초록 ▼

This invention relates generally to monitoring systems and more particularly concerns devices and systems used to monitor patients lying in hospital beds or in other care giving environments. According to a first aspect of the instant invention, a microprocessor based patient monitor is disclosed wh

This invention relates generally to monitoring systems and more particularly concerns devices and systems used to monitor patients lying in hospital beds or in other care giving environments. According to a first aspect of the instant invention, a microprocessor based patient monitor is disclosed which includes a loudspeaker driven by a power amplifier responsive to an input signal derived from a programmable volume control. The microprocessor synthesizes any one of multiple alarm sounds under software control, operates the programmable volume control of the alarm system and activates and deactivates the alarm in response to the electronic signals received from the sensor and a user interface. An electrically erasable programmable read-only memory accessible by the processor stores data which can be modified to tailor the operations of the monitor to suit a variety of different needs. According to still another aspect of the instant invention, a microprocessor-based patient monitor is disclosed which has a personality that is defined by software that is resident in modifiable nonvolatile memory, which software can thus be altered to change the programmed responses of the monitor. Finally, a software and hardware system is provided for reading information from and writing information to modifiable nonvolatile RAM within a microprocessor-based patient monitor. This information might be parameter settings, data values, or computer instructions.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A reprogrammable patient monitor for use with a binary switch, said binary switch detecting at least two states,a first state corresponding to a presence of a patient on said binary switch, and, a second state corresponding to an absence of said patient from said binary switch, comprising: (a) a

1. A reprogrammable patient monitor for use with a binary switch, said binary switch detecting at least two states,a first state corresponding to a presence of a patient on said binary switch, and, a second state corresponding to an absence of said patient from said binary switch, comprising: (a) a microprocessor, said microprocessor (a1) being positionable so as to be in electronic communication with said binary switch, and (a2) responding to said binary switch when placed into electronic communication therewith; (b) modifiable nonvolatile RAM accessible by said microprocessor, (b1) said modifiable nonvolatile RAM containing at least a plurality of modifiable computer instructions utilizable by said microprocessor, and, (b2) said modifiable computer instructions defining at least a portion of said response of said microprocessor to said binary switch; and, (c) a loudspeaker in electronic communication with said microprocessor and responsive thereto, said loudspeaker sounding an alarm at least when said microprocessor senses said second state of said binary switch.