350.

According to operation 350, the bed 30 transmits a BLE advertisement 332' including vendor data. In some embodiments, BLE advertisement 332' is periodically transmitted because the bed 30 is in discoverable mode, which occurs after the bed 30 is plugged into AC power, regardless of whether any wall modules 32 are present in the patient room. In some embodiments, BLE advertisement 332' also includes a normal run time as determined by bed 30 in the manner described above in connection with fig. 6A and 6B. In BLE discoverable mode, if bed 30 receives such BR/EDR communications, bed 30 can also utilize the BR/EDR connection.

After the wall module detects that the bed 30 has been plugged in to receive power, the BT radio 122 of the wall module 32 is ready to communicate as indicated by block 334' "BT radio ready" before proceeding to a series of BLE scans 336' to listen for BLE announcements 332'. Thus, the wall module 32 does not perform any BLE scan until the wall module 32 detects an insertion. This prevents accidental pairing with any bed 30 that has no longer been plugged into a socket associated with module 32.

After detecting BLE advertisement 332 in one BLE scan 336', wall module 32 compares the vendor data included in the detected BLE advertisement 332' with vendor data stored in wall module 32, as indicated by block 338' "compare vendor data". Thus, the microprocessor 116 of the SOM 114 makes the comparison while the stored vendor data resides in the memory 118 of the wall module 32.

Still referring to fig. 6D, if the comparison of the vendor data matches, as indicated by block 340', wall module 32 proceeds to store the MAC address of bed 30 in memory 118, as indicated by block 342' "store BLE MAC address". In some embodiments, the wall module 32 also determines the uptime in the same manner as described above in connection with fig. 6A and 6B. In these embodiments, the wall module uptime is compared to the bed uptime, and if the uptime matches, e.g., is within a threshold amount of time, operation 350 proceeds to block 342'.

After storing the BLE MAC address at block 342', wall module 32 switches from the BLE communication mode to the BR/EDR communication mode, wherein wireless pairing occurs in response to wall module 32 transmitting a BR/EDR packet back to bed 30 that includes the MAC address of bed 30, as indicated by arrow 344' labeled "pairing with BR/EDR and stored MAC address. After pairing the bed 30 with the wall module 32 in operation 350, the subsequent BT communication 34 therebetween proceeds in any of the manners described above in connection with operation 330.

According to the present disclosure, in some embodiments, the wall module 32 implements a timer to perform BLE scan 336' only for a threshold period of time (such as 5 seconds, 10 seconds, or 30 seconds, to name just a few) after the wall module 32 detects the insertion and/or after the BT radio 122 begins scanning. If no notification 332' from the bed 30 is detected within a threshold period of time, the wall module 32 stops scanning. In some embodiments, after the bed 30 senses insertion into AC power, the BLE advertisement 332' is transmitted only for a threshold period of time, such as 5 seconds, 10 seconds, or 30 seconds, to name a few. The time threshold for bed 30 to send notification 332' may or may not be the same as the time threshold used by wall module 32. After expiration of the time threshold of the bed, no more notifications 332' are sent.

Optionally, after the wall module 32 stops scanning due to a timeout (e.g., expiration of the scan time threshold), an indicator, such as a light 184, on the wall module 32 lights up for a period of time, such as 10 seconds, to name a few, which indicates that no bluetooth pairing has occurred. In addition, after the wall module 32 is paired with the bed 30, the bed 30 stops transmitting notifications 332', and the wall module 32 stops scanning 336'. In this way, other wall modules 32 that are within communication range of the bed 30 are prevented from receiving the notification 332' and attempting to pair with the bed 30 after the pairing has been achieved but has not been terminated by the wall module 32 as described below. After the wall module 32 terminates pairing with the bed 30, as described below, the wall module 32 does not begin any scanning 336' until the wall module 32 detects another insertion.

According to the present disclosure, the wall module 32 controls when pairing between the wall module 32 and the medical device 30 is terminated. For example, if plug detector 132 of wall module 32 detects that plug 180 of power line 144 is no longer plugged into duplex receptacle 132, a wireless pairing termination signal is sent by bluetooth transceiver 122 of wall module 32 to bluetooth transceiver 106 of bed 30 to terminate the bluetooth pairing. Alternatively or additionally, if the bed status data received by the wall module 32 from the bed 30 indicates that the casters 82 of the bed 30 have been released or not braked, a wireless pairing termination signal is sent by the bluetooth transceiver 122 of the wall module 32 to the bluetooth transceiver 106 of the bed 30 to terminate the bluetooth pairing. In some embodiments, after both pulling the power cord 144 from the wall module 32 and releasing the caster brake of the bed 30 is desired, a pairing finalization signal is sent by the wall module 32 to the bed 30. This wireless pairing termination is controlled differently than the arrangement described in U.S. patent No. 10,085,905, in which the controller of the bed determines when a disconnect signal should be sent to the wall module to terminate pairing between the bed and the wall module. However, in an alternative embodiment contemplated by the present disclosure, bed 30 initiates the unpairing with wall module 32 based on the unpairing criteria described above.

Optionally, bluetooth transceiver 122 does not transmit a wireless pairing termination signal until after a threshold amount of time expires (e.g., 10 seconds or 30 seconds, just to name a few). Thus, if the caregiver releases the casters 82 in order to slightly change the position of the bed 30 in the patient room, or if the power plug 180 is accidentally disengaged from the receptacle 136 of the wall module 32, the bed 30 remains mated with the wall module 32 if the casters are braked or the power plug 180 is plugged back into the receptacle 136 within a threshold time. After wireless pairing of the bed 30 with the wall module 32 is terminated, wireless data and/or messages are no longer transmitted from the bluetooth transceiver 106 of the bed 30 over the wireless communication link 34. However, in some embodiments, data and/or messages may still be transmitted from the WiFi transceiver 100 of the bed 30 to one or more WAPs 52 of the system 20 via the wireless communication link 56. These WiFi data and/or messages may be transmitted from the bed 30 as the bed 30 moves from one location of the medical facility 22 to another. In these embodiments, the onboard battery beds 30 are used to power the MCB 92 and WiFi transceiver 100 to allow for these wireless communications.

Referring now to fig. 7, an embodiment of the wall module 32 is shown in which a Y-cable 216 extends from the bottom of the wall module 32 in place of the cable 44. The Y-cable 216 includes a primary leg or section 218 extending between the wall module 32 and a Y-node 220 of the cable 216, a first secondary leg or section 222 extending from the Y-node 220 and terminating in a first nurse call connector 224 configured to be coupled to a nurse call port 126 of the ASBC 164, and a second secondary leg or section 226 extending from the Y-node 220 and terminating in a second nurse call connector 228. As shown in fig. 8, the second nurse call connector 228 is configured to couple to a third nurse call connector 230 at one end of a nurse call cable 232 extending from the bed 30. Thus, when the nurse call connector 230 is coupled to the nurse call connector 228, the connector 228 at one end of the auxiliary leg 226 of the y-cable 216 allows the communications board 94 of the bed 30 to be wired to the ASBC 164 and the wall module 32.

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

Referring now to fig. 9, a block diagram is provided showing one end of the main leg 218 of the Y-cable 216 coupled to a nurse call/wired bed connector 234 within the interior area of the wall module 32. Portions of SOM 114 in FIG. 2 are shown in separate blocks in FIG. 9. For example, the controller 114 in FIG. 9 includes a microprocessor 116 of the SOM 114, while the flash memory 118 and the WiFi/BT modules 120/122 are shown as separate blocks. In other words, in some embodiments, the memory 118 of the SOM 114 is flash memory. Additionally, in some embodiments, the WiFi transceiver 120 and the Bluetooth transceiver 122 are included in a single WiFi/BT module (labeled WiFi/BT modules 120, 122 in FIG. 9). The single module 120, 122 includes, for example, a single antenna for WiFi and bluetooth communications. In these embodiments, the controller 114 determines whether the transmission from the modules 120, 122 is a WiFi communication or a bluetooth communication.

Still referring to fig. 9, a shift register/repeater block 124, a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) line 236, and an audio encoder/decoder (codec) block 238 interconnect the controller 114 with the nurse call/wired bed connector 234. In some embodiments, the joint 234 is a 37-pin joint similar to the joints described in other paragraphs herein. Thus, the open/close state of some of the pins of the 37 pin header 234 is determined by the state of the repeater, and the open/close state of other pins is determined by the state of the shift register. That is, the pins of the 37-pin header do not all have corresponding repeaters coupled thereto. In some embodiments, SPI line 236 is connected to multiple pins of a 37 pin connector. For example, SPI line 236 includes three wires or leads connected to corresponding pins of connector 234, including an SPI clock wire, an SPI data output wire, and an SPI data input wire. The audio codec 238 includes various wires or leads that are associated with audio signals originating from the microphone 112 of the bed 30 and audio signals sent from other devices, such as a nurse calling the master station 50, to the speaker 110 of the bed 30.

In the illustrative embodiment of wall module 32 in fig. 9, ethernet port 240 is coupled to controller 114 and provides wall module 32 with the ability to couple to facility network 60 through an ethernet cable. Thus, in some embodiments, ethernet port 240 comprises an RJ-45 port. If an ethernet cable is coupled to port 240 to provide network 60 for a wired communication link, wiFi communication implemented over wireless communication link 54 is suspended or disabled. Thus, the wired connection to the network 60 is achieved over the wireless communication link 54 with the network 60 through the ethernet port 240 of the wall module 32.

As also shown in fig. 9, the wall module 32 includes an alternating current/direct current (AC/DC) converter that receives 120 Volt AC (VAC) power from the outlet 156 and/or the outlet 160 of the duplex AC outlet 146 via the pins 154 and/or the pins 158, respectively, of the wall module 32. The AC/DC converter converts the 120VAC power to one or more DC voltage levels (e.g., 5V DC, 12V DC, etc.) required to drive the various components of the wall module 32. The plug detector 132 of fig. 9 is labeled as an Infrared (IR) plug detector 132 and is coupled to a first IR sensor pair 244 and a second IR sensor pair 246. IR sensor pairs 244, 246 are described in further detail below in conjunction with fig. 14.

Referring now to fig. 10, an embodiment of the wall module 32 is shown in which a T-cable 248 extends from the bottom of the wall module 32 in place of the cable 44. The T-cable 248 terminates in a connector body 250, a first nurse call connector of the connector body 250 configured to couple to the nurse call receptacle 126 of the ASBC 164 shown in fig. 10 and 11, and a second nurse call connector 252 of the connector body 250 configured to couple to the nurse call connector 230 at one end of the nurse call cable 232 extending from the bed 30 shown in fig. 10. One end of the T-shaped cable 248 enters one side of the connector body 250 and the wires or electrical lines within the cable 248 are routed to each of the pins of the first and second wires of the connector body 250. The opposite end of the cable 248 is coupled to the nurse call/wired bed connector 234 within the interior region of the housing 134 of the wall module 32 in the same manner as the main branch 218 of the cable 216 is coupled to the connector 234 described above. Thus, each cable 216, 248 is configured for wired connection to the ASBC 164 and the nurse call cable 232 of the bed 30. However, unlike the separate auxiliary branches 222, 226 in the Y-cable 216, each having a nurse call connector 224, 228, the connector body 250 of the t-cable 248 provides a dual-coupler nurse call connector configured to couple to the nurse call port 126 of the ASBC 164 and the nurse call connector 230 of the cable 232 of the bed 30.

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

Referring now to fig. 12, an embodiment of the wall module 32 is shown in which the nurse call connection port 128 is accessible alongside the duplex AC receptacle 136 on the front wall 138 of the housing 134. Ports 128 are discussed above in connection with fig. 2. Referring back to the above figures, port 128 of module 32 allows for a wired connection to bed 30. Specifically, the nurse call connection port 128 of the wall module 32 is configured to mate with the connector 230, as shown in fig. 13, with the connector 230 being located at one end of a nurse call cable 232 extending from the bed 30. In the illustrative example, port 128 is a 37-pin connector with its length oriented generally vertically.

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

Referring now to fig. 14, a first embodiment of a plug detector 132 for use in the wall module 32 is shown. The plug detector 132 of fig. 14 includes the IR sensor pairs 244, 246 described above in connection with fig. 9. Specifically, each IR sensor pair 244, 246 of the first embodiment of the plug detector 132 includes a light emitter 254 and a light detector or receiver 256. The light emitters 254 and light detectors 256 of each sensor pair 244, 246 are generally horizontally aligned with the power pin receiving openings or apertures 258 of the respective receptacles 260 of the duplex AC receptacle 136 of the wall module 32. When the power plug 180 of the bed 30, or virtually any power plug, is not connected to any of the receptacles 260, as schematically indicated in fig. 14, the IR light beams 262 emitted by each light emitter 254 are received by the corresponding horizontally aligned light detectors 256.

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

The present disclosure contemplates that a device that is not programmed to wirelessly pair with the wall module 32 (referred to herein as a "non-mateable device") may be inserted into one of the upper and lower receptacles 260 of the receptacle 136 before a mateable device (e.g., a device such as the bed 30 that is programmed to wirelessly pair with the wall module 32 over time) is inserted into the other of the upper and lower receptacles 260 of the receptacle 136. In this case, one of the IR sensor pairs 244, 246 detects a non-mateable device insertion, and the wall module 32 proceeds to transmit a BT scan 192 to attempt to pair with the non-mateable device. However, the unpaireable device will not respond with any BT announcements at normal run time, so the wall module 32 will not pair with the unpaireable device. Subsequently, when the mateable device 30 is plugged into the remaining receptacles 260 of the outlet 136, the wall module 32 again transmits the BT scan 192 and proceeds to successfully mate with the mateable device 30 according to process 200 of fig. 6A.

If a mateable device 30 has been plugged into one of the receptacles 260 of the receptacle 136 of the wall module 32 in FIG. 14 before any other device is plugged into the other of the receptacles 260, one of the IR sensor pairs 244, 246 detects a mateable device plug and the wall module 32 proceeds to mate with the mateable device according to process 200. Thereafter, if another device is plugged into the remaining outlet 260, the wall module 32 will not transmit any BT scan 192 nor will any attempt be made to pair with the second device because the wall module 32 is already paired with the first mateable device. Even in the case where the second device is also a mateable device. In other words, the wall module 32 is wirelessly paired with only one mateable device at a time, such as with the bed 30.

Referring now to fig. 15, a second embodiment of a plug detector 132 for use in the wall module 32 is shown. The plug detector 132 in fig. 15 includes a single IR sensor pair 244'. Specifically, the IR sensor pair 244' of the second embodiment of the plug detector 132 includes a light emitter 254' and a light detector or receiver 256'. The light emitters 254' and light detectors 256' of the sensor pair 244' are generally vertically aligned with the ground pin receiving openings or apertures 259 of each receptacle 260 of the duplex AC receptacle 136 of the wall module 32. When the power plug 180 of the bed 30, or virtually any power plug, is not connected to any of the receptacles 260, as schematically indicated in fig. 15, the IR light beam 262' emitted by the light emitter 254' is received by the vertically aligned light detector 256'.

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

The plug detector 132 of fig. 15 has only one IR sensor pair 244' compared to the plug detector 132 of fig. 14 having two IR sensor pairs 244, 246, and therefore has fewer circuit components, which reduces the weight and cost of the wall module 32 compared to the embodiment of fig. 14. However, insertion of the ground pin of the first device into one of the receptacles 260 of the receptacle 136 blocks the light beam 262', and the wall module 32 cannot detect insertion of the second device into the other of the receptacles 260 of the receptacle 136 because the light beam 262' has been blocked by the first device ground pin received in the corresponding ground opening 259. Thus, if the plug detector 132 shown in fig. 15 is provided in the wall module 32, it is necessary that a mateable device such as the bed 30 be inserted into the wall module 32 as the first device so that a successful pairing can be achieved between the mateable device 30 and the wall module 32. Thus, in response to the light beam 262' being blocked by the first device being inserted into the receptacle 136, the wall module 32 transmits the BT scan 192 to begin the time-based wireless pairing process 200.

With respect to the embodiments of fig. 14 and 15, other types of wireless signals may be employed between the appropriate emitters and detectors in further embodiments in lieu of the use of IR beams 262, 262'. For example, other suitable source/detector pairs include the use of Radio Frequency (RF) signals, including RF signals in the gigahertz range. In these embodiments, an RF emitter and an RF detector are used. The presence of one or more pins 182 in the RF signal path interrupts the RF signal to the RF detector.

With respect to the embodiment of fig. 15, the housing 134 of the wall module 32 containing the source/detector pair 244 'is configured to reduce a significant amount of exogenous environmental stimuli such as room ambient light and sunlight from windows, with the source or emitter 254' being positioned at the bottom of the front wall 138 as the AC overlay of the receptacle 136 and emitting an IR beam 262 'upward toward the detector 256' to eliminate the effects of ambient light and sunlight. If desired, the detector 256' may be recessed further into a well provided at the top of the front wall 138 to prevent reflections from the surface from entering the detector space, resulting in false indications.

The physical location and configuration of the source/detector pairs 244 'can be in the same way to mitigate false triggers that may be caused by objects such as bed sheets, wiring, wires, hoses, and any other obstructions in the signal path of the beam 262' that would reflect light into the beam between the source/detector pairs 244 'by recessing the signal path 262' into the interior region of the wall module 32. In further embodiments, the beam 262' may be angled relative to the floor of the patient room (e.g., may be tilted relative to a horizontal or vertical direction) further isolating the beam path from external object reflections that may easily interfere with the detection path and create false connection indications. For example, in the variant embodiment of fig. 15, a single beam 262' or multiple beams 262' are emitted diagonally across the AC outlet 136 such that the beams 262' span the left opening 258 of the upper receptacle 260 and the right opening 258 of the lower receptacle. Alternatively, the one or more beams 262' so emitted obliquely pass across the right opening 258 of the upper receptacle 260 and the left opening 258 of the lower receptacle.

A similar approach using oblique beams 262 may be implemented in connection with the modified embodiment of fig. 14. For example, the detector pair 244 may have its emitter 254 and detector 256 positioned so that the beam 262 traverses one of the openings 259 and the openings 258 of the upper and lower receptacles 260. In these embodiments, having the height of the emitter 254 of each pair 244, 246 lower than the detector 256 such that the emitter 254 emits light upward at an angle will more fully eliminate ambient light, sunlight, and object reflected light.

The use of IR detector pairs 244, 244', 246 as appropriate in the embodiments of fig. 14 and 15 has the advantage of not imposing any restrictions on the size or shape of AC plug 180 and/or receptacle 136, which are not uniform throughout the medical industry, even in the united states alone. Thus, the embodiments of fig. 14 and 15 allow for detection of any AC plug insertion that will fit the connection contacts of the corresponding jack without limiting the physical size of the AC plug, thereby providing reliable AC plug connection detection.

Additionally, the light or signal frequencies of the light beams 262, 262' should be selected such that the optical characteristics of the AC plug 180 and the pins 182 do not affect the operation of these plug detector 132 embodiments. There are AC plugs that are optically transparent in the human visible spectrum, however proper design of the detection signal path electronics still ensures detection of the AC plug.

In another approach to mitigating the effects of ambient or other light in connection with the embodiments of fig. 14 and 15, the coded signals 266, 266 'are provided to the respective emitters 254, 254' using, for example, simple square waves, 8-bit numbers, or any other manner that differs from the nature of ambient, solar, and reflected light. In conjunction with these encoded signals 266, 266', it may be desirable to avoid the frequencies used for IR remote control in the case of IR emitters 254, 254' used in the respective detector pairs 244, 244', 246.

Still with respect to the embodiments of fig. 14 and 15, in further embodiments of these embodiments, the transmitters 254, 254 'and receivers 256, 256' in the respective embodiments may be placed in front of the respective receptacles 260, such as by being supported on raised portions of the housing 134 of the wall module 32, or by recessing the receptacles 260 inwardly into cavities formed in the wall module housing 134, after which the transmitters 254, 254 'and receivers 256, 256' are placed on the side wall surfaces and/or the top and bottom surfaces of the portions of the housing 134 defining the cavities. In these alternative embodiments, the body of plug 180 blocks beams 262, 262'. In a variant embodiment, the housing 134 is provided with a hole through or within which the receptacles 156, 160 (see fig. 3) are accessible on the housing 134. In such a variant embodiment, the emitters 254, 254 'and the receivers 256, 256' are located on the side wall surfaces and/or the top and bottom surfaces of the portion of the housing 134 defining the aperture. In addition, with this variant embodiment, the receptacle 136 and pins 154, 158 are omitted from the wall module 32, as the plug 180 of the bed 30 is inserted into the existing receptacles 150, 160 through the apertures formed in the housing 134.

Referring now to fig. 16, a third embodiment of a plug detector 132 for use in the wall module 32 is shown. The plug detector 132 of fig. 16 includes a mechanical switch 268 that changes from an open state to a closed state in response to a plug, such as a power plug 180, being inserted into each receptacle 260 of the duplex AC receptacle 136 of the wall module 32. One of the switches 268 is used with the upper socket 260 and the other of the switches 268 is used with the lower socket 260 as indicated by the dashed line 269 in fig. 16. In the illustrative example, the switch 268 is a plug switch with plugs 270 extending outwardly from the front face of each receptacle 260 (e.g., out of the page in fig. 16). The plugs 270 are springs that are biased outwardly to respective open positions.

When a plug is inserted into any of the receptacles 260, the respective plug 270 moves further inward into the respective receptacle 260 against the spring bias caused by contact between the front surface of the plug body of the plug and the distal end of the respective plug 270. Any of the plugs 270 are moved inwardly into the corresponding receptacle 260 such that the state of the respective switch 268 changes from an open position to a closed position. The detection circuit 272 detects the position of the switch 268. In some embodiments, the detection circuit 264 includes one or more logic gates (e.g., an or gate, an and gate, etc.) having a signal from the switch 268 as an input and having an output coupled to the SOM or controller 114. The detection circuit 272 may further include one or more amplifiers, filters, transistors, resistors, and other circuit elements.

The present disclosure contemplates that a non-mateable device may be inserted into one of the upper and lower receptacles 260 of the receptacle 136 of fig. 16 before the mateable device 30 is inserted into the other of the upper and lower receptacles 260 of the receptacle 136 of fig. 16. In such a case, one of the switches 268 is closed, such that a non-mateable device insertion is detected, and the wall module 32 proceeds to transmit a BT scan 192 to attempt to mate with the non-mateable device. However, the unpaireable device will not respond with any BT announcements at normal run time, so the wall module 32 will not pair with the unpaireable device. Subsequently, when the mateable device 30 is plugged into the remaining receptacles 260 of the outlet 136 in fig. 16, the wall module 32 again transmits the BT scan 192 and proceeds to successfully mate with the mateable device according to process 200 of fig. 6A.

If any other device is plugged into one of the receptacles 260 of the receptacle 136 of the wall module 32 in fig. 16 after the plugging of the mateable device 30 into the other of the receptacles 260, one of the switches 268 is closed, causing the plugging of the mateable device 30 to be detected and the wall module 32 proceeds to mate with the mateable device according to process 200. Thereafter, if another device is plugged into the remaining outlet 260 in fig. 16, the wall module 32 will not transmit any BT scan 192, nor will any attempt to pair with the second device be made, because the wall module 32 is already paired with the first mateable device 30. Even in the case where the second device is also a mateable device. In other words, the wall module 32 is wirelessly paired with only one mateable device 30 at a time, such as with the bed 30.

In a variation of the embodiment of fig. 16, other types of sensors may be used in place of the mechanical switch 268. For example, the presence of the plug is sensed using the permeability and permittivity of the plastic or metal in AC plug 180, such that the presence of AC plug 180 and its associated electrical characteristics may be used to sense the presence or absence of plug 180. Accordingly, in some embodiments, a capacitive sensor may be provided in the wall module 32 in place of the mechanical switch 268 for use as the plug detector 132. In a further variation, the plug 180 carries a magnet and the plug detector 132 of the wall module 32 includes a magnet detector, such as a hall effect sensor, to detect the magnet when the plug 180 is inserted into one of the receptacles 260 of the receptacle 136. Alternatively, assuming that the movement is due to insertion of plug 180 into one of the receptacles 260 of receptacle 136, a movement detection sensor may be used as plug detector 132 in wall module 32 by detecting movement in an area adjacent to receptacle 260 of receptacle 136.

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

In some embodiments, the current sensors 274 comprise hall effect sensors that each detect a magnetic field generated by an AC current flowing into each power line 278, the power lines 278 being coupled to electrical contacts disposed in the openings 258 of the corresponding receptacles 260. In some embodiments, the detected magnetic field is converted to a voltage that is amplified by an amplifier of the current sensor 274. The voltage from the hall effect sensor or amplified voltage is provided to the detection circuit 276. Similar to the detection circuits 264, 264', 272 described above, the detection circuit 276 includes one or more logic gates (e.g., or gates, and gates, etc.) having a signal from the current sensor 274 as an input and having an output coupled to the SOM or controller 114. The detection circuit 276 may further include one or more amplifiers, filters, transistors, resistors, and other circuit elements. In some embodiments, the bed 30 also includes current sensors and detection circuitry that are substantially identical to the current sensors 274 and detection circuitry 276 of the wall module 32. As described above, the signals from these current sensors on the bed 30 are used to start the timer of the MCB 92.

The present disclosure contemplates that a non-mateable device may be inserted into one of the upper and lower receptacles 260 of the receptacle 136 of fig. 17 before the mateable device 30 is inserted into the other of the upper and lower receptacles 260 of the receptacle 136 of fig. 17. In such cases, one of the current sensors 274 detects a non-mateable device insertion, and the wall module 32 proceeds to transmit a BT scan 192 to attempt to mate with the non-mateable device. However, the unpaireable device will not respond with any BT announcements at normal run time, so the wall module 32 will not pair with the unpaireable device. Subsequently, when the mateable device 30 is plugged into the remaining receptacles 260 of the outlet 136 of fig. 17, the wall module 32 again transmits the BT scan 192 and proceeds to successfully mate with the mateable device according to process 200 of fig. 6A.

If any other device is plugged into one of the receptacles 260 of the receptacle 136 of the wall module 32 in fig. 17 after the plugging of the mateable device 30 into the other of the receptacles 260, one of the current sensors 274 detects the flow of current caused by the plugging of the mateable device 30 and the wall module 32 proceeds to mate with the mateable device 30 according to process 200. Thereafter, if another device is plugged into the remaining outlet 260 in fig. 17, the wall module 32 will not transmit any BT scan 192, nor will any attempt to pair with the second device be made, because the wall module 32 is already paired with the first mateable device 30. Even in the case where the second device is also a mateable device. In other words, the wall module 32 is wirelessly paired with only one mateable device 30 at a time, such as with the bed 30.

Referring now to fig. 18 and 19, an embodiment of the wall module 32 is shown in which the plug detector 132 is configured as a tag reader. In other respects, the wall module 32 of fig. 18 and 19 is substantially identical to the wall module 32 of fig. 4 and 5. Thus, the same reference numerals are used in fig. 18 and 19 to denote the same parts as in fig. 4 and 5, respectively. Accordingly, the discussion above with respect to fig. 4 and 5 applies equally to fig. 18 and 19, respectively, unless specifically noted otherwise. Specifically, in the illustrative examples of fig. 18 and 19, a short range transponder tag 280, such as a Near Field Communication (NFC) tag, is attached to a power plug 180 extending from the power line 144 of the bed 30. In the illustrative example, transponder tag 280 is mounted to the plug body of plug 180 proximate to the end of the plug body from which prongs 182 extend. Thus, when the plug 180 is inserted into one of the receptacles of the receptacle 136, as shown in FIG. 19, the transponder tag 280 is located just beside the front wall 138 of the housing 134 of the wall module 32.

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

It should be noted that the manner in which the transponder tag 280 is used in the embodiments of fig. 18 and 19 of the present disclosure differs from the use of a transponder tag or RFID tag in the embodiments of fig. 20, 23 and 24 of U.S. patent No. 9.830,424. In these embodiments, the tag ID is received by the wall line, which may be a block Bluetooth line, and then transmitted back to the bed along with the wall line ID. If the bed confirms that the appropriate tag ID is transmitted back to the bed, wireless pairing is performed. Thus, the pairing process disclosed in U.S. patent No. 9,830,424 is not a time-based pairing. In the embodiments of fig. 18 and 19 of the present disclosure, the detection of transponder tag 280 by reader 132 is used to begin time-based wireless pairing process 200 without the wall module transmitting any tag ID back to bed 30. Accordingly, the tag ID of the transponder tag 280 need not be programmed into the memory 98 or the memory 104 of the bed 30.

With the wall module 32 for wireless communication with the bed 30 via the wireless data link 34 according to any of the embodiments disclosed herein, conventional nurse call cables may be omitted between the bed 30 and the nurse call port 126. As such, only the power plug 180 of the power cord 144 of the bed 30 needs to be inserted into the wall module 32 when the bed 30 is used to support a patient in a patient room. When the bed 30 is to be moved to a new location, the power plug 180 need only be pulled from the wall module 32. Even if the bed 30 is moved away from the room wall 152 with the plug 180 still inserted, the plug 180 will be easily pulled out of the receptacle 136 of the wall module 32 with very little chance of damaging the wall module 32 or the plug 180. However, when using a bed that does not have wireless communication capabilities, such as bluetooth communication capabilities, it is proposed in various embodiments to utilize a conventional nurse call cable 232 for wired communication of the wall unit 32 with the bed 30. It is also contemplated that such wired communication between the wireless communication enabled bed 30 and the wall module 32 may be implemented using a conventional nurse call cable 232, although not contemplated.

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

Based on the foregoing, the present disclosure contemplates system 20 for use in healthcare facility 22, the system 20 including network 60 and nurse call system 43. The system 20 also includes a medical device 30 having a first wireless transceiver 106, a first timer (e.g., implemented as software stored in memory 98 and executed by microprocessor 96), and a power line 144 terminating at a power plug 180. The medical device 30 has a first sensor (e.g., similar to the current sensor 274 of fig. 17) to determine that the medical device 30 is receiving power through the power plug 180 and the power line 144. The system 20 further has a wall unit 32 mounted in a fixed location in the patient room of the healthcare facility 22. The wall unit 32 has a second wireless transceiver 122 and a second timer (e.g., implemented as software stored in the memory 118 and executed by the microprocessor 116). Wall unit 32 is plugged into a first Alternating Current (AC) receptacle 146 of healthcare facility 22. The wall unit 32 has a second AC receptacle 136 into which the power plug 180 of the medical device 30 may be coupled. The wall unit 32 has an AC plug sensor 132 that senses the insertion of the power plug 180 into the second AC receptacle 136. In response to the first sensor sensing that the medical device 30 is receiving power through the power plug 180 and the power line 144, the first timer is started to measure a first uptime. In response to the insertion of the power plug 180 into the second AC receptacle 136 of the wall unit 32, a second timer is started to measure a second uptime. The medical device 30 is configured to transmit an announcement including the first uptime from the first wireless transceiver 106 to the wall unit 32. The wall unit 32 compares the first normal operation time to the second normal operation time, and if the first normal operation time is within a predetermined tolerance of the second normal operation time, the wall unit 32 sends a pairing message 214 to the medical device 30, which causes the wall unit 32 to automatically pair with the medical device 30 for subsequent wireless communication.

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

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

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

Optionally, at least one second contact closure changes state (e.g., from an open state to a closed state, and vice versa) to control the television set 76 in the patient room. Alternatively or additionally, at least one second contact closure changes state to turn on the light 74 in the patient room. Further alternatively or additionally, the medical device 30 comprises a hospital bed 30, the at least one second contact closure changing state to indicate an alarm state of an out-of-bed system of the hospital bed 30. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device 30 includes a hospital bed 30, the at least one second contact closure changing state to indicate that the sidebar 40, 80 of the hospital bed 30 has been moved to the lowered position. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device 30 includes a hospital bed 30, the at least one second contact closure changing state to indicate that the brakes of the casters 82 of the hospital bed 30 are in a released state or condition. Alternatively or additionally, the medical device 30 comprises a hospital bed 30, the at least one second contact closure changing state to indicate that the upper frame 84 of the hospital bed 30 has been lifted from the lowest position. Further alternatively or additionally, the medical device 30 includes a hospital bed 30, the at least one second contact closure changing state to indicate that a nurse call button (e.g., one of the buttons of the control panel 78) of the hospital bed 30 has been pressed.

Optionally, the medical device 30 includes a speaker 110 and a microphone 112, and the first wireless transceiver 106 and the second wireless transceiver 122 are configured to transmit and receive audio messages after the medical device 30 is paired with the wall unit 32. Further optionally, the wall unit 32 includes a light 184, the light 184 being illuminated to indicate a pairing status between the medical device 30 and the wall unit 32. For example, the lamps 184 encircle the perimeter of the second AC receptacle 136.

In some embodiments, the wall unit 32 determines whether to initiate unpairing with the medical device 30 based on the device data received by the second wireless transceiver 122 from the first wireless transceiver 106 of the medical device 30. For example, the medical device 30 includes a frame 86 and casters 82 coupled to the frame 86, and the wall unit 32 initiates de-pairing based on device data indicating release of brakes of the casters 82. Alternatively or additionally, the wall unit 32 initiates unpairing based on device data indicating that the power plug 180 of the medical device 30 has been unplugged. Further alternatively or additionally, in response to AC plug sensor 132 sensing that power plug 180 has been unplugged from second AC outlet 136, wall unit 32 determines whether to initiate unpairing with medical device 30.

Optionally, the wall unit AC plug sensor 132 includes light emitters 254, 254 'and light detectors 256, 256' that cooperate to detect insertion of at least one prong 182 of the power plug 180 of the medical device 30 into the second AC receptacle 136 of the wall unit 32. For example, the light emitter 254 emits Infrared (IR) light 262 in a generally horizontal direction as a beam for detection by the light detector 256, and after the power plug 180 is plugged into the second AC outlet 136, the at least one pin 182 blocks the IR light 262 from reaching the light detector 256. Alternatively, light emitter 254' emits Infrared (IR) light 262' in a generally vertical direction for detection by light detector 256', and after power plug 180 is plugged into second AC receptacle 136, at least one pin 182 blocks IR light 262' from reaching light detector 256'.

In some embodiments, the AC plug sensor 132 includes a mechanical switch 268 that moves from the first state to the second state in response to the insertion of the power plug 180 of the medical device 30 into the second AC receptacle 136 of the wall unit 32. For example, the mechanical switch 268 includes a plug switch 268 having a plug 270 that is pressed inwardly by the plug body of the power plug 180 when the power plug 180 is inserted into the second AC receptacle 136. Alternatively or additionally, the AC plug sensor 132 includes a current sensor 274 to sense current flowing to at least one pin 182 of the power plug 180 after the power plug 180 is inserted into the second AC receptacle 136 of the wall unit 32.

The present disclosure further contemplates that AC plug sensor 132 of wall unit 32 includes a reader that detects tag 280 coupled to power plug 180. If desired, the tag 280 carries a transponder for reading by a reader. For example, the transponder includes a Near Field Communication (NFC) transponder. Optionally, the NFC transponder is included in an NFC integrated circuit chip. Optionally, the reader emits energy to drive the transponder such that the transponder sends a signal back to the reader.

In some embodiments, medical device 30 is configured to transmit a device Identification (ID) to wall unit 32, which is configured to transmit the device ID and the location ID to at least one server 46, 62, 64, 66 of network 60 of healthcare facility 22. The location ID may be associated with the location of medical device 30 within healthcare facility 22. Optionally, the medical device 30 includes a graphical display screen 38, and the wall unit 32 is configured to transmit the smart text string 36 from the second wireless transceiver 122 to the first wireless transceiver 106 of the medical device 30 for display on the graphical display screen 38. The smart text string 36 includes the name of the location where the medical device 30 is located and is different from the location ID. In these embodiments, the medical device 30 does not receive the location ID from the wall unit 32 and does not retransmit the smart text string 36.

Further in accordance with the present disclosure, the wall unit 32 is configured to wirelessly communicate with the medical device 30. The wall unit 32 includes a housing 134, the housing 134 being configured to be mounted in a fixed location in a patient room of the healthcare facility 22. The wireless transceiver 122 and timer (e.g., implemented as software stored in the memory 118 and executed by the microprocessor 116) are carried by the housing 134. Wall unit 32 is configured to plug into a first Alternating Current (AC) receptacle 146 of healthcare facility 22. A second AC receptacle 136 is carried by the housing 134 into which the power plug 180 of the medical device 30 may be coupled. An AC plug sensor 132 is carried by the housing, the plug sensor 132 being configured to sense insertion of a power plug 180 of the medical device 30 into the second AC receptacle 136. In response to the insertion of the power plug 180 into the second AC receptacle 136 of the wall unit 32, the timer starts measuring the first uptime. The wireless transceiver 122 of the wall unit 32 is configured to receive at least one transmission from the medical device 30 including the second uptime. The wall unit 32 compares the first normal operation time to the second normal operation time, and if the first normal operation time is within a predetermined tolerance of the second normal operation time, the wall unit sends a pairing message 214 to the medical device 30, which causes the wall unit 32 to automatically pair with the medical device 30 for subsequent wireless communication.

In some embodiments, the wall unit 32 further includes a nurse call line 44, 216, 248 extending from the housing 134. The nurse call line 44, 216, 248 terminates in a first nurse call connector 162, 224, 250 configured to connect to the nurse call port 126 of the nurse call system 43 of the healthcare facility 22. Optionally, the nurse call line 216 includes an auxiliary line leg 226 terminating at a second nurse call connector 228. In these embodiments, the second nurse call terminal 228 may be coupled to a third nurse call terminal 230 at one end of a device nurse call line 232 extending from the medical device 30. Further optionally, a first nurse call connector 250 is provided in the connector body of the nurse call line 248. In these embodiments, the connector body has a second nurse call connector 252, the second nurse call connector 252 configured to couple to a third nurse call connector 230 at one end of a device nurse call line 232 extending from the medical device 30. Still further optionally, the housing 134 of the wall unit 32 carries a first nurse call terminal 128, the first nurse call terminal 128 configured to couple to a second nurse call terminal 230 at one end of a facility nurse call line 232 extending from the medical device 30.

The present disclosure contemplates housing 134 of wall unit 32 carrying a first wireless fidelity (WiFi) transceiver 120, first WiFi transceiver 120 configured to transmit a WiFi message to at least one wireless access point 52 of network 60 of healthcare facility 22 and to receive a WiFi message from at least one wireless access point 25 of network 60 of healthcare facility 22. Optionally, the wireless transceiver 122 carried by the housing 134 of the wall unit 32 includes a bluetooth transceiver 122.

In some embodiments, the wall unit 32 further includes a controller 114 carried by the housing 134 and a set of switches 124. The set of switches 124 is configured to provide contact closure indicative of a plurality of states of the medical device 30 based on data contained in bluetooth messages received by the bluetooth transceiver 122 from the medical device 30.

Optionally, at least one contact closure changes state to control the television 76 in the patient room. Alternatively or additionally, at least one contact closure changes state to turn on the light 74 in the patient room. Further alternatively or additionally, the medical device 30 comprises a hospital bed 30, the at least one contact closure changing state to indicate an alarm state of an out-of-bed system of the hospital bed 30. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device 30 includes a hospital bed 30, the at least one contact closure changing state to indicate that the sidebar 40, 80 of the hospital bed 30 has been moved to a lowered position. Still further alternatively or additionally, the medical device 30 includes a hospital bed 30, the at least one contact closure changing state to indicate that the brakes of the casters 82 of the hospital bed 30 are in a released state or condition. Alternatively or additionally, the medical device 30 comprises a hospital bed 30, the at least one contact closure changing state to indicate that the upper frame 84 of the hospital bed 30 has been lifted from the lowest position. Further alternatively or additionally, the medical device 30 includes a hospital bed 30, the at least one second contact closure changing state to indicate that a nurse call button (e.g., one of the buttons of the control panel 78) of the hospital bed 30 has been pressed.

Optionally, the medical device 30 includes a speaker 110 and a microphone 112, and the wireless transceiver 122 is configured to transmit and receive audio messages after the medical device 30 is paired with the wall unit 32. Further optionally, the housing 134 of the wall unit 32 carries a light 184, which light 184 lights to indicate a pairing status between the medical device 30 and the wall unit 32. For example, the lamps 184 encircle the perimeter of the second AC receptacle 136.

In some embodiments, the wall unit 32 includes a controller 114, the controller 114 configured to determine whether to initiate unpairing with the medical device 30 based on device data received from the medical device 30 by the wireless transceiver 122. For example, the medical device 30 includes a frame 86 and casters 82 coupled to the frame 86, and the controller 114 initiates de-pairing based on device data indicating brake release of the casters 82. Alternatively or additionally, the controller 114 initiates unpairing based on device data indicating that the power plug 180 of the medical device 30 has been unplugged. Further alternatively or additionally, in response to AC plug sensor 132 sensing that power plug 180 has been unplugged from second AC outlet 136, controller 114 determines whether to initiate unpairing with medical device 30.

Optionally, the AC plug sensor 132 includes light emitters 254, 254 'and light detectors 256, 256' that cooperate to detect insertion of at least one prong 182 of the power plug 180 of the medical device 30 into the second AC receptacle 136. For example, the light emitter 254 emits Infrared (IR) light 262 in a generally horizontal direction for detection by the light detector 256, and the at least one pin 182 blocks the IR light 262 from reaching the light detector 256 after the power plug 180 is plugged into the second AC receptacle 136. Alternatively, light emitter 254' emits Infrared (IR) light 262' in a generally vertical direction for detection by light detector 256', and after power plug 180 is plugged into second AC receptacle 136, at least one pin 182 blocks IR light 262' from reaching light detector 256'.

In some embodiments, AC plug sensor 132 includes a mechanical switch 268 that moves from a first state to a second state in response to insertion of power plug 180 of medical device 30 into second AC receptacle 136. For example, the mechanical switch 268 includes a plug switch 268 having a plug 270 that is pressed inwardly by the plug body of the power plug 180 when the power plug 180 is inserted into the second AC receptacle 136. Alternatively or additionally, the AC plug sensor 132 includes a current sensor 274 to sense current flowing to at least one pin 182 of the power plug 180 after the power plug 180 is inserted into the second AC receptacle 136.

The present disclosure further contemplates that AC plug sensor 132 includes a reader that detects tag 280 coupled to power plug 180. Optionally, the reader is configured to detect the tag 280 by reading a transponder carried by the tag 280. For example, the reader is configured to detect the tag 280 by reading a Near Field Communication (NFC) transponder carried by the tag 280. Optionally, the reader emits energy to drive the NFC transponder such that the NFC transponder sends a signal back to the reader. In some embodiments of tag 280, the NFC transponder is provided by an NFC integrated circuit chip.

Referring now to fig. 20, a first medical device (e.g., medical bed 30) is connected to a second medical device (e.g., medical monitor 360) via Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection 362 to initiate a wireless pairing operation 380 between bed 30 and monitor 360 as shown in fig. 21. Thus, the wireless pairing scenario between the bed 30 and the wall unit 32 as envisaged above may similarly be implemented between the bed 30 and other medical devices. The medical monitor is another example of a communication unit according to the present disclosure.

The bed 30 in fig. 20 is identical to the bed 30 in fig. 1, and therefore identical components are denoted by identical reference numerals, and thus will not be described again. However, the bed 30 in fig. 20 has a USB port 364, and a first USB connector 366 of the wiring 362 is connected to the USB port 364. Monitor 360 also has a USB port (not shown, but well known in the art) to which a second USB connector 368 of wiring 362 is connected. Illustratively, monitor 360 includes a display screen 370 on which patient physiological information is displayed. Monitor 360 is schematically shown in fig. 20, representing devices such as an Electrocardiograph (EKG), electroencephalograph (EEG), respiration rate monitor, blood pressure monitor, pulse oximeter, and the like, as well as combinations thereof. The illustrative monitor 360 is mounted to a wheel carriage 372 so as to be movable between different rooms as desired.

Referring now to fig. 21, a swim lane diagram of the steps of the wireless pairing operation 380 between the medical devices 30, 360 of fig. 20 is shown. More specifically, the steps of operation 380 are performed by a first algorithm indicated by block 382 labeled "bed/medical device algorithm" and a second algorithm indicated by block 384 labeled "monitor/medical device algorithm". Implicit to the above labeling is that block 382 represents an algorithm performed by the couch 30, while block 384 represents an algorithm performed by the monitor 360, or by the other first and second medical devices, respectively, in other embodiments.

Operation 380 begins in response to a hard-wired connection between devices 30, 60, such as through USB connection 362 to achieve the hard-wired connection illustrated in fig. 20. This hardwired connection is depicted in FIG. 21 by double arrow 386 labeled "hard-wired (e.g., USB) connection between devices". After making the hard-wired connection, the bed 30, which is a USB peripheral, senses the connection and records a first connection time (e.g., stored in memory of the bed 30), as indicated by block 388 labeled "1. Sense connection; 2. Record first time". Thereafter, the couch 30 begins to perform one or more BT scans, as indicated by block 390 labeled "3. Begin BT scan". Substantially synchronously (e.g., within a few seconds), monitor 360, which is the USB host, senses the connection and records a second connection time (e.g., stored in memory of monitor 360), as indicated by block 392 labeled "1. Sense connection; 2. Record second time". Thereafter, monitor 360 begins transmitting one or more BT announcements, as indicated by block 394 labeled "3. Begin BT announce".

As shown in fig. 21, one or more BT scans performed in block 390 are represented by arrow 396 labeled "BT scan" and one or more bluetooth announcements transmitted in block 394 are represented by arrow 398 labeled "BT announce, containing a second time". Thus, the BT notification generated by monitor 360 includes the second time. After the scan 396 of the bed 30 detects the announcement 398 of the monitor 360, the bed 30 subtracts the second time from the first time and compares the difference to a threshold, as indicated by box 400 labeled "first time-second time < threshold. The threshold may be, for example, 2 or 3 seconds or less, or some other larger threshold, as determined by the system designer. If the difference between the first time and the second time is less than the threshold, then the bed 30 automatically pairs to the monitor 360 or any device that sent a BT advertisement with the second time, as indicated by block 402 labeled "if yes, then automatically pairs to the monitor (device has a BT advertisement with the second time)".

The pairing state between the bed 30 and monitor 360 is represented in fig. 21 by double arrow 404 labeled "BT pairing". Either or both of the devices 30, 360 have a visual or audible mechanism indicating that wireless pairing has been successfully achieved and that the hard-wired connection can be removed, such as by pulling the USB connection 362 from the USB port. For example, a message may be displayed on the GUI 38 of the bed 30 or on the display screen 370 of the monitor 360 indicating a successful pairing. Alternatively or optionally, a sound message announcing a successful wireless pairing between devices 30, 360 may be heard by either device 30, 360.

After the devices 30, 360 are wirelessly paired, the connection 362 can be disconnected so long as the devices 30, 360 are within wireless communication range of each other. Thus, assuming that the wireless communication range is greater than the length of the wiring 362, the position of the monitor 360 relative to the bed 30 is not limited by the length of the wiring 362. Likewise, after wireless pairing of the devices 30, 360, the monitor 360 transmits monitoring data including sensed patient physiological data to the couch 30, as indicated by arrow 406 labeled "send monitoring data via BT" in fig. 21. After the bed 30 receives the monitoring data from the monitor 360, the bed can utilize the monitoring data and/or display the monitoring data on the GUI 38, as indicated by block 408 labeled "bed use and/or display monitoring data", according to the programming of the bed 30.

In connection with block 408, the couch 30 may initiate a treatment (e.g., a side-turn treatment of the mattress 88, a pressure swing treatment of the mattress 88, or a shock vibration (P & V) treatment of the mattress 88), turn on a patient position monitoring or out-of-bed monitoring system on the couch 30, send a message (e.g., an informational message or alarm/alert message) to the nurse call system 43, or generate a local alert on the couch 30 (e.g., display an alert message on the GUI 38 and/or audible alert with a speaker or buzzer of the couch 30, etc.). Bed 30 may also display physiological data (e.g., graphical tracks and/or digital data) sensed by monitor 360 on GUI 38.

In a variant embodiment, the roles of bed 30 and monitor 360 as USB peripherals and USB hosts are reversed, i.e., bed 30 acts as a USB host and monitor 360 acts as a USB peripheral. In this variant embodiment, the positions of blocks 382, 384 in operation 380 are reversed. Further, in FIG. 21, box 408 is moved to the right of the swim lane, and the direction of arrow 406 is reversed. In a further variant embodiment, the data is transmitted via a hard-wired connection (e.g., wiring 362 in the illustrated example) to pair the two devices 30, 360. For example, the device 30, 360 exchanges a MAC address, vendor ID, other device ID or code over the hard-wired connection, and subsequent to removal of the hard-wired connection, the device 30, 360 communicates using the exchanged ID or code over BT. In yet a further variant embodiment, the scanning and advertising of the devices 30, 360 does not start until after an ID or code is exchanged between the devices 30, 360 over a hard wire connection. For example, either or both of the devices 30, 360 may be programmed to participate in the wireless pairing operation only if the ID or code received over the hard-wired connection matches an authorized ID or code stored in the memory of the respective device 30, 360.

Referring now to fig. 22, a first device, such as a mobile phone 410, is connected to a second device, such as a speaker unit 412, through a mini-USB connection 414 or similar such connection to initiate a wireless pairing operation 430 between the mobile phone 410 and the speaker unit 412 as shown in fig. 23. Thus, the wireless pairing scenario between medical devices 30, 360 as contemplated above may similarly be implemented between non-medical devices such as consumer devices. Both the mobile phone 410 and the speaker unit 412 are additional examples of communication units according to the present disclosure.

The wiring 414 includes a first connector 416, such as a lightning connector from Apple corporation of clitoris, california, or a USB connector. The mobile phone 410 includes a port (not shown, but well known in the art) configured to receive the connector 416. The opposite end of the wiring 414 has a second connector 418, such as a mini-USB connector or a USB-C connector, that connects to a port 420 of the device 412. Of course, other types of connectors 416, 418 of the wire 414 are within the scope of the present disclosure, as specified by a given type of port provided by the first device and the second device to which the given wire is to be interconnected.

As the name implies, the speaker unit 412 includes one or more speakers (not shown) that play sound. In some embodiments, for example, speaker unit 412 isUnits or A unit. The mobile phone 410 includes a display screen (e.g., a touch screen) on which information regarding the status of wireless pairing between the devices 410, 412 is displayed.

Referring now to fig. 23, a swim lane diagram is shown illustrating the steps of the wireless pairing operation 430 between the devices 410, 412 of fig. 22. More specifically, the steps of operation 430 are performed by a first algorithm indicated by block 432 labeled "telephone algorithm" and a second algorithm indicated by block 434 labeled "speaker algorithm". Implicit to the above labeling is that block 432 represents the algorithm performed by the phone 410, while block 434 represents the algorithm performed by the speaker unit 412, or by the other first and second devices, respectively, in other embodiments.

Operation 430 begins in response to a hard-wired connection between devices 410, 412, such as the illustrative hard-wired connection in FIG. 22 through mini-USB connection 414. This hard-wired connection is depicted in fig. 23 by double arrow 436 labeled "connect between devices (hard-wired)". After making the hard-wired connection, the phone 410 senses the connection through the current sensor and records a first connection time (e.g., stored in memory of the phone 410), as indicated by block 438 labeled "1. Sense current; 2. Record first time". Substantially synchronously (e.g., within a few seconds), the speaker unit 412 senses the connection through the current sensor and records a second connection time (e.g., stored in memory of the speaker unit 412), as indicated by block 440 labeled "1. Sense current; 2. Record second time". Alternatively, the contacts 416, 418 of the sensing connection 414 may be connected to the respective devices 410, 412 in some other manner than current sensing (e.g., limit switch, infrared beam obstruction, etc.), as indicated by the double arrow 442 labeled "and/or sensing connection" extending between block 438 and block 440.

After the step of block 438 occurs, phone 410 begins to perform one or more BT scans, as indicated by a series of arrows 444 labeled "BT scan". After the step of block 440 occurs, the speaker unit begins transmitting one or more BT announcements containing the time of the sensed wire 414 insertion, as indicated by the series of arrows 446 labeled "BT announce (including sensed insertion time)" in one case and "BT announce (including insertion time) in another case. Thus, the BT advertisement generated by speaker unit 412 includes the second time. After the scan 444 of the phone 410 detects the announcement 446 from the speaker unit 412, the phone 410 compares the first time to the second time, as indicated by block 448 labeled "compare first time to second time".

After the first time and the second time are compared at block 448, operation 430 proceeds to determine whether the first time and the second time are within a threshold amount of time of each other. This is done, for example, by subtracting the second time from the first time. The threshold may be, for example, 2 or 3 seconds or less, or some other larger threshold, as determined by the system designer. If the difference between the first time and the second time is within the threshold, phone 410 displays a message on display screen 422 asking the user if it is indicated by bluetooth paired device 410, 412 as indicated by block 450 and block 452, wherein block 450 is marked as "if the first time minus the second time is within the range or threshold, then asking the user if he wants" and block 452 is marked as "paired device with hard wire by BT". If the user indicates on the display screen 422 of the phone 410 that such wireless pairing should be performed, as indicated by box 454 labeled "if yes, BT pairing", the devices 410, 412 wirelessly pair, as indicated by double arrow 456 in fig. 22 and 23.

In accordance with the present disclosure, either or both of the devices 410, 412 have a visual or audible mechanism that indicates that wireless pairing has been successfully achieved and that the hardwired connection can be removed, such as by pulling the mini-USB connection 414 from the respective port. For example, a message may be displayed on the display screen 422 of the phone 410 indicating a successful pairing. Alternatively or optionally, a sound message announcing a successful wireless pairing between the devices 410, 412 may be heard by either of the devices 410, 412.

After the devices 410, 412 are wirelessly paired, the wire 414 can be disconnected, maintaining the wireless pairing as long as the devices 410, 412 are within wireless communication range of each other. Thus, assuming that the wireless communication range is greater than the length of the wire 414, the position of the speaker unit 412 relative to the telephone 410 is not limited by the length of the wire 414.

In a variant embodiment, the roles of the phone 410 and the speaker unit 412 are reversed in operation 430. In this variant embodiment, the positions of blocks 432, 434 in operation 430 are reversed from the positions of the titles "phone" and "speaker" above blocks 438, 440. In a further variant embodiment, the data is transmitted via a hard-wired connection (e.g., connection 414 in the illustrated example) to pair the two devices 410, 412. For example, the devices 410, 412 exchange MAC addresses, vendor IDs, other device IDs, or codes over the hardwired connection, and subsequent to removal of the hardwired connection, the devices 410, 412 communicate using the exchanged IDs or codes over BT. In yet a further variant embodiment, the scanning and advertising of the devices 410, 412 does not begin until after an ID or code is exchanged between the devices 410, 412 over a hard wire connection. For example, either or both of the devices 410, 412 may be programmed to participate in the wireless pairing operation only if the ID or code received over the hard-wired connection matches an authorized ID or code stored in the memory of the respective device 410, 412.

Referring now to fig. 24 and 25, an alternative embodiment wall module 460 includes a housing 462 carrying a duplex AC receptacle 464, the duplex AC receptacle 464 having a first AC receptacle 466 and a second AC receptacle 468 below the first AC receptacle 466. The housing 462 is formed to include a front recess 470 on a housing front wall 472. Within the recess 477, receptacles 466, 468 of the duplex AC receptacle 646 are accessible. The housing 426 is generally box-shaped and includes a top wall 474, a bottom wall 476, and a pair of spaced apart side walls 478 extending between the top wall 474 and the bottom wall 476. Walls 474, 476, 478 engage each other at rounded corners of housing 462 and with front wall 472 at rounded edges. In some embodiments, the wall module 460 is defined by the housing 462 with dimensions of about 5 inches (12.7 centimeters (cm)) in width, about 5 inches (12.7 cm) in height, and about 1.25 inches (3.175 cm) in depth.

The placard 480 is adhered to a central region of the top wall 474 and includes a bed icon. Thus, the bed marking on the sign 480 informs a caregiver or other healthcare facility personnel viewing the wall module 460 from above that a hospital bed, such as the bed 30, needs to be inserted into one of the receptacles 466, 468. The front wall 472 of the housing 426 includes a generally rectangular information section 482 located to the left of the recess 470. The partition 482 includes an illuminable wireless bed communication icon 484, an illuminable nurse call icon 486, and an illuminable alert icon 488, which alert icon 488 is illuminated so as to be visible in fig. 25 but is not illuminated so as to be invisible in fig. 24. Each of the illuminable icons 484, 486, 488 is a front hidden icon. The term "front-side concealing (deadfront)" means that the image is easily visible when backlit, but not easily visible, or in other words, substantially invisible when not backlit. Thus, in fig. 24, icons 484, 486 are backlit and easily visible, but icon 488 is front-hidden. In fig. 25, icons 484, 486, 488 are all backlit.

The wall module 460 includes a nurse call cable 490 extending downwardly from the bottom 476 of the housing 462. Only a portion of cable 490 is visible in fig. 24 and 25. In response to the wall module 462 successfully wirelessly communicating with the bed 30 via bluetooth, the icon 484 is opened to make the icon 484 visible. In some embodiments, the backlight of icon 484 is green. During wireless pairing with the bed 30, such as when the wall module 460 is sending or accepting a bluetooth notification, the icon 484 flashes green light, or more specifically, the green backlight of the icon 484 is repeatedly turned on and off.

After the cable 490 is connected to the ASBC 164 of the nurse call system 43 and the wall module 460 has successfully paired wirelessly with the bed 30 for wireless bluetooth communication, the illumination of the icon 486 is turned on so that the icon 486 is visible. In some embodiments, the backlight of icon 486 is white. If no bed is inserted into any of the sockets 464, 468 such that no bluetooth communication occurs between the wall module 460 and any of the beds 30, the backlighting of the icons 484, 486, 488 is turned off such that all of the icons 484, 486, 488 become front-hidden. Accordingly, the icon lighting scene shown in fig. 24 and 25 is for illustrative purposes only, and it should be understood that the illustrated lighting scene only occurs when bed 30 is inserted into one of sockets 466, 468. However, if the bed 30 is hardwired to the nurse call system 43, such as by using the Y-cable 216 or the T-cable 248, the icon 486 is backlit and the icon 484 remains unlit.

Alert icon 488 is illuminated only when an error occurs. In some embodiments, the backlight of icon 488 is yellow or amber. An error may occur that causes the icon 488 to illuminate, such as the nurse call cable 490 becoming disconnected from the ASBC 164. In this case, in addition to alert icon 488 being on, nurse call icon 486 is also off. In some embodiments where bed 30 includes GUI 38, a message regarding the error is also displayed on GUI 38. Such information may be, for example, "the wall module cable has become disconnected from the wall". In some embodiments, an image depicting the disconnected cable is also displayed on the GUI 38. Other errors that result in the illumination of the alert icon 488 include errors that occur in the internal wiring of the wall module 460. If the bed 30 is hardwired to the nurse call system 43, such as by using the Y-cable 216 and the T-cable 248, the nurse call icon 486 and the alert icon 488 remain illuminated together when an error occurs in the internal wiring of the wall module 460.

If the wall module 460 is using the Y-cable 216 and the bed 30 is disconnected from the nurse call connector 228 at one end of the line leg 266 (or if the T-cable 248 is being used and the bed 30 is disconnected from the connector 250), the nurse call icon 486 is closed. In this case, if the bed 30 includes the GUI 38, a message may appear on the GUI 38 indicating either that the bed 30 is unplugged from the wall module 460 and plugged back into the wall module 460 to initiate a new bluetooth pairing process between the bed 30 and the wall module 460, or that a wired connection between the bed 30 and the Y-cable 2116 (or T-cable 248) is reconnected. Such a message may be "please unplug and re-plug the power line to the wall module, or connect using a wired call light".

If the wireless pairing is accidentally stopped after the bed 30 is wirelessly paired with the wall module 460 or an error occurs in the internal wiring of the wall module 460, the icons 484, 486 are closed and the alert icon 488 is illuminated. In this scenario, if the bed 30 includes the GUI 38, a message will appear on the GUI 38 indicating either that the bed 30 is unplugged from the wall module 460 and plugged back into the wall module 460 to initiate a new bluetooth pairing process between the bed 30 and the wall module 460 or that a wired connection between the bed 30 and the nurse call system 43 is reconnected. Such a message may be "please unplug and re-plug the power line to the wall module, or connect using a wired call light". Basically, therefore, if the wired or wireless connection of the bed 30 to the nurse call system 43 is broken or lost, the message on the GUI 38 will basically suggest to the user to reestablish the wireless or wired connection with the nurse call system 43 by appropriate action.

In a variant embodiment of the wall module 460, the duplex AC outlet sockets 464 are oriented such that the sockets 466, 468 are arranged side-by-side rather than one above the other as shown in fig. 24 and 25. In this variant embodiment, the placard 480 is attached to the side wall 478 of the housing 462 that becomes the upwardly facing wall, while the icons 484, 486, 488 are rotated 90 degrees within the partition 482 to assume the proper vertical orientation. In a variant embodiment of the wall module 460, the nurse call cable 490 may either remain extended from the wall 476 of the housing 462 (i.e., laterally extending from the housing 462) or be moved to extend downwardly from the side wall 478 that becomes the lower wall, as selected by the module designer.

The modified embodiment of the wall module 460 with the sockets 466, 468 arranged side by side results substantially from the illustrative wall module 460 being rotated 90 degrees. Thus, it should be appreciated that the description below regarding a wall module 460 having sockets 466, 468 arranged above and below each other applies equally to a variant embodiment of a wall module 460 having sockets 466, 468 arranged side-by-side, in which case only the following structure is rotated 90 degrees.

Still referring to fig. 24 and 25, a recess top wall 492, a recess bottom wall 494, a pair of recess spacing side walls 496 and a recess back wall 498 define a recess 470 in the front wall 472 of the housing 462. The walls 492, 494, 496 extend forwardly from the recess back wall 498 to the front wall surface 500 of the front wall 472. The recess side walls 496 extend generally perpendicularly between the top wall 492 and the bottom wall 494 and blend therewith in a rounded region. The side walls 496 taper slightly inwardly from the front wall surface 500 toward the recess back wall 498. Thus, portions of the first pair of apertures 502 formed on one of the recess side walls 496 and portions of the second pair of apertures 504 formed on the other of the recess side walls 496 can be seen in fig. 25.

A first Infrared (IR) beam is provided in front of socket 466 between the upper set of apertures 502, 504 and a second Infrared (IR) beam is provided in front of socket 468 between the lower set of apertures 502, 504. Optionally, a transparent lens or window 506 covers or fills one or more of the openings 502, 504, such as shown in fig. 24 with respect to opening 502. When the power plug 180 of the bed 30 is inserted into the receptacle 466 or the receptacle 468, each IR beam is blocked or interrupted, which causes the circuitry of the wall module 460 to detect that the bed 30 has been inserted into the wall module 460. In a variant embodiment of the wall module 460, a single generally vertically oriented IR beam is provided between the aperture formed in the recess top wall 492 and the aperture formed in the recess bottom wall 494. Thus, when power plug 180 is inserted into either of sockets 466, 468, the single IR beam is interrupted, which causes the circuitry of wall module 460 to detect that bed 30 has been inserted into wall module 460.

Referring now to fig. 26, the bed 30 has its power plug 180 at one end of the power cord 144 plugged into a wall module 460, which is shown mounted to the panel 148 of the maintenance box 150. Specifically, plug 180 is inserted into a lower socket 468 of duplex AC receptacle 464. Also in the example of fig. 26, the nurse call cable 490 is shown as identical to the Y-cable 216 of fig. 7, and so the same reference numerals are used to designate the same portions of the cable 490 as the cable 216. Other parts in fig. 26 that are identical to those in fig. 7 are also labeled with the same reference numerals. Accordingly, the above description of the parts having the same reference numerals in fig. 7 is also applicable to fig. 26, and thus will not be repeated.

The wall module 460 utilizes a beam breaking technique in conjunction with its AC plug sensor to cause the step of wirelessly pairing the wall module 460 with the bed 30 to occur in the same manner as described above when the IR beam in front of either receptacle 466, 468 is interrupted. Thus, the present disclosure contemplates that in various embodiments, wall module 460 and bed 30 may perform any of the wireless pairing algorithms described above in connection with fig. 6A-6D. In addition, the discussion above regarding the wiring of the wall module 32 in connection with fig. 2 and 9 applies equally to the wall module 460, unless otherwise specifically stated, and therefore will not be repeated.

Referring now to fig. 27, an embodiment of a wall module 460 is shown in which the sign 480 of the bed icon is omitted from the top wall 474 of the housing 462 and replaced with the sign 510 of the bed power. The sign 510 is adhered to the vertical wall or panel 148 of the maintenance case 150 above the wall module 460. In the illustrative example of sign 510, the text "BED POWER [ BED Power ]" and "PUISSANCE DU LIT [ BED Power ]" appear next to the BED icon. Thus, english and French are provided on the illustrative sign 510 to indicate in these two different languages that the power line 144 of the bed 30 should be plugged into either receptacle 466, 468 of the duplex AC receptacle 464 of the wall module 460. In another embodiment of signage 510, only text in one language is provided. The present disclosure also contemplates embodiments of signage 510 having two languages including at least one language other than english or french.

Referring now to fig. 28-33, steps for installing a wall module 460 in a healthcare facility are shown. In fig. 28, the duplex AC receptacle 464 of the healthcare facility is removed from the electrical junction box 512 of the healthcare facility and is configured to be inserted into the rear recess 514 formed in the back wall 516 of the housing 462 of the wall module 460. Junction box 512 remains mounted to wall 511 and/or wall stud 513 of the healthcare facility. The recesses 514 formed in the back wall 516 are substantially the same size as the recesses 470 formed in the front wall 472, with the recesses 470, 514 being substantially aligned. The recess top wall 518, the recess bottom wall 520, the pair of recess spacing side walls 522, and the recess back wall 524 define a recess 514 in the back wall 516 of the housing 462. The walls 518, 520, 522 extend rearwardly from the recess front wall 524 to a back wall surface 526 of the back wall 472. The recess side walls 522 extend generally perpendicularly between the top wall 518 and the bottom wall 520 and blend therewith in a rounded region.

Still referring to fig. 28, a coupling short screw 528 is shown in front of the wall module 460 and is arranged to be inserted into a screw receiving aperture 530 formed in the recess back wall 498 and the recess front wall 524 as shown in fig. 34 and 35 for threaded engagement with the threaded bore 532 of the duplex AC receptacle 464. The threaded aperture 532 is located between a first AC socket 466 and a second AC socket 468 of the AC receptacle 164. The recess back wall 498 and the recess front wall 514 are each formed to include an upper opening 534 shaped to receive the upper AC socket 466 and a lower opening 536 shaped to receive the lower AC socket 468. The housing 462 is configured such that the recess back wall 498 is positioned opposite the recess front wall 514, either in an abutting relationship, or with a slight gap, such as a gap of about 0.1mm to about 1.0 mm. The apertures 530 of the walls 498, 514 are generally aligned (e.g., within manufacturing tolerances) and with each other, the openings 534 of the walls 498, 514 are aligned and with each other, and the openings 536 of the walls 498, 514 are aligned and with each other.

When duplex AC receptacle 464 is removed from junction box 512, the power leads or wires of the healthcare facility remain attached to the duplex AC receptacle as shown in fig. 28. Specifically, the ground wire 538 remains electrically coupled to the ground frame 540 of the receptacle 464 with the exposed portion of the ground wire 538 clamped to the ground frame 540 with the screws 542, the neutral wire 544 remains electrically coupled to the neutral wire 546 of the receptacle 464 with the exposed portion of the neutral wire 544 clamped to the neutral wire 546 with the screws 548, and the live wire 550 remains electrically coupled to the neutral wire 522 of the receptacle 464 with the screws 554 clamping the exposed portion of the live wire 550 to the neutral wire 522 (see fig. 34). Wires 538, 544, 550 are routed from medical institution appropriate AC power wiring (not shown) to junction box 512. For example, the wires 538, 544, 550 extend into the junction box 512 via holes formed by removing a circular punch 551 from the side of the junction box 512 facing the wall post 513.

After removing duplex AC receptacle 464 from junction box 512, electrical wiring from wall module 460 is electrically coupled to bus bar 546 and bus bar 522. Specifically, the neutral wire 556 extends from the back wall 516 of the housing 462 and has an exposed portion that is clamped to the bus bar 546 with screws 558. Similarly, the cord 560 extends from the back wall 516 of the housing 462 and has an exposed portion that is clamped to the female cord 552 with screws 562 (see fig. 34). Thus, the wires of the wall module 460 receive power from the medical institution via the electrical wiring 544, 550, 556, 560 and the bus bars 546, 552 of the duplex AC receptacle 464. The wall module 460 includes grommets and a spillway 564 at the interface between the wires 556, 560 and the back wall 516 of the housing 462. Wires 556, 560 are press fit and coupled to wires in the interior area of wall module 460 through passages formed in grommet and relief 564.

Referring now to fig. 29, further steps of the process of installing the wall module 360 are shown, wherein the duplex AC receptacle 464 has been inserted into the recess 514 of the back wall 516 of the front wall module 460. When placed in recess 514, upper and lower flanges 566 of ground frame 540 abut recess front wall 524. In addition, the front regions of receptacles 466, 468 protrude through openings 534, 536 of recess front wall 524 and recess back wall 498 such that a small portion (such as about 0.1mm to about 2 mm) of the front regions of receptacles 466, 468 extend out of recess back wall 498 into recess 470.

Also in fig. 29, upper and lower spacers 568 are shown arranged to be inserted into the recesses 514 of the back wall 516 of the wall module 460 and aligned with the upper and lower flanges 566 of the ground frame 540 of the duplex AC receptacle 464, respectively. Additionally, fig. 29 shows that upper and lower long screws 570 are arranged to be inserted through apertures in the recess back wall 498 and the recess front wall 524 of the wall module 460. The aperture 572 in the recess back wall 498 is not visible, but is substantially the same as the aperture 530 in the recess back wall 498 shown in fig. 35. In fig. 29, upper and lower long screws 570 are also arranged to extend through apertures 574 in respective upper and lower flanges 566 of ground frame 540, respectively, and through passages 576 formed in respective upper and lower spacers 568 for receipt in threaded receptacles (not shown, but well known in the art) of junction box 512.

Referring now to fig. 30, a still further step in the process of installing the wall module 460 in a healthcare facility is shown, wherein the upper and lower spacers 566 have been inserted into the recess 514 of the back wall 516 of the wall module 460, wherein the long screw 570 has been inserted through the aperture 572 and the channel 576 such that the threaded portion of the long screw 570 protrudes from the upper and lower spacers 568 toward the junction box 512. When the spacer 568 is inserted into the recess 514, the recess 514 fills the space between the flange 566 and the rear surface 526 of the wall module 460 provided by the back wall 516 surrounding the opening in the recess 514. Fig. 31 shows the wall module 460 secured to the junction box 512. When the wall module 460 is secured to the junction box 512, the screw 570 is threaded into the threaded aperture of the junction box 512 until the back wall 516 of the housing 462 of the wall module 464 abuts the wall 511 of the healthcare facility. The present disclosure contemplates that fasteners other than screws 528, 570 may be used in wall module 464, as desired. Such other fasteners may include, for example, rivets, snaps, pintle, barb couplings, dowels, open mortise, hinge tabs, tethers, cam locks, adhesives, magnets, inserts, clasps, and the like.

Referring now to fig. 32, the wall module 460 is shown with a nurse call cable 490, which is a 37-pin nurse call cable 44 terminated at the nurse call connector 162. Thus, the description above regarding the cables 44 and connectors used by the wall module 32 applies equally to the wall module 460 and will not be repeated. In fig. 32, the connector 162 is arranged to couple to the nurse call port 126 of an ASBC 164 mounted on the room wall 511 of each ward. The nurse call connector 162 is movable in the direction of arrow 578 to couple to the nurse call port 126 of the ASBC 164. The description above in connection with fig. 3 and 4 regarding ASBC 164, nurse call port 126, bedside speaker port 166, and jack socket 168 applies equally to fig. 32 and will not be repeated. As shown in fig. 33, the nurse call connector 162 of the nurse call cable 44 is coupled to the nurse call port 126 of the ASBC 164 in each ward that completes the installation process of the wall module 460.

Referring now to fig. 34, an exploded view of a wall module 460 is shown. Several components and related features of the wall module 460 are discussed above and are not repeated here. As shown in fig. 34, the housing 462 of the wall module 460 includes a molded front plate 580 and a molded back plate 582. The molded front plate 580 includes walls 474, 476, 478, 492, 494, 496 and a main wall 592. The front wall 472 and the front surface 500 of the housing 462 are actually provided by a cover sheet 590 adhered to the main wall 592 of the molded front plate 580. The middle region of the wall 592 is recessed inwardly from the peripheral region of the wall 592 by an amount that is about the same as the thickness of the cover sheet 590, for example, about 0.5mm to about 2mm. The cover 590 includes a rectangular opening 594 into which the recess 470 may be accessed.

The molded back plate 582 includes walls 516, 518, 520, 522, 524. The molded back plate 582 further includes a rim or ridge 584 that extends a small amount (e.g., about 2mm to about 3 mm) from the periphery of the back wall 516 toward the molded front plate 580. The molded back plate 582 includes channel walls 585 adjacent to the recess side walls 522 forming an opening for receiving the spillway and grommet 564. As best shown in fig. 35, a groove provided on the grommet portion of the spillway and grommet 564 receives a lip 589 of the wall 585. As also shown in fig. 35, a portion of lip 589 protrudes from recess sidewall 522.

As shown in fig. 34, the molded back plate 582 further includes four tubular posts 586 located in corner regions thereof. The wall module 460 includes four coupling screws 588 extending through the posts 586 and threaded into the threaded bosses 596, with two screws molded into corner regions of the wall module molded front plate 580 as shown in fig. 35. Thus, when the molded back plate 582 is attached to the molded front plate 580 by means of screws 588, the ridge 584 abuts the walls 474, 476, 478. In other embodiments, other fasteners (see above) may be used to connect the plates 580, 582 together. The molded front plate 580 and the molded back plate 582 are made of a plastic material or a metal material having suitable strength characteristics, such as powdered metal or sintered metal, for example, luer.

Referring back to fig. 34, the wall module 460 includes a nurse call circuit board 598 and a main circuit board 600 having a rectangular opening 602 for receiving the AC receptacles 466, 468 in the duplex AC receptacle 464. The nurse call circuit board 598 includes components associated with the nurse call function of the wall module 460, such as including the shift register and/or repeater 124 and the ports 128 as shown in fig. 2 and 9. The main circuit board 600 includes components associated with other functions of the wall module 460, such as the SOM 114 including the microprocessor 116, memory 118, wiFi module 120, and bluetooth module 122, as also shown in fig. 2 and 9. In addition, the main circuit board 600 has two light emitters 254 and two light detectors 256 supported on opposite sides of the rectangular opening 602. As shown in fig. 35, the nurse call circuit board 598 and the main circuit board 600 are supported in parallel spaced relationship in the interior region 601 of the housing 462 of the wall module 460.

Most clearly, as shown in fig. 35, the light emitters 254 of the wall module 460 are aligned with respective apertures 502 formed in one of the recess side walls 496, while the light detectors 256 of the wall module 460 are aligned with respective apertures 504 formed in the other of the recess side walls 496. Thus, the main circuit board 600 also includes the detection circuit 264 shown in fig. 14. As discussed above in connection with fig. 14 and 15, in some contemplated variant embodiments, the receptacle 260 is provided with IR beams 262, 262' in front of the receptacle. The illustrative wall module 460 is thus modified embodiment, similar to fig. 14, with the IR light beam 262 between the light emitter 254 and the light detector 256 disposed forward of the sockets 466, 468. As described above, when plug 180 from bed 30 is inserted into socket 466 or socket 468, one of these IR beams is interrupted or broken. In another variant embodiment of the wall module 460, similar to fig. 15, a single IR beam 262' between the light emitter 254' and the light detector 256' is provided in front of both sockets 466, 468, which beam is interrupted in response to insertion of the plug 180 into either socket 466, 468.

The circuit board 598 includes an aperture 604 formed in a second of its corner regions. The circuit board 600 includes an aperture 606 formed in a third of its corner regions. Tubular posts 586 and/or bosses 596 extend through respective apertures 604, 505 of circuit boards 598, 600 as appropriate to hold circuit boards 598, 600 in place in an interior region of housing 462. As shown in fig. 34, the wall module includes a WiFi/bluetooth antenna 608. The antenna 608 has a rectangular shape and has a pair of apertures 610 in its bottom region to connect to the electrical traces of the circuit board 600. A pair of apertures 612 are formed in the main wall 592 of the molded front plate 580, receiving a pair of clips (not shown) for attachment to the rear of the main wall 592. The LEDs 184, schematically shown in fig. 9, are built into the cover sheet 590 behind the respective icons 484, 486, 488. Apertures 614 are formed in the main wall 592 of the molded front plate 580, while ribbon cables (not shown) extending from the cover sheet 590 are routed through the apertures 614 for connection to the main circuit board 600. The ribbon cable includes wires for opening and closing the LEDs 184 of the cover sheet 590.

Referring now to fig. 36, an alternative embodiment system 620 is shown. The system 620 has substantially the same components and features as the system 20 described above, and thus the same reference numerals are used to designate the components and features in the system 620, and thus are not repeated. Thus, unless specifically stated otherwise, the description above regarding these features and components of system 20 applies equally to system 620. In the architecture of system 620, wall module 460 in fig. 24-35 communicates wirelessly with bed 30 via communication links 34, 37. The wall module 460 also communicates with the ASBC 164 over a wired communication link such as cable 490 and with one or more nurse call servers 46 over a wired link 622, which nurse call servers 46 in turn communicate with remote servers over the internet (i.e., cloud) 72.

In the embodiment of system 620 of fig. 36, the same vendor provides nurse call software on bed 30, wall module 460, ASBC 164, remote server 70, and one or more nurse call servers 46. Thus, communications from the bed 30 over the wireless link 35 include nurse calls, bed alarms, bed status data, and patient data occurring on the bed 30 or detected by the bed 30, which are compatible in format for processing by other hardware components of the system 620. With respect to the system 20, 620, a nurse call is generated in response to a patient on the couch 30 pressing a nurse call button located on the control panel 78 of the couch 30, or on a controller housing supported by a cantilever of the couch 30 suspended above the patient, or on a patient control button station, control cradle, or bedside speaker unit wired to the couch 30 by a cable or the like. In this regard, please refer to U.S. patent application publication No. 2018/0333317A1 (see in particular the discussion of nurse call button 558 in paragraphs 116-118), U.S. patent No. 10,363,182 (see in particular the discussion of nurse call button 100 and columns 6, lines 28-30 in fig. 2 regarding the button), U.S. patent No. 8,104,117 (see in particular the discussion of columns 6, lines 12-20 regarding user inputs including nurse call button 46), and U.S. patent No. 7,520,006 (see in particular the discussion of columns 68-73 and columns 56, lines 46-48 regarding nurse call button 1528), all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties to the extent consistent with this disclosure, for any inconsistencies.

Further with respect to the systems 20 in fig. 1 and 620 in fig. 36 (and other systems in fig. 37-42 described below), examples of bed alarms include one or more of (i) an out-of-bed alarm indicating that the patient has left the bed 30 or has had sufficient weight (e.g., 30 pounds) to move out of the bed 30 before it is completely out of the bed, (ii) a patient position alarm indicating that the patient has been sitting on the bed 30 or has moved to one side of the bed 30 a threshold amount, (iii) a side rail lowering alarm indicating that one or more of the side rails 40, 80 have moved to a lowered position, (iv) a foot brake alarm indicating that the foot brakes of the bed 30 have been released or not braked, (v) a bed non-lowering alarm indicating that the upper frame 84 of the bed 30 has moved away from a lowermost position relative to the base frame 86 of the bed 30, (vi) a head of the air cushion (HOB) angle alarm indicating that the head of the bed 30 has fallen below a threshold angle (e.g., about 30 degrees, about 45 degrees or about 60 degrees), and (vii) an alarm indicating that a malfunction of the pneumatic system has occurred. The above table is not intended to be exhaustive, so in other embodiments, other bed alarms may also be transmitted by the bed 30 to the wall module 32, 460 via the wireless links 34.

Still further with respect to the system 20 of fig. 1 and the system 620 of fig. 36 (and other systems of fig. 37-42 described below), examples of bed state data include data indicating one or more of (i) whether the bed brake is set or braked, (ii) whether the upper frame 84 is in a lowermost position relative to the base frame 86, (iii) whether the siderails 40, 80 are in respective raised positions, (iv) HOB angle values, (v) a motor shutdown condition (e.g., data indicating whether the lift system motor is shut down or data indicating whether any of the mattress support platform joint motors are locked or all of the bed movement motors are shut down), (vi) whether the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) release handle is pulled to rapidly lower the head section of the mattress support platform, move the thigh and foot sections of the mattress support platform to a position generally coplanar with the head section, move the upper frame 30 into a trendelenburg position, (vii) whether the siderail 40, 80 is in a respective raised position, (viii) whether the weight scale system of the bed 30 has detected the patient, (ix) a treatment surface of the mattress 30 is turned on, (90) (e.g., whether the best surface therapy is activated in the critical surface (e.g., 90) or activated in the critical surface therapy mode (90), or 90-turn-on condition-of the best surface therapy (e.g., the best surface therapy-aspect, the surface-activated-90, the best-aspect of the surface therapy-90, e.g., the best-aspect of the surface therapy-90 Sequential partial deflation and re-inflation of mattress areas such as sitting and thigh areas or foot areas, (xiii) in embodiments of the bed 30, there is an impact/shock module on the bed 30 with which the pneumatic system of the bed 30 is used, (xiv) in embodiments of the bed 30, there is a rotation module on the bed 30 with which the pneumatic system of the bed 30 is used, (xv) if a weight scale is mounted on the bed 30, (xvi) if an off-bed alarm is mounted on the bed 30, (xvii) if a motorized inflation surface 90 is mounted on the bed 30, (xviii) a bed ID, (xix) bed type, and (xx) if maintenance is required on the bed 30. The above table is not intended to be exhaustive, so in other embodiments, other bed status data may also be transmitted by the bed 30 to the wall module 32, 460 via the wireless links 34.

Still further with respect to the systems 20 of fig. 1 and 620 of fig. 36 (and other systems of fig. 37-42 described below), the patient data transmitted from the couch 30 includes, for example, one or more of a patient weight measured by a weight scale system of the couch 30, a heart rate measured by one or more heart rate sensors in some embodiments of the couch 30, and a respiration rate measured by one or more respiration sensors in some embodiments of the couch 30. In some embodiments, the same sensor or sensors on the bed 30 that measure heart rate may also be used to measure respiration rate. Other embodiments of the bed 30 may include one or more sensors for measuring other physiological characteristics of the patient supported on the bed 30, such as blood pressure, pulse oximetry, and body temperature, to name a few. In some embodiments, the couch 30 may also read and/or store a patient ID (e.g., electronic medical record number MRN) of the patient for transmission as patient data. These examples of patient data are not intended to be exhaustive, so in other embodiments, other patient data may also be transmitted by the bed 30 to the wall module 32, 460 via the wireless links 34.

In fig. 36, a schematic location icon 624 is illustrated above the ASBC 164 to indicate that a location ID is programmed into the ASBC 164 in conjunction with the ASBC 164 being installed in a healthcare facility. The location ID in the ASBC 164 corresponds to the room in which the bed 30 and each wall module 32, 460 are located as the case may be. In some embodiments, a computer (such as a master nurse station computer) coupled to the nurse call server 46 is used to assign location IDs to individual ASBC 164 installed in the healthcare facility. In some embodiments, the server 46 associates the bed ID of the bed 30 with the location ID of the room stored in the ASBC 164 in response to the bed ID and location ID being transmitted to the nurse call server 46 over the communication link 622. In the embodiment of system 620 shown in fig. 36, the location ID is not transmitted to wall module 460 or bed 30.

In some embodiments of system 620, the functionality of local bed data server 62 in fig. 1 is also included on one or more nurse call servers 46. Thus, if desired, one or more servers 46 receive bed alarms from the bed 30 (in fact, multiple beds 30 in a healthcare facility), bed status data, and patient data are transmitted to one or more EMR servers 64, one or more ADT servers 66, and one or more other servers 68 (e.g., one or more RTLS servers), and are transmitted to a remote server 70 via the cloud 72. Additionally, in some embodiments of system 620, status board 48 may be communicatively coupled to one or more nurses call servers 46 to display some or all of the bed alarms, bed status data, and patient data.

Referring now to fig. 37, an alternative embodiment system 630 is shown. The system 630 has substantially the same components and features as the systems 20, 620 described above, and thus the same reference numerals are used to designate the components and features of the system 630, and thus are not repeated. Thus, unless specifically stated otherwise, the description above regarding these features and components of the system 20, 620 applies equally to the system 630. In the architecture of system 630, wall module 460 in fig. 24-35 communicates wirelessly with bed 30 via communication links 34, 37. However, in system 630, bed 30 only sends a nurse call and a bed alarm to wall module 460. Thus, in system 630, the bed status data and patient data are not sent from bed 30 to wall module 460. In some embodiments of system 630, all bed alarms are sent as priority alarms. Wall module 460 communicates with nurse call interface 164' via wired communication link 490 and with one or more nurse call servers 46' via wired communication link 622 '.

In the embodiment of the system 630 in fig. 37, the bed 30 and wall module 460 are provided by a first vendor, while the ASBC164 'and nurse call software on the one or more nurse call servers 46' are provided by different third party vendors (i.e., neither the first vendor nor the healthcare facility). Thus, the system 630 is represented by a double quote (") that is not part of the first vendor. Basically, the system 630 described herein shows that the wall module 460 can be used with a third party nurse call system if desired, provided that the third party nurse call system is equipped with a 37 pin connector on the interface 164' to connect to a nurse call cable 490 extending from the wall module 460. It is within the scope of the present disclosure that one or more of the nurse call servers 46' of the system 630 may be communicatively coupled to other computer devices, but they are not shown in fig. 37, as such additional system architecture is determined by the healthcare facility.

Referring now to fig. 38, yet another alternate embodiment system 640 is shown. The system 640 has substantially the same components and features as the systems 20, 620, 630 described above, and thus the same reference numerals are used to designate the components and features of the system 640, and thus will not be repeated. Thus, unless specifically stated otherwise, the description above regarding these features and components of the system 20, 620, 630 applies equally to the system 640. In the architecture of system 640, wall module 460 in fig. 24-35 communicates wirelessly with bed 30 via communication links 34, 37. The wall module 460 also communicates with the nurse call interface 164 'via a cable or communication link 490, the interface 164' in turn communicating with the third party nurse call server 46 'via a communication link 622'. This portion of system 640 is identical to system 630 described above. However, in system 640, bed 30 is also equipped with WiFi communication capability, indicated in fig. 38 by the text "802.11 wireless" and WiFi icons. Specifically, in system 640, bed 30 communicates with cloud 72 via wireless communication link 56. Such as WAP 52 and institution network 60 shown in fig. 1, are not shown in fig. 38, but in some embodiments are also present in system 640. Thus, in system 640, nurse calls and bed alarms are sent from bed 30 to one or more servers 46' through wall module 460, while bed alarms, bed status data and patient data are sent from bed 30 to remote server 70 through the internet or cloud 72.

In some embodiments, the remote server 70 of the systems 620, 640 is configured to transmit the bed alarm and bed status data back to other computer devices of the healthcare facility. For example, in some embodiments of systems 620, 640, the bed alarm and bed status data are transmitted by server 70 to the EMR server 64 of the healthcare facility as a seventh level of health (HL 7) message. In some embodiments of systems 620, 640, server 70 is also connected to a computer whose display screen is used to display a data dashboard including bed alarms and bed status data. In some embodiments of systems 620, 640, remote server 70 receives room location information (e.g., location ID) corresponding to the room location of healthcare facility beds 30 and transmits the location information back to each bed 30 via cloud 72 and wireless communication link 56. The GUI 38 of the bed 30 in turn displays this positional information. For example, location information is transmitted from one or more ADT servers 64 of the healthcare facility to remote server 70.

Referring now to fig. 39, a still further alternate embodiment system 650 is shown. The system 650 is substantially the same as the system 640 of fig. 38, except that in the system 650, the wall module 460 communicates with the remote server 70 via the wireless communication link 54 and the cloud 72 in addition to the bed 30. Similar to system 640, system 650 includes WAP 52 and facility network 60, but these components are not shown in FIG. 39. Thus, wall module 460 communicates with WAP 52 via wireless communication link 54, and WAP 52 in turn communicates with cloud 72 via healthcare facility's network 60. In addition, in system 650, the couch 30 communicates couch status data and patient data to the wall module 460 in addition to nurse calls and couch alarms.

In fig. 39, a schematic location icon 654 is illustrated above the wall module 460 to indicate that a location ID is programmed into the wall module 460 in conjunction with the wall module 460 being installed in a healthcare facility. The location ID in the wall module 460 corresponds to the room in which the bed 30 and each wall module 460 are located as the case may be. In some embodiments, the location ID is communicated from ADT server 66 to wall module 460 via network 60 and one WAP 52. In other embodiments, RTLS server 68 communicates the location ID to wall module 460 via network 60 and one WAP 52. In still other embodiments, the location ID is programmed locally into the wall module 460 by a computer device (e.g., a laptop, tablet, or other handheld electronic device) wired to an electrical port (e.g., a USB port or JTAG connector) on the back of the wall module 460 or inside the wall module 460. In some embodiments, if the electrical port used to program the location ID into the wall module 460 is in the interior region 601 of the wall module 460, the molded back plate 582 is disconnected from the molded front plate 580 to access the electrical port. Alternatively, an openable or removable access door may be provided as part of the back wall 516 for accessing the electrical port.

Still referring to fig. 39, the wall module 460 of the system 650 transmits the location ID and the bed ID (e.g., bed number) to the remote server 70 via the cloud 72. The couch 30 transmits the couch alarm, couch status data including the couch ID, and patient data to the remote server 70 via the cloud 72. Of course, these transmissions from the wall module 460 and the bed 30 also involve the use of one or more WAPs as well as the institutional network 60 infrastructure mentioned above. Because the bed ID is common to transmissions from the wall module 460 and the bed 30, the remote server 70 is able to associate the bed alarm, bed status, and patient data with the room location corresponding to the location ID. In some embodiments, the server 46 associates the bed ID of the bed 30 with the location ID of the room stored in the ASBC 164 in response to the bed ID and location ID being transmitted to the nurse call server 46 over the communication link 622. In the embodiment of system 620 shown in fig. 36, the location ID is not transmitted to wall module 460 or bed 30.

Referring now to FIG. 40, yet another alternate embodiment system 660 is shown. The system 660 is substantially the same as the system 640 in fig. 38, except that in the system 660, the bed 30 communicates with one or more bed data servers 62 of the healthcare facility over the wireless communication link 56 using WiFi technology in addition to bluetooth communication with the wall module 460. Similar to system 640, system 660 includes one or more WAPs 52 and facility network 60, but these components are not shown in fig. 40. Thus, bed 30 communicates with WAP 52 via wireless communication link 56, and WAP 52 communicates with one or more servers 62 via a healthcare facility's network 60. Additionally, in system 660, the couch 30 communicates the couch alarm, couch state data, and patient data to the couch data server 62. Also, similar to system 640, the bed 30 in system 660 communicates nurse calls and bed alarms to the wall module 460 via the wireless communication link 34. It is within the scope of the present disclosure that one or more bed data servers 62 of system 660 may be communicatively coupled to other computer devices, but they are not shown in fig. 40, as such additional system architecture is determined by the healthcare facility.

In some embodiments of the system 600, the status board 48 is coupled to one or more bed data servers 62, either directly or through the infrastructure of the facility network 60 and/or components of the nurse call system 43, so that some or all of the bed alarms, bed status data, and patient data from the bed 30 may be displayed on the status board 48. Additionally, in some embodiments of the system 660, the RTLS server 68 communicates with the bed data server 62 to provide position information (e.g., a position ID) of the bed 30, thereby enabling the bed position to also be displayed on the status board 48. In this regard, the server 62 of the system 660 includes software, such as SMARTSYNC ^TM software available from Hill-Rom corporation, to complete the association of location IDs with bed alarms, bed status data, and patient data. For example, in some embodiments, bed 30 has an RFID tag attached thereto for communication with transmitters, receivers, and/or transceivers located throughout the healthcare facility and in communication with RTLS server 68. These RFID tags communicate with transmitters, receivers, and/or transceivers using one or more wireless communication technologies, such as Radio Frequency (RF), infrared (IR), or ultrasonic communication technologies as are known in the art. In some embodiments, the bed data server 62 of the system 660 is configured to transmit bed alarms, bed status data, and patient data to other computer devices of the healthcare facility. For example, in some embodiments of system 660, the bed alarms, bed status data, and patient data are transmitted by server 62 to the healthcare facility's EMR server 64 as HL7 messages.

Referring now to FIG. 41, yet a further alternative embodiment system 670 is shown. The system 670 has a bed 30, the bed 30 being connected to the wall module 32 by a nurse call cable 232 extending from the bed 30. Thus, in system 670, cable 232 connects to Y-cable 214, T-cable 248, or nurse call port 128 of wall module 32 as the case may be. As schematically shown in fig. 41, the wall module 32 is in turn coupled to an ASBC 164 by a wired communication link 44, and the ASBC 164 is coupled to one or more nurse call servers 46 and/or bed data servers 62 by a wired communication link 622. As described above in connection with system 20, the software providing the nurse call function and the bed status data processing function of servers 46, 62 is stored and run by the same server. Thus, similar to system 20, in some embodiments of system 670, the software implementing the functionality of local bed data server 62 is model SMARTSY NC ^TM software available from Hill-Rom, while the software implementing the functionality of nurse call server 46 is also available from Hill-RomAnd the nurse call software, both of which are stored and run by the same server.

As also shown in fig. 41, the bed 30 communicates with one or more digital health portal servers 672 via a wireless communication link 56. More specifically, bed 30 communicates with WAP 52 via wireless communication link 56, and WAP 52 communicates with one or more servers 672 via a healthcare facility's network 60. The present disclosure contemplates that digital health portal server 672 is located within the scope of a healthcare facility's computer network (e.g., ethernet) in some embodiments, and remotely in other embodiments. Thus, if digital health portal server 672 is located remotely from the healthcare facility, facility network 60 communicates with one or more digital health portal servers 672 via the Internet or cloud 72.

The one or more digital health portal servers 672 of the system 670 receive a more robust set of bed data (and in some embodiments of the system 670, bed alarms and patient data) than the bed data received by the one or more nurse call servers 46 and bed data server 62 via the ASBC 164. Additionally, in the illustrative embodiment, the bed 30 is configured to allow a healthcare worker or other user to manually enter position data (e.g., room number) using the GUI 38 of the bed 30. The manually entered location data is stored in the memory 96 and/or memory 104 of the bed for transmission along with the bed data through the WiFi module 100 over the wireless data link 56 to one or more digital health portal servers 672. Additional details of manual entry of position data on a hospital bed are found in U.S. patent No. 11,011,267 to 11 (see in particular the relevant discussion in column 19, line 51 to column 22, line 25) and U.S. patent application publication No. 2020/0345568A1 (see in particular the relevant discussion in fig. 4A, 4B and 7 to 9 and paragraphs 80-97 and 113-120), which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety to the extent consistent with the present disclosure, for any inconsistency.

Still referring to fig. 41, a location icon 624 is illustrated above the ASBC 164 and a location icon 654 is illustrated above the wall module 32. Thus, the discussion above in connection with programming location information to ASBC 164 via system 620 of fig. 36 and programming location information to wall module 460 via system 650 of fig. 39 applies equally to ASBC 164 and wall module 32 in system 670 of fig. 41, and is not repeated. It should be noted that both the ASBC 164 and the wall module 32 are programmed with location information, as the bed 30 can be connected to either of these two devices via the wired connection 232. Accordingly, if the nurse call cable 232 from the bed 30 is directly into the ASBC 164 of the system 670, the wall module 32 is bypassed so that the one or more nurse call servers 46 and/or the bed data server 62 rely solely on location data from the ASBC 164 to determine the location of the bed 30.

As also shown in fig. 41, the beds 30 of system 670 communicate with one or more remote servers 674 via wireless communication links 56. More specifically, bed 30 communicates with WAP 52 via wireless communication link 56, and WAP 52 communicates with one or more servers 674 via a healthcare facility's network 60. The present disclosure contemplates that remote server 674 is located within a computer network (e.g., ethernet) of a healthcare facility in some embodiments, and is located remotely in other embodiments. Thus, if remote server 672 is located remotely from the healthcare facility, facility network 60 communicates with one or more remote servers 672 via the Internet or cloud 72.

The remote server 672 receives the bed configuration data from the bed 30, including the bed number, the bed type, and the software version numbers of the various software modules (e.g., weight scale software modules, main control board software modules, communication board software modules, pneumatic system software modules, etc.) stored and run on the bed 30. If the software version on the bed 30 is an out-of-date software version, the updated software for each software module is optionally downloaded wirelessly to the bed 30 based on the software version received by the one or more remote servers 674. In some embodiments of system 670, the individual software modules are combined into a single software package for bed 30 such that only one software version number is included in the bed configuration data sent to one or more remote servers 674. In these embodiments, the software downloaded to the bed 30 from the one or more remote servers 674 comprises a single update package.

Referring now to fig. 42, a further alternative embodiment system 680 is shown. All components of system 680 have been described above in connection with other system embodiments, and thus the same reference numerals are used to identify components of system 680 discussed above in connection with various other system embodiments. One of the differences between the system 680 and the aforementioned system 20, 620, 630, 640, 650, 660, 670 is that the wall module 32 communicates with one or more digital portal servers 672 via the wireless communication link 54. More specifically, wall module 32 communicates with WAP 52 via wireless communication link 54, and WAP 52 communicates with one or more servers 672 via a healthcare facility's network 60. If digital health portal server 672 is located remotely from the healthcare facility, facility network 60 communicates with one or more digital health portal servers 672 via the Internet or cloud 72.

Still referring to fig. 42, the wall module 32 of the system 680 is also in wireless communication with the bed 30 via the communication links 34, 37. In fig. 42, the bed status data and patient data are shown as being communicated from the bed 30 to the wall module 32, but in accordance with the present disclosure, in system 680, a bed alarm is also communicated to the wall module 32. The beds 30 of system 680 further communicate wirelessly with one or more remote servers 674 via wireless communication link 56 to send bed configuration data and receive software downloads in the same manner as described above in connection with system 670.

In system 680, wall module 32 can communicate with one or more nurse call servers 46 and/or one or more bed data servers 62 over wired communication link 44 and ASBC 164 and over wireless communication link 54. Thus, some bed status data and alarms are sent from the wall module 32 to one or more servers 46, 62 via a first communication path that includes the wired communication link 44 and the ASBC 164, while some bed status data, patient data and location information are sent from the wall module 32 to one or more servers 46, 62 via a second path that includes the wireless communication link 54. Some or all of the data transmitted over the first wired path may also be transmitted over the second wireless path. As described above, in some embodiments, the nurse call and bed data processing functions of the servers 46, 62 reside in a single server.

In system 680, location information is programmed into wall module 32 in the same manner as described above. It should be appreciated that the programming of the wall module 32 specifies which data is to be sent to one or more servers 46, 62 along respective first (wired) and second (wireless) paths. This is in contrast to the system disclosed in U.S. patent No. 10,500,401, where a controller on the patient's bed determines whether to send data from the bed along two different wireless paths, one path including a wireless access point and the other path not including a wireless access point. The wall module 32 of the system 680 also determines which bed status data, patient data, and location data are transmitted to one or more digital health portal servers 672 via the wireless communication link 54. Thus, in system 680, wall module 32 is configured to transmit data to a local server over a wired communication link, to transmit data to the same local server over a wireless communication link, and to transmit data to a remote server over a wireless communication link. Also as indicated in fig. 42, in system 680, data wirelessly transmitted from wall module 32 over wireless communication link 54 may be directed to a third party nurse call system or server. In these embodiments, one or more nurse call servers 46 run nurse call software provided by a third party capable of receiving data transmitted wirelessly from the wall module 32.

As discussed above with respect to fig. 1 and 36-42, in other embodiments, the system 20, 670, 680 with the wall module 32 may also have a wall module 460 instead of the illustrative wall module 32. Similarly, in other embodiments, systems 620, 630, 640, 650, 660 having wall modules 460 may also have wall modules 32 in place of illustrative wall modules 460. In other embodiments, the systems 20, 620, 630, 640, 650, 660, 670, 680 each include variations of the wall modules 32, 460 described in the present disclosure.

As is apparent from the foregoing, the wall units or modules 32, 460 are generic and thus they can be used in a variety of system architectures in healthcare facilities. In some architectures, the wall module 32, 460 does not have WiFi communication capability, or at least has not been enabled if it is. Similarly, in some architectures, the bed 30 does not have WiFi communication capability, or at least has not been enabled with WiFi communication capability. Thus, the present disclosure contemplates that in some architectures, both the bed 30 and the corresponding wall module 32, 460 have WiFi communication capabilities that are enabled to communicate various types of data as described above. However, in the disclosed embodiment, the bed 30 and the corresponding wall module 32, 460 are configured to wirelessly communicate with each other after wireless pairing as described above. Some beds 30 may not have the ability to communicate with wall modules 32, 460 or may disable the ability. In these beds 30, the wall modules 32, 460 are configured to be directly wired to the cable 232 extending from the bed 30 using, for example, a Y-cable 214, a T-cable 248, or a nurse call port 128 disposed on the wall module 32 (in alternative embodiments, disposed on the wall module 460).

Referring now to fig. 43, an embodiment of a patient bed 30 is shown in which an ambient light sensor circuit 700 is coupled to each headboard 40 (i.e., headboard 40) of the patient bed for use by respective controllers 702 to control the brightness at which a illuminable indicator 704 on the headboard 40 operates. In the illustrative example, the ambient light sensor circuit 700 and the controller 702 are included as part of a headrail printed circuit board 706, referred to herein as a headrail 706, that is contained within an interior region of the sidebar 40. Also in the illustrative embodiment, the indicators 704 on each head rail 40 include one or more Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) 708. In other embodiments, only one header 40 includes the GUI 38, while in still other embodiments, both headers 40 omit the GUI 38.

It is within the scope of the present disclosure that any one or more of the ambient light sensor circuit 700, the controller 702, the one or more GUIs 38, and the one or more LEDs 708 may be located at other locations of the bed 30 in addition to or instead of being included on the sidebar 40. For example, other carriers on the patient bed 30 such as the sidebar 80, the headboard, and/or the footboard may include these components. Alternatively or additionally, any one or more of the circuitry 700, controller 702, GUI 38, and LEDs 708 are included on the base frame 86 and/or upper frame 84, such as on a foot end frame of a foot section of the bed 30, as determined by a bed designer, for example. The present disclosure also contemplates embodiments in which only one ambient light sensor circuit 700 and one controller 702 are included in the patient bed 30.

In the illustrative example of fig. 43, the controller 702 of each headrail 706 is communicatively coupled to the controllers 96, 98, 100 of the main control board 82 of the bed 30. The controller blocks in fig. 43 are intended to represent, for example, the microprocessor 96, memory 98, and WiFi module 100 shown in fig. 2, and the controller blocks in fig. 43 are referred to by all of these reference numerals. The controller 702 also includes, for example, a microprocessor and memory. To reduce the complexity of fig. 43, the frames representing these separate portions of controllers 96, 98, 100 and controller 702 are omitted.

As shown in fig. 43 and 44, the controller 702 each provides an ambient light sensor enable signal 710 to each ambient light sensor circuit 700, thereby enabling (i.e., turning on or activating) the circuit 700 to sense ambient light. The controller 702 each receives an ambient light output signal 712 indicative of ambient light sensed by an ambient light sensor 714 of the circuit 700 as shown in fig. 44. In the illustrative embodiment, ambient light sensor 714 is an APDS-9007 model ambient light sensor available from Broadcom corporation of san Jose, calif., with a logarithmic current output. As shown in fig. 44, ground pin 1 of sensor 714 is coupled to ground (i.e., vss). The ground pin 1 is also coupled to an output line from the output pin 3 of the sensor 714 through a first 716 and second 718 capacitor of 10 micro farads (μf) in parallel and a resistor 720 of 10 kiloohms (kΩ). The capacitors 716, 718 act as low pass filters to filter out AC noise (e.g., 50/60 hertz (Hz) and 100 Hz) generated by the light source such as a fluorescent or incandescent light, while the resistor 720 acts as a load resistor to determine the amount of current-voltage conversion in the circuit 700. An ambient light output signal is provided from the output pin 3 of the sensor. VCC pin 4 of sensor 714 is coupled to a +3.3 Volt DC (VDC) supply and to VSS through a 0.1 μf capacitor 722. Pins 2, 5 of sensor 714 are "non-connected" pins that are not connected to any other circuit elements.

As shown in fig. 44, the ambient light output signal has a voltage of about 2.8 volts (V) at 1000 lux. For indoor environments, any lux value between 401 lux and 1000 lux is generally considered normal illumination. For indoor environments, any lux value below 400 is considered a dim (201 lux to 400 lux) or dark (51 lux to 200 lux) or extremely dim (11 lux to 50 lux) lighting condition. The APDS-9007 ambient light sensor has a dynamic range of 3 lux to 70000 lux, but this overall dynamic range is not required in circuit 700. In some embodiments, an ambient light output signal 712 of about 0.5V corresponds to about 10 lux.

In the illustrative examples of fig. 43 and 44, the ambient light output signals 712 are analyzed by the respective controllers 702 to determine that the ambient light has a first brightness above a threshold or a second brightness below a threshold. The threshold may be 400 lux, 200 lux, or 50 lux, as determined by the system designer, corresponding to the break point between normal illumination, dim illumination, dark illumination, and extreme dim illumination described above. In other embodiments, different thresholds are used that determine the boundary between the "bright" brightness condition and the "dark" brightness condition. In still other embodiments, the controller 702 is programmed with multiple thresholds so that more than two brightness conditions (e.g., high, medium, low brightness conditions) can be determined. Further granularity, such as four brightness conditions, five brightness conditions, etc., also fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

In the illustrative embodiment, the controller 702 outputs a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signal to the one or more LEDs 708 to control the brightness of the one or more LEDs 708 to be lit. For example, if the ambient light is above a threshold such that the controller 702 determines that the room in which the hospital bed 30 is located is in a "bright" brightness condition, the controller 702 applies a PWM signal of a first duty cycle (e.g., 75%, 80%, 85%, or 90%, etc., just to name a few) to the one or more LEDs 708. On the other hand, if the ambient light is below the threshold such that the controller 702 determines that the room in which the hospital bed 30 is located is in a "dark" brightness condition, the controller 702 applies a PWM signal of a second duty cycle (e.g., 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, or 50%, etc., just to name a few) to the one or more LEDs 708. The actual values of the PWM signals under "bright" and "dark" brightness conditions are determined by the system designer.

As described above, in other embodiments, the controller 702 is configured to determine more than two brightness levels (e.g., three brightness levels, four brightness levels, etc.) based on the respective ambient light output signals 712. In these other embodiments, a PWM signal corresponding to the number of brightness levels determined by the controller 702 is applied to a respective one or more LEDs 708. Of course, the higher the PWM duty cycle, the brighter the one or more LEDs 708 will light up. Thus, for three brightness levels, the PWM duty cycles may be, for example, 33%, 50%, and 67%, just to name a few. For four brightness levels, the PWM duty cycles may be, for example, 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80%, just to name a few.

With respect to brightness control of the GUI 38 on the bed 30, it should be understood that the GUI 38 has its own control circuitry (e.g., a controller with a microprocessor, memory, and I/O ports), so each controller 702 need not provide PWM signals to the GUI 38, but this does not preclude the possibility that PWM signals from the controller 702 may be used for brightness control of the GUI 38 in some embodiments. However, in some embodiments, the controller 702 sends a multi-bit message to the GUI 38, at least one bit of the multi-bit message being assigned to a brightness control (e.g., 0 for "dark" brightness control and 1 for "bright" brightness control, and vice versa).

In embodiments where the brightness of GUI 38 is controlled at more than two brightness levels, two bits in a multi-bit message are allocated to brightness control to achieve up to four brightness control levels (e.g., 00, 01, 10, or 11 for two bits allocated, as the case may be). If the system designer wishes the GUIs 38 to have more than four brightness level controls, then the appropriate number of bits (e.g., three bits) are allocated in the multi-bit message from the controller 702 to each GUI 38. Thus, the controllers 702 each include an analog-to-digital (a/D) converter, each included in a microcontroller integrated circuit chip (e.g., a DART or VARISCITE chip referred to herein), that converts the analog ambient light output signal 712 into digital data that is included in the multi-bit message sent from the controller 702 to each GUI 38.

The controllers 96, 98, 100 (hereinafter simply referred to as controllers 96) receive ambient light result signals from each controller 702. In some embodiments, the ambient light result signal is embedded in a multi-bit digital message from each controller 702. As such, the multi-bit digital message from controller 702 to controller 96 has at least one bit assigned to brightness control or more than one bit assigned to brightness control depending on the number of brightness level controls. For example, the digital data regarding the detected ambient light may be the same as that described above in connection with the brightness control of GUI 38. In other embodiments, the PWM signal received by the controller 96 from the controller 702 has the same duty cycle as the PWM signal provided by the controller 702 to the LED 708.

The controller 96 processes the incoming multi-bit message or PWM signal from the controller 702 as the case may be and provides a combined result signal to the controllers 102, 104, 106 (hereinafter referred to as controller 102 only) related to the ambient light detected by the sensor 714 of the circuit 700. Of course, if the patient bed 30 has only one ambient light sensor circuit 700 and one controller 702 for brightness control of the indicators 704, the combined result signal related to brightness control will be the same as the result signal received by the controller 96 from the single controller 702 in some embodiments. The combined result signal is digitally encoded into the allocated bits of the multi-bit message as determined by the system designer, but this does not exclude the possibility that the combined result signal from controller 96 to controller 102 may be a PWM signal.

The bits allocated to the brightness control information in the multi-bit message including the combined result signal may be the same as or different from the bits in the multi-bit message sent by the controller 702 to the controller 96. For example, the number of bits of the message between controller 702 and controller 96 may be different than, for example, the number of bits of the message between controller 96 and controller 102. Thus, in some embodiments, the location of the bits in the message from controller 96 to controller 102 regarding brightness control may be different from the location of the bits in the message from controller 702 to controller 96, or in other embodiments they may be at the same location in a multi-bit message.

In some examples, the resulting signals from controller 702 to controller 96 may not match. For example, in the case of a bright/dark dual brightness control, one of the controllers 702 may indicate that the corresponding ambient light sensor circuit 700 detects "bright" ambient lighting, while the other of the controllers 702 may indicate that the corresponding ambient light sensor circuit 700 detects "dark" ambient lighting. For example, the above-described control situation may occur where the location of the hospital bed 30 in the hospital room is where one of the sidebars 40 is near the wall of the hospital room and the other of the sidebars 40 is exposed to the open space in the hospital room. Possibly, but not necessarily, the ambient light sensor circuit 700 in the sidebar 40 near the room wall may detect a dark ambient lighting condition, while another ambient light sensor circuit 700 in another guardrail 40 may detect a bright ambient lighting condition. The present disclosure contemplates that the controller 96 is configured to prioritize the resulting signals indicative of the light ambient lighting conditions and to generate the combined resulting signals accordingly, thereby controlling the indicators 184 of the corresponding wall modules 32, 460 to be brightly lit rather than dimly lit.

In some embodiments implementing a bright/dark dual level brightness control scheme, if there is a conflict between the resulting signals from controller 702 to controller 96, controller 96 provides a feedback signal to any of controllers 702, whose corresponding circuit 700 detects ambient illumination at the dark level. Each controller 702 uses the feedback signal to manipulate the dark ambient lighting conditions detected by the associated circuit 700 such that each controller 702 controls the corresponding indicator to flash or illuminate at a bright (e.g., high) light level instead of a dim (e.g., low) light level.

The resulting signal from controller 702 to controller 96 may comprise a digital value of lux value corresponding to the voltage of ambient light output signal 712, or the voltage value of signal 712 itself, as determined by the system designer. In these embodiments, the controller 96 is configured to average the digital values in the resulting signal from the controller 702 and then provide the averaged resulting signal back to the controller 702, which in turn uses the average indicated in the averaged resulting signal to determine the level at which the indicator 704 is to be illuminated. This averaging method may be used in a system that implements two, three, four or more levels of brightness control for the indicator 704. The controller 702 simply compares the average value to one or more brightness level thresholds to determine the brightness level at which the indicator 704 is to be controlled. If the resulting signal from controller 702 to controller 96 is a PWM signal, a similar averaging method may be used. For example, if one controller 702 provides a 60% duty cycle PWM signal to the controller 96 and the other controller 702 provides a 40% duty cycle PWM signal to the controller, the average result signal sent from the controller 96 back to the controller 702 is a 50% duty cycle PWM signal.

In some embodiments having more than two brightness levels for illuminating the indicator 704 on the patient bed 30, if there is a conflict in the resulting signal from the controller 702, the controller 96 may select an intermediate brightness level to operate the indicator 704 if the conflict signal is two spaced levels, otherwise, a higher brightness level is selected. For example, in a three-brightness level scenario with high, medium, and low brightness levels, if one of the result signals indicates that the indicator 704 on one of the sidebars 40 should operate at a high brightness level and the other of the result signals indicates that the indicator 704 on the other of the sidebars 40 should operate at a low brightness level, the controller 96 provides a feedback signal to both controllers 702 indicating that the indicators 704 on both sidebars 40 should operate at a medium brightness level. In a four brightness level scenario, if there is only one intermediate level between the resulting signals from the controller 702, the controller 96 implements a similar intermediate level approach. In some embodiments, if there are two intermediate levels between the resulting signals from the controller 702, the controller 96 is configured to select the brightest level from the two intermediate levels.

Regardless of which method is used to control the brightness of the indicator 704, the controller 96 provides the combined result signal to the controller 102 of the communication board 94 as part of the multi-bit message described above or as the PWM signal described above. If a PWM signal is provided from the controller 96 to the controller 102, the controller 102 converts the PWM signal to one or more of the multi-bit messages output to the Bluetooth transceiver 106 of the hospital bed 30. If the combined result signal is already digitally embedded in a multi-bit message received by controller 102 from controller 96, the digital combined result information regarding the control of the indicator brightness need not be converted to digital form. In any event, the multi-bit message including the combined result signal information is wirelessly transmitted from the Bluetooth transceiver 106 of the patient's bed 30 to the Bluetooth module 122 of the wall module 32 or wall module 460 via the wireless communication link 34 as the case may be. The controller 114 of the wall module 32, 460 then determines the light level to which the indicators, which in the illustrative embodiment are embodied as one or more LEDs 184, are to be controlled.

In some embodiments, a single bit in a multi-bit message transmitted from transceiver 106 to transceiver 122 over wireless communication link 34 is assigned to brightness control. Thus, one or more LEDs 184 of the wall module 32, 460 are controlled to illuminate at a "bright" (e.g., high) or "dark" (e.g., low or dim) light level. In this regard, the controller 114 of the wall module 32, 460 provides a PWM signal to each LED 184 that corresponds to the brightness level to which the LED or LEDs 184 are to be controlled. The discussion above regarding the PWM signal control of the LEDs 704 by the controller 702 on the hospital bed 30 applies equally to the PWM signal control of the LEDs 184 of the wall modules 32, 460 and is therefore not repeated. In other embodiments, the one or more LEDs 184 of the wall module 32, 460 are controlled to more than two brightness levels by the controller 114 in the same manner as described above with respect to the controller 702 controlling the brightness levels of the LEDs 708.

Based on the foregoing, it should be appreciated that the brightness level at which the LEDs 184 of the wall module 32, 460 are illuminated is controlled based on the amount of ambient light sensed by the ambient light sensor 714 included in the circuitry 700 of the bed 30. Accordingly, the wall module 43, 460 need not include an own ambient light sensor or associated ambient light sensor circuitry. It is further contemplated that the brightness of the illumination of the LEDs 184 of the wall module 32, 460 substantially matches the brightness of the illumination of the LEDs 708 of the hospital bed 30. When the patient room in which the bed 30 and module 32, 460 are located is in darkness, the indicators 184, 704 need to be dimmed in order to avoid potentially interfering with the sleeping abilities of the patient. However, when the ambient light level in the patient room is high, the indicators 184, 704 need to illuminate more brightly to be more discernable in the light.

The present disclosure further contemplates that the wall module 32, 460 similarly controls the brightness of one or more LEDs 184 of the wall module 32, 460 when the bed 30 is wired to the wall module 32, 460, for example, through any one or more of the cables 216, 232, 248 described above in connection with fig. 2, 8, 9, 11, 13, and 26, and through the cable 490 having the branch 226 and the joint 228 described above in connection with fig. 41. In these configurations, the controller 114 of the wall module 32, 460 processes the multi-bit message received over the wired connection for brightness control in the same manner as described above with respect to the wireless multi-bit message. It should also be appreciated that the indicator brightness control aspects described herein in connection with fig. 43 and 44 may be implemented in various systems and variations thereof described herein with respect to fig. 1-42.

However, as described above, the use of one or more ambient light sensors 714 on the patient bed 30 to sense ambient light, and thus the use of ambient light to control the brightness of one or more indicators 704 of the patient bed 30 and, depending on the particular case, one or more indicators 184 of the wall module 30 or wall module 460, the use of similar ambient light sensing and indicator brightness control schemes between various types of first and second devices, such as between (i) the bed 30 and medical monitor 360 shown in fig. 20, and (ii) the mobile phone 410 and speaker unit 412 shown in fig. 22, to name but two, is also within the scope of the present disclosure. Additional types of devices that may implement the ambient light sensing and indicator brightness control schemes contemplated by the present disclosure include any of the other types of devices described herein, such as medical devices, which may include, for example, but are not limited to, physiological monitors such as Electrocardiographs (EKG), electroencephalograms (EEG), pulse oximeters, blood pressure monitors, heart rate monitors, respiratory rate monitors, and body temperature monitors, and the like, other patient care devices including Intravenous (IV) pumps, drug infusion pumps, respiratory therapy devices, ventilators, continuous pressurizing devices (SCD) and passive exercise machines that prevent deep vein thrombosis, and other types of patient support apparatus such as stretchers, chairs, wheelchairs, operating tables, patient lifts, and examination tables, to name a few.

Thus, it should be appreciated that having one or more ambient light sensors on a first device to control the brightness of an indicator on a second device by encoding ambient light control data into a wireless message from the first device to the second device is a broad concept contemplated by the present disclosure. This arrangement allows the second device to be made smaller in size and lower in cost, since no ambient light sensor is present in the second device. In addition, by controlling the brightness of indicators (e.g., indicators 184, 704 in the illustrative example of fig. 43) on both devices in the same manner using the same ambient light control data, the indicators on both devices will darken or lighten substantially simultaneously as the case may be (e.g., within the time required for the circuitry of both devices to perform signal processing and transmission, such as within about 5 seconds or less).

Referring now to fig. 45A and 45B, a system 730 includes a bed 30 and a wall module 32 or wall module 460 (both reference numerals are used to refer to the wall modules as shown). The system 730 further includes an ASBC 164, the ASBC 164 coupled to an audio source 732 via a hard-wired connection 734. The ASBC 164 of system 730 is also coupled to a pillow-edge speaker unit 736 via a hardwired connection 738. The bed 30, wall modules 32, 460, and ASBC 164 are all discussed above in connection with fig. 1-19 and 24-44, which discussion applies equally to these same elements in the system 730 of fig. 45A and 45B. The following discussion is directed to aspects of communication between the wall module 32, 460 (as the case may be) and the bed 30, and in particular, the following discussion relates to audio processing in and between the wall module 32, 460 and the bed 30.

In system 730, audio signals 740 are transmitted wirelessly between wall module 32, 460 and bed 30. The audio signal 740 is separate from the bluetooth communication over the bluetooth communication link 34 described above. This is because it has been found that some unacceptable time delay or communication delay is introduced in the transmission of audio packets between the wall module 32, 460 and the bed 30 via bluetooth. In particular, it was found that the audio source 732 is connected to the ASBC 164 via the hardwired connection 734 and the ASBC 164 is connected to the bedside speaker unit 736 via the hardwired connection 738, so it is assumed that the bedside speaker 737 is not muted and is already on (i.e., the volume of the bedside speaker unit 736 is not fully off), and that audio originating from the audio source 732 is played almost immediately (i.e., in real-time) through the bedside speaker 737 of the bedside speaker unit 736. However, it has been found that due to communication delays over the bluetooth communication link 34, any audio originating from the audio source 732 that is to be transmitted as audio packets over the link 34 will not be played through the one or more speakers 742 of the bed 30 until about 100 milliseconds to about 200 milliseconds after it is played through the bedside speaker 737 of the bedside speaker unit 736. This has been found to produce undesirable time delay or echo effects.

In order to mitigate the undesirable echo effects of audio between speaker 737 and speaker 742, audio transmission 740 from wall module 32, 460 to bed 30 is performed through low communication delay components, according to some illustrative embodiments. A low communication delay according to the present disclosure means that the audio played through speaker 742 is less than 50 milliseconds delayed than the audio played through the pillow side speaker 737. As long as the audio delay played through speakers 737, 742 is less than 50 milliseconds, the listener considers the audio to be played substantially simultaneously. In the illustrative embodiment, the bed 30 has two speakers 742, one on the first sidebar 40 and the other on the second sidebar 40. In other embodiments, bed 30 has only one speaker 742. In yet a further embodiment, the bed 30 has more than two speakers 742.

In the illustrative example of the system 730 of fig. 45A, the wall module 32, 460 includes a Frequency Modulation (FM) transceiver 744 and the bed 30 includes an FM transceiver 746. Audio is communicated bi-directionally between transceivers 744, 746. However, other radio transceivers capable of modulating analog audio signals (e.g., amplitude Modulation (AM) transceivers or short wave radio transceivers) may be used for the wall modules 32, 460 and the bed 30 in place of the FM transceivers 744, 746, as desired for other embodiments. Wireless communication between transceivers 744, 746 over communication link 740 has a low latency such that audio played by speakers 737, 742 is perceived to occur substantially simultaneously (e.g., less than 50 milliseconds of latency).

The transceiver 744 is electrically coupled to the controller 114 of the wall module 32, 460 for bi-directional wired communication. Some aspects of the operation of transceiver 744 are controlled by commands sent by controller 114. The controller 114 also communicates information to the controller 114 for decision making. For example, the communication link 740 between the transceivers 744, 746 may not be established until the wall module 32, 460 is paired with the bed 30 in a manner such as any of the above-described methods of performing time-based pairing operations. After the wall module 32, 460 is paired with the bed 30 for communication over the wireless communication link 34, the controller 114 sends a signal to the transceiver 744 to establish a communication link 740 with the bed 30, as described in further detail below.

Referring to fig. 45A, the electrical conductors of the nurse call cable 44 include one or more analog audio input lines 748 coupled to the analog audio input 750 of the wall module 32, 460 and one or more analog audio output lines 752 coupled to the analog audio output 754 of the wall module 32, 460. Thus, the analog audio input line 748 and the analog audio output line are hard-wired connections between the ASBC 164 and the wall module 32, 460. In the illustrative example, lines 748 include a BED left speaker line 748a labeled bed_spkr_hi_l in fig. 45A and a BED right speaker line 748b labeled bed_spkr_hi_r in fig. 45A. This is because when the bed 30 is directly connected to the 37 pin connector 126 through a standard 37 pin nurse call cable, the 37 pin connector 126 of the ASBC 164 has connectors assigned to the bed left and right speakers. As indicated in fig. 45A, the analog audio signals on lines 748a, 748b are 1 volt root mean square (Vrms) signals. In other embodiments, depending on the embodiment, the wires 748, 742 are included in other cables of the present disclosure, such as the cables 216 (particularly the portions 218, 222), 248, 490, in place of the cables 44.

The wall module includes an adder 756, which adder 756 combines the analog audio signals communicated over lines 748a, 748b into a single audio signal that is input into a limiter/compressor/expander (LCE) 758. LCE758 is an analog circuit that may adapt to different gains depending on the input voltage level of the signal entering LCE 758. If the input level is too high, the LCE758 will limit the output voltage so that the output voltage does not overdrive the line input 760 of the FM transceiver 744. If the input level is too low, LCE758 will amplify the output voltage, which in turn means that the output voltage will be attenuated because the input signal to LCE758 is too low to be truly audio and therefore considered noise. Thus, for low input levels, LCE758 acts as a noise gate. If the input level is between a threshold or too high and too low level, LCE758 will operate within a compression region where a level of gain is or is not applied to the audio signal depending on the configuration of LCE 758. Compression refers generally to bringing the audio levels of smaller and larger sounds closer to each other to limit the dynamic range of the audio signal. As indicated in fig. 45A, in the illustrative example, the analog audio signal output by LCE758 on line 460 is 0 to 4.5 volt-amperes (VA).

The analog audio signal on line 460 is provided to FM transceiver 744, which FM transceiver 744 in turn converts the analog audio signal to a wireless FM audio signal 740 for transmission from transceiver 744 of wall module 32, 460 to transceiver 746 of bed 30. In the illustrative example, transceiver 746 is included on sidebar communication (SCM or SideComm) board 94. The operation of FM transceiver 746 is controlled by software resident on microprocessor or microcontroller 762 of SCM board 94. In the illustrative embodiment, the microcontroller 762 is a model MSP432 microcontroller available from Texas instruments Inc. of Texas, texas. In other embodiments, the FM transceiver 746 is controlled by software residing in the memory 104 and executed by the microprocessor 102 (see fig. 2).

The transceiver 746 converts the incoming wireless FM audio signal 740 into a wired audio signal that is provided to a power amplifier 764 on line 766. As indicated in fig. 45B, in the illustrative example, the power amplifier 764 applies a 2.94V/V gain to the audio signal on line 766 and outputs the amplified audio signal to the bed speaker 742 on a first line 768 and a second line 770 interconnected by a switch 772. When bed 30 is in wireless communication with wall module 32, 460, including through transceiver 744, 746, switch 772 is in an illustrative position where lines 768, 770 are electrically interconnected. However, if bed 30 is plugged directly into ASBC 164 via a 37 pin nurse call cable, switch 772 is moved to the second position disconnecting line 768 from line 770 and connecting bed speaker 742 to line 774, hard-wired audio signals carried by line 774 are provided from audio source 732 to bed 30 via ASBC 164 and the 37 pin nurse call cable. In essence, if the bed 30 is hard-wired to the audio source 732, the wall module 32, 460 is bypassed so that the FM audio signal 740 from the transceiver 744 to the transceiver 746 is not necessary for the bed 30 to play audio originating from the audio source 732.

In the illustrative embodiment, the position of switch 772 is controlled by microprocessor 102 of bed 30 as indicated by the dashed arrow in fig. 45B. In the illustrative example, the microcontroller 102 is included in an STM32F model microcontroller available from STMicroelectronics, inc. of Nitrowa, switzerland. Thus, the term "microcontroller 102" is occasionally used herein as an abbreviation for both microprocessor 102 and memory 104. In other embodiments, the functions performed by the microcontroller 102 and the microcontroller 762 are performed by a single microcontroller, thus omitting one or the other of the microcontrollers 102, 762 from the SCM board 94.

As further shown in fig. 45B, the bed 30 includes one or more microphones 776 that communicate with the FM transceiver 746 via a first line 778 and a second line 780 interconnected by a switch 782. In some embodiments, the bed 30 has a first microphone 776 on one side rail 40 and a second microphone on the other side rail 40. Similar to switch 772, if bed 30 is plugged directly into ASBC164 via a 37 pin nurse call cable, switch 782 is moved to a second position disconnecting line 778 from line 780 and connecting microphone 776 to line 784, the hard-wired audio signal carried by line 784 is provided from microphone 776 of bed 30 via the 37 pin nurse call cable and ASBC164 to a destination audio receiver communicatively coupled to ASBC 164. The destination audio receiver includes, for example, speakers on the main nurse station computer, speakers at the room or staff stations, speakers at the wireless communication devices carried by the caregivers, and the like. Thus, if the bed 30 is hard-wired to the ASBC164, the wall module 32, 460 is bypassed so that the FM audio signal 740 from the transceiver 746 to the transceiver 744 is not necessary for the bed 30 to transmit audio detected by the microphone 776 of the bed 30.

Similar to switch 772, the position of switch 782 is also controlled by microcontroller 102, as indicated by the dashed arrow in fig. 45B. In other embodiments, the microcontroller 762 is used to control the position of the switches 772, 782. In addition, in fig. 45B, a conversion function block H777 is shown, intended to represent the environmental noise picked up in the ward by the microphone 776. Ambient noise includes audio from speakers 737, 742, as well as other noise, such as a human voice, instrument buzzing, wheel noise of the carrying instrument in the room or corridor, bed motor and pump noise, and the like. The speaker 742 and microphone 776 shown in fig. 45B are substantially the same as the speaker 110 and microphone 112 shown in fig. 2. However, different reference numerals from those in fig. 2 are used in fig. 45B, because the graphic circles represent a plurality of these elements (i.e., "multiple speakers" and "multiple microphones"), while fig. 2 depicts only one of each element.

Assuming that the bed 30 is not directly connected to the ASBC 164 via the 37-pin nurse call cable such that the switch 782 is in the position shown in fig. 45B interconnecting the lines 778, 780, the analog audio signal from the microphone 776 on line 780 is provided to the FM transceiver 746, which FM transceiver 746 in turn converts the analog audio signal to a wireless FM audio signal 740 for transmission from the transceiver 746 of the bed 30 to the FM transceiver 744 of the wall module 32, 460. The transceiver 744 converts the incoming wireless FM audio signal 740 into a wired audio signal that is provided to a power amplifier 786 on line 788. As shown in fig. 45A, the amplifier 786 outputs an analog audio signal of 0 to 4.5VA on line 790, the line 790 being connected to an analog audio output 754 of the wall module 32, 460, the wall module 32, 460 being connected to the ASBC 164 by a line 752 of the cable 44 as described above. In fig. 45A, line 752 is illustrated as terminating as an "X" of ASBC 164 because the destination audio receiver is established during use and depends on which device has opened a communication channel with bed 30 to receive audio back from bed microphone 776.

It should be appreciated that in a real-world healthcare facility environment, the plurality of beds 30 and the plurality of wall modules 32, 460 may be located within FM reception range of each other. It is desirable that the transmission and reception frequency selected for the transceiver 744, 746 between each wall module 32, 460 and its associated counterpart bed 30 be different from any transmission and reception frequency of the other wall modules 32, 460 and other beds 30. To this end, the transceiver 744 of the wall module 32, 460 scans the spectrum of interest (e.g., FM frequencies in the illustrative example) and determines which frequencies are being used by other devices and stores those frequencies as unavailable frequencies in a memory, such as the memory 118 of the controller 114.

Once the spectrum is scanned, the controller 114 selects available transmission frequencies and available reception frequencies and adjusts the transceiver 744 to those selected available frequencies. The controller 114 also sends a notification from the transceiver 122 of the wall module 32, 460 to the transceiver 106 of the bed 30 over the bluetooth communication link 34 to notify the controller 102 and/or the controller 762 of the bed 30 of the selected available transmission and reception frequencies. The controller 102 or the controller 762 of the bed 30 then adjusts the transceiver 746 to the selected available frequency, as the case may be. It should be appreciated that the available transmit and receive frequencies selected for the audio signal 740 are frequencies that are not currently occupied by other devices within the receive range of the transceivers 744, 746. It should also be appreciated that the wall module 32, 460 is communicating the selected available transmit and receive frequencies to the bed 30 over the bluetooth communication link 34, so such communication only occurs after the wall module 32, 460 and the bed 30 have been paired using any of the time-based bluetooth pairing operations described above.

In one contemplated embodiment, transceiver 744 scans the FM spectrum channel by scanning at even frequency steps of 200 kilohertz (kHz) from a minimum frequency of 76.0 megahertz (MHz) to a maximum frequency of 108.0MHz, thereby avoiding commercial FM radio frequencies broadcast at odd frequencies of 200kHz steps from a minimum commercial radio frequency of 76.1MHz to a maximum commercial radio frequency of 108.1 MHz. Thus, the available FM transmission frequencies and FM reception frequencies selected will be even frequencies such as 76.0MHz, 76.2MHz, 88.4MHz, 90.6MHz, 91.8MHz, 93.0MHz, 107.8MHz, 108.0MHz, etc., to name a few random examples. In contemplated embodiments of the present disclosure, the FM transmission frequency is different from the FM reception frequency. In addition, the transmission frequency of the transceiver 744 is the reception frequency of the transceiver 746, and the transmission frequency of the transceiver 746 is the reception frequency of the transceiver 744.

As the spectrum of interest is scanned, the transceiver 744 adjusts to a particular receive frequency and determines whether an audio signal above a threshold signal strength is received at that frequency (e.g., by determining a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI)). If the audio signal is above the RSSI threshold, then the particular frequency is designated as unavailable. Transceiver 744 is then tuned to the next particular receive frequency and a similar determination is made. This process is repeated until the entire spectrum of interest is scanned and all unavailable frequencies are determined. The remaining frequencies (i.e., unavailable frequencies) are alternative possible available frequencies. Any manner of selecting from the available frequencies falls within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, it is contemplated that the two lowest available frequencies or the two highest available frequencies are selected. Alternatively, selecting two available frequencies approximately between the two unavailable frequencies furthest apart is another contemplated possibility. In any event, in some embodiments, the frequency scanning operation terminates once the wall module 32, 460 selects the transmit and receive frequencies for the communication link 740 between the transceivers 744, 746.

In some embodiments, transceiver 744 operates to scan the spectrum of interest to determine unavailable frequencies even though bed 30 has a wired connection to ASBC 164 to receive/transmit audio on lines 774, 784, respectively, while in some embodiments available transmission frequencies and available reception frequencies are also selected for audio communication link 740. Thus, if the wired connection between the bed 30 and the ASBC 164 is lost, the wall module 32, 460 can notify the bed 30 of the selected transmit and receive frequencies as soon as possible after pairing and begin transmitting audio signals over the audio communication link 740.

The present disclosure also contemplates embodiments in which the wall module 32, 460 bluetooth broadcasts or transmits to devices outside of the paired bed 30 to inform other devices of the transmission and reception frequencies selected by the wall module 32, 460 during the spectrum scanning process. Alternatively or additionally, other devices identify transmission and reception frequencies as unavailable in response to those frequencies used in the communication link 740 between the transceivers 744, 746. In either case, this allows other such devices to store those transmit and receive frequencies in their respective memories as unavailable frequencies. As described above, pairing between the wall module 32, 460 and the patient bed 30 includes exchanging unique identifiers between the bluetooth transceiver 122 of the wall module 32, 460 and the bluetooth transceiver 106 of the patient bed 30. In some embodiments, the hospital bed 30 and the wall module 32, 460 each communicate using the side channel 32, 460 to verify that there is a unique identifier from the other of the hospital bed 30 and the wall module 32, 460 to confirm that the audio transmission 740 received by the corresponding wireless transceiver 744,746 originated from the intended source. For example, the side channel is another available frequency selected from the frequencies scanned by transceiver 744 during the frequency scan.

Referring now to fig. 46, a system 730' is shown having a bedside speaker unit 736 that is generally coupled to the nurse call system 43 by a cable 738. Thus, the system 730' of fig. 46 illustrates the case where the bedside speaker unit 736 is coupled to the port 166 of the ASBC 164, but also illustrates that the bedside speaker unit 736 is not coupled to the port 166 of the ASBC 164, but is coupled to the nurse call system 43 through some other port or some other nurse call system infrastructure 42. In addition, system 730' illustrates that audio source 732 is generally coupled to nurse call system 43 through a hardware connection 734. Thus, the audio source 732 may be coupled to the nurse call system 43 through an infrastructure 42 other than the ASBC 164, but this does not preclude the possibility of the audio source being coupled to the ASBC 164 in the system 730'.

The system 730' of fig. 46 differs from the system 730 of fig. 45A and 45B in that the transceiver 744 is omitted from the wall module 32, 460 and the transceiver 746 is omitted from the bed 30. Instead of using the low-delay transceiver 744, 746 to communicate audio signals between the wall module 32, 460 and the bed 30, the correlator is implemented as software of the wall module 32, 460 to compare audio signals from the audio source 732 and fed to the wall module 32, 460 over the wired data link 44 in the illustrative example with wireless audio signals picked up by the microphone 776 of the bed 30 and transmitted from the bluetooth transceiver 106 of the bed 30 to the bluetooth transceiver 122 of the wall module 32, 460 over the wireless data link 34. More specifically, the controller 114 of the wall module 32, 460 calculates a correlation parameter, such as a correlation coefficient, based on a comparison between the audio signals of the wireless data link 34 and the wired data link 44 (or wired data link 216, 248, 490 in other embodiments). Thus, in the system 730', the joint 234 of the wall module 32, 460 serves as a first audio input that receives a first audio signal on the portion 218, 222 (see fig. 9) of the cable 44 or 216 or the cable 248 or 490, as the case may be, while the bluetooth transceiver 122 of the wall module 32, 460 serves as a second audio input that receives a second audio signal as part of the data transmitted over the wireless communication link 34.

If the relevant parameter determined by the controller 114 is above a threshold, the wall module 32, 460 may cease sending audio data originating from the audio source 732 and/or send a command signal to the bed 30 to turn off the speaker 742 (e.g., disable the speaker 742 from playing any audio). In essence, the microphone 776 of the bed 30 detects audio played by the speaker 742 of the bed 30 as well as other environmental audio 777 in the room, including audio played by the speaker 737 assuming the speaker 737 of the bedside speaker unit 736 is not turned off. The high correlation parameter value indicates that both the bed speaker 742 and the pillow side speaker 737 are playing audio from the audio source 732, resulting in undesirable echoes or delays. The echo is generated because the real-time audio signal fed to the wall module 32, 460 via the hard-wired connection of the cable 44, 216, 248, 490 is played substantially instantaneously through the bedside speaker 737, while the same audio is played through the speaker 742 of the bed 30 after a time delay (e.g., more than 50 milliseconds) due to the communication delay of the wireless communication link 34 from the wall module 32, 460 to the bed 30, depending on the embodiment. Thus, in this case, the wall module 32, 460 either instructs the bed 30 to turn off the speaker 742 so that audio is only played through the speaker 737 of the bedside speaker unit 736, and the wall module 32, 460 either stops sending audio packets to the bed 30. In either case, echo can be cancelled.

If the relevant parameter is below the threshold, one or more speakers 742 of the bed 30 remain on because a low relevant parameter indicates that audio is not being played through the speakers 737 of the bedside speaker unit 736 either. Another situation where the relevant parameter may be below the threshold is where sound from the bedside speaker 237 is suppressed, such as by being placed under bedding (e.g., sheets and/or blankets) or at a relatively remote location (e.g., three or four feet or more) from the microphone 776 of the bed 30. Yet another situation where the relevant parameter may be below the threshold is where the sound from the bedside speaker 237 is significantly turned down so that the sound emanating from the speaker 742 of the bed 30 dominates or overrides the sound emanating from the bedside speaker 237.

Even after the wall module 32, 460 turns off the bed's speaker 742 by ceasing to send audio packets or by sending a mute command to the bed 30, the wall module 32, 460 continues to receive audio packets corresponding to sounds picked up by the microphone 776 of the bed 30 for comparison with the incoming hardwired audio signal received at the first audio input. Thus, the wall module 32, 460 continues to determine the value of the relevant parameter and compare it to a threshold to determine whether the speaker 742 of the bed 30 should be turned back on, such as by re-enabling the bluetooth transceiver 122 to begin transmitting audio packets over the data link 34, or transmitting a mute release command to the bed 30 over the data link 34. Thus, the present disclosure contemplates the wall module 32, 460 of the system 730' continuously calculating the relevant parameter value, which may be continuous or discrete intermittent, and dynamically operating to turn on and off the speaker 742 of the bed 30 based on the relevant parameter value being above or below a threshold value.

It is expected that the correlation parameter threshold will be a correlation coefficient having an absolute value in the range of about 0.4 to about 0.9. More specifically, the present disclosure contemplates the calculation of Pearson correlation coefficients by the controller 114 of the wall module 32, 460, but this does not preclude the possibility of using other types of correlation coefficients (e.g., spearman correlation coefficients or multivariate correlation coefficients) in other embodiments. In yet other embodiments, the relevant parameters include some other variables, such as covariance and/or standard deviation, to name a few.

The Pearson correlation coefficient value may vary mathematically between-1 and +1, but the correlator of the wall module 32, 460 estimates the absolute value of the correlation coefficient value. From a practical point of view, the audio signal from the audio source 732 will always first be played through the speaker 737 and then after a delay time will be played through the speaker 742 (assuming the speaker is on), so that the correlation coefficient value calculated by the correlator of the controller 112 of the wall module 32, 460 will have an absolute value between 0 and +1. There are many software packages or modules available with correlation coefficient calculators. These include MATLAB software available from Nature MathWorks, mass and GNU Octave software available from Octave, san Francisco, calif., to name a few.

Referring now to fig. 47, an algorithm performed by the wall module 32, 460 is shown for determining whether to mute one or more speakers 742 of the patient bed 30. Algorithm 800 illustrates one possible algorithm contemplated above in connection with fig. 46. Those skilled in the art will understand how to modify the algorithm 800 to implement other embodiments and scenarios described above in connection with fig. 46.

As indicated by block 804 of algorithm 800, the wired audio from the nurse call system 43 is provided as a first audio input signal to the wall module 32, 460, labeled as "first input" in fig. 47. At block 802 of algorithm 800, wireless audio from bed microphone 776 is provided as a second audio input signal (specifically, an audio packet) to wall module 32, 460, as labeled "second input" in fig. 47. The wall module 32, 460 then compares the first input to the second input to determine a correlation coefficient value between the two inputs. At block 806, the controller 114 of the wall module 32, 460 determines whether the calculated correlation value (referred to simply as "correlation" in block 806) is above a threshold (referred to simply as "threshold" in block 806).

If the correlation determined at block 806 is not above the threshold, as indicated at block 808, the wall module 32, 460 continues to operate to play audio over the bed 30 through the speakers 742. If the correlation determined at block 806 is above the threshold, as indicated at block 810, the wall module 32, 460 continues to determine whether the audio from the microphone 776 of the bed 30 has a time delay greater than a set time (e.g., a time delay threshold) as compared to the wired audio signal from the nurse call system 43. If the set time is less than the latency threshold at block 810, the wall module 32, 460 continues to operate to play audio over the bed 30 through the speakers 742 as indicated at block 808. If the set time is greater than the latency threshold at block 810, the wall module 32, 460 stops sending any audio packets to the bed 30 over the wireless communication link 34 as indicated by block 812.

In some embodiments, the time delay between the wired and wireless audio signals (e.g., the first input and the second input) is determined by calculating a cross-correlation or an autocorrelation between the two signals. The MATLAB and GNU Octave software described above has the ability to calculate, for example, cross correlation values and autocorrelation values. Another way to determine the time delay is to plot the power spectra of the two signals, determine the peaks of the two signals in the plot, and determine the time difference when the two peaks occur. In any event, the present disclosure contemplates that a delay of 50 milliseconds or less as described above between the two audio signals (e.g., first input and second input) is acceptable, although other delay thresholds may be used as desired. For example, in some embodiments, the latency threshold used at block 810 is 25 milliseconds. Thus, a latency threshold of about 25 milliseconds to about 50 milliseconds falls within the scope of the present disclosure.

While the above-described system 730, 730' is contemplated for processing wired and wireless audio between the bed 30 and the wall unit 32, 460, the present disclosure contemplates that the FM transceivers 744, 746 and associated wiring described above in connection with fig. 45A and 45B, and the correlators described above in connection with fig. 46 and 47, may also be used in other device combinations for the same purpose. These other device combinations may include, for example, the combination of the medical device 360 and the bed 30 described above in connection with fig. 20 and 21, and may also include, for example, the combination of the mobile phone 410 and the speaker unit 412 described above in connection with fig. 22 and 23.

According to another embodiment contemplated by the present disclosure, the service technician mutes or un-mutes the bed speakers 742 as part of the wall module 32, 460 configuration that occurs in connection with the installation of one or more wall modules 32, 460 in a healthcare facility. Other aspects of the wall module 32, 460 are also configured with respect to installation, as will be described below in connection with fig. 48-52.

Referring now to fig. 48, in response to a service technician launching a wall module configuration application on its mobile device (such as a mobile phone, tablet, laptop, etc.), a login page 820 appears on the display screen of the service technician's mobile device. For example, a service technician may select a wall module configuration Tile (Tile) that appears on the display screen of his mobile device. After installation of one or more wall modules 32, 460 in a healthcare facility and prior to use with medical devices such as hospital beds 30, a service technician uses a wall module configuration application to configure the one or more wall modules for subsequent operation. In some embodiments, the service technician blocks an IR light beam, such as one of the light beams 262, 262' or one of the light beams in front of the sockets 466, 468, to initiate a scanning process from the wall unit 32, 460, which links the wall unit 32, 460 within communication distance through the service technician's mobile device with the service technician's mobile device.

The landing page 820 includes a field 822 with a "Not Connected" text string 824 indicating that the service technician's mobile device is Not in wireless communication with any wall units 32, 460. In some embodiments, the service technician's mobile device is configured to wirelessly communicate with the wall module 32, 460 via bluetooth communications. Thus, the service technician's mobile device is configured to communicate with the Bluetooth transceiver 122 of the wall module 32, 460. In response to the service technician selecting field 822 or text string 824, for example by touching or tapping field 822 or text string 824 as the case may be, device page 826 appears on the display of the service technician's mobile device, such as shown in FIG. 49. Thus, in some embodiments, field 822 serves as a selectable button or icon for a service technician to browse device page 826, and in other embodiments, the service technician simply selects text string 825 to browse page 826. The terms "button" and "icon" are used interchangeably herein.

The device page 826 of fig. 49 includes a list 828 of one or more wall modules 32, 460 within bluetooth communication range of the service technician mobile device. In the illustrative example, the list 828 contains the module IDs of the three wall modules 32, 460. The module IDs illustrating the MAC addresses of the three wall modules 32, 460 appear in rows 830a, 830b, 830c of the list 828. Rows 830a, 830b, 830c each have a Connect (Connect) button 832 that is selectable to specify with which of the three listed wall modules 32, 460 the technician's mobile device is to pair and communicate for configuration purposes.

In response to selecting the button 832 of one of the rows 830a, 830b, 830c of the list 828 on the page 826, the configuration home page 834 appears on the display screen of the service technician's mobile device. Icon 828 is highlighted on page 834 so that the service technician knows which page is being displayed on his mobile device. In the illustrative example, the service technician selects for configuration purposes to connect to the wall module 32, 460 associated with row 830a of list 828 of page 826, as indicated by the module ID (illustratively, 00:00:00:00:00:00) that appears in row 830a and also appears near the top of page 834 of FIG. 50. At the bottom of the page 834, a menu 836 appears with a home icon or button 838, a set icon or button 840, and a maintenance icon or button 842. On page 834, a home icon 838 is highlighted to indicate that the service technician is viewing home page 834.

The illustrative page 834 of fig. 50 includes an information table 844 and firmware fields 846 located above the table 844. In the given example, table 844 has five rows, with the first row including a header "set" and a header "Status". The second through fifth rows of table 844 include information regarding the current configuration of wall modules 32, 460 that are connected to the service technician's mobile device. In the illustrative example of table 844, the second row indicates that the Speaker (Speaker) is set to an On state, the third row indicates that the data (Date) is set to 3/16/22, the fourth row indicates that the Time (Time) is set to 11:15am, and the fifth row indicates that the Nurse call test (Nurse CALL DETECT) is set to an Active state.

Still referring to fig. 50, the illustrative firmware field 846 of page 834 indicates that the wall module 32, 460 connected to the service technician's mobile device is operating in accordance with firmware version v1.36.000. The page 834 also includes a Disconnect button or icon 848 that is selectable to Disconnect the wall module 32, 460 with which the service technician's mobile device is currently in communication. In some embodiments, selection of button 848 causes the user to return from page 834 to page 826 of FIG. 49, thereby selecting another wall module 32, 460 to configure as desired.

In response to selection of the settings icon 840 on the page 834, the settings page 850 appears on the service technician's mobile device, such as that shown in FIG. 51. Icon 840 is highlighted on page 850 so that the service technician knows which page is being displayed on his mobile device. The setup page 850 includes a Speaker (Speaker) field 852 that includes a Speaker slider bar 854 that can be slid between an open position and a closed position to un-mute and mute, respectively, speakers 742 of a bed (such as bed 30, etc.) that will be paired with a selected wall module 32, 460 or that is currently paired with that wall module 32, 460. That is, the service technician may configure the wall modules 32, 460 after initial installation using his or her own mobile device, and may also change their configuration after initial configuration of the wall modules 32, 460.

In the illustrative example of fig. 51, the slider bar 854 is in an open position, thereby un-muting the speakers 742 of any bed 30 paired with the selected wall module 32, 460. Thus, with the slider bar 854 in the open position, any audio feed to the wall module 32, 460 (which may be, for example, a digital audio feed from a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) server, or an analog audio feed, such as an analog audio feed from a television set) will be transmitted as digital audio data (e.g., audio packets containing 1 and 0) from the bluetooth transceiver 122 of the wall module 32, 460 to the bluetooth transceiver 106 of the bed 30 for playback through the speaker 742. If desired, the service technician viewing page 850 may select and move slider bar 854 to the right, i.e., from the illustrative open position to the closed position, to mute speaker 742 of bed 30. For example, a touch drag operation is performed by a finger of a user to move the slider bar 854 between the open position and the closed position.

When the slider bar 854 is in the open position as shown in FIG. 51, field 852 includes the text "open (On)" below the header "Speaker (Speaker)", and the text "Off (Off)" below the header "Speaker (Speaker)", in response to moving the slider bar 854 to the closed position. With the slider bar 854 in the closed position, any audio feed (which may be a digital audio feed or an analog audio feed) to the wall module 32, 460 may be changed by wiring (e.g., the controller 114 of the wall module 32, 460) to correspond to silent digital audio data (e.g., an audio packet containing all 0 s). The audio packets containing all 0's are still transmitted from the bluetooth transceiver 122 of the wall module 32, 460 to the bluetooth transceiver 106 of the bed 30 and are actually played as silence through the speaker 742. In other words, in some embodiments, the speaker 742 of the bed 30 is always on, but silences, playing silently. Regardless of the position of the slider bar 854, non-audio data packets continue to be transmitted between the bed 30 and the wall module 32, 460 in the normal manner.

In embodiments where the slider bar 854 of the configuration application page 850 of the wall module 32, 460 is used to mute and un-mute the wall module 32, 460, the audio packets are sent over the Bluetooth communication link 34, thereby eliminating the need for the FM transceiver 744, 746 described above in connection with FIGS. 45A and 45B, which may be omitted. Further, the use of the slider bars 854 of the page 850 of the configuration application of the wall module 32, 460 to mute or un-mute the speakers 742 of the bed 30 may replace or supplement the use of the correlator described above in connection with fig. 46 and 47. From a practical point of view, when sound from a sound source such as a primary nurse station, a television, a mobile phone carried by a caregiver, a graphical audio station in another room, etc., is to be played through the speakers of the bedside speaker unit or similar such speaker unit wired to the healthcare facility's network 60, the slider bar 854 is moved to the closed position to mute the speakers 742 of the bed 30. By muting the speaker 742 of the bed 30 with the slider bar 854, echoes or stadium effects that may occur when the speaker 742 and another speaker in the room play the same sound at the same time are eliminated. If there is no bedside speaker unit or the like in the room, the slider bar 854 moves to an open position to cause the speaker 742 of the bed 30 to audibly play audio.

Still referring to fig. 51, the page 850 further includes a date field 856 having a calendar icon or button 858 that allows the date to be changed when the calendar icon or button 858 is selected. The Date selected in field 856 is 04/28/2022 in the illustrative example, appearing below the header "Date". Page 850 further includes a Time (Time) field 860 having a clock icon or button 862 that allows Time to be changed when the clock icon or button 862 is selected. The Time selected in field 860 is 11:15AM in the illustrative example, appearing below the header "Time". Page 850 further includes a Nurse call detection (Nurse CALL DETECT) field 864 that in turn includes a Nurse call slider 866 that is movable between an active and inactive position. In the illustrative example of fig. 51, slider 866 is in the Active position, and the word "Active" appears below the header "Nurse call detect (Nurse CALL DETECT)".

If desired, the service technician viewing page 850 may select the slider bar 866 and move it to the right using a touch drag operation, thereby moving the slider bar 866 from the illustrative active position to the inactive position, where the word "Non-active" appears below the header "Nurse call detect (Nurse CALL DETECT"). In general, the slider bar 866 moves to an inactive position when the wall module 32, 460 interfaces with a third party nurse call system. This configures the wall module 32, 460 to avoid providing an alert that the nurse call system is not detected (e.g., has been disconnected from the wall module 32, 460) while the third party nurse call system is in fact still connected to the wall module 32, 460. When the slide bar 866 is in the activated position, the wall module 32, 460 is configured to detect connection with the nurse call system 43 and issue an alarm if the nurse call system 43 is disconnected, such as by disconnecting the nurse call cable 44, 216, 248, 490 as the case may be.

When the wall module 32, 460 is configured to be in the active nurse call detection mode by having the slider bar 866 in the active position, an alarm condition resulting from disconnecting the nurse call cable 44, 216, 248, 490 from the nurse call system 43 causes the wall module 32, 460 to perform two actions. One action is to illuminate the alert icon 488 continuously (i.e., without flashing) on the wall module 32, 460. Another action is to transmit an alarm message from the wall module 32, 460 to the bed 30, the wall 30 in turn providing both an audible alarm and a visual alarm (e.g., providing a message on the GUI 38) to indicate that each nurse call cable 44, 216, 248, 490 has been disconnected from the nurse call system 43. When the wall module 32, 460 is configured to be in the inactive nurse call detection mode by having the slide bar 866 in the inactive position, the wall module 32, 460 and the bed 30 will no longer issue any alarms regarding disconnection of the respective nurse call cables.

In response to selection of the maintenance icon 842 on page 834 of FIG. 50 or page 850 of FIG. 51, maintenance page 868 appears on the service technician's mobile device, such as shown in FIG. 52. Icon 842 is highlighted on page 868 so that the service technician knows which page is being displayed on his mobile device. The maintenance page 868 of FIG. 52 includes a firmware version field 870 indicating the firmware version of the wall module 32, 460 stored on the service technician's mobile device that the firmware is designated to upload to the wall module 32, 460. Page 868 also has a firmware file field 872 containing the file name of the firmware stored in association with the firmware version listed in field 870.

Still referring to FIG. 52, page 868 further includes a change file (CHANGE FILE) button or icon 874 selectable to pick a different firmware version from the service technician's mobile device to upload to the wall module 32, 460. Thus, the service technician's mobile device may store a plurality of firmware files that may be uploaded to the wall module 32, 460. Page 868 also has an install firmware (INSTALL FIRM) icon or button 876 that is selectable to initiate uploading of the specified firmware version and file to the selected wall module 32, 460.

After various wall module configurations using pages 850, 868, the service technician selects either page 850 or home icon 838 on page 868 as the case may be, and then selects Disconnect button 848 to view home page 834 again. The service technician may then pick another wall module 32, 460 from the list 828 to configure or simply completely exit the configuration application. It should be appreciated that various configuration parameters (e.g., the location of the slider bars 854, 866, and date and time) and the non-uploaded firmware files are stored in the memory 118, such as a non-volatile storage portion of the memory 118 of the wall module 32, 460, for subsequent use.

The present disclosure contemplates that future conditions may change after a service technician configures the wall module 32, 460 to operate to mute or un-mute the speakers 742 of the bed 30 in communication with the wall module 32, 460, such that a change in the mute/un-mute configuration may be desired. For example, when the wall module 32, 460 is initially configured, there may be a bedside speaker unit in the room, so that it may be desirable to mute the speakers 742 of the bed 30 in the initial setting. However, the bedside speaker unit may then be removed from the room for any of several reasons, such as maintenance, replacement, or sterilization, to name a few. On the other hand, during the initial configuration of the wall module 32, 460, there may be no bedside speakers or other similar speakers in the room, so that it may be desirable to un-mute the speakers 742 of the bed 30 in the initial setting. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the bed 30 is configured to allow a user, such as a caregiver, to change the mute/unmute settings of the wall modules 32, 460 using the GUI 38 of the bed 30, as will be described in connection with fig. 53-56.

In response to a user selecting a Settings/Preferences button or icon 878 on the main menu 880 presented on the GUI 38, a Settings/Preferences page 882 appears on the GUI 38 of the patient bed 30, as shown in fig. 53. Page 882 includes a double-row menu 884 of icons or buttons for selection by the user. To configure audio for the Bed 30, the associated button is a Bed Features (Bed Features) button 886 that appears at the top of the left column of the menu 884. In response to selecting icon 886 on page 882, bed characteristics page 888 appears on GUI 38, such as shown in FIG. 54. Page 882 includes another double-column menu 890 of icons or buttons for selection by the user. To configure Audio for the bed 30, the associated button is a Wireless Audio (Wireless Audio) button 892 that appears at the bottom of the right column of the menu 890. Page 888 also displays a Back button 894 that returns the user to page 882 of FIG. 53 in response to user selection.

In response to selecting the Wireless Audio icon 892 on page 888 of FIG. 54, a Wireless Audio page 896 appears on the GUI 38 of the bed 30, as shown in FIG. 55. The wireless audio page includes a close (Off) button 898 for selection by a user to mute the bed speaker 742 of the associated bed 30 and an open (On) button 900 for selection by a user to un-mute the bed speaker 742 of the associated bed 30. The page 896 further displays the text string "do not affect audio from the bedside speaker or wall (Does not affect audio from pillow speaker or wall)", informing the user to mute or un-mute the bed speaker 742 by using buttons 898, 900, respectively. The page 896 further displays an Accept button or icon 902 for selection by a user to initiate transmission of an associated command message from the bed 30 to the respective wall module 32, 460, to operate to mute the bed speaker 742 if a close (Off) button 898 On the page 896 is selected, or to un-mute the bed speaker 742 if an open (On) button 900 On the page 896 is selected.

Based on the foregoing, it should be appreciated that from the perspective of the wall module 32, 460, the use of the bed GUI 38 to mute or unmute the bed speaker 742 of the bed 30 with the buttons 898, 900 on the page 896 is substantially the same as the use of the slider bar 854 on the page 850 of the service technician's mobile device to mute or unmute the bed speaker of the bed 30. Thus, selecting the Off button 898 on page 896 of GUI 38 of bed 30 brings about the same result as moving slider bar 854 to the closed position on page 850 of the service technician's mobile device. Similarly, selecting the open (On) button 900 On page 896 of GUI 38 of bed 30 brings about the same result as moving slider bar 854 to an open position On page 850 of the service technician's mobile device.

Referring now to fig. 56, a swim lane diagram is provided showing the steps of a wireless audio configuration operation 910 between the bed 30 and the wall module 32, 460, wherein the bed 30 initially plays audio received from the wall module 32, 460 through the bed speakers 742, after which the bed 30 is used to mute the bed audio. As indicated by block 904 of operation 910, the bed 30 and the wall module 32, 460 are paired to enable a wireless connection for wireless communication over the data link 34. Accordingly, the wall module 32, 460 sends an audio stream to the bed 30, as indicated by arrow 906. The audio stream 906 is unmuted such that the audio packets sent from the wall module 32, 460 to the bed 30 have 1 and 0 corresponding to the audio feeds received by the wall module 32, 460 from an audio source (e.g., a television set, a master nurse station, a Graphics Room Station (GRS) of another room, a mobile phone of a caregiver, etc.), causing the bed speakers 742 to produce audible sounds.

Still referring to fig. 56, the bed 30 sends a mute audio command to the wall module 32, 460, as indicated by arrow 908. For example, in response to selection of the Off button 898 on page 896 of GUI 38 of bed 30, as shown in fig. 55, followed by selection of the Accept button 902 of page 896, a mute audio command 908 is transmitted. In response to receiving the mute audio command 908 at the wall module 32, 460, the wall module 32, 460 operates to mute the incoming audio feed, as indicated by block 912, and write the new audio configuration to the non-volatile storage portion of the memory 118 of the wall module 32, 460, as indicated by block 914. The wall module 32, 460 then transmits the mute audio stream 916 to the bed 30. As described above, the mute audio stream 916 is composed of audio packets having all 0's corresponding to silent transmission.

Referring now to fig. 57A and 57B, a block diagram of a system 920 is provided in which the wall module 32, 460 communicates data and audio with the hospital bed 30 via a bluetooth transceiver, yet allows audio to be muted. The block diagrams of fig. 57A and 57B are similar in some respects to the block diagrams of fig. 45A and 45B. Accordingly, for common components between the system 730 of fig. 45A and 45B and the system 920 of fig. 57A and 57B, the same reference numerals are used and will not be repeated for brevity. One key difference between the system 730 and the system 900 is that the FM transceivers 744, 746 of the system 730 are omitted from the system 900. Other parts of the system 920 of fig. 57A and 57B that are identical to parts depicted in the block diagrams of fig. 2 and 9 are labeled with the same reference numerals, and will not be described again.

As shown in fig. 57A, the line input 760 from LCE 758 of wall module 32, 460 is coupled to encoder/decoder 922 of SOM 114, which in the illustrative example is a DART 6Ul model system available from VARISCITE company, israel. The codec 922 is in turn coupled to an audio driver 924 through one or more signal lines 926. The audio driver 924 is coupled to the bluetooth stack 928 of the SOM 114 by a signal line 930. Block 932 in fig. 57A represents an application that handles data and command transmissions to and from bluetooth stack 928 as indicated by double arrow 934, and determines whether to mute bed speaker 742 as indicated schematically by mute switch 936. In the illustrative example, mute switch 936 is in the open position, meaning that SOM 114 is operated to transmit only 0 audio packets, regardless of what audio feed is received from audio source 732 on line 748 by wall module 32, 460. The application 932 may be stored in the memory 118, such as the SOM 114, and the mute switch may correspond to a flag (e.g., a 0 or 1 bit or multi-bit code) in the memory 118 that determines whether to mute or un-mute the bed speaker 742.

Still referring to fig. 57A, the application 932 interfaces with an audio encoder/decoder 938, which audio encoder/decoder 938 sends wireless communications to the bed 30 and receives wireless communications from the bed 30, respectively, over the communication link 34. In the illustrative example, communication link 34 includes bluetooth BR/EDR communications, which includes audio streams, data, and commands. Further, in the illustrative example, the audio encoder/decoder 938 is configured to perform a Continuously Variable Slope Delta (CVSD) modulation scheme compatible with headset mode (HSP) operations using subband coding (SBC) and/or advanced audio distribution mode (A2 DP). Other audio encoder/decoder devices may be used in other embodiments.

Referring now to fig. 57B, the bed 30 includes an audio encoder/decoder 940, which audio encoder/decoder 940 transmits wireless communications to and receives wireless communications from the wall units 32, 460, respectively, via the communication link 34. In the illustrative embodiment, the audio encoder/decoder 940 of the bed 30 is identical to the audio encoder/decoder 938 of the wall module 32, 460, so the description in the preceding paragraph applies equally to the frequency encoder/decoder 940. The audio encoder/decoder 940 is coupled to the bluetooth controller 94 by a communication line 942. The controller 94 is coupled to the main controller 92 of the bed 30 via a communication line 944. The controller 92 is in electrical communication with the GUI 38 as indicated by double arrow 946 in fig. 57B. The use of GUI 38 is schematically represented by box 948 in fig. 57B. User interaction with GUI 38 is schematically represented by double-headed arrow 950 in FIG. 57B.

As shown in fig. 57B, bluetooth controller 94 is coupled to encoder/decoder (codec) 952 through communication line 954. The output 956 from the codec 952 is input into an amplifier 958, and the output 960 from the amplifier 958 is in turn coupled to a bed speaker 742. Fig. 57B also includes the text "audio delay mismatch" indicating that if the bedside speaker 737 also plays audio originating from the same audio source 732 while the bedside speaker unit 736 plays audio through the speaker 737, the transmission delay of wireless audio between the wall module 32, 460 and the bed 30 through the communication link 34 will result in an audio delay. Of course, if the wall module 32, 460 is configured to mute the bed speakers 742 in one of the ways described above, audio delay mismatch will be eliminated.

Referring now to FIG. 58, a swim lane diagram is provided showing the steps of an authorization operation between the notification device 962 and the connecting device 964. According to the present disclosure, the wall module 32, 460 is an example of an announcement device 962 and the bed 30 is an example of a connection device 964. However, the present disclosure contemplates that authorization operation 970 may be performed between other types of notification devices 962 and connecting device 964, so the following is provided in this general case. Further, some background is provided before operation 970 of fig. 58 is described in detail.

Other third party devices (e.g., personal mobile devices) may also receive the notifications when the wireless device announces itself as available to connect to a particular device and may attempt to connect with the announcement device 962. To ensure that the notification device 962 is only connected to one or more desired connected devices 964, the present disclosure contemplates using an authorization scheme that includes a random authorization challenge and response to disconnect from an unintended or unauthorized device before the notification device grants access to retrieve data from any connected device or execute a command. In any given ward, there may be many third party devices, which may include other medical devices with wireless capabilities, healthcare worker handsets, and patient wireless devices, to name a few. There may also be malicious actors within range that may attempt to proactively hack into the wireless device that is advertising itself for connection.

In accordance with the present disclosure, when the notification device 962 receives a message corresponding to an attempted connection, an authorization challenge will be sent to the connecting device 964. The authorization challenge contains a random salt that the connecting device 964 uses in the algorithm to obtain the appropriate response. This response is then sent to the notification device 962. If correct, the notification device 962 authorizes the connection with the connection device 964 and allows data and commands to be accessed to the connection device 964. If incorrect, the notification device 962 is immediately disconnected from the connection device 964.

This authorization challenge/response operation 970 is at the application level. In other words, operation 970 occurs in addition to any encryption or authentication methods that may be performed by the underlying wireless protocol. In some examples, these wireless protocol authentication methods are common and well known, while the details of this application level operation 970 are not common and well known. Accordingly, in some embodiments, operation 970 is performed in addition to the various time-based pairing operations described herein (e.g., operations 200, 300, 330, 350, 380, 430). Thus, in some embodiments, the requirements of each time-based pairing operation and the requirements of operation 970 must be met simultaneously before the notification device 962 (e.g., wall module 32, 460) and the connection device 964 (e.g., bed 30) are successfully paired. The notification device 962 ignores the request for data and command execution until the notification device 962 receives a successful response to the authorization challenge from the connecting device 964.

Both devices 962, 964 are programmed to execute a suitable authorization challenge algorithm involving a hash function of a random salt. Other devices not programmed with the authorization challenge algorithm will not be able to generate the correct response to the authorization challenge. The salt used for the authorization challenge is quite different in each connection, thus preventing brute force attacks. Thus, the salt of each connection attempt is the only random number with the strength of the password. The present disclosure contemplates operation 970 being used in an environment such as a medical facility to obtain a secure connection between particular devices while rejecting connections of all other devices.

According to operation 970, the notification device 962 issues a notification, as indicated by arrow 966 of fig. 58. The announcement 966 may be received by a plurality of connected devices 964 that are within communication range of the announcement device 962, but fig. 58 depicts only one connected device 964. As indicated by block 968, the connecting device 964 receives the announcement 966 and in response, the connecting device transmits the connection message 972. In response to receiving the connection message 972, the notification device 962 generates a random salt, as indicated by block 974, and then hashes the generated random salt to generate a first hash value, as indicated by block 976. The notification device 962 also transmits a random salt as an authorization challenge to the connection device 964, as indicated by arrow 978.

Still referring to fig. 58, in response to receiving the authorization challenge 978, the connecting device 964 hashes a random salt included in the authorization challenge, as indicated at block 980, to generate a second hash value. The connecting device 964 then transmits the second hash value as an authorization response to the advertising device, as indicated by arrow 982. In response to receiving the authorization response 982 from the connecting device 964, the advertising device compares the second hash value generated at block 980 with the first hash value generated at block 976 to determine if they match, as indicated by block 984.

If the first hash value matches the second hash value as indicated by arrow 986 in block 988 of fig. 58, the notification device 962 sends an authorization message to the connecting device 964 allowing the devices 962, 964 to pair for subsequent wireless communication as determined at block 984. On the other hand, if it is determined at block 984 that the first hash value does not match the second hash value, the notification device 962 is disconnected from the connecting device 964 as indicated by block 990. The hash function or algorithm performed at blocks 976, 980 is any of a number of types of cryptographic hash functions, such as hash algorithms known as MD5, SHA-1, SHA-2, NTLM, LANMAN, GOST, HAVAL, MD2, MD4, PANAMA, radioGatun, RIPEMD, SHA-0, SHA-3, tiger (2), and WHIRLPOOL, or Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC), or checksum operations, or any combination thereof.

Referring now to fig. 59, a conventional hospital bed 1030 is equipped with a wireless adapter 1000 configured to wirelessly communicate with a wall unit 460. Portions of the bed 1030 that are substantially identical to portions of the bed 30 are identified with the same reference numerals. Thus, the bed 1030 has a base frame 86 supported on the floor by a set of casters, only one of which is visible in fig. 59. In the illustrative example, the wireless adapter 1000 is mounted to the vertical panel 1002 of the base frame 86 of the bed 1030. The wireless adapter 1000 is configured to wirelessly mate with the wall module 460 and, after mating, to wirelessly communicate with the wall module 460. In other embodiments, the wireless adapter 1000 communicates with the wall module 32. However, reference will be made in the following description to only the wall module 460.

The conventional bed 1030 cannot communicate wirelessly with the wall module 460 without the wireless adapter 1000. Thus, the wireless adapter 1000 is configured to convert a conventional hospital bed 1030 from a hospital bed that cannot communicate wirelessly with the wall module 460 to a hospital bed that can communicate wirelessly with the wall module. As such, the wireless adapter 1000 is retrofitted to the bed 1030 to add wireless communication capability. The wireless adapter 1000 may be used with any of a variety of brands and models of beds, with the illustrative bed 1030 being available from Hill-Rom companyA bed. Accordingly, the adapter 1000 communicates with the wall modules 32, 460 described above, allowing a legacy or non-wireless bed, such as the bed 1030, to be upgraded to have wireless communication capabilities.

Still referring to fig. 59, the base frame 86 of the bed 1030 includes AC power ports 1004 on the vertical panel 1002. The port 1004 is normally used to connect the bed 1030 to an AC power outlet using a standard AC power line. The base frame 86 further includes a nurse call connector port 1006 (illustratively, a 37 pin connector port) on the vertical panel 1002 that is normally used to connect the couch 30 with a nurse call system, such as the nurse call system 43. Instead of connecting port 1004 and port 1006 in the normal manner, port 1004 and port 1006 are connected to retrofit wireless adapter 1000. More specifically, in the illustrated embodiment, AC power port 1004 is connected to power connector 1008, which power connector 1008 is located at one end of a power line 1010 extending from housing 1012 of wireless adapter 1000. Similarly, the nurse call connector port 1006 is connected to a nurse call connector 1014, which nurse call connector 1014 is located at one end of a nurse call cable 1016 extending from the housing 1012 of the wireless adapter 1000.

The wireless adapter 1000 includes an AC power port 1018 configured to be coupled to a power connector 1020, the power connector 1020 being located at one end of an AC power line 1022, as shown in fig. 59. AC plug 1024 is located at the opposite end of AC power line 1022 and is configured to be inserted into socket 466 or socket 468 of wireless module 460 in the same manner as power plug 180 described above. Thus, when plug 1024 is inserted into one of socket 466 and socket 468, AC power is provided to wireless adapter 1000 and to bed 1030 via line 1010. In response to insertion of plug 1024 into one of sockets 466 and 468, the associated light beams in front of sockets 466 and 468 are blocked by plug 1024, thereby initiating the time-based pairing operation described above (e.g., one of operations 200, 300, 330, 350, as the case may be), in some embodiments, initiating authorization challenge operation 970.

After the wireless adapter 1000 is installed on the bed 1030 and mated with the wall module 460, bed data and alarms including nurse calls are communicated from the port 1006 to the wireless module 1000 via the cable 1010 and then converted to wireless signals by the wireless adapter 1000 for wireless transmission to the wall module 460 by the wireless data link 34. Wireless messages from the wall module 460 are transmitted from the wall module 1000 to the wireless adapter 1000 and then provided to the bed 1030 through the cable 1010 and the port 1006.

Referring now to fig. 60, electrical component parts of the wireless adapter 1000 of fig. 59 are schematically illustrated. Wall module 1000 includes a controller 1026 having a microprocessor 1028 and a memory 1032. The controller further includes a bluetooth transceiver or radio 1032, optionally including a WiFi transceiver or radio 1034. That is, in some embodiments, the wireless adapter 1000 omits the WiFi transceiver 1034. The controller may be, for example, the VAR-SOM-MX6 model on-module System (SOM) available from israel-ruffi VARISCITE, or in some embodiments may also be the DART 6UL model system available from israel-ruffi VARISCITE. Transceiver 1032 and transceiver 1034 transmit and receive wireless signals via an antenna 1036 coupled to or included in controller 1026.

Still referring to fig. 60, wireless adapter 1000 and AC power port 1018 are coupled to controller 1026 by an AC/DC converter 1038 that converts AC power received from power line 1022 through adapter 1000 to DC power suitable for driving controller 1026. AC power port 1018 is also coupled to controller 1026 by a current sensor 1040, which current sensor 1040 senses when the power connection of port 1018 receives AC power over line 1022 and provides an output signal to controller 1040 to initiate a software timer start for controller 1026 to time the wireless pairing process with wall module 460. As also shown in fig. 60, the AC connector 1018 of the wireless adapter 1000 is also connected to the line 1010 and the bed AC connector 1008, thereby feeding AC power to the bed 1030. The nurse call connector 1014 is coupled to the controller 1026 through a set of shift registers and/or relays 1042, a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) line 1044 for bed data, and an audio codec 1046 for audio.

Based on the foregoing, it should be appreciated that the wireless adapter 1000 transfers AC power from the wall sockets 466, 468 to the AC port 1004 of the bed frame 86, which power is also utilized to drive the bluetooth and WiFi communication lines 1032, 1034 of the controller 1026 in the wireless adapter 1000. The wireless adapter 1000 is programmed with conversion software that matches the make and model of the conventional hospital bed 1030 to which the wireless adapter is connected. The conversion software converts the signal stream from the guard call port 1006 to bluetooth and WiFi protocols. The bluetooth signal is wirelessly transmitted to the wall unit 460 before use by the wall module 460 as described above. One of the above-described time-based pairing processes 200, 300, 330, 350 is programmed into the retrofit unit 1000 to pair with the wall unit 460 after the port 1004 of the bed 1030 is inserted into the wall unit 460 and the plug 1024 at one end of the wire 1022 is inserted into one of the sockets 466 and 468 of the wall unit 460. In some embodiments, retrofit unit 1000 is programmed with a variety of communication protocols for a variety of brands, vendors and models of beds (such as bed 1030), automatically detects which protocol is being used by the bed, and converts signals to and from the bed into bluetooth and/or WiFi signals for wireless transmission using the appropriate conversion protocol.

Referring now to fig. 61, a flowchart illustrates a process 1050 of retrofitting the wireless adapter 1000 of fig. 59 and 60 to a conventional hospital bed 1030 to enable wireless communication between the conventional hospital bed 1030 and a wall module 460. In the illustrative example of process 1050, retrofit wireless adapter 1000 is attached to a non-wireless or legacy bed 1030, as indicated by block 1052. Thereafter, the 37-pin port 1006 of the bed 1030 is connected to the retrofit adapter 1000 by inserting the nurse call connector 1014 at one end of the line 1016 into the nurse call port 1006, as indicated by block 1054. Further, the AC fitting 1008 at one end of the AC line 1010 is inserted into the AC port 1004 of the frame 86 of the bed 1030, as indicated by block 1056. A power receptacle 1024 at one end of the power line 1022 of the retrofit wireless adapter 1000 is plugged into one of the AC receptacle 466 and AC receptacle 468 of the wall module 460, as indicated by block 1058.

Still referring to fig. 61, a pairing process, such as one of the time-based pairing processes 200, 300, 330, 350 described above, is then used to pair the wall unit 460 and the retrofit adapter 1000, as indicated by block 1060. After pairing, the retrofit adapter 1000 converts the signals of the bed 1030 to which the retrofit adapter is attached to bluetooth signals, as indicated by block 1062, and wirelessly transmits these bluetooth signals. The transmitted bluetooth signal is received by the wall unit 460 and communicated to the nurse call system 43 to which the wall unit 460 is attached, as indicated by block 1064.

Referring now to fig. 62, a first medical device (illustratively, hospital bed 30) has an auxiliary power outlet 1066, which in the illustrative example includes two AC outlets 1068, while in other embodiments there is only one AC outlet 1068 or more than two AC outlets 1068. In the embodiment depicted in the figures, the auxiliary power outlets 1066 are coupled to the base frame 86, while in other embodiments may be coupled to some other portion of the bed 30. Other power receptacles similar to receptacle 1066 are included in other versions of bed 30, such as coupled to a head end portion of base frame 86 and/or coupled to an opposite side of base frame 86. Accordingly, the present disclosure contemplates embodiments of bed 30 having two, four, six, or some other number of AC sockets 1068. AC outlet 1068 of bed 30 receives AC power through conductors (e.g., wires and cables) coupled to main power line 144 of bed 30 and routed through bed 30 and AC power lines (e.g., fuses, transformers, voltage controllers, etc.). Thus, once power cord 144 of bed 30 is plugged into a facility AC outlet, or an outlet provided on wall module 32 or wall module 460, the power infrastructure of the healthcare facility ultimately provides AC power to outlet 1068.

The second medical device (illustratively, medical monitor 360) includes a power line 1070 that terminates in a power plug 1072. In response to insertion of the power plug 1072 into one of the AC jacks 1068 of the bed 30, a time-based wireless pairing operation is performed between the first medical device 30 and the second medical device 360. Thus, in accordance with the present disclosure, auxiliary power outlet 1066 includes any of the plug detectors described above with respect to fig. 14-19 and/or described above with respect to wall units 32, 460. Thus, the system depicted in fig. 62 is similar to the system shown in fig. 20, but instead of initiating a wireless pairing operation based on a connection of Universal Serial Bus (USB) wiring 362 between the bed 30 and monitor 360, the wireless pairing operation is initiated by inserting the wire 1070 of the monitor 360 into one of the AC outlets 1068 of the auxiliary power outlet 1066 of the bed 30.

Based on the foregoing, it should be appreciated that the wireless pairing scenario between the bed 30 and the wall unit 32 or wall unit 460 as the case may be envisaged above may similarly be performed between the bed 30 and other medical devices such as the medical monitor 360 inserted into the socket 1068 of the bed 30. To enable wireless pairing with other medical devices, the bed 30 includes one or more wireless transceivers, such as a bluetooth transceiver, as described above with respect to the transceiver 106 of fig. 2. In some embodiments, transceiver 106 of bed 30 is used to wirelessly mate bed 30 with various medical devices, such as monitor 360, inserted into auxiliary AC jack 1068, in addition to being used to wirelessly mate bed with wall unit 32 or wall unit 460. In other embodiments, the bed includes a plurality of transceivers 106 for wirelessly mating the bed 30 with other devices. For example, in some embodiments, the bed 30 may include a transceiver 106 for each electrical outlet 1066 disposed on the bed 30. Additional circuitry (e.g., a controller and memory) as described above with respect to fig. 2 and 9 may also be provided for each additional transceiver 106 of the bed 30. Thus, it should be appreciated that a plurality of medical devices 360 may be wirelessly paired with the bed 30 using a plurality of sockets 1068 provided on the bed 30, which dictates how many medical devices 360 may be wirelessly paired with the bed 30.

The bed 30 in fig. 62 is similar to the bed 30 in fig. 1, so identical components are given identical reference numerals where appropriate and are not described again. Similarly, the medical monitor 360 in fig. 62 is similar to the medical monitor 360 in fig. 20, so identical components are given identical reference numerals where appropriate and are not described again. Thus, illustratively, the monitor 360 of fig. 62 includes a display screen 370 on which patient physiological information is displayed. Monitor 360 is schematically shown in fig. 20, representing devices such as an Electrocardiograph (EKG), electroencephalograph (EEG), respiration rate monitor, blood pressure monitor, pulse oximeter, temperature monitor, and the like, as well as combinations thereof. The illustrative monitor 360 of fig. 62 is mounted to a wheel carriage 372 so as to be movable between different rooms as desired. Other medical devices that may be inserted into the socket 1068 of the bed 30 to initiate a wireless pairing operation with the bed 30 may include, for example, intravenous (IV) pumps, drug infusion pumps, respiratory therapy devices, ventilators, continuous pressurizing devices (SCD) to prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), hemodialysis machines, renal therapy devices, and passive exercise machines, to name a few.

Referring now to fig. 63, a swim lane diagram of steps of one embodiment of a wireless pairing operation 1100 between the medical devices 30, 360 of fig. 62 is shown. More specifically, the steps of operation 1100 are performed by a first algorithm, as indicated by the vertical dashed line extending downward from the box corresponding to the patient bed 30, and also performed by a second algorithm, as indicated by the vertical dashed line extending downward from the box corresponding to the medical monitor 360. Thus, the dashed lines extending downward from box 30 in fig. 63 represent the algorithm performed by bed 30, while the dashed lines extending downward from box 360 represent the algorithm performed by monitor 360, or by the other first and second medical devices, respectively, in other embodiments.

Operation 1100 begins in response to plug 1072 of power cord 1070 of medical monitor 360 being inserted into one of jacks 1068 of bed 30, as indicated by dashed arrow 1102 labeled "insert power cord into auxiliary port on bed". After the power line 1070 is inserted into one of the sockets 1068, the BED 30 senses the connection and initiates a BED TIMER, as indicated by block 1104 labeled "1. Detect plug inserted into auxiliary port; 2. Initiate TIMER". Substantially simultaneously (e.g., in a few seconds or less), the medical monitor 360 senses a connection, such as a connection with a current sensor, and initiates a DEVICE TIMER, as indicated by block 1106 labeled "1. Detect AC insertion; 2. Initiate TIMER".

Thereafter, the bed 30 begins transmitting one or more BT announcements, as indicated by arrow 1108 labeled "BT announce". The monitor 360 begins to perform one or more scans substantially simultaneously to detect BT announcements by the bed 30, as indicated by block 1110. Subsequently, after the BED 30 and monitor 360 initially discover each other, the BED 30 begins to transmit one or more BT announcements with corresponding BED TIMER values at each transmission, as indicated by arrow 1112 labeled "BT announce with BED TIMER".

Still referring to operation 1100 of fig. 63, after DEVICE 360 receives the BT advertisement with BED TIMER value 1112, monitor 360 subtracts the current DEVICE TIMER value from the received BED TIMER value to determine whether the difference between the TIMER values is less than a threshold value, as indicated by block 1114 labeled "device_timer-bed_timer < threshold. The threshold may be, for example, 2 or 3 seconds or less, or some other larger threshold, as determined by the system designer. If the difference between the device timer value and the bed timer value is less than the threshold, the monitor 360 considers that an authentication pairing request should be transmitted, as indicated by block 1116 labeled "if yes, send authentication pairing request", and then in effect sends an authentication pairing request from the monitor 360 to the bed 30, as indicated by the dashed arrow 1118 labeled "authentication pairing".

In response to receiving the authentication pairing request 1118, the couch 30 accepts the pairing request in response to the medical monitor 360, as indicated by arrow 1120 labeled "accept pairing request". After the bed 30 receives the pairing request, the medical monitor 360 begins transmitting medical monitor data to the bed 30, as indicated by the dashed arrow 1122. In some facts, one or both of device 30 and device 360 have a visual or audible mechanism that indicates the success of the wireless pairing through operation 1100. For example, a message may be displayed on the GUI 38 of the bed 30 or on the display screen 370 of the monitor 360 indicating a successful pairing. Alternatively or optionally, a sound message announcing a successful wireless pairing between devices 30, 360 may be heard by either device 30, 360.

In the variant embodiment shown in fig. 64, the bed 30 and monitor 360 are interchanged as roles of BT announcer and BT scanner. In this variant embodiment, a wireless pairing operation 1130 is performed between the couch 30 and the medical monitor 360. Similar to operation 1100, the step of operation 1130 is performed by a first algorithm, as indicated by the vertical dashed line extending downward from the box corresponding to the hospital bed 30, and by a second algorithm, as indicated by the vertical dashed line extending downward from the box corresponding to the medical monitor 360. Thus, the dashed lines extending downward from box 30 in fig. 64 represent the algorithm performed by bed 30, while the dashed lines extending downward from box 360 in fig. 64 represent the algorithm performed by monitor 360, or by the other first and second medical devices, respectively, in other embodiments.

Parts of operation 1130 that are identical to parts of operation 1100 are labeled with the same reference numerals. For example, similar to operation 1100, operation 1130 is initiated in response to plug 1072 of power cord 1070 of medical monitor 360 being inserted into one of jacks 1068 of bed 30, as indicated by dashed arrow 1102 labeled "insert power cord into auxiliary port on bed". After the power line 1070 is inserted into one of the jacks 1068, the BED 30 senses the connection and initiates a BED TIMER, indicated by block 1104 labeled "1 in FIG. 64, detect plug inserted into auxiliary port, 2 initiate TIMER (BED_TIMER)". Substantially simultaneously (e.g., in a few seconds or less), the medical monitor 360 senses a connection, such as a connection with a current sensor, and initiates a DEVICE TIMER, as indicated by block 1106 labeled "1. Detect AC insertion; 2. Initiate TIMER" in fig. 64.

Thereafter, the medical monitor 360 begins transmitting one or more BT announcements, as indicated by arrow 1132 labeled "BT announce". The bed 30 begins to perform one or more scans substantially simultaneously to detect BT announcements by the medical monitor 360, as indicated by block 1134. Subsequently, upon initial discovery of each other by the bed 30 and monitor 360, the medical monitor 360 begins transmitting one or more BT announcements with corresponding DEVICE TIMER values at each transmission, as indicated by arrow 1136 labeled "BT announce with DEVICE TIMER".

Still referring to operation 1130 of fig. 64, after BED 30 receives the BT advertisement with DEVICE TIMER value 1136, BED 30 subtracts the current DEVICE TIMER value from the received BED TIMER value to determine whether the difference between the TIMER values is less than a threshold value, as indicated by block 1138 labeled "device_timer-bed_timer < threshold. The threshold may be, for example, 2 or 3 seconds or less, or some other larger threshold, as determined by the system designer. If the difference between the device timer value and the bed timer value is less than the threshold value, then the bed 30 considers that an authentication pairing request should be transmitted, as indicated by block 1140 labeled "if yes, send authentication pairing request", and then in effect sends an authentication pairing request from the bed 30 to the medical monitor 360, as indicated by line arrow 1142 labeled "authentication pairing request".

In response to receiving the authentication pairing request 1142, the medical monitor 360 responds to the bed 30 by accepting the pairing request, as indicated by arrow 1144 labeled "accept authentication pairing request". After the bed 30 receives the pairing request, the medical monitor 360 begins transmitting medical monitor data to the bed 30, as indicated by the dashed arrow 1122 in fig. 64. In some facts, one or both of the device 30 and the device 360 have a visual or audible mechanism that indicates the success of the wireless pairing via operation 1130. For example, a message may be displayed on the GUI 38 of the bed 30 or on the display screen 370 of the monitor 360 indicating a successful pairing. Alternatively or optionally, a sound message announcing a successful wireless pairing between devices 30, 360 may be heard by either device 30, 360.

After device 30 and device 360 are wirelessly paired according to operation 1100 or operation 1130, power line 1070 may be disconnected from corresponding socket 1068 of bed 30, if desired, so long as device 30 and device 360 are within wireless communication range of each other, and wireless pairing will remain. Of course, this assumes that medical monitor 360 has an on-board battery, or some other power source that provides sufficient power to continue to send wireless communications to bed 30 and to receive wireless communications from bed 30. For example, power cord 1070 may be unplugged from associated jack 1068 of bed 30 and plugged into some other AC jack in a patient room with bed 30. Thus, assuming the wireless communication range is greater than the length of wire 1070, the position of monitor 360 relative to bed 30 is not limited by the length of wire 1070.

The present disclosure further contemplates that upon wireless pairing of device 30 and device 360, monitor 360 transmits monitor data to bed 30, including, for example, sensed patient physiological information, as described above with respect to dashed arrow 1122 of operations 1100 and 1130. After the bed 30 receives the monitoring data from the monitor 360, the bed 30 can utilize the monitoring data and/or display the monitoring data on the GUI 38 according to the programming of the bed 30. It should be appreciated that the bed 30, equipped with one or more auxiliary power outlets 1066, can still be plugged into either the wall module 32 or the wall module 460, respectively, as the case may be, and establish a wireless pairing therebetween in any of the manners described above. That is, wireless pairing between the bed 30 and the one or more medical monitors 360 initiated by inserting the corresponding power line 1070 of the medical monitor 360 into each auxiliary power receptacle 1066 of the bed 30 is independent of wireless pairing between the bed 30 and the corresponding wall module 32, 460 initiated by inserting the corresponding power line 144 of the bed 30 into each receptacle 260, 466, 468 of the associated wall module 32, 460.

In connection with the receipt of medical monitor data schematically depicted by dashed arrow 1122 in fig. 63 and 64, the couch 30 may initiate a treatment (e.g., a side-turn treatment of the mattress 88, a pressure swing treatment of the mattress 88, or a shock vibration (P & V) treatment of the mattress 88), turn on a patient position monitoring or out-of-bed monitoring system on the couch 30, send a message (e.g., an information message or alarm/alert message) to the nurse call system 43, or generate a local alert on the couch 30 (e.g., display an alert message on the GUI 38 and/or audible alert with a speaker or buzzer of the couch 30, etc.). Bed 30 may also display physiological data (e.g., graphical tracks and/or digital data) sensed by monitor 360 on GUI 38. Further, in some embodiments, the bed 30 of fig. 62 is configured to transmit some or all of the medical monitor data received from the one or more medical monitors 360 to the nurse call system 43 and/or the network 60 for receipt by the one or more servers 46, 62, 64, 66, 68 or other computer devices, such as through the wall modules 32, 460 of the bed 30 wireless pairing.

In a variant embodiment of the system described herein, wherein the bed 30 is in wireless communication with the wall module 32 or the wall module 460 after being wirelessly paired in any of the ways described herein, as the case may be, the wall module 32, 460 is configured to detect the presence of the bedside speaker unit 736, and in response to detecting the bedside speaker unit 736, the wall module 32, 460 operates to mute the speaker 742 of the hospital bed 30, for example by sending an audio packet containing all zeros to the bed 30. For example, the wiring of the wall module 32, 460 is configured to determine that the speaker 737 of the bedside speaker unit 736 and the speaker 742 of the hospital bed 30 are echoed by playing the same or similar audio with a delay therebetween as described above, thereby detecting the presence of the bedside speaker unit 736. Alternatively or additionally, the wiring of the wall module 32, 460 is configured to receive a signal from the nurse call system 43 indicating that the bedside speaker unit 736 is connected to the nurse call system 43, such as by plugging into a port 166 of the ASBC 164 or into a port similar to the port 166 but mounted to a wall of a room, thereby detecting the presence of the bedside speaker unit 736.

Insertion of the bedside speaker unit 736 into the nurse call system 43 may be detected, for example, by detecting current consumption with a current sensor or detecting data received from the bedside speaker unit 736 or the like with components of the nurse call system 43. In response, the server 46 of the nurse call system 43 or the nurse call master station 50 then transmits a signal to the wall unit 32, 460 indicating the presence of the bedside speaker unit 736 in the room with the wall unit 32, 460. In response to the bedside speaker unit 736 being unplugged, the wall unit 32, 460 operates to un-mute the speakers 742 of the bed 30 such that audio of the audio feed received by the wall unit 32, 460 is played through the speakers 742 of the hospital bed 30 that are wirelessly paired with the wall unit 32, 460.

Where terms of degree such as "generally," "substantially," and "about" are used herein with numerical or quantitative terms of easy-to-use numerical measures (e.g., vertical, horizontal, and alignment), it is contemplated that such expressions encompass the addition of ten percent, and possibly twenty percent, of the amount of a numerical value unless otherwise specified. For example, "vertical" may be defined as 90 degrees from horizontal, then "substantially vertical" as described in accordance with the present disclosure refers to 90 degrees plus or minus 9 degrees and possibly plus or minus 18 degrees. The same tolerance ranges are also contemplated for "substantially horizontal". Otherwise, the proper definition of "substantially", "essentially" and "about" is largely, but not necessarily entirely, as that term is intended.

Aspects of the disclosure are defined in the following numbered clauses:

1. a system comprising a wall module comprising a first wireless transceiver configured to receive an audio feed and a data feed and a first line, a patient bed comprising a second wireless transceiver, a speaker, and a second line coupled to the speaker and the second wireless transceiver, the second wireless transceiver being configurable to wirelessly communicate with the first wireless transceiver, and a mobile device configured to temporarily link with the first wireless transceiver for wireless communication to configure the line of the wall module, the mobile device configured to receive a first user input to command the line of the wall module to mute the speaker of the patient bed, wherein in response to receiving the first user input to mute the speaker of the patient bed, the line of the wall module communicates with the second wireless transceiver in a first manner through the first wireless transceiver that prevents the audio feed from being audibly played through the speaker of the patient bed.

2. The system of clause 1, wherein, in response to receiving the first user input to mute the speaker of the hospital bed, the first line instructs the first wireless transceiver to transmit audio packets corresponding to silence.

3. The system of clause 2, wherein the audio packet corresponding to silence contains all zeros.

4. The system of clause 1, wherein the mobile device is configured to receive a second user input to un-mute the speaker of the patient bed, wherein, in response to receiving the second user input to un-mute the speaker of the patient bed, the first line of the wall module communicates with the second wireless transceiver through the first wireless transceiver in a second manner that allows the audio feed to be audibly played through the speaker of the patient bed.

5. The system of clause 4, wherein the mobile device is configured to display a mute/un-mute slider, the first user input corresponding to the mute/un-mute slider being in a first position, and the second user input corresponding to the mute/un-mute slider being in a second position.

6. The system of any of clauses 1-5, wherein the mobile device is configured to receive a firmware installation input from a user to upload firmware to the line of the wall module through the first transceiver.

7. The system of any of clauses 1-5, wherein the patient bed comprises a Graphical User Interface (GUI) configured to receive input from a user to control a function of the patient bed, the GUI configured to receive a third user input that causes a mute command to be transmitted from the second wireless transceiver of the patient bed to the first wireless transceiver of the wall module to command a line of the wall module to operate in a first manner to mute the speaker of the patient bed.

8. The system of clause 7, wherein the GUI is configured to receive a fourth user input that causes an un-mute command to be transmitted from the second wireless transceiver of the hospital bed to the first wireless transceiver of the wall module to command lines of the wall module to operate in a second manner that allows the audio feed to be audibly played through the speakers of the hospital bed.

9. The system of any of clauses 1-8, wherein the first line of the wall module and the second line of the hospital bed perform a time-based pairing operation to pair the hospital bed with the wall module.

10. The system of clause 9, wherein the time-based pairing operation is initiated by inserting a power plug of the hospital bed into a power socket of the wall module.

11. The system of clause 10, wherein inserting the power line into the power socket causes a first timer of the patient bed to start to measure a first normal run time, wherein inserting the power line into the power socket causes a second timer of the wall module to start to measure a second normal run time, wherein the wall module is configured to transmit an announcement including the second normal run time from the first wireless transceiver to the patient bed, wherein the patient bed compares the second normal run time to the first normal run time, and if the second normal run time is within a predetermined tolerance range of the first normal run time, the patient bed sends a pairing message to the wall module, which causes the wall module to automatically pair with the patient bed for subsequent wireless communication.

12. The system of clause 10, wherein inserting the power line into the power socket causes a first timer of the patient bed to start to measure a first normal run time, wherein inserting the power line into the power socket causes a second timer of the wall module to start to measure a second normal run time, wherein the patient bed is configured to transmit a message including the first normal run time from the second wireless transceiver to the wall module, wherein the wall module compares the first normal run time to the second normal run time, and if the first normal run time is within a predetermined tolerance range of the second normal run time, the wall module sends a pairing message to the patient bed that causes the wall module to automatically pair with the patient bed for subsequent wireless communication.

13. The system of any of clauses 1 to 12, further comprising a nurse call line extending from the wall module, the nurse call line terminating in a first nurse call connector configured to connect to a nurse call port of a nurse call system.

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

15. The system of any of clauses 1-14, wherein the hospital bed comprises a first WiFi transceiver, the wall module comprises a second WiFi transceiver, and the first WiFi transceiver and the second WiFi transceiver are each configured to send and receive WiFi messages to and from at least one wireless access point of a network.

16. A system comprising a wall module comprising a first wireless transceiver and a first line configured to receive an audio feed and a data feed, and a patient bed comprising a second wireless transceiver, a speaker, and a second line coupled to the speaker and the second wireless transceiver, the second wireless transceiver being configurable to wirelessly communicate with the first wireless transceiver, wherein the patient bed comprises a Graphical User Interface (GUI) configured to receive input from a user to control a function of the patient bed, the GUI configured to receive a first user input such that a mute command is transmitted from the second wireless transceiver of the patient bed to the first wireless transceiver of the wall module to command the first line of the wall module to mute the speaker of the patient bed, wherein in response to receiving a mute command to mute the speaker of the patient bed, the first line of the wall module communicates with the second wireless transceiver in a first manner via the first wireless transceiver that prevents the audio from audibly playing the patient bed via the speaker.

17. The system of clause 16, wherein, in response to receiving a mute command to mute a speaker of the patient's bed, the first line commands the first wireless transceiver to transmit an audio packet corresponding to the silence.

18. The system of clause 17, wherein the audio packet corresponding to silence contains all zeros.

19. The system of clause 16, wherein the GUI is configured to receive a second user input to un-mute the speaker of the patient bed, wherein receiving the second user input causes an un-mute command to be transmitted from the second wireless transceiver of the patient bed to the first wireless transceiver of the wall module to command the first line of the wall module to communicate with the second wireless transceiver in a second manner through the first wireless transceiver that allows the audio feed to be audibly played through the speaker of the patient bed.

20. The system of clause 19, wherein the GUI is configured to display an on button and an off button, the on button being selectable to cause the wall module to unmute a speaker of the patient bed, and the off button being selectable to cause the wall module to mute the speaker of the patient bed.

21. The system of any of clauses 16 to 20, further comprising a mobile device configured to temporarily link with the first wireless transceiver for wireless communication to configure the circuitry of the wall module, the mobile device configured to receive a third user input to command the first circuitry of the wall module to mute speakers of the patient bed.

22. The system of clause 21, wherein the mobile device is configured to receive a firmware installation input from a user to upload the firmware to the first line of the wall module through the first transceiver.

23. The system of any of clauses 16-22, wherein the first line of the wall module and the second line of the hospital bed perform a time-based pairing operation to pair the hospital bed with the wall module.

24. The system of clause 23, wherein the time-based pairing operation is initiated by inserting a power plug of the hospital bed into a power socket of the wall module.

25. The system of clause 24, wherein inserting the power line into the power socket causes a first timer of the patient bed to start to measure a first normal run time, wherein inserting the power line into the power socket causes a second timer of the wall module to start to measure a second normal run time, wherein the wall module is configured to transmit an announcement including the second normal run time from the first wireless transceiver to the patient bed, wherein the patient bed compares the second normal run time to the first normal run time, and if the second normal run time is within a predetermined tolerance range of the first normal run time, the patient bed sends a pairing message to the wall module, which causes the wall module to automatically pair with the patient bed for subsequent wireless communication.

26. The system of clause 24, wherein inserting the power line into the power socket causes a first timer of the patient bed to start to measure a first normal run time, wherein inserting the power line into the power socket causes a second timer of the wall module to start to measure a second normal run time, wherein the patient bed is configured to transmit a message including the first normal run time from the second wireless transceiver to the wall module, wherein the wall module compares the first normal run time to the second normal run time, and if the first normal run time is within a predetermined tolerance range of the second normal run time, the wall module sends a pairing message to the patient bed that causes the wall module to automatically pair with the patient bed for subsequent wireless communication.

27. The system of any of clauses 16 to 26, further comprising a nurse call line extending from the wall module, the nurse call line terminating in a first nurse call connector configured to connect to a nurse call port of a nurse call system.

28. The system of clause 27, wherein the nurse call line includes an auxiliary line leg terminating in a second nurse call connector coupleable to a third nurse call connector at one end of the hospital bed nurse call line extending from the hospital bed.

29. The system of any of clauses 16-28, wherein the hospital bed comprises a first WiFi transceiver, the wall module comprises a second WiFi transceiver, the first WiFi transceiver and the second WiFi transceiver are each configured to send and receive WiFi messages to and from at least one wireless access point of a network.

30. A system for wireless pairing, the system comprising a connection device and an announcement device, the connection device having a first device line comprising a first wireless transceiver, the announcement device having a second device line comprising a second wireless transceiver, wherein the second device line is configured to broadcast an announcement over the second wireless line to initiate a pairing operation with other devices, wherein the connection device is configured to receive at least one of said announcements over the first wireless transceiver, the first device line is configured to transmit a connection message over the first wireless transceiver in response to receiving at least one of said announcements, wherein in response to the announcement device receiving a connection message, the announcement device transmits an authorization challenge, wherein the connection device is configured to receive and process the authorization challenge, and to transmit an authorization response message to the announcement device, wherein if the authorization response message indicates that the connection device is an authorization device, the announcement device is automatically paired with the connection device for subsequent wireless communication.

31. The system of clause 30, wherein the authorization challenge transmitted by the advertising device includes a random salt.

32. The system of clause 31, wherein the connecting device hashes the random salt to create an authorization response message.

33. The system of clause 32, wherein the advertising device further hashes the random salt to generate a hashed random salt.

34. The system of clause 33, wherein the advertising device determines that the connecting device is an authorizing device by comparing the authorization response message with a hash random salt to determine if there is a match.

35. The system of any of clauses 30 to 33, wherein the connecting device and the advertising device further perform a time-based pairing operation to determine whether to pair.

36. The system of clause 35, wherein the time-based pairing operation is initiated by inserting a power plug of the connected device into a power socket of the advertising device.

37. The system of clause 36, wherein inserting the power line into the power outlet causes a first timer of the connection device to start to measure a first normal run time, wherein inserting the power line into the power outlet causes a second timer of the notification device to start to measure a second normal run time, wherein the notification transmitted by the notification device includes the second normal run time, wherein the connection device compares the second normal run time to the first normal run time, and if the second normal run time is within a predetermined tolerance of the first normal run time, the connection device sends a pairing message to the notification device, which causes the notification device to automatically pair with the connection device for subsequent wireless communication if the authorization response message also indicates that the connection device is an authorized device.

38. The system of clause 36, wherein inserting the power line into the power outlet causes a first timer of the connecting device to start to measure a first normal operation time, wherein inserting the power line into the power outlet causes a second timer of the advertising device to start to measure a second normal operation time, wherein the connecting device is configured to transmit a message including the first normal operation time to the advertising device, wherein the advertising device compares the first normal operation time with the second normal operation time, and if the first normal operation time is within a predetermined tolerance of the second normal operation time, the advertising device sends a pairing message to the connecting device, which causes the advertising device to automatically pair with the connecting device for subsequent wireless communication if the authorization response message also indicates that the connecting device is an authorized device.

39. The system of clause 30, wherein the advertising device ignores transmissions from any other device that did not successfully respond to the authorization challenge.

40. The system of any of clauses 30-39, wherein the connection device comprises a hospital bed and the notification device comprises a wall module mounted in a fixed location in the hospital bed.

41. The system of clause 40, wherein the wall module is connected to at least one nurse call computer and is configured to transmit a message received wirelessly from the hospital bed to the nurse call computer.

42. A wireless adapter for use with a hospital bed having a power port and a nurse call terminal port and for use with a wall module having wireless communication capabilities, the wireless adapter comprising a housing configured to be mounted to the hospital bed, a line configured to wirelessly communicate with the wall module, a first power line extending from the housing and configured to be coupled to the power port of the hospital bed, a nurse call cable extending from the housing and configured to be coupled to the nurse call terminal port of the hospital bed, and a second power line extending from the housing and configured to be coupled to an Alternating Current (AC) outlet carried by the wall module, wherein power from the AC outlet is provided to the hospital bed through the first and second power lines.

43. The wireless adapter of clause 42, wherein the wire is configured to perform a time-based pairing operation with the wall module, thereby pairing for subsequent wireless communications.

44. The wireless adapter of clause 43, wherein the time-based pairing operation is initiated in response to inserting the power plug of the second power line into the AC outlet.

45. The wireless adapter of any of clauses 42-44, wherein the line includes a current sensor that senses whether the second power line is receiving AC power.

46. The wireless adapter of clause 44, wherein inserting the second power line into the AC outlet causes a first timer of the line of the wireless adapter to be started to measure a first normal operating time, wherein inserting the second power line into the AC outlet causes a second timer of the wall module to be started to measure a second normal operating time, wherein the wall module is configured to transmit an announcement including the second normal operating time to the wireless adapter, wherein the wireless adapter compares the second normal operating time to the first normal operating time, and if the second normal operating time is within a predetermined tolerance of the first normal operating time, the wireless adapter sends a pairing message to the wall module that causes the wall module to automatically pair with the wireless adapter for subsequent wireless communications.

47. The wireless adapter of clause 44, wherein inserting the power line into the AC outlet causes a first timer of the line of the wireless adapter to be started to measure a first normal operating time, wherein inserting the power line into the AC outlet causes a second timer of the wall module to be started to measure a second normal operating time, wherein the wireless adapter is configured to transmit a message including the first normal operating time to the wall module, wherein the wall module compares the first normal operating time to the second normal operating time, and if the first normal operating time is within a predetermined tolerance of the second normal operating time, the wall module sends a pairing message to the wireless adapter, which causes the wall module to automatically pair with the hospital bed for subsequent wireless communication.

48. The wireless adapter of any of clauses 42-47, wherein the line comprises a controller and an AC/DC converter coupled to the second power line and to the controller, wherein the AC/DC converter is configured to convert AC power to DC power for driving the controller.

49. The wireless adapter of any of clauses 42-48, wherein the line comprises a wall module AC fitting accessible from outside the housing and configured to couple to a power fitting located at one end of the second power line.

50. The wireless adapter of clause 49, wherein the wall module AC fitting receives AC power from the second power line and feeds the first power line.

51. The wireless adapter of any of clauses 42-47, wherein the line comprises a controller and at least one shift register or relay coupled to the controller, wherein the nurse call line comprises one or more conductors coupled to the at least one shift register or relay.

52. The wireless adapter of any of clauses 42-47, wherein the line comprises a controller and at least one audio encoder/decoder (codec) coupled to the controller, wherein the nurse call line comprises one or more conductors coupled to the audio codec.

53. The wireless adapter of any of clauses 42-47, wherein the line includes a controller and the nurse call line includes at least one Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) conductor coupled to the controller to communicate bed data received through the nurse call line to the controller for wireless transmission to the wall module.

54. A system comprising a patient bed having a power port and a nurse call terminal port, a wall module having wireless communication capability and having an Alternating Current (AC) outlet, and a wireless adapter configured to provide wireless communication capability to the patient bed, the wireless adapter comprising a housing configured to be mounted to the patient bed, a wire positioned in the housing and configured to wirelessly communicate with the wall module, a first power line extending from the housing and configured to be coupled to the power port of the patient bed, a nurse call cable extending from the housing and configured to be coupled to the nurse call terminal port of the patient bed, and a second power line extending from the housing and configured to be coupled to the AC outlet of the wall module, wherein power from the AC outlet is provided to the patient bed through the first power line and the second power line.

55. The system of clause 54, wherein the line is configured to perform a time-based pairing operation with the wall module, thereby pairing for subsequent wireless communication.

56. The system of clause 55, wherein the time-based pairing operation is initiated in response to inserting the power plug of the second power line into the AC outlet.

57. The system of any of clauses 54 to 56, wherein the line comprises a current sensor that senses whether the second power line is receiving AC power.

58. The system of clause 56, wherein inserting the second power line into the AC outlet causes a first timer of the line of the wireless adapter to be started to measure a first normal running time, wherein inserting the second power line into the AC outlet causes a second timer of the wall module to be started to measure a second normal running time, wherein the wall module is configured to transmit an announcement including the second normal running time to the wireless adapter, wherein the wireless adapter compares the second normal running time to the first normal running time, and if the second normal running time is within a predetermined tolerance of the first normal running time, the wireless adapter sends a pairing message to the wall module, which causes the wall module to automatically pair with the wireless adapter for subsequent wireless communication.

59. The system of clause 56, wherein inserting the power line into the AC outlet causes a first timer of the line of the wireless adapter to be started to measure a first normal run time, wherein inserting the power line into the AC outlet causes a second timer of the wall module to be started to measure a second normal run time, wherein the wireless adapter is configured to transmit a message including the first normal run time to the wall module, wherein the wall module compares the first normal run time to the second normal run time, and if the first normal run time is within a predetermined tolerance of the second normal run time, the wall module sends a pairing message to the wireless adapter, which causes the wall module to automatically pair with the hospital bed for subsequent wireless communication.

60. The system of any of clauses 54 to 59, wherein the line comprises a controller and an AC/DC converter coupled to the second power line and to the controller, wherein the AC/DC converter is configured to convert AC power to DC power for driving the controller.

61. The system of any of clauses 54 to 60, wherein the line comprises a wall module AC fitting accessible from outside the housing and configured to couple to a power fitting located at one end of the second power line.

62. The system of clause 61, wherein the wall module AC fitting receives AC power from the second power line and feeds the first power line.

63. The system of any of clauses 54 to 59, wherein the line comprises a controller and at least one shift register or relay coupled to the controller, wherein the nurse call line comprises one or more conductors coupled to the at least one shift register or relay.

64. The system of any of clauses 54 to 59, wherein the line comprises a controller and at least one audio encoder/decoder (codec) coupled to the controller, wherein the nurse call line comprises one or more conductors coupled to the audio codec.

65. The system of any of clauses 54 to 59, wherein the line comprises a controller, the nurse call line comprising at least one Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) conductor coupled to the controller to communicate bed data received through the nurse call line to the controller for wireless transmission to the wall module.

66. A method of adding wireless communication capability to a hospital bed that lacks wireless communication capability includes attaching a housing of a wireless adapter to the hospital bed, inserting a first power line extending from the housing into a power port of the hospital bed, inserting a nurse call cable extending from the housing into a nurse call terminal port of the hospital bed, and inserting a second power line extending from the housing into an Alternating Current (AC) jack carried by a wall module to facilitate providing power from the AC jack to the hospital bed over the first and second power lines.

67. The method of clause 66, further comprising performing a time-based pairing operation with the wall module using the line of the wireless adapter, thereby pairing for subsequent wireless communication.

68. The method of clause 67, wherein the time-based pairing operation is initiated in response to inserting the power plug of the second power line into the AC outlet.

69. The method of any of clauses 66-68, wherein the line of the wireless adapter comprises a current sensor that senses whether the second power line is receiving AC power.

70. The method of clause 66, further comprising starting a first timer of the line of the wireless adapter to measure a first normal running time in response to the second power line being inserted into the AC outlet, starting a second timer of the wall module to measure a second normal running time in response to the second power line being inserted into the AC outlet, transmitting an announcement including the second normal running time from the wall module to the wireless adapter, comparing the second normal running time with the first normal running time with the line of the wireless adapter, and sending a pairing message from the wireless adapter to the wall module if the second normal running time is within a predetermined tolerance of the first normal running time, which causes the wall module to automatically pair with the wireless adapter for subsequent wireless communication.

71. The method of clause 66, further comprising starting a first timer of the line of the wireless adapter to measure a first normal running time in response to the second power line being inserted into the AC outlet, starting a second timer of the wall module to measure a second normal running time in response to the second power line being inserted into the AC outlet, transmitting a message including the first normal running time from the wireless adapter to the wall module, comparing the first normal running time with the second normal running time with the wall module, and transmitting a pairing message from the wall module to the wireless adapter if the first normal running time is within a predetermined tolerance of the second normal running time, which causes the wall module to automatically pair with the wireless adapter for subsequent wireless communication.

72. The method of any of clauses 66-71, wherein the line comprises a controller and an AC/DC converter coupled to the second power line and to the controller, and the method further comprises converting the AC power to DC power for driving the controller with the AC/DC converter.

73. The method of any of clauses 66 to 72, further comprising inserting a power connector at one end of the second power line into a wall module AC connector accessible from outside the housing.

74. The method of clause 73, further comprising feeding the AC power received from the second power line by the wall module AC connector to the first power line.

75. The method of any of clauses 66-71, wherein the line comprises a controller and at least one shift register or relay coupled to the controller, and the method further comprises coupling signals received on one or more conductors of the nurse call line to the at least one shift register or relay.

76. The method of any of clauses 66-71, wherein the line comprises a controller and at least one audio encoder/decoder (codec) coupled to the controller, and the method further comprises coupling signals received on one or more conductors of a nurse call line to the audio codec.

77. The method of any of clauses 66-71, wherein the line comprises a controller, the nurse call line comprises at least one Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) conductor, and the method further comprises communicating bed data to the controller over the at least one SPI conductor, and wirelessly transmitting the bed data to the wall module.

78. A system comprising a first medical device having a first wireless transceiver, a first sensor, and an Alternating Current (AC) outlet, and a second device having a second wireless sensor, a second sensor, and a power line terminating in a power plug, each of the first sensor and the second sensor operable to sense insertion of the power plug of the second medical device into the AC outlet of the first medical device, wherein the first medical device and the second medical device perform a time-based wireless pairing operation in response to insertion of the power plug of the second medical device into the AC outlet of the first medical device, wherein the second medical device compares a first normal run time calculated by the first medical device with a second normal run time calculated by the second medical device, the first normal run time being a first amount of time elapsed since the first sensor sensed insertion of the power plug into the AC outlet, the second normal run time being a second amount of time elapsed since the second sensor sensed insertion of the power plug into the AC outlet.

79. The system of clause 78, wherein the first device comprises a hospital bed and the second device comprises a medical monitor.

80. The system of clause 79, wherein the hospital bed comprises a frame and an AC outlet mounted to the frame.

81. The system of clause 79, wherein the wireless pairing operation comprises the patient bed sending notifications to the medical monitor including the first uptime, the medical monitor scanning the notifications.

82. The system of clause 81, wherein the medical monitor is configured to subtract the first normal run time from the second normal run time to determine a normal run time difference and compare the normal run time difference to a threshold to compare the first normal run time to the second normal run time, and wherein if the normal run time difference is less than the threshold, the medical monitor sends a pairing message to the hospital bed to wirelessly pair the medical monitor to the hospital bed.

83. The system of clause 82, wherein after the patient bed is paired with the medical monitor, the medical monitor transmits the monitoring data to the patient bed for display on a Graphical User Interface (GUI) of the patient bed.

84. The system of clause 79, wherein the wireless pairing operation includes the medical monitor sending notifications to the hospital bed including the second uptime, the hospital bed scanning the notifications.

85. The system of clause 84, wherein the patient bed is configured to subtract the first normal run time from the second normal run time to determine a normal run time difference and compare the normal run time difference to a threshold to compare the first normal run time to the second normal run time, and wherein if the normal run time difference is less than the threshold, the patient bed sends a pairing message to the medical monitor to wirelessly pair the medical monitor with the patient bed.

86. The system of clause 85, wherein after the patient bed is paired with the medical monitor, the medical monitor transmits the monitoring data to the patient bed for display on a Graphical User Interface (GUI) of the patient bed.

87. The system of clause 78, wherein the wireless pairing operation comprises the first medical device sending notifications to the second medical device including the first uptime, the second medical device scanning for the notifications.

88. The system of clause 87, wherein the second medical device is configured to subtract the first normal run time from the second normal run time to determine a normal run time difference and compare the normal run time difference to a threshold to compare the first normal run time to the second normal run time, wherein if the normal run time difference is less than the threshold, the second medical device sends a pairing message to the first medical device to wirelessly pair the first medical device and the second medical device.

89. The system of clause 78, wherein the wireless pairing operation comprises the second medical device sending notifications to the first medical device including the first uptime, the first medical device scanning for the notifications.

90. The system of clause 89, wherein the first medical device is configured to subtract the first normal run time from the second normal run time to determine a normal run time difference and compare the normal run time difference to a threshold to compare the first normal run time to the second normal run time, wherein if the normal run time difference is less than the threshold, the first medical device sends a pairing message to the second medical device to wirelessly pair the first medical device and the second medical device.

91. The system of clause 78, wherein the first medical device comprises an ambient light sensor and the second medical device comprises at least one illuminable indicator, and the brightness of the at least one illuminable indicator of the second medical device is controlled based on information wirelessly transmitted from the first medical device to the second medical device and related to ambient light detected by the ambient light sensor.

92. The system of clause 78, wherein after the first medical device and the second medical device are paired, the second medical device sends data to the first medical device for display on a Graphical User Interface (GUI) of the first medical device.

93. The system of clause 78, wherein after the first medical device and the second medical device are paired, the second medical device wirelessly transmits data to the first medical device for subsequent transmission by the first medical device to a remote computer.

94. The system of clause 93, wherein the remote computer comprises one of a nurse call server, a nurse call master computer, an electronic medical record server, and a healthcare information system server.

95. The system of clause 93, wherein the first medical device is coupled to a data port located in a patient room with the first medical device and the second medical device by a data cable, wherein data wirelessly received by the first medical device from the second medical device is transmitted to a remote computer by the data cable.

96. The system of clause 93, wherein the first medical device is configured to wirelessly communicate with a wall unit located in a patient room with the first medical device and the second medical device, wherein the first medical device wirelessly receives data from the second medical device and wirelessly transmits the data to the wall unit, which forwards the data to a remote computer.

97. The system of clause 96, wherein the first medical device further comprises a second power line terminating in a second power plug, wherein the wall unit comprises a second AC outlet, wherein the first medical device and the wall unit perform a time-based wireless pairing operation in response to the second power plug of the first medical device being plugged into the second AC outlet of the wall unit, wherein a third normal run time computable by the first medical device is compared to a fourth normal run time computable by the wall unit.

98. A system comprising a wall module including a first wireless transceiver configured to transmit an audio feed and a first line, and a patient bed including a second wireless transceiver, a speaker, and a second line coupled to the speaker and the second wireless transceiver, the second wireless transceiver being configurable to wirelessly communicate with the first wireless transceiver, wherein the first line of the wall module is configured to detect a presence of a bedside speaker unit, the wall module is configured to communicate with the second wireless transceiver through the first wireless transceiver in a first manner that prevents the audio feed from being audibly played through the speaker of the patient bed in response to the line of the wall module detecting the bedside speaker unit.

99. The system of clause 98, wherein, in response to detecting the presence of the bedside speaker, the first line instructs the first wireless transceiver to transmit an audio packet corresponding to silence.

100. The system of clause 99, wherein the audio packet corresponding to silence contains all zeros.

101. The system of clause 98, wherein the first line of the wall module is further configured to detect a loss of the bedside speaker unit, wherein in response to the first line detecting the loss of the bedside speaker unit, the wall module is configured to communicate with a second wireless transceiver through the first wireless transceiver in a second manner that allows the audio feed to be audibly played through a speaker of the hospital bed.

102. The system of clause 101, further comprising a mobile device configured to wirelessly communicate with the wall module and configured to display user input operable to command the wall module to operate in the first manner or the second manner.

103. The system of clause 102, wherein the mobile device is further configured to receive a firmware installation input from a user to upload the firmware to the first line of the wall module through the first transceiver.

104. The system of clause 98, wherein the patient bed comprises a Graphical User Interface (GUI) configured to receive input from a user to control functions of the patient bed, the GUI configured to receive a first user input, which causes a mute command to be transmitted from the second wireless transceiver of the patient bed to the first wireless transceiver of the wall module to command the first line of the wall module to operate in a first manner to mute a speaker of the patient bed.

105. The system of clause 104, wherein the GUI is configured to receive a second user input that causes an unmute command to be transmitted from the second wireless transceiver of the hospital bed to the first wireless transceiver of the wall module to command the first line of the wall module to operate in a second manner that allows the audio feed to be audibly played through the speaker of the hospital bed.

106. The system of any of clauses 98 to 105, wherein the first line of the wall module and the second line of the hospital bed perform a time-based pairing operation to pair the hospital bed with the wall module.

107. The system of clause 106, wherein the time-based pairing operation is initiated by inserting a power plug of the hospital bed into a power socket of the wall module.

108. The system of clause 107, wherein inserting the power line into the power socket causes a first timer of the hospital bed to start to measure a first normal run time, wherein inserting the power line into the power socket causes a second timer of the wall module to start to measure a second normal run time, wherein the wall module is configured to transmit an announcement including the second normal run time from the first wireless transceiver to the hospital bed, wherein the hospital bed is configured to compare the second normal run time to the first normal run time, and if the second normal run time is within a predetermined tolerance of the first normal run time, the hospital bed is configured to send a pairing message to the wall module, which causes the wall module to automatically pair with the hospital bed for subsequent wireless communication.

109. The system of clause 107, wherein inserting the power line into the power socket causes a first timer of the patient bed to start to measure a first normal run time, wherein inserting the power line into the power socket causes a second timer of the wall module to start to measure a second normal run time, wherein the patient bed is configured to transmit a message including the first normal run time from the second wireless transceiver to the wall module, wherein the wall module is configured to compare the first normal run time to the second normal run time, and if the first normal run time is within a predetermined tolerance range of the second normal run time, the wall module is configured to send a pairing message to the patient bed, which causes the wall module to automatically pair with the patient bed for subsequent wireless communication.

110. The system of any of clauses 98 to 109, further comprising a nurse call line extending from the wall module, the nurse call line terminating in a first nurse call connector configured to connect to a nurse call port of a nurse call system.

111. The system of clause 110, wherein the nurse call line includes an auxiliary line leg terminating in a second nurse call connector coupleable to a third nurse call connector at one end of the hospital bed nurse call line extending from the hospital bed.

112. The system of any of clauses 98 to 111, wherein the hospital bed comprises a first WiFi transceiver, the wall module comprises a second WiFi transceiver, the first WiFi transceiver and the second WiFi transceiver are each configured to send and receive WiFi messages to and from at least one wireless access point of a network.

113. The system of clause 98, wherein the first circuit of the wall module is configured to determine that an echo is present due to the bedside speaker unit playing the same or similar audio as the speakers of the hospital bed, thereby detecting the presence of the bedside speaker unit.

114. The system of clause 98, wherein the first line of the wall module is configured to receive a signal from the nurse call system that the bedside speaker unit is connected to the nurse call system, thereby detecting the presence of the bedside speaker unit.

Although certain exemplary embodiments have been described in detail above, variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure as described and defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A system for wireless configuration and authorization of a wall module, comprising:

a wall module comprising a first wireless transceiver and a first line configured to receive an audio feed and a data feed;

a patient bed comprising a second wireless transceiver, a speaker, and second circuitry coupled to the speaker and the second wireless transceiver, the second wireless transceiver being configurable to wirelessly communicate with the first wireless transceiver; and

a mobile device configured to temporarily link with the first wireless transceiver for wireless communication to configure the wall module's wiring, the mobile device configured to receive a first user input to command the wall module's wiring to mute the bed's speaker, the muting persisting, including after the link between the mobile device and the first wireless transceiver is terminated,

wherein, in response to receiving the first user input to mute the speaker of the bed, the wiring of the wall module communicates with the second wireless transceiver via the first wireless transceiver in a first manner, the first manner placing the bed in a persistent mute mode to prevent the audio feed from being audibly played through the speaker of the bed, thereby avoiding an echo effect caused by audio being played through another nearby audio source.

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

The system of claim 2 , wherein an audio packet corresponding to silence contains all zeros.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

16. A system for wireless configuration and authorization of a wall module, comprising:

a wall module comprising a first wireless transceiver and a first line configured to transmit an audio feed; and

a hospital bed comprising a second wireless transceiver, a speaker, and second circuitry coupled to the speaker and the second wireless transceiver, the second wireless transceiver being configurable to wirelessly communicate with the first wireless transceiver,

wherein the first circuitry of the wall module is configured to detect the presence of a pillowside speaker unit, the pillowside speaker unit being detached from the bed and held by the patient, and in response to the circuitry of the wall module detecting the pillowside speaker unit, the wall module is configured to communicate with the second wireless transceiver via the first wireless transceiver in a first manner that prevents the audio feed from being audibly played through the speaker of the bed.