WO2025101499A1

WO2025101499A1 - Patient support apparatus with environmental interaction

Info

Publication number: WO2025101499A1
Application number: PCT/US2024/054540
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michael W. Graves; Anish Paul; Krishna Sandeep Bhimavarapu; William Dwight CHILDS; Celso Henrique Farnese Pires Pereira; Nicholas S. BRAJAK; Sandeep Madhu THOTA; Kyle M. THOMAS
Original assignee: Stryker Corp
Current assignee: Stryker Corp
Priority date: 2023-11-09
Filing date: 2024-11-05
Publication date: 2025-05-15
Anticipated expiration: 2026-05-09

Abstract

A patient support apparatus includes a support surface, at least one UWB transceiver, and a controller. The controller is adapted to receive boundary information defining a boundary of a room in which the patient support apparatus is currently located. The controller may use the boundary information to automatically define one or more boundaries of one or more zones. The controller may react to the presence of one or more UWB tags or devices within any of the zones in different manners. The controller may monitor movement of person-worn tags or badges to automatically determine the location of doorways. The boundary information may be stored in a fixed locator unit that communicates with the patient support apparatus, it may be manually input into the patient support apparatus, and/or the patient support apparatus may determine the boundary information itself. The controller may automatically determine if a nearby door is open or closed.

Description

PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTION

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application serial number 63/597,412 filed November 9, 2023, by inventors Michael Graves et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTION, to U.S. provisional patent application serial number 63/615,873 filed December 29, 2023, by inventors Michael Graves et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTION, and to U.S. provisional patent application serial number 63/565,946 filed March 15, 2024, by inventor Kyle M. Thomas and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTION, the complete disclosures of which are all incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

[0002] The present disclosure relates to patient support apparatuses, such as beds, cots, stretchers, recliners, or the like. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to patient support apparatuses that automatically determine information about one or more aspects of the environment in which they are currently positioned.

SUMMARY

[0003] According to the various aspects described herein, the present disclosure is directed to a patient support apparatus system that receives and/or detects information regarding one or more aspects of the environment in which it is positioned. Typically, such patient support apparatuses are positioned within a room of a healthcare facility, and the patient support apparatus receives and/or detects information regarding any one or more of the following aspects of the room in which it is positioned: a boundary of the room, the location of any doors (into a bathroom, a hallway, closet, etc.), the location of any areas of interest within the room (e.g. a handwashing station, a sink, a bathroom, etc.), the open or closed state of any of the doors, the presence of another patient support apparatus in the room, the presence of a caregiver or patient in the room, the presence of a room divider, and/or other aspects of the room. The patient support apparatus may detect any one or more of these aspects automatically using one or more ultra-wideband transceivers, or by other means. In some aspects, the patient support apparatus is adapted to automatically define one or more zones and to monitor devices that move into and/or out of those zones. The patient support apparatus may take one or more actions automatically in response to a device moving into or out of a zone. In some aspects, a fixed locator unit may store information about the room and transmit it to the patient support apparatus for use by the patient support apparatus. These and other aspects of the present disclosure will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of the following written description and the accompanying drawings. [0004] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a patient support apparatus is provided that includes a support surface, an ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver, a network transceiver, and a controller. The support surface is adapted to support a patient. The ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver is adapted to wirelessly communicate with a device. The network transceiver is adapted to communicate with a healthcare facility computer network. The controller is adapted to receive boundary information defining a boundary of a room in which the patient support apparatus is currently located, to use the boundary information to define a zone, to use the UWB transceiver to range with the device in order to determine if the device is positioned inside or outside of the zone, to react to a presence of the device in a first manner if the device is positioned inside the zone, and to react to the presence of the device in a second and different manner if the device is positioned outside the zone. [0005] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a patient support apparatus is provided that includes a support surface, an ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver, a network transceiver, and a controller. The support surface is adapted to support a patient. The ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver is adapted to wirelessly communicate with a badge worn by a person. The network transceiver is adapted to communicate with a healthcare facility computer network. The controller is adapted to use the UWB transceiver to range with the tag in order to determine a position of the tag relative to the patient support apparatus, to monitor movement of the tag, and to determine from the monitoring of the movement of the tag where a doorway is located.

[0006] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a patient support apparatus is provided that includes a support surface, an ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver, a network transceiver, and a controller. The support surface is adapted to support a patient. The ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver is adapted to wirelessly communicate with a badge worn by a person. The network transceiver is adapted to communicate with a healthcare facility computer network. The controller is adapted to range with the device in order to determine a position of the device relative to the patient support apparatus, and to determine if the device is positioned inside a first zone, inside a second zone, or outside of both the first zone and the second zone. The controller is further adapted to react in a first manner if the device is positioned inside the first zone, to react in a second and different manner if the device is positioned outside the first zone but inside the second zone, and to react in a third and different manner if the device is positioned outside of both the first and second zones.

[0007] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a patient support apparatus is provided that includes a support surface, an ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver, a network transceiver, and a controller. The support surface is adapted to support a patient. The ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver is adapted to wirelessly communicate with a badge worn by a person. The network transceiver is adapted to communicate with a healthcare facility computer network. The controller is adapted to range with the device in order to determine if the device is positioned inside or outside of a zone having a first area, to react to a presence of the device in a first manner if the device is positioned inside the zone, to react to the presence of the device in a second and different manner if the device is positioned outside the zone, and to change the zone from having the first area to having a second area different from the first area in response to a trigger.

[0008] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a patient support apparatus is provided that includes a support surface, an ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver, a network transceiver, and a controller. The support surface is adapted to support a patient. The UWB transceiver is adapted to wirelessly communicate with a device. The network transceiver is adapted to communicate with a healthcare facility computer network. The controller is adapted to associate the device with the patient support apparatus if the device meets at least one criterion; to carry out a plurality of functions in response to commands received from the device if the device is associated with the patient support apparatus; to not carry out any of the plurality of functions in response to commands received from the device if the device is disassociated from the patient support apparatus; to use the UWB transceiver to range with the device in order to determine when the device exits a zone having a first area; and to wait a predetermined amount of time after the device exits the zone before automatically disassociating the device from the patient support apparatus.

[0009] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a patient support apparatus is provided that includes a support surface, an ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver, a network transceiver, and a controller. The support surface is adapted to support a patient. The UWB transceiver is adapted to wirelessly communicate with a device. The network transceiver is adapted to communicate with a healthcare facility computer network. The controller is adapted to associate the device with the patient support apparatus if the device meets at least one criterion; to carry out a plurality of functions in response to commands received from the device if the device is associated with the patient support apparatus; to not carry out any of the plurality of functions in response to commands received from the device if the device is disassociated from the patient support apparatus; to use the UWB transceiver to range with the device in order to determine when the device exits a zone having a first area; and to automatically disassociate the device from the patient support apparatus in response to whichever one of the following occurs first: (a) passage of a predetermined amount of time after the device exits the zone; and (b) movement of the device outside of a boundary.

[0010] According to other aspects of the present disclosure, the controller is further adapted to carry out only a subset of the plurality of functions in response to commands received from the device after the device exits the zone but before the device is disassociated from the patient support apparatus.

[0011] In some aspects, the controller is further adapted to sub-divide the predetermined amount of time into a first time period and a subsequent second time period, to carry out only a first subset of the plurality of functions in response to commands received from the device during the first time period; and to carry out only a second subset of the plurality of functions in response to commands received from the device during the second time period, wherein the second subset is a subset of the first subset.

[0012] In some aspects, the controller is further adapted to sub-divide the predetermined amount of time into a first time period and a subsequent second time period, to carry out all of the plurality of functions in response to commands received from the device during the first time period; and to carry out only a subset of the plurality of functions in response to commands received from the device during the second time period.

[0013] In some aspects, the first subset of the plurality of functions includes: (a) driving an actuator onboard the patient support apparatus to move a component of the patient support apparatus, and (b) sending a command to a television; and wherein the second subset of the plurality of functions excludes driving the actuator onboard the patient support apparatus and includes sending the command to the television.

[0014] The controller, in some aspects, is adapted to automatically associate the device to the patient support apparatus in response to the device moving within a threshold distance of the patient support apparatus, as determined from ranging between the UWB transceiver and the device.

[0015] The threshold distance, in some aspects, is defined by an association zone. The association zone may be the same as, or different from, the zone.

[0016] In some aspects, the controller is adapted to define the zone such that a boundary of the zone substantially matches the boundary of the room.

[0017] In some aspects of the present disclosure, the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information by ranging with a plurality of UWB tags, wherein a first one of the plurality of UWB tags is positioned in a first corner of the room, a second one of the plurality of the UWB tags is positioned in a second corner of the room, and a third one of the plurality of UWB tags is positioned in a third comer of the room.

[0018] The controller, in some aspects, is adapted to receive the boundary information by repetitively ranging with a UWB configuration device as the UWB configuration device is moved around at least a portion of the boundary of the room.

[0019] The portion of the boundary of the room, in some aspects, includes information defining the position of at least two walls of the room.

[0020] The controller, in some aspects, is adapted to receive the boundary information from a computer device via the network transceiver.

[0021] In some aspects, the patient support apparatus further comprise a user interface adapted to allow a user to input the boundary information. [0022] In some aspects, the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information by transmitting a UWB pulse from the UWB transceiver and detecting one or more reflections of the UWB pulse off of one or more walls of the room.

[0023] In some aspects, the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information from a fixed locator unit mounted to a wall or ceiling of the room.

[0024] The patient support apparatus, in some aspects, is adapted to receive the boundary information from the fixed locator unit using the UWB transceiver.

[0025] The controller, in some aspects, is adapted to use the UWB transceiver to range with the fixed locator unit in order to determine a position of the patient support apparatus within the boundary of the room.

[0026] In some aspects, the patient support apparatus further includes a microphone positioned thereon adapted to convert sound waves of the patients’ voice into audio signals, and the controller is adapted to directly forward the audio signals to the fixed locator unit.

[0027] The controller, in some aspects, is adapted to receive the boundary information by repetitively ranging with a fixed locator unit mounted to a wall or ceiling of the room while the patient support apparatus is moved around at least a portion of the boundary of the room.

[0028] In some aspects, the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information from a measurement device adapted to detect distances to walls of the room by rotating a laser beam and detecting reflections of the laser beam.

[0029] The measurement device, in some aspects, is adapted to wirelessly communicate with the patient support apparatus.

[0030] The measurement device, in some aspects, includes a jig adapted to support the measurement device on the patient support apparatus at a fixed and known position with respect to the patient support apparatus while the measurement device measures distances to walls of the room.

[0031] In some aspects, the measurement device includes a jig adapted to support the measurement device at a fixed and known position with respect to a fixed locator unit positioned on one of the walls while the measurement device measures the distances to the walls of the room.

[0032] The controller, in some aspects, is adapted to define the zone without using the boundary information if the controller does not receive the boundary information.

[0033] The controller, in some aspects, is adapted to define the zone by selecting a border for the zone having a predetermined size and a predetermined shape.

[0034] The controller, in some aspects, is adapted to change a boundary of the zone in response to a trigger.

[0035] The trigger, in some aspects, includes any one or more of the following: a presence of another patient support apparatus within the room, a presence of a caregiver within the room, a presence of a room divider in the room, an absence of another patient support apparatus in the room, an absence of a caregiver within the room, or an absence of a room divider in the room.

[0036] In some aspects, the controller is further adapted to define a second zone different from the zone; to react to the presence of the device within the second zone, but outside the zone, in the second manner; and to react to the presence of the device outside of both the zone and the second zone in a third manner different from both the first and second manners.

[0037] The device, in some aspects, is a pendant having a first control and a second control. The first control is adapted to instruct the controller to move a component of the patient support apparatus and the second control is adapted to instruct the controller to control a television positioned within the room. The first manner includes the controller enabling both the first and second controls, the second manner includes the controller disabling the first control but enabling the second control, and the third manner includes disabling both the first and second controls.

[0038] In some aspects, the device is a tag attached to a door in a manner that causes the tag to move to different positions when the door is open and when the door is closed, the first manner includes the controller ranging with the tag to determine its relative position to the patient support apparatus and determining if the door is currently open or closed based upon the ranging, and the second manner includes not determining if the door is currently open or closed.

[0039] The controller, in some aspects, is further adapted to use the UWB transceiver to range with a tag attached to a door and to determine if the door is open or closed based upon the ranging.

[0040] In some aspects, the controller is adapted to range with the tag and determine if the door is open or closed regardless of whether the tag is positioned inside or outside of the zone.

[0041] The first manner, in some aspects, includes the controller pairing with the device and the second manner includes the controller not pairing with the device.

[0042] In some aspects, the first manner includes the controller associating the device to at least one of the patient support apparatus or the patient, and the second manner includes the controller not associating the device to the patient support apparatus or the patient.

[0043] In some aspects, the first manner includes receiving an ID from the device and sending a message to a server in communication with the healthcare facility computer network via the network transceiver, and the second manner includes not sending the message to the server.

[0044] The message, in some aspects, includes the ID of the device.

[0045] The message, in some aspects, indicates that the device is to be associated with the patient support apparatus.

[0046] The message, in some aspects, contains data generated by the device that is to be stored in an electronic medical record. [0047] In some aspects, the message indicates that the device is currently positioned within the room.

[0048] The controller, in some aspects, is adapted to use the UWB transceiver to range with a badge worn by a person.

[0049] The controller, in some aspects, is further adapted to determine if the tag is worn by the patient or a caregiver.

[0050] In some aspects, the controller is adapted to determine if the tag is worn by the patient or the caregiver based upon ID data wirelessly transmitted from the tag to the UWB transceiver.

[0051] In some aspects, the controller is adapted to monitor movement of the tag and to determine from the monitoring of the movement of the tag whether the tag is worn by a caregiver or by a patient.

[0052] The controller, in some aspects, is adapted to monitor movement of the tag and to determine from the monitoring of the movement of the tag where a doorway is located in the room. [0053] In some aspects, the controller is adapted to determine whether the doorway is a bathroom doorway or a hallway doorway.

[0054] The controller, in some aspects, is further adapted to determine if the tag is worn by the patient or a caregiver, to conclude that the doorway is a bathroom doorway if the tag is worn by the patient and the tag travels through the doorway, and to conclude that the doorway is a hallway doorway if the tag is worn by the caregiver and the tag travels through the doorway.

[0055] In some aspects, the controller is further adapted to record how often a patient visits a bathroom based upon movement of the tag through the bathroom doorway.

[0056] The controller, in some aspects, is further adapted to use the UWB transceiver to range with a fixed locator unit mounted to a wall or ceiling of the room, and to use the ranging to determine a position of the patient support apparatus within the boundary of the room.

[0057] In some aspects, the information defining the boundary of the room defines the boundary of the room in two dimensions.

[0058] In some aspects, the information defining the boundary of the room defines the boundary of the room in three dimensions.

[0059] The patient support apparatus, in some aspects, further includes a second UWB transceiver and a third UWB transceiver adapted to range with the device. The controller is further adapted to also use the second and third UWB transceivers to determine if the device is positioned inside or outside of the zone.

[0060] The controller, in some aspects, is further adapted to use the UWB transceiver, second UWB transceiver, and third transceiver to range with a second device and to determine if the second device is positioned inside or outside of the zone. [0061] The controller, in some aspects, is further adapted to react to the presence of the second device in the first manner if the second device is positioned inside the zone, and to react to the presence of the second device in the second manner if the second device is positioned outside the zone.

[0062] In some aspects, the device is a medical device adapted to be used in a treatment of the patient.

[0063] In some aspects, the device is one of the following: a second patient support apparatus; an infusion pump; a vital sign sensor; an exercise device; a heel care boot; an IV stand; a ventilator; a DVT pump; a patient monitor; a patient positioning device; an ambient surroundings sensor; a mattress; an incontinence detector; a Holter device adapted to monitor and record a patient’s heart signals; a patient ID tag; a caregiver tag; a patient temperature management device; or wound treatment device.

[0064] In some aspects, the patient support apparatus further includes a memory in which boundary information is stored, the boundary information defining a boundary of a room in which the patient support apparatus is located.

[0065] The controller, in some aspects, is further adapted to use the boundary information to determine where the doorway is located relative to the boundary of the room.

[0066] In some aspects, the UWB transceiver is also adapted to wirelessly communicate with a device separate from the badge worn by the person, and the controller is adapted to receive boundary information defining a boundary of a room in which the patient support apparatus is currently located, to use the boundary information to define a zone, to use the UWB transceiver to determine if the device is positioned inside or outside of the zone, to react to a presence of the device in a first manner if the device is positioned inside the zone, and to react to the presence of the device in a second and different manner if the device is positioned outside the zone.

[0067] In some aspects, the patient support apparatus further includes a microphone positioned thereon adapted to convert sound waves of the patients’ voice into audio signals, and the controller is adapted to directly forward the audio signals to the fixed locator unit.

[0068] In some aspects, the second zone substantially matches a boundary of a room in which the patient support apparatus is currently positioned.

[0069] The first zone, in some aspects, is smaller than the second zone.

[0070] In some aspects, the controller is adapted to receive boundary information defining a boundary of a room in which the patient support apparatus is currently located, and to use the boundary information to define one of the first zone or the second zone.

[0071] The controller, in some aspects, is adapted to define the one of the first zone or the second zone such that its boundary substantially matches the boundary of the room. [0072] In some aspects, the controller is adapted to define the one of the first zone or the second zone to match a predetermined size and a predetermined shape.

[0073] The controller, in some aspects, is adapted to change a boundary of at least one of the first or second zones in response to a trigger.

[0074] In some aspects, the trigger includes any one or more of the following: a receipt of boundary information defining a boundary of a room in which the patient support apparatus is positioned, a presence of another patient support apparatus within the room, a presence of a caregiver within the room, a presence of a room divider in the room, an absence of another patient support apparatus in the room, an absence of a caregiver within the room, or an absence of a room divider in the room.

[0075] In some aspects, the first area is smaller than the second area, the trigger is a receipt of boundary information defining a boundary of a room in which the patient support apparatus is positioned, and the controller is configured to change a boundary of the zone such that the boundary of the zone substantially matches the boundary of the room in response to the trigger.

[0076] In some aspects, the first area is larger than the second area and the trigger is a detection of a second patient support apparatus within a room in which the patient support apparatus is positioned.

[0077] In some aspects, the controller is further adapted to receive information defining an area of interest in the room, and to record when a person wearing a UWB tag visits the area of interest. The area of interest may include a bathroom, a hand-washing station, a supply closet, a sink, a storage unit, or another area of the room.

[0078] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a fixed locator unit that is adapted to be mounted to a wall or ceiling of a room within a healthcare facility is provided. The fixed locator unit includes a first UWB transceiver, a headwall interface, a memory, and a controller. The first UWB transceiver is adapted to wirelessly communicate with a second UWB transceiver positioned onboard a patient support apparatus. The headwall interface is adapted to establish a multi-pin connection to a connector mounted in the room (e.g. on the wall or ceiling of the healthcare facility), wherein the multi-pin connection includes a plurality of pins. The controller is adapted to route patient audio signals received from the patient support apparatus to a particular pin of the plurality of pins, and to receive and store boundary information in the memory. The boundary information defines a boundary of the room in which the fixed locator unit is positioned.

[0079] In some aspects, the fixed locator unit controller is further adapted to transmit the boundary information to the patient support apparatus.

[0080] The fixed locator unit controller, in some aspects, is adapted to receive the boundary information by ranging with a plurality of UWB tags, wherein a first one of the plurality of UWB tags is positioned in a first comer of the room, a second one of the plurality of the UWB tags is positioned in a second corner of the room, and a third one of the plurality of UWB tags is positioned in a third comer of the room.

[0081] In some aspects, the fixed locator unit controller is adapted to receive the boundary information by repetitively ranging with a UWB configuration tag as the UWB configuration tag is moved around at least a portion of the boundary of the room.

[0082] The portion of the boundary of the room, in some aspects, includes along at least two walls of the room.

[0083] In some aspects, the fixed locator unit controller is adapted to receive the boundary information from a computer device via a network transceiver adapted to communicate with a healthcare facility computer network.

[0084] In some aspects, the fixed locator unit further includes a user interface adapted to allow a user to input the boundary information.

[0085] In some aspects, the fixed locator unit controller is adapted to receive the boundary information by transmitting a UWB pulse from the first UWB transceiver and detecting one or more reflections of the UWB pulse off of one or more walls of the room.

[0086] The fixed locator unit controller, in some aspects, is further adapted to use the first UWB transceiver to range with the patient support apparatus in order to determine a position of the patient support apparatus within the boundary of the room.

[0087] In some aspects, the fixed locator unit controller is adapted to receive the boundary information from a measurement device adapted to detect distances to walls of the room by rotating a laser beam and detecting reflections of the laser beam.

[0088] The measurement device, in some aspects, is adapted to wirelessly communicate the fixed locator unit.

[0089] The measurement device, in some aspects, includes a jig adapted to support the measurement device on the patient support apparatus at a fixed and known position with respect to the patient support apparatus while the measurement device measures distances to walls of the room. [0090] The measurement device, in some aspects, includes a jig adapted to support the measurement device at a fixed and known position with respect to the fixed locator unit while the measurement device measures the distances to the walls of the room.

[0091] In some aspects, the fixed locator unit controller is further adapted to use the first UWB transceiver to range with a tag, wherein the tag is attached to a door in a manner that causes the tag to move to different positions when the door is open and when the door is closed, and the fixed locator unit controller is adapted to determine from the ranging with the tag whether the door is currently open or closed. [0092] The fixed locator unit controller, in some aspects, is adapted to use the first UWB transceiver to range with a badge worn by a person.

[0093] The fixed locator unit controller, in some aspects is further adapted to determine if the tag is worn by the patient or a caregiver.

[0094] The fixed locator unit controller, in some aspects is adapted to determine if the tag is worn by the patient or the caregiver based upon ID data wirelessly transmitted from the tag to the first UWB transceiver.

[0095] The fixed locator unit controller, in some aspects is adapted to monitor movement of the tag and to determine from the monitoring of the movement of the tag whether the tag is worn by a caregiver or by a patient.

[0096] The fixed locator unit controller, in some aspects is adapted to monitor movement of the tag and to determine from the monitoring of the movement of the tag where a doorway is located in the room.

[0097] In some aspects, the fixed locator unit controller is adapted to determine whether the doorway is a bathroom doorway or a hallway doorway.

[0098] In some aspects, the fixed locator unit controller is adapted to determine if the tag is worn by the patient or a caregiver, to conclude that the doorway is a bathroom doorway if the tag is worn by the patient and the tag travels through the doorway, and to conclude that the doorway is a hallway doorway if the tag is worn by the caregiver and the tag travels through the doorway.

[0099] In some aspects, the fixed locator unit controller is adapted to record how often a patient visits a bathroom based upon movement of the tag through the bathroom doorway.

[00100] In some aspects, the information defining the boundary of the room defines the boundary of the room in two dimensions.

[00101] The information defining the boundary of the room, in some aspects, defines the boundary of the room in three dimensions.

[00102] In some aspects, the fixed locator unit further includes a radio frequency (RF) transceiver adapted to communicate with the patient support apparatus.

[00103] The RF transceiver, in some aspects, is a Bluetooth transceiver.

[00104] The fixed locator unit controller, in some aspects, is adapted to transmit the boundary information to the patient support apparatus using the RF transceiver.

[00105] In some aspects, the fixed locator unit controller is further adapted to store in the memory a location indicator and to transmit the location indicator to the patient support apparatus after the fixed locator unit controller associates the patient support apparatus with the fixed locator unit.

[00106] In some aspects, the location indicator includes at least one of a room number, a floor number, or a department of the healthcare facility. [00107] In some aspects, the fixed locator unit controller is further adapted to store doorway information defining a location of a door to the room and to transmit the doorway information to the patient support apparatus.

[00108] The fixed locator unit controller, in some aspects, is further adapted to store information defining an area of interest in the room, and to transmit the information defining the area of interest to the patient support apparatus.

[00109] The fixed locator unit controller, in some aspects, is further adapted to store privacy information indicating whether the room is a private room with a single patient support apparatus or a semi-private room with multiple patient support apparatuses.

[00110] The fixed locator unit controller, in some aspects, is further adapted to receive nurse audio signals from the connector and to wirelessly forward the nurse audio signals to the patient support apparatus.

[00111] Before the various aspects of the disclosure are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the claims are not to be limited to the details of operation or to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The aspects described herein are capable of being practiced or being carried out in alternative ways not expressly disclosed herein. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of "including" and "comprising" and variations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items and equivalents thereof. Further, enumeration may be used in the description of various embodiments. Unless otherwise expressly stated, the use of enumeration should not be construed as limiting the claims to any specific order or number of components. Nor should the use of enumeration be construed as excluding from the scope of the claims any additional steps or components that might be combined with or into the enumerated steps or components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[00112] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a patient support apparatus according to a first aspect of the present disclosure;

[00113] FIG. 2 is a plan view of an illustrative caregiver control panel of the patient support apparatus of FIG. 1 ;

[00114] FIG. 3 is a plan view of an illustrative patient control panel of the patient support apparatus of FIG. 1 ;

[00115] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a patient support apparatus system of the present disclosure showing the patient support apparatus, a plurality of devices, a caregiver with a badge, and a fixed locator unit that is used for automatically detecting the location of a patient support apparatus and/or other devices;

[00116] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the patient support apparatus system of FIG. 4;

[00117] FIG. 6 is a plan view of a healthcare facility room illustrating one manner in which the patient support apparatus and/or the fixed locator unit may determine the boundaries of the room; [00118] FIG. 7 is a plan view of a healthcare facility room illustrating different zones a controller of the patient support apparatus may select to utilize;

[00119] FIG. 8 is a plan view of a healthcare facility room illustrating multiple zones that the controller of the patient support apparatus may simultaneously utilize;

[00120] FIG. 9 is plan view of a healthcare facility room illustrating one manner in which multiple patient support apparatuses positioned in the same room may operate;

[00121] FIG. 10 is a plan view of multiple patient support apparatuses illustrating how nearby patient support apparatuses may adjust one or more of their zones;

[00122] FIG. 11 is a plan view of a healthcare facility room illustrating one manner in which a patient support apparatus may adjust its zone in response to the entry of another patient support apparatus into the same room;

[00123] FIG. 12 is a plan view of a healthcare facility room illustrating one manner in which the patient support apparatus and/or fixed locator unit may automatically determine that one or more doorways are open;

[00124] FIG. 13 is a plan view of a healthcare facility room illustrating one manner in which the patient support apparatus and/or fixed locator unit may automatically determine that one or more doorways are closed; and

[00125] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a fixed locator unit and jig that may be used to detect the boundaries of a room in which the fixed locator unit is positioned.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

[00126] An illustrative patient support apparatus 20 according to the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 1. Although the particular form of patient support apparatus 20 illustrated in FIG. 1 is a bed adapted for use in a hospital or other medical setting, it will be understood that patient support apparatus 20 could be a cot, a stretcher, a recliner, an operating table, or any other structure capable of supporting a patient in a healthcare environment.

[00127] In general, patient support apparatus 20 includes a base 22 having a plurality of wheels 24, a pair of lifts 26 supported on the base 22, a litter frame 28 supported on the lifts 26, and a support deck 30 supported on the litter frame 28. Patient support apparatus 20 further includes a headboard 32, a footboard 34 and a plurality of siderails 36. Siderails 36 are all shown in a raised position in FIG. 1 but are each individually movable to a lower position in which ingress into, and egress out of, patient support apparatus 20 is not obstructed by the lowered siderails 36.

[00128] Lifts 26 are adapted to raise and lower litter frame 28 with respect to base 22. Lifts 26 may be hydraulic actuators, electric actuators, or any other suitable device for raising and lowering litter frame 28 with respect to base 22. Lifts 26 may be operable independently so that the tilting of litter frame 28 with respect to base 22 can also be adjusted, to place the litter frame 28 in a flat or horizontal orientation, a Trendelenburg orientation, or a reverse Trendelenburg orientation. That is, litter frame 28 includes a head end 38 and a foot end 40, each of whose height can be independently adjusted by the nearest lift 26. Patient support apparatus 20 is designed so that when an occupant lies thereon, his or her head will be positioned adjacent head end 38 and his or her feet will be positioned adjacent foot end 40.

[00129] Litter frame 28 provides a structure for supporting support deck 30, the headboard 32, footboard 34, and siderails 36. Support deck 30 provides a support surface for a mattress 42, or other soft cushion, so that a person may lie and/or sit thereon. Mattress 42 may include one or more inflatable bladders that are controllable via a blower, pump, or other source of pressurized air. The inflation of the bladders of the mattress 42 may be controllable via electronics built into patient support apparatus 20. Mattress 42 may take on any of the functions and/or structures of any of the mattresses disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent 9,468,307 issued October 18, 2016, to inventors Patrick Lafleche et al., the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Still other types of mattresses may be used.

[00130] Support deck 30 is made of a plurality of sections, some of which are pivotable about generally horizontal pivot axes. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , support deck 30 includes at least a head section 44, a thigh section 46, and a foot section 48, all of which are positioned underneath mattress 42 and which generally form flat surfaces for supporting mattress 42. Head section 44, which is also sometimes referred to as a Fowler section, is pivotable about a generally horizontal pivot axis between a generally horizontal orientation (not shown in FIG. 1) and a plurality of raised positions (one of which is shown in FIG. 1). Thigh section 46 and foot section 48 may also be pivotable about generally horizontal pivot axes.

[00131] Patient support apparatus 20 may be modified from what is shown to include one or more components adapted to allow the user to extend the width and/or length of patient support deck 30, thereby allowing patient support apparatus 20 to accommodate patients of varying sizes. When so modified, the width of deck 30 may be adjusted sideways and/or lengthwise in increments or otherwise. [00132] As used herein, the term “longitudinal” refers to a direction parallel to an axis between the head end 38 and the foot end 40. The terms “transverse” or “lateral” refer to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and parallel to a surface on which the patient support apparatus 20 rests.

[00133] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that patient support apparatus 20 can be designed with other types of mechanical constructions that are different from what is shown in the attached drawings, such as, but not limited to, the construction described in commonly assigned, U.S. Patent No. 10,130,536 to Roussy et al., entitled PATIENT SUPPORT USABLE WITH BARIATRIC PATIENTS, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In another example, the mechanical construction of patient support apparatus 20 may include the same, or nearly the same, structures as the Model 3002 S3 bed manufactured and sold by Stryker Corporation of Kalamazoo, Michigan. This construction is described in greater detail in the Stryker Maintenance Manual for the MedSurg Bed, Model 3002 S3, published in 2010 by Stryker Corporation of Kalamazoo, Michigan, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In still another example, the mechanical construction of patient support apparatus 20 may include the same, or nearly the same, structure as the Model 3009 Procuity MedSurg bed manufactured and sold by Stryker Corporation of Kalamazoo, Michigan. This construction is described in greater detail in the Stryker Maintenance Manual for the 3009 Procuity MedSurg bed (publication 3009-009-002, Rev. A.0), published in 2020 by Stryker Corporation of Kalamazoo, Michigan.

[00134] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that patient support apparatus 20 can be designed with still other types of mechanical constructions, such as, but not limited to, those described in commonly assigned, U.S. Pat. No. 7,690,59 issued April 6, 2010, to Lemire et al., and entitled HOSPITAL BED; and/or commonly assigned U.S. Pat. publication No. 2007/0163045 filed by Becker et al. and entitled PATIENT HANDLING DEVICE INCLUDING LOCAL STATUS INDICATION, ONE- TOUCH FOWLER ANGLE ADJUSTMENT, AND POWER-ON ALARM CONFIGURATION, the complete disclosures of both of which are also hereby incorporated herein by reference. The overall mechanical construction of patient support apparatus 20 may also take on still other forms different from what is disclosed in the aforementioned references provided the patient support apparatus includes one or more of the functions, features, and/or structures discussed in greater detail below. [00135] Patient support apparatus 20 further includes a plurality of control panels 54 that enable a user of patient support apparatus 20, such as a patient and/or an associated caregiver, to control one or more aspects of patient support apparatus 20. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , patient support apparatus 20 includes a footboard control panel 54a, a pair of outer siderail control panels 54b (only one of which is visible), and a pair of inner siderail control panels 54c (only one of which is visible). Footboard control panel 54a and outer siderail control panels 54b are intended to be used by caregivers, or other authorized personnel, while inner siderail control panels 54c are intended to be used by the patient associated with patient support apparatus 20. Each of the control panels 54 includes a plurality of controls 50 (see, e.g. FIGS. 2-3), although each control panel 54 does not necessarily include the same controls and/or functionality.

[00136] Among other functions, controls 50 of control panel 54a allow a user to control one or more of the following: change a height of support deck 30; raise or lower head section 44; activate and deactivate a brake for wheels 24; arm and disarm an exit detection system 136 and/or an onboard monitoring system 138 (FIG. 5); change various settings on patient support apparatus 20; view the current location of the patient support apparatus 20 as determined by the location detection system discussed herein; view what devices, such as, but not limited to, medical devices, exercise devices, nurse call devices, caregiver badges, patient badges, tagged objects, etc. that the patient support apparatus 20 has associated itself with; input boundary information regarding the room in which patient support apparatus 20 located in (or may be located in in the future; control a process by which patient support apparatus 20 automatically determines such boundary information; input other room information; control characteristics of one or more zones that patient support apparatus 20 uses for associating itself with nearby devices; and/or perform other actions.

[00137] One or both of the inner siderail control panels 54c also include at least one control that enables a patient to call a remotely located nurse (or other caregiver). In addition to the nurse call control, one or both of the inner siderail control panels 54c also include one or more controls for controlling one or more features of one or more room devices positioned within the same room as the patient support apparatus 20. As will be described in more detail below, such room devices include, but are not necessarily limited to, a television, a reading light, and a room light. With respect to the television, the features that may be controllable by one or more controls 50 on control panel 54c include, but are not limited to, the volume, the channel, the closed-captioning, and/or the power state of the television. With respect to the room and/or night lights, the features that may be controlled by one or more controls 50 on control panel 54c include the on/off state and/or the brightness level of these lights.

[00138] Control panel 54a includes a display 52 (FIG. 2) configured to display a plurality of different screens thereon. Surrounding display 52 are a plurality of navigation controls 50a-f that, when activated, cause the display 52 to display different screens on display 52. More specifically, when a user presses navigation control 50a, control panel 54a displays an exit detection control screen on display 52 that includes one or more icons that, when touched, control an onboard exit detection system 136 (FIG. 5). The exit detection system 136 is as adapted to issue an alert when a patient exits from patient support apparatus 20. Exit detection system 136 may include any of the same features and functions as, and/or may be constructed in any of the same manners as, the exit detection system disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application 62/889,254 filed August 20, 2019, by inventors Sujay Sukumaran et al. and entitled PERSON SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH ADJUSTABLE EXIT DETECTION ZONES, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Other types of exit detection systems may be included within patient support apparatus 20.

[00139] When a user presses navigation control 50b (FIG. 2), control panel 54 displays a monitoring control screen that includes a plurality of control icons that, when touched, control the onboard monitoring system 138 (FIG. 5) built into patient support apparatus 20. The onboard monitoring system 138 alerts the caregiver through a unified indicator, such as a light or a plurality of lights controlled in a unified manner, when any one or more of a plurality of settings on patient support apparatus 20 are in an undesired state, and uses that same unified indicator to indicate when all of the plurality of settings are in their respective desired states. Stated alternatively, monitoring system 138, when armed, monitors a plurality of conditions of patient support apparatus 20 (such as, but not limited to, any one or more of the following: brake status, siderail position, litter frame height, exit detection system 136, A/C cord status, nurse call cable status, etc.) and issues an alert if any one of those conditions are in an undesired state. Further details of one type of monitoring system that may be built into patient support apparatus 20 are disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 62/864,638 filed June 21 , 2019, by inventors Kurosh Nahavandi et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH CAREGIVER REMINDERS, as well as commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 16/721 ,133 filed December 19, 2019, by inventors Kurosh Nahavandi et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH MOTION CUSTOMIZATION, the complete disclosures of both of which are incorporated herein by reference. Other types of monitoring systems may be included within patient support apparatus 20.

[00140] When a user presses navigation control 50c, control panel 54a displays a scale control screen that includes a plurality of control icons that, when touched, control a scale system 144 (FIG. 5) of patient support apparatus 20. Such a scale system 144 may include any of the same features and functions as, and/or may be constructed in any of the same manners as, the scale systems disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application 62/889,254 filed August 20, 2019, by inventors Sujay Sukumaran et al. and entitled PERSON SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH ADJUSTABLE EXIT DETECTION ZONES, and U.S. patent application serial number 62/885,954 filed August 13, 2019, by inventors Kurosh Nahavandi et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH EQUIPMENT WEIGHT LOG, the complete disclosures of both of which are incorporated herein by reference. The scale system may utilize the same force sensors and/or other components that are utilized by the exit detection system 136, or it may utilize one or more different sensors and/or other components. Other scale systems besides those mentioned above in the ‘254 and ‘954 applications may alternatively be included within patient support apparatus 20.

[00141] When a user presses navigation control 50d, control panel 54 displays a motion control screen that includes a plurality of control icons that, when touched, control the movement of various components of patient support apparatus 20, such as, but not limited to, the height of litter frame 28 and the pivoting of head section 44. The motion control screen displayed on display 52 in response to pressing control 50d may be the same as, or similar to, the position control screen 216 disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 62/885,953 filed August 13, 2019, by inventors Kurosh Nahavandi et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH TOUCHSCREEN, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Other types of motion control screens may be included on patient support apparatus 20.

[00142] When a user presses navigation control 50e, control panel 54a displays a motion lock control screen that includes a plurality of control icons that, when touched, control one or more motion lockout functions of patient support apparatus 20. Such motion lockout functions typically include the ability for a caregiver to use control panel 54a to lock out one or more of the motion controls 50 of the patient control panels 54c such that the patient is not able to use those controls 50 on control panels 54c to control the movement of one or more components of patient support apparatus 20. The motion lockout screen may include any of the features and functions as, and/or may be constructed in any of the same manners as, the motion lockout features, functions, and constructions disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 16/721 ,133 filed December 19, 2019, by inventors Kurosh Nahavandi et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH MOTION CUSTOMIZATION, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Other types of motion lockouts may be included within patient support apparatus 20.

[00143] When a user presses on navigation control 50f, control panel 54a displays a menu screen that includes a plurality of menu icons that, when touched, bring up one or more additional screens for controlling and/or viewing one or more other aspects of patient support apparatus 20. Such other aspects include, but are not limited to, one or more of the aforementioned functions (e.g. activating and deactivating a brake for wheels 24; changing various settings on patient support apparatus 20; viewing the current location of the patient support apparatus 20 as determined by the location detection system discussed herein; viewing what devices, such as, but not limited to, medical devices, exercise devices, nurse call devices, caregiver badges, patient badges, tagged objects, etc. that the patient support apparatus 20 has associated itself with; inputting boundary information regarding the room in which patient support apparatus 20 located in (or may be located in in the future; controlling a process by which patient support apparatus 20 automatically determines such boundary information; inputting other room information; controlling and/or viewing characteristics of one or more zones that patient support apparatus 20 uses for associating itself with nearby devices; and/or performing other actions); displaying diagnostic and/or service information for patient support apparatus 20; displaying mattress control and/or status information; displaying configuration settings, location information, and other settings and/or information; and/or displaying and/or controlling other information relating to patient support apparatus 20.

[00144] Examples of menu screens are shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 , as well as the menu screen 100 disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 62/885,953 filed August 13, 2019, by inventors Kurosh Nahavandi et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH TOUCHSCREEN, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Other types of menus and/or settings may be included within patient support apparatus 20. In at least one example, utilization of navigation control 50f allows a user to navigate to a screen that enables a user to see which devices, if any, are currently associated with patient support apparatus 20. As will be discussed in greater detail below, patient support apparatus 20 includes an onboard locating system that is adapted to automatically determine the relative position of one or more devices with respect to patient support apparatus 20 and, in some instances, automatically associate and/or disassociate those devices with and/or from patient support apparatus 20 (and/or the patient assigned to patient support apparatus 20) depending upon the proximity of the device to patient support apparatus 20 and/or based on other factors (e.g. time). Further details of this locating system are provided below.

[00145] For all of the navigation controls 50a-f (FIG. 2), screens other than the ones specifically mentioned above may be displayed on display 52 in other constructions of patient support apparatus 20 in response to a user pressing these controls. Thus, it will be understood that the specific screens mentioned above are merely representative of the types of screens that are displayable on display 52 in response to a user pressing on one or more of navigation controls 50a-f. It will also be understood that, although navigation controls 50a-f have all been illustrated in the accompanying drawings as dedicated controls that are positioned adjacent display 52, any one or more of these controls 50a-f could alternatively be touchscreen controls that are displayed at one or more locations on display 52. Still further, although controls 50a-f have been shown herein as buttons, it will be understood that any of controls 50a-f could also, or alternatively, be switches, dials, or other types of non-button controls. Additionally, patient support apparatus 20 may be modified to include additional, fewer, and/or different navigation controls from the navigation controls 50a-f shown in FIG. 2.

[00146] FIG. 3 illustrates one example of a patient control panel that may be integrated into patient support apparatus 20 (e.g. control panel 54c), that may be integrated into a stand-alone pendant that is communicatively coupled to patient support apparatus 20, either by a cord or wirelessly, and/or that may be both integrated into patient support apparatus 20 and a stand-alone pendant. As will be discussed in more detail below, when the patient control panel of FIG. 3 is integrated into a wireless pendant, it may be considered to be one type of a device 100 that patient support apparatus 20 is configured to automatically pair with if it is positioned within a particular zone, as will also be discussed in greater detail below. Regardless of whether it is part of an integrated control panel 54c or a device 100, the patient control panel of FIG. 3 includes a plurality of controls 50g-t that are intended to be operated by a patient. A nurse call control 50g, when pressed by the patient, sends a signal to a nurse call system requesting that a remotely positioned nurse talk to the patient. A Fowler-up control 50h, when pressed by the patient, causes a motorized actuator onboard patient support apparatus 20 to raise Fowler section 44 upwardly. A Fowler-down control 50i, when pressed by the patient, causes the motorized actuator to lower Fowler section 44 downwardly. A gatch- up control 50j, when pressed by the patient, causes another motorized actuator to raise a knee section of support deck 30, while a gatch-down control 50k causes the motorized actuator to lower the knee section of support deck 30. The knee section may refer to the joint that couples thigh section 46 to foot section 48.

[00147] A volume-up control 50I, when pressed by the patient, causes patient support apparatus 20 to send a signal to an in-room television instructing it to increase its volume, while a volume down control 50m, when pressed, causes patient support apparatus 20 to send a signal to the television instructing it to decrease its volume. A channel-up control 50n, when pressed by the patient, causes patient support apparatus 20 to send a signal to the television instructing it to increase the channel number, while a channel-down control 50o, when pressed, causes patient support apparatus 20 to send a signal to the television instructing it to decrease the channel number.

[00148] A mute control 50p, when pressed, causes patient support apparatus 20 to send a signal to the television instructing it to either mute itself or unmute itself, depending upon whether the television is currently muted or unmuted. In other words, mute control 50p is a toggle control that alternatingly sends mute and unmute commands to the television when it is pressed.

[00149] Power control 50q is a toggle control that, when pressed, sends a signal to the television to either turn on or turn off, depending upon the television’s current power status. Closed- captioning control 50r is another toggle control that, when pressed, sends a signal to the television to either turn on its closed-captioning feature or to turn off its closed captioning feature, depending upon whether the closed-captioning feature is currently on or off.

[00150] Control 50s is a toggle control that, when pressed, sends a signal to a first light to either turn on or turn off, depending upon the current state of that first light. Control 50t is another toggle control that, when pressed, sends a signal to a second light to either turn on or turn off, depending upon the current state of that second light. In some constructions, the first light is a reading light and the second light is a room light, both of which are positioned off-board the patient support apparatus 20. In other constructions, instead of being pure toggle switches, controls 50s and/or 50t may gradually increase or decrease the brightness of the reading or room light as long they are held down, and if subsequently turned off and on, they may reset the brightness level to an initial low (or high) intensity level (that the user can adjust by continuing to press down on the corresponding control 50s or 501

[00151] It will be understood that not only the number of controls 50 on the control panel of FIG. 3, but also the functions of these controls 50, the layout of these controls 50, and/or other aspects of these controls 50 may be modified from what is shown in FIG. 3.

[00152] In those constructions where the control panel of FIG. 3 is integrated into a wireless pendant device 100, patient support apparatus 20 may be configured to only respond to commands from a wireless pendant device 100 if the wireless pendant device 100 has been paired with, or associated with, that particular patient support apparatus 20. The terms “paired” or “associated,” and/or their variants, are generally used interchangeably with each other herein. The manner in which patient support apparatus 20 associates, or pairs, with one or more devices 100 is discussed in greater detail below. In general, patient support apparatus 20 is configured to automatically pair with a device 100, such as a pendant device 100, if the device is moved inside a boundary of a corresponding zone. [00153] In some constructions, patient support apparatus 20 may be configured to only respond to motion commands from the wireless pendant device 100 if patient support apparatus 20 first determines that the pendant device 100 is within a first zone that is narrowly defined around patient support apparatus. In such constructions, if the pendant device 100 is outside of the first zone, but positioned within a larger second zone, patient support apparatus 20 may ignore motion commands from the pendant device 100 but respond to commands to control the television, room light, and/or reading light. Still further, in such constructions, if the pendant device 100 is outside of both the first and second zones, patient support apparatus 20 may be configured to ignore both the motion commands and the room commands (e.g. command to the television, room light, and/or reading light). [00154] In some constructions, patient support apparatus 20 may also be configured to receive motion commands from pendant device 100 via two separate communication protocols. For example, patient support apparatus 20 may be configured to respond to motion commands from the wireless pendant device 100 if it receives the same motion command sent over both a Bluetooth communication channel and another communication channel (e.g. ultra-wideband). If patient support apparatus 20 receives a motion command over only a single communication channel, it is configured to ignore the motion command. This feature is provided as a safety feature such that movement of components of patient support apparatus 20 is only able to be carried out via wirelessly when the motion commands are duplicated across two different wireless communication protocols. In some constructions, the motion commands are continuous signals that are sent over both communication channels and patient support apparatus 20 only responds to these motion commands while it is receiving both of these continuous signals. The term “motion commands,” as used herein, refers to controls 50 that implement movement of one or more components of patient support apparatus 20, such as, but not limited to, controls 50h, 50i, 50j, and 50k.

[00155] FIG. 4 illustrates patient support apparatus 20 positioned within a room 58 of a healthcare facility. FIG. 4 also illustrates additional items that may be present in a healthcare facility and which patient support apparatus 20 is configured to communicate with, including, but not limited to, a locator unit 60, a conventional local area network 80 of the healthcare facility, a badge 142, and one or more devices 100 used within the healthcare facility. Locator units 60 are positioned at known and fixed locations within the healthcare facility in which patient support apparatus 20 is positioned. Locator units 60 function as fixed locators. That is, locator units 60 communicate with patient support apparatuses 20 and share information with them that allows the location of the patient support apparatuses 20 to be determined, as well as the location of any devices 100 that are associated with patient support apparatus 20. In some constructions, locator units 60 may store, determine, and/or share boundary information regarding the boundary of the particular room 58 in which the locator unit 60 is positioned. Locator units 60 may also store, determine, and/or share other room information. The sharing of such information includes the transmission of such information to one or more patient support apparatuses 20 and/or to the healthcare facility network 80 (or a server in communication with the network 80).

[00156] In some constructions, patient support apparatus 20 is configured to be able to communicate with at least two different types of locator units 60: linked locator units and unlinked locator units. One example of a linked locator unit 60 is shown in FIG. 4. Examples of unlinked locator units 60 are shown (and referred to as unlinked locator units 60b) in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 63/306,279 filed February 3, 2022, by inventors Madhu Sandeep Thota et al. and entitled COMMUNICATION SYSTEM FOR PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Other examples of unlinked locator units 60 are shown (and referred to as unlinked locator units 60a) in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 63/356,061 filed June 28, 2022, by inventors Krishna Bhimavarapu et al. and entitled BADGE AND PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Patient support apparatus 20 is configured to communicate with the unlinked locator units described in either of the aforementioned ‘279 or ‘061 applications and/or to perform any one or more of the functions described therein that utilize such unlinked locator units and/or information provided by such unlinked locator units. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, all references herein to “locator units 60” without the term “linked” or “unlinked” in the reference may refer to linked locator unit 60, unlinked locator units 60, and/or both.

[00157] Linked locator units 60 are adapted to be communicatively linked to a conventional communication outlet 64 and are adapted to provide location information to patient support apparatus 20. Linked locator units 60 are also adapted to serve as a communication conduit for routing wireless communications between patient support apparatus 20 and one or more devices and/or systems that are communicatively coupled to communication outlet 64 (e.g. room devices 72, 74, 76, and/or nurse call system 70, FIG. 4). In general, linked locator units 60 are typically positioned in patient rooms of the healthcare facility where one or more communication outlets 64 are present.

[00158] As shown in FIG. 4, linked locator unit 60 is adapted to be mounted to a wall 62, such as a headwall of a patient room 58 within the healthcare facility. The headwall of a conventional healthcare facility room 58 typically includes a conventional communications outlet 64 physically integrated therein. Communications outlet 64 is adapted to receive a nurse call cable 66 that physically connects at its other end either to patient support apparatus 20 (not shown) or to linked locator unit 60 (shown in FIG. 4). In many healthcare facilities, communication outlet 64 includes a 37-pin connector, although other types of connectors are often found in certain healthcare facilities. As will be discussed in greater detail below, linked locator unit 60 and nurse call cable 66 allow patient support apparatus 20 to communicate with a nurse call system 70, and one or more room devices positioned within room 58. [00159] Communication outlet 64 is electrically coupled to one or more cables, wires, or other types of conductors 68 that electrically couple the communication outlet 64 to a nurse call system 70 and one or more conventional room devices, such as a television 72, a room light 74, and/or a reading light 76. Conductors 68 are typically located behind wall 62 and not visible. In some healthcare facilities, conductors 68 may first couple to a room interface circuit board that includes one or more conductors 68 for electrically coupling the room interface circuit board to room device 72, 74, 76 and/or nurse call system 70. Still other communicative arrangements for coupling communication outlet 64 to nurse call system 70 and/or one or more room devices 72, 74, 76 are possible.

[00160] Nurse call cable 66 (FIG. 4) enables linked locator unit 60 to communicate with nurse call system 70 and/or room devices 72, 74, 76. Because patient support apparatus 20 is able to wirelessly communicate with linked locator unit 60, patient support apparatus 20 is thereby able to communicate with nurse call system 70 and room devices 72, 74, 76. A patient supported on patient support apparatus 20 who activates a nurse call control (e.g. 50g; see FIG. 3) on patient support apparatus 20 causes a signal to be wirelessly sent from patient support apparatus 20 to linked locator unit 60, which in turn conveys the signal via nurse call cable 66 to the nurse call system 70, which forwards the signal to one or more remotely located nurses (e.g. nurses at one or more nurse’s stations 78). If the patient activates one or more room device controls (e.g. controls 50l-t; see FIG. 3), one or more wireless signals are conveyed to linked locator unit 60, which in turn sends appropriate signals via nurse call cable 66 to communication outlet 64 and the room device 72, 74, 76 that change one or more features of these devices (e.g. the volume, channel, on/off state, etc.). [00161] As is also shown in FIG. 4, patient support apparatus 20 is further configured to communicate with a local area network 80 of the healthcare facility. In the example shown in FIG. 4, patient support apparatus 20 includes a wireless network transceiver 96 (FIG. 5) that communicates wirelessly with local area network 80. Network transceiver 96 is, in at least some constructions, a WiFi transceiver (e.g. IEEE 802.11) that wirelessly communicates with one or more conventional wireless access points 82 of local area network 80. In other constructions, network transceiver 96 may be a wireless transceiver that uses conventional 5G technology to communicate with network 80, one or more servers hosted thereon, and/or other devices. In some constructions, network transceiver 96 may include any of the structures and/or functionality of the communication modules 56 disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent 10,500,401 issued to Michael Hayes and entitled NETWORK COMMUNICATION FOR PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Still other types of wireless network transceivers may be utilized.

[00162] In some constructions, network transceiver 96 is a wired transceiver that is adapted to allow patient support apparatus 20 to communicate with network 80 via a wired connection, such as an Ethernet cable that plugs into an Ethernet port (e.g. an RJ-45 style port, an 8P8C port, etc.) built into patient support apparatus 20. In still other constructions, patient support apparatus 20 includes both a wired transceiver 96 for communicating with network 80 via a wired connection and a wireless transceiver 96 for wirelessly communicating with network 80.

[00163] Patient support apparatus 20 is configured to communicate with one or more servers that are accessible via local area network 80 of the healthcare facility. One such server is a patient support apparatus server 84. Patient support apparatus server 84 is adapted, in at least one construction, to receive data from the patient support apparatuses 20 positioned within the healthcare facility and distribute this data to caregivers, other servers, one or more electronic devices 98, and/or other software applications. As will be discussed in greater detail below, server 84 may also be configured to receive data from one or more devices 100 and/or badges 142 that are positioned within one or more zones defined around patient support apparatus 20 and/or within one or more zones defined around locator units 60. Such data is then routed by patient support apparatus server 84 to one or more desired destinations. As discussed in more detail below, the data that is received from one or more devices 100 may include audio signals from a microphone in the device 100, and patient support apparatus server 84 may forward those audio signals to an appropriate caregiver device (e.g. a smart phone 98, a badge 142, or another device with audio-playback capabilities).

[00164] In some constructions, the data from the device(s) 100 is forwarded from the device(s) 100 to patient support apparatus 20, and from patient support apparatus 20 to server 84 via network transceiver 96 and one or more access points 82. In other constructions, such as where a locator unit 60 includes its own network transceiver, the data from a device 100 may be forwarded to the locator unit 60 and the locator unit 60 may then forward the data to server 84 via its network transceiver’s communication with one or more of the access point 82. In such constructions, the device 100 may forward its data directly to the locator unit 60 without sending it to patient support apparatus 20, or it may send its data to patient support apparatus 20 first and patient support apparatus 20 may then forward the data to the locator unit 60. Other manners of routing data from the device 100 to server 84 may be used, and the device 100 may send some types of data to server 84 along a first route and send other types of data to server 84 along a second and different route.

[00165] Patient support apparatus 20 may be configured to communicate at least some of its data and/or at least some of the data from one or more devices 100 to a remote server 86 that is positioned geographically remotely from the healthcare facility. Such communication between patient support apparatus 20 and the remote server 86 may take place without utilizing patient support apparatus server 84, or it may take place using patient support apparatus server 84 as a communication conduit between patient support apparatus 20 and the remote server 86. The communication with the remote server 86 may take place via a conventional network appliance 88, such as, but not limited to, a router and/or a gateway, that is coupled to the Internet 90. The remote server 86, in turn, is also coupled to the Internet 90, and patient support apparatus 20 and/or patient support apparatus server 84 is/are provided with the URL and/or other information necessary to communicate with remote server 86 via the Internet connection between network 80 and server 86. [00166] In those constructions where patient support apparatus 20 is configured to communicate directly with one or more cloud-based servers, such as remote server 86, without utilizing patient support apparatus server 84, patient support apparatus server 84 may be omitted and any one or more of the functions of patient support apparatus server 84 described herein may be performed by remote server 86. Alternatively, patient support apparatus server 84 may be retained in such constructions and may perform any one or more of the functions described herein.

[00167] Patient support apparatus server 84 may be configured to determine the location of each patient support apparatus 20 (and/or its associated devices 100 and/or badges 142), or receive the location of each patient support apparatus 20 (and/or its associated devices 100 and/or badges 142) from the patient support apparatuses 20. In some constructions, patient support apparatus server 84 determines the room number and/or bay area of each patient support apparatus 20 and its associated devices 100 (and/or badges 142) that are positioned within a room 58, as well as the location of patient support apparatuses 20 and their associated devices 100 and/or badges 142 that are positioned outside of a room 58, such as those that may be positioned in a hallway, a maintenance area, or some other area. In general, patient support apparatus server 84 may be configured to determine the position of any patient support apparatus 20 that is positioned within communication range of one or more locator units 60, as well as the location of any associated devices 100 and/or badges 142 that are positioned within one or more zones defined around the patient support apparatus 20, as will be discussed in greater detail below.

[00168] Patient support apparatus server 84 (FIG. 4) may be adapted to communicate with a plurality of other servers, such as a conventional EMR server 92, a conventional badge server 94, a conventional Admission, Discharge, and Transfer (ADT) server 102, and/or a conventional caregiver assignment server 104. Alternatively, patient support apparatus server 84 may be combined, either partially or wholly, with any one or more of these other servers. The functionality of any one or more of these other servers may also be combined, either partially or wholly, with any other ones of these other servers. For example, the caregiver assignment server 104 may have one or more of its functions combined with ADT server 102 and/or badge server 94, and/or one or more of the functions of ADT server 102 may be combined with EMR server 92 and/or caregiver assignment server 104. Other combinations of functionality are, of course, also possible.

[00169] EMR server 92 stores individual patient records. Such patient records identify a patient by name and include medical information associated with that patient. Such medical information may include all of the medical information generated from the patient’s current stay in the healthcare facility as well as medical information from previous visits. It will be understood that the term “EMR server,” as used herein, also includes Electronic Health Records servers, or EHR servers for short, and that the present disclosure does not distinguish between electronic medical records and electronic health records.

[00170] Caregiver assignment server 104 (FIG. 4) stores data that matches specific caregivers to specific rooms and/or bays within the healthcare facility. Caregiver assignment server 104 stores information regarding shift changes, personnel, and the general assignments of caregivers who are employed by the healthcare facility. In some caregiver assignment servers 104, caregivers are assigned to specific patients, rather than to specific rooms, in which case server 104 may correlate caregivers to individual patients rather than rooms and/or bays. Still further, some conventional nurse call systems may be configured to carry out the functions of caregiver assignment server 104, in which case caregiver assignment server 104 may be replaced by and/or supplemented with a nurse call server.

[00171] ADT server 102 stores patient information, including the identity of patients and the corresponding rooms 58 and/or bays within rooms to which the patients are assigned. That is, ADT server 102 matches specific patients to specific rooms and/or bays within the healthcare facility. The patient’s names are entered into the ADT server 102 by one or more healthcare facility staff whenever a patient checks into the healthcare facility and the patient is assigned to a particular room within the healthcare facility. If and/or when a patient is transferred to a different room and/or discharged from the healthcare facility, the staff of the healthcare facility update ADT server 102. ADT server 102 therefore maintains an up-to-date set of data that correlates patient names with their assigned rooms and/or bays. In some conventional electronic medical record systems, the functions of the ADT server 102 may be incorporated into the EMR system, and EMR server 92 may therefore, in some constructions, carry out the functions of ADT server 102.

[00172] Badge server 94 (FIG. 4) is configured to manage communications between, and keep track of the locations of, and the specific caregivers assigned to, individual badges 142. Badges 142 are typically worn by healthcare workers, such as caregivers, service technicians, cleaning personnel, transportation assistants, etc. However, in some healthcare facilities, administrators may provide badges 142 to patients. Regardless of whether badges 142 are provided exclusively to healthcare workers to both healthcare workers and patients, badge server 94 maintains a set of data that correlates badge IDs with individual healthcare workers and/or patients. Each badge 142 includes a unique ID that distinguishes that badge 142 from other badges 142. When a healthcare provider or patient arrives at a healthcare facility, he or she is provided with a badge 142 that often comes from a common collection of badges 142. The healthcare worker or patient then wears the badge 142 for the duration of his or her work shift or stay within the healthcare facility. After the caregiver completes his/her shift and/or after a patient is discharged from the healthcare facility, the badge 142 may be returned to the general collection of badges 142. For some badge servers 94, in order for the badge server 94 to know that a particular badge 142 is assigned to a particular person, a person must manually associate the particular badge 142 they will wear with their name (or some other ID). This manual association may involve scanning the badge on a badge reader in communication with server 94, typing information (such as the badge ID and/or the worker’s or patient’s ID) into a computer coupled to server 94, entering information into badge 142 (if it is a badge that allows data entry), performing other actions, and/or a combination of these steps.

[00173] The badges 142 worn by patients may be different from the badges 142 worn by caregivers. When different, the patient badges 142 may have reduced or different sets of functionality when compared to the caregiver badges 142. For example, the patient badges 142 may simply serve to identify a patient, while the caregiver badges 142 may provide communication and/or other functions in addition to containing an ID that identifies the caregiver.

[00174] Badge server 94 may also be configured to monitor the location of badges 142 within a healthcare facility. Typically, this location monitoring is performed through the monitoring of the wireless access points 82 throughout the healthcare facility. That is, badges 142 are often equipped to use WiFi, or other wireless communication protocols, that allow them to communicate with wireless access points 82. By monitoring which access points the badges 142 are currently connected to, using a map of the location of the access point 82 within the facility, and, in some cases, using the signal strengths between the badges 142 and one or more of the access points 82, the general position of the badges 142 within the healthcare facility can be determined by badge server 94. In some constructions, badges 142 may include UWB transceivers that enable their location within the healthcare facility to be more precisely determined, and/or that enable the badges 142 to perform other functions. Examples of badges 142 that include UWB transceivers and that may be incorporated into the system of the present disclosure are described in greater detail in commonly assigned U.S. provisional patent application serial number 63/356,061 filed June 28, 2022, by inventors Krishna Bhimavarapu et al. and entitled BADGE AND PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM; in commonly assigned U.S. provisional patent application serial number 63/356,065 filed June 28, 2022, by inventors Jerald Trepanier et al. and entitled BADGE AND PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM; and in commonly assigned U.S. provisional patent application serial number 63/356,238 filed June 28, 2028, by inventors Madhu Sandeep Thota et al. and entitled BADGE AND PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM; the complete disclosures of all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Patient support apparatus 20, patient support apparatus server 84, badges 142, and/or locator units 60 of the present disclosure may be configured to carry out any of the functions of the patient support apparatuses, patient support apparatus server, badges, and locator units, respectively, disclosed in any of the aforementioned ‘061 , ‘065, and/or ‘238 patent applications.

[00175] Badges 142 may be badges of the type sold or marketed by Stryker Corporation of Kalamazoo, Michigan, under the names Vocera Badge, Vocera Smartbadge, and/or Vocera Minibadge. Other types of badges may also, or alternatively, be used. Such badges 142 include the ability to transmit voice communications of healthcare workers to other badges 142 and/or other locations within a healthcare facility. Some of the badges may also include text messaging abilities, alarm notifications, and other functions. When integrated into the system described herein, such badges 142 may be modified to include one or more ultra-wideband transceivers that communicate with ultra-wideband transceivers onboard patient support apparatus 20 and/or built into locator unit 60, as will be discussed in greater detail herein. That is, patient support apparatus 20 and/or locator units 60 may be configured to repetitively determine the location of any of the badges 142 that are positioned within range of its ultra-wideband transceivers and determine whether the badge 142 is positioned inside or outside of one or more zones, as will also be discussed in greater detail below. Badges 142 that do not include UWB transceivers may also be incorporated into the communication system described herein.

[00176] In some constructions, patient support apparatus server 84 and/or remote server 86 (FIG. 4) communicates with EMR server 92 in order to transmit patient data that is to be recorded in a patient’s health record (e.g. vital sign readings from one or more vital sign sensors; weight readings taken from the scales built into patient support apparatuses 20; therapies provided to patients using a powered mattress 42 onboard patient support apparatuses 20; data from other devices that are determined to be associated with the patient assigned to patient support apparatus 20, etc.). In addition, server 84 and/or 86 communicates with EMR server 92, in some constructions, in order to receive data from one or more of the devices that are being used with a particular patient.

[00177] It will be understood that the architecture and content of local area network 80 will vary from healthcare facility to healthcare facility, and that the example shown in FIG. 4 is merely one example of the type of network a healthcare facility may be employ. Typically, one or more additional servers will be hosted on network 80 and one or more of them may be adapted to communicate with patient support apparatus server 84. Local area network 80 will also typically allow one or more electronic devices 98 to access the local area network 80 and the servers hosted thereon via wireless access points 82. Such electronic devices 98 include, but are not limited to, smart phones, tablet computers, portable laptops, desktop computers, smart televisions, network-connected displays, and other types of electronic devices that include a WiFi capability and that are provided with the proper credentials (e.g. SSID, password, etc.) to access network 80 (and, in at least some situations, patient support apparatus server 84). Patient support apparatus server 84 is configured, in some constructions, to share data with one or more electronic devices 98 that relates to patient support apparatus 20, that relates to one or more devices 100 that become associated with patient support apparatus 20 (or the patient assigned thereto), that relates to one or more badges 142 that become associated with patient support apparatus 20, and/or that relates to one or more medical records of the patient stored in EMR server 92.

[00178] Linked locator units 60 are adapted to wirelessly receive signals from patient support apparatus 20 and deliver the signals to communications outlet 64 in a manner that matches the way the signals would otherwise be delivered to communications outlet 64 if a conventional nurse call cable 66 were connected directly between patient support apparatus 20 (via a cable port 148; FIG. 5) and communications outlet 64. Linked locator units 60 are also adapted to transmit signals received from communications outlet 64 to patient support apparatus 20 via a BT transceiver 106 and/or a UWB transceiver 126 (FIG. 5). Thus, patient support apparatus 20 and linked locator unit 60 cooperate to send signals to, and receive signals from, communications outlet 64 in a manner that is transparent to communications outlet 64 such that outlet 64 cannot detect whether it is in communication with patient support apparatus 20 via a wired connection or it is in communication with patient support apparatus 20 via a wireless connection between patient support apparatus 20 and linked locator unit 60 (the latter of which is in wired communication with outlet 64). In this manner, a healthcare facility can utilize the wireless communication abilities of one or more patient support apparatuses 20 without having to make any changes to their existing communication outlets 64.

[00179] As noted, in addition to sending signals received from patient support apparatus 20 to communications outlet 64, linked locator units 60 are also adapted to forward signals received from communications outlet 64 to patient support apparatus 20. Linked locator units 60 are therefore adapted to provide bidirectional communication between patient support apparatus 20 and communications outlet 64. This bidirectional communication includes, but is not limited to, communicating command signals from any of controls 50 to corresponding room devices 72, 74, and/or 76, and communicating audio signals between a person supported on patient support apparatus 20 and a caregiver positioned remotely from patient support apparatus 20. The audio signals received by linked locator unit 60 from a microphone on patient support apparatus 20 are forwarded to communications outlet 64 (for forwarding to nurse call system 70), and the audio signals of a remotely positioned nurse that are received at communications outlet 64 (from nurse call system 70) are forwarded to a speaker onboard patient support apparatus 20.

[00180] Nurse call cable 66, in some constructions, includes a conventional 37 pin connector on each end, one of which is adapted to be inserted into outlet 64 and the other one of which is adapted to be inserted into a linked locator unit 60 (or cable port 148 of patient support apparatus 20 if wired communication is desired). Such 37 pin connections are one of the most common types of connectors found on existing walls of medical facilities for making connections to the nurse call system 70 and room devices 72, 74, and 76. Linked locator unit 60 and nurse call cable 66 are therefore configured to mate with one of the most common type of communication outlets 64 used in medical facilities. Such 37 pin connectors, however, are not the only type of connectors, and it will be understood that linked locator units 60 can utilize different types of connectors that are adapted to electrically couple to different types of nurse call cables 66 and/or different types of communication outlets 64. One example of such an alternative communications outlet 64 and cable 66 is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 14/819,844 filed August 6, 2015, by inventors Krishna Bhimavarapu et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH WIRELESS HEADWALL COMMUNICATION, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Still other types of communication outlets 64 and corresponding connectors may be utilized.

[00181] Locator unit 60 (FIG. 4) also includes an electrical cord 150 having a plug positioned at a far end that is adapted to be inserted into a conventional electrical outlet 108. Electrical cord 150 enables locator unit 60 to receive power from the mains electrical supply via outlet 108. It will be appreciated that, in some constructions, locator unit 60 is battery operated and cord 150 may be omitted. In still other constructions, locator unit 60 may be both battery operated and include cord 150 so that in the event of a power failure, battery power supplies power to locator unit 60, and/or in the event of a battery failure, electrical power is received from outlet 108.

[00182] In some constructions, locator units 60 include a video port that is adapted to receive a display cable 110 (FIG. 4). The display cable 110 is adapted to couple to locator unit 60 at one end and a display device 56 at its opposite send. Locator unit 60 may be configured to use cable 110 to send data to display device 56 that is to be displayed thereon. Such data may include data from one or more devices 100 that are associated with the patient on patient support apparatus 20 (or with patient support apparatus 20 itself), data from one or more badges 142, status data from one or more sensors onboard patient support apparatus 20, location data regarding the location of patient support apparatus 20 and/or devices 100, and/or other data. Cable 110 may be a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cable, a Video Graphics Array (VGA) cable, a DisplayPort (DP) cable, a plurality of Radio Corporation of America (RCA) cables, a Digital Visual Interface (DVI) cable, and/or another type of cable. Locator unit 60 is configured to include a complementary type of connector that mates with a connector on an end of cable 110. In some constructions, patient support apparatus 20, locator units 60, and display device 56 may be configured to display data in any of the manners disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 63/426,450 filed November 18, 2022, by inventors Madhu Sandeep Thota et al. and entitled COMMUNICATION SYSTEM FOR PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. [00183] In addition to the other functions described herein, locator units 60 are configured to communicate location data to patient support apparatus 20 that enables patient support apparatus 20, patient support apparatus server 84, and/or remote server 86 to determine the location of patient support apparatus 20 within the healthcare facility. In general, such location determination is carried out by patient support apparatus 20 analyzing wireless signals communicated between itself and locator unit 60 in order to determine its position relative to locator unit 60. If patient support apparatus 20, or a predefined reference point R (FIGS. 6-7) on patient support apparatus 20 (e.g. its head end, its center, etc.) is positioned within a threshold distance of locator unit 60, patient support apparatus 20 associates itself with the locator unit 60. When associated, patient support apparatus 20 may communicate data to locator unit 60, receive data from locator unit 60, and also deem its location within the healthcare facility to be the same as the location of locator unit 60. When patient support apparatus 20 is outside of the threshold distance, it does not associate itself with locator unit 60, and therefore does not exchange data with locator unit 60 or consider its location to be the same as that of locator unit 60’s location.

[00184] In some constructions, patient support apparatus 20 is configured to associate itself with a particular locator unit 60 if controller 140 determines that the locator unit 60 is within a particular zone (e.g. 152a of FIG. 4), or locator unit 60 determines that patient support apparatus 20 (or a reference point R thereon) is positioned within the zone, such as zone 152a. In some constructions, the zone 152a is defined with respect to each locator unit 60 and does not move. In other constructions, the zone 152a is defined with respect to patient support apparatus 20 and moves as patient support apparatus 20 moves. In some constructions, patient support apparatus 20 associates itself with a nearby locator unit 60 if both the locator unit 60 and the patient support apparatus 20 (or a reference point R thereon) are concurrently within the predefined zone 152a. Regardless of whether zone 152a is defined with respect to a locator unit 60, or with respect to a patient support apparatus 20, by at least one or both of these devices (locator unit 60 and patient support apparatus 20) being positioned within the same zone 152a, the locator unit 60 and patient support apparatus 20 will be positioned within a threshold distance of each other. An example of patient support apparatus 20 occupying a zone 152a is shown in FIG. 4, where head end 38 of patient support apparatus 20 (that includes the appropriate reference point R on patient support apparatus 20) is positioned inside of zone 152a, and patient support apparatus 20 has therefore associated itself with that particular locator unit 60.

[00185] After associating itself with a particular locator unit 60, patient support apparatus 20 is configured to be able to have its absolute position within the healthcare facility determined by receiving a unique locator identifier (ID) 122 (FIG. 5) from the locator unit 60. The location of each locator unit 60 in the healthcare facility is surveyed during the installation of locator units 60, and the unique IDs 122 of each locator unit 60 are also recorded during the installation of locator units 60. This surveying information and corresponding ID information may be stored in patient support apparatus server 84, remote server 86, and/or onboard the patient support apparatuses 20, thereby enabling a patient support apparatus 20, remote server 86, and/or patient support apparatus server 84 to determine the location of a patient support apparatus 20 once it is associated with a particular locator unit 60.

[00186] In those constructions where patient support apparatus server 84 is configured to determine the location of patient support apparatus 20, patient support apparatus 20 sends its relative position information with respect to the associated locator unit 60, and/or the ID 122 of the associated locator unit 60 (and its own unique patient support apparatus ID 130 (FIG. 5)) to server 84. Server 84 includes a table of all of the locations of the locator units 60 (which, as noted, is generated via a surveying operation during the installation of locator units 60), and it uses that table to correlate the patient support apparatus IDs 130 and the locator unit IDs 122 it receives to specific locations within the healthcare facility. Thus, if a particular patient support apparatus 20 (with a particular ID 130) sends to server 84 an associated locator unit ID 122 that corresponds to room 430, server 84 determines that that particular patient support apparatus 20 is currently located in room 430. Generally speaking, and as will be discussed in greater detail below, the location of a patient support apparatus 20 is deemed to correspond to whichever locator unit 60 it is currently associated with, and if it is not currently associated with any locator unit 60, its location may be considered to be indeterminate (unless determined by means other than locator unit 60).

[00187] In some constructions of patient support apparatuses 20 and locator units 60, the relative location of a patient support apparatus 20 to a locator unit 60 is determined solely using ultra- wideband communication between the patient support apparatus 20 and the locator unit 60. Alternatively, in some constructions, patient support apparatus 20 solely uses short range infrared communications with locator unit 60 to determine its relative location, wherein such short range infrared communications are only possible when the patient support apparatus 20 is positioned within a close proximity to the locator unit 60 (e.g. in the range of about 1-3 unobstructed meters). In these latter constructions, patient support apparatus 20 may report that its location coincides with that of the nearby locator unit 60 when it is able to successfully communicate with the nearby locator unit 60 using these short-range infrared communications. Still further, in some constructions, patient support apparatus 20 and locator unit 60 may communicate with each other using both infrared and ultra-wideband communications. Further details regarding the use of short-range infrared communications for location determination are described in commonly assigned U.S. patent 9,999,375 issued June 19, 2018, to inventors Michael Hayes et al. and entitled LOCATION DETECTION SYSTEMS AND METHODS, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[00188] In some constructions, locator units 60 and/or patient support apparatuses 20 may be constructed to include any or all of the functionality of the wireless headwall units and/or patient support apparatuses disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 14/819,844 filed August 6, 2015, by inventors Krishna Bhimavarapu et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH WIRELESS HEADWALL COMMUNICATION; in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 63/26,937 filed May 19, 2020, by inventors Alexander Bodurka et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH HEADWALL COMMUNICATION; and/or in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 63/245,245 filed September 17, 2021, by inventors Kirby Neihouser et al. and entitled SYSTEM FOR LOCATING PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES, the complete disclosures of all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[00189] Still further, in some constructions, locator units 60 and/or patient support apparatuses 20 may be constructed to include any of the features and/or functions of the headwall units 144a and/or patient support apparatuses disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 63/131 ,508 filed December 29, 2020, by inventors Kirby Neihouser et al. and entitled TOOL FOR CONFIGURING HEADWALL UNITS USED FOR PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS COMMUNICATION, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[00190] In some constructions, one or more devices 100 may interact with locator units 60 in the same or similar manner as the patient support apparatuses 20 interact with the locator units 60, as described above. That is, in some constructions, locator units 60 may be configured to communicate location data to one or more devices 100 that enables the device 100, an associated patient support apparatus 20, patient support apparatus server 84, and/or remote server 86 to determine the location of the device 100 within the healthcare facility. In general, such location determination is carried out by the device 100 performing ultra-wideband ranging with the locator unit 60 in order to determine its position relative to locator unit 60. If the device 100 is positioned within a threshold distance of locator unit 60 (such as within a particular zone 152), the device 100 associates itself with the locator unit 60. When associated, the device 100 may communicate data to locator unit 60, receive data from locator unit 60, and also deem its location within the healthcare facility to be the same as the location of locator unit 60. When device 100 is outside of the threshold distance (e.g. zone), it does not associate itself with locator unit 60, and therefore may cease to exchange data with locator unit 60.

[00191] FIG. 5 depicts a block diagram of patient support apparatus 20, a linked locator unit 60, network 80, and three illustrative examples of devices 100a, 100b, and 100c. As will be discussed in greater detail below, patient support apparatus 20 is configured to automatically determine the location of one or more locator units 60 and/or devices 100 that have wireless location technology built into them, such as one or more UWB transceivers. In addition, patient support apparatus 20 is adapted to perform at least one of the following: determine room boundary information regarding a room in which patient support, store such room boundary information, share such room boundary information (such as with server 84, server 86, and/or locator unit 60) and/or utilize such room boundary information when carrying out one of more of the functions of patient support apparatus 20. Patient support apparatus is also configured to automatically carry out communications with these devices (locator unit 60 and devices 100) if they are positioned within a defined proximity (i.e. a zone) to patient support apparatus 20. In some constructions, if a particular locator unit 60 and/or device 100 is positioned within the defined zone, patient support apparatus 20 automatically associates the locator unit 60 and/or device 100 with the patient assigned to patient support apparatus 20 (and/or with patient support apparatus 20 itself), and causes data from that locator unit 60 and/or device 100 (or devices 100) to be automatically directed to one or more destinations. When the locator unit 60 and/or device 100 is positioned outside the defined proximity, patient support apparatus 20 may automatically disassociate itself from the locator unit 60 and/or device 100 and, in some situations, terminate communications with the locator unit 60 and/or device 100 and/or inform patient support apparatus server 84 and/or remove server 86 of the disassociation.

[00192] In the example illustrated in FIG. 5, locator unit 60 includes an ultra-wideband transceiver 126, a Bluetooth transceiver 106, a locator unit controller 112, configuration circuitry 114, a television controller 116, a headwall interface 118, a video port 120, a unit ID 122, a memory 178, and, in some constructions, an infrared transceiver 124. It will be understood, of course, that the components of locator unit 60 may vary and that locator unit 60 may include fewer or greater components than that illustrated in FIG. 5. For example, and without limitation, locator unit 60 may omit any one or more of the following: video port 120, IR transceiver 124, and/or BT transceiver 106. When locator unit 60 is an unlinked locator unit, it may also omit headwall interface 118, TV controller 116, and configuration circuitry 114. Still further, one or more of the items stored in memory 178 (e.g. unit ID 122, boundary info 180, doorway info 182, and/or room info 184) may be omitted and/or stored elsewhere (e.g. in a memory 134 of patient support apparatus 20). Still other variations are possible. [00193] Bluetooth transceiver 106 of locator unit 60 (FIG. 5) is adapted to communicate with a Bluetooth transceiver 128 onboard patient support apparatus 20 using RF waves in accordance with conventional Bluetooth standards (e.g. IEEE 802.14.1 and/or any of the standards maintained by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) of Kirkland, Washington, USA.). In some constructions, transceivers 106 and 128 utilize Bluetooth Low Energy communications.

[00194] Ultra-wideband transceiver 126 is adapted to communicate with one or more ultra- wideband transceivers 132 positioned onboard patient support apparatus 20 and/or one or more ultra- wideband transceivers 158 positioned onboard devices 100. Transceiver 126 is adapted to determine a distance between itself and patient support apparatus 20 and/or a device 100. Alternatively, or additionally, transceiver 126 may be adapted to allow one or more of the UWB transceivers 132 onboard patient support apparatus 20 (or one or more of the UWB transceivers 158 onboard device(s) 100) to determine their distance(s) from transceiver 126. In other words, one or more location engines may be positioned onboard the patient support apparatus 20, onboard the locator unit 60, onboard the devices 100, and/or onboard server 84 and/or server 86.

[00195] In some constructions, UWB transceivers 126, 132, and 158, use time of flight (TOF) computations to determine the distances between patient support apparatus(es) 20, locator unit(s) 60, and device(s) 100. In other constructions, transceivers 126, 132, and 158 may utilize other techniques (e.g. time difference of arrival, two-way ranging, angle of arrival, channel state information, etc.) for determining their distances from each other, either in addition to, or in lieu of, TOF computations. In some constructions, transceivers 126, 132, and 158 may also determine an angle between themselves using angular information derived from antenna arrays positions onboard transceivers 126, 132, and 158, or by using other techniques. During the manufacture of patient support apparatus 20 (or during the installation of patient support apparatus 20 within a healthcare facility), the position and orientation of each transceiver 132 onboard patient support apparatus 20 relative to a frame of reference defined with respect to patient support apparatus 20 is determined and stored in an onboard memory 134. This position and orientation information is used to determine the position and orientation of patient support apparatus 20 with respect to the locator unit(s) 60 with which the patient support apparatus 20 communicates. Such position and orientation information may be determined using conventional trilateration and/or triangulation techniques, or other techniques.

[00196] In some constructions, transceivers 126, 132, and 158 are implemented as any of the Trimension™ ultra-wideband modules available from NXP Semiconductors of Austin, Texas. These modules include, but are not limited to, the Trimension™ UWB modules ASMOP1 BOON1 , ASM0P1 COOR1 , and/or the ASMOP1COOA1 , that utilize any of the following chips: the NXP SR150, SR100T, SR040, NCJ29D5, and/or the OL23DO chips. Modules manufactured and/or marketed by other companies may also be used, including, but not limited to, the Decawave DWM1000, DWM10001C, DWM3000 modules (available from Decawave of Dublin, Ireland); the Nordic TSG5162 SiP module (available from Tsingoal Technology of Beijing, China); and/or the UWB hub, wand, and/or sensors available from Zebra technologies of Lincolnshire, Illinois. Still other types of UWB modules may be used to implement transceivers 126, 132, and 158.

[00197] Locator unit controller 112 is adapted to control the operation of transceivers 126, 106, configuration circuitry 114, TV controller 116, headwall interface 118, video port 120, and, if included, IR transceiver 124 (FIG. 5). When infrared transceiver 124 is included, it may be included to provide backwards compatibility to patient support apparatuses 20 that are not equipped with a UWB transceiver 132. That is, some healthcare facilities may include one or more patient support apparatuses that are not equipped with a UWB transceiver 132, but that do include an IR transceiver that is adapted to communicate with IR transceiver 124. When locator unit 60 includes IR transceiver 124, it is able to communicate its unit ID 122 to such patient support apparatuses via IR transceiver 124, which is a short range transceiver that is configured to only communicate with an adjacent patient support apparatus when the patient support apparatus is nearby (e.g. without about five feet or so). Such an adjacent patient support apparatus 20 then communicates the received locator unit ID 122 along with its own unique ID 130 (FIG. 5) to server 84 and/or server 86 which, as noted previously, is able to correlate the locator unit ID 122 to a particular location with the healthcare facility. In this manner, server 84 and/or server 86 is able to use locator units 60 determine the location of versions of patient support apparatuses 20 that don’t have a UWB transceiver 132, but that do have an IR transceiver.

[00198] Headwall interface 118 is adapted to change the electrical state of one or more pins that are in electrical communication with communication outlet 64 (via cable 66). Headwall interface 118 changes these electrical states in response to instructions from controller 112. For example, if the exit detection system 136 of patient support apparatus 20 detects a patient exit, a controller 140 of patient support apparatus 20 sends an exit alert signal to linked locator unit 60 and controller 112 responds by instructing headwall interface 118 to change the electrical state of at least one pin that is used to signal an exit alert (or a generic priority alert) to the nurse call system 70 via communications outlet 64. Additionally, if a device 100, such as a portable exit detection sensor, is associated with patient support apparatus 20 and it detects a patient exit, the exit detection sensor may transmit an exit detection alert signal to patient support apparatus 20, which in turn forwards the exit alert signal to linked locator unit 60, and controller 112 responds by instructing headwall interface 118 to change the electrical state of the same pin or pins that it does in response to receiving an exit detection alert from exit detection system 136.

[00199] In some constructions, headwall interface 118 may be constructed in the same manner as, and/or may include any one or of the functions as, the cable interface 88 described in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 63/193,778 filed May 27, 2021 , by inventors Krishna Bhimavarapu et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS AND HEADWALL UNIT SYNCING, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Alternatively, or additionally, headwall interface 118 may be constructed in the same manner as, and/or may include any one or more of the same functions as, the headwall interface 120 disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 63/131 ,508 filed December 29, 2020, by inventors Kirby Neihouser et al. and entitled TOOL FOR CONFIGURING HEADWALL UNITS USED FOR PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS COMMUNICATION, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Linked locator unit 60 may also be configured to perform any of the functions of the headwall units 94 disclosed in the above-mentioned 778 patent application.

[00200] Configuration circuitry 114 and TV controller 116 may be configured to perform any of the same functions as, and/or be constructed in any of the same manners as, the configuration circuitry 132 and the TV control circuit 134, respectively, of commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 63/131 ,508 filed December 29, 2020, by inventors Kirby Neihouser et al. and entitled TOOL FOR CONFIGURING HEADWALL UNITS USED FOR PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS COMMUNICATION, the complete disclosure of which has already been incorporated herein by reference. Additionally, or alternatively, linked locator unit 60 may be configured to perform any of the functions of the headwall units 144 disclosed in the aforementioned ‘508 patent application.

[00201] As was noted, headwall interface 118, television controller 116, and configuration circuitry 114 may be omitted from unlinked locator units 60. This is because unlinked locator units 60 are not adapted to communicate with a communication outlet 64 and these components are designed for communications with outlet 64. Unlinked locator units 60 may also omit (or include) IR transceiver 124 (and/or BT transceiver 106). Linked locator units and/or unlinked locator units 60 may optionally include (or omit) video port 120. In some constructions, linked and/or unlinked locator units 60 may include a network transceiver adapted to communicate with network 80 (and patient support apparatus server 84 and/or remote server 86 via access points 82 and network 80).

[00202] As was noted, memory 178 of locator unit 60 may include one or more of the following additional items of information: boundary info 180, doorway info 182, and/or room info 184 (FIG. 5). Boundary information 180 refers to data that defines the boundary of the room 58 in which locator unit 60 is positioned. Such boundary information includes data that defines the location of the walls 62 of the room 58. Such boundary data is defined with respect to a reference location that is detectable by patient support apparatus 20. In some constructions, the fixed locator unit 60 itself acts as the reference location (patient support apparatus 20 is able to detect its position and orientation with respect to locator unit 60 via its onboard UWB transceivers 132). In some such constructions, locator unit 60 defines the boundary of the room in a two-dimensional Cartesian coordinate frame of reference wherein the location of locator unit 60 in that frame of reference is also stored. In this manner, when the location of patient support apparatus 20 with respect to locator unit 60 is determined, the location of the walls of the room 58 with respect to patient support apparatus 20 can also be determined. In other words, boundary info 180 allows for patient support apparatus 20 (and/or locator unit 60, server 84, or server 86) to determine the position of patient support apparatus 20 relative to the walls 62 of room 58. [00203] In some constructions, the boundary of a room 58 may be defined in a three- dimensional coordinate frame of reference, rather than a two-dimensional frame of reference. In such constructions, the boundary of the room 58 defines not only the location of the perimeter walls 62 of room 58, but also the height of the walls 62 (i.e. the height of the ceiling of room 58). In such constructions, the height of locator unit 60 is also determined (either through surveying when installed, or through other means discussed further below) and stored in memory 178. The height of locator unit 60 within the 3D frame of reference allows for patient support apparatus 20, and/or devices 100, to also determine their height within the room 58 (by first determining their height relative to locator unit 60 and then converting that height into a room height).

[00204] In some constructions, boundary info 180 also allows for patient support apparatus 20 (and/or locator unit 60, server 84, or server 86) to determine the orientation of patient support apparatus 20 relative to the walls 62 of room 58. As will be discussed in greater detail below, patient support apparatus 20, locator unit 60, server 84, and/or server 86 may use the relative position and/or orientation of patient support apparatus 20 to the walls 62 (and/or doorways) for carrying out one or more actions.

[00205] Doorway information 182, if included within memory 178 of locator unit 60, defines the position of one or more doorways 190 within, or connected to, room 58. Such doorways 190 may be entrances/exits to a hallway 194 (or other areas that allows a person to enter/exit room 58), to a restroom 192, to a closet 196, and/or to other areas. Doorway info 182 may define not only the location of the doorway(s) 190 of a given room 58, but also what type of doorway the doorway 190 is (i.e. whether doorway 190 leads to a hallway 194, a restroom 192, and/or a closet 196). As with the room boundary info 180, the doorway information 182 may be defined in a frame of reference (2D and/or 3D) in which the position of locator unit 60 is known. In some constructions, the boundary information 180, doorway information 182, and room information 184 are all defined in a common frame of reference in which the position (and orientation) of locator unit 60 is known. As will be discussed more below, this common frame of reference may be a room frame of reference. [00206] Room information 184 (FIG. 5) may include additional information about room 58 that is not contained within boundary info 180 and/or doorway info 182. Such additional information may include, but is not limited to, any one or more of the following: a room number of room 58 (e.g. room 408); a floor of the healthcare facility in which room 58 is located (e.g. second floor), a wing, department, ward, or the like of which room 58 is a part (e.g. post-operative department, pediatric department, emergency department, etc.); an indication whether room 58 is a private room (one patient and one patient support apparatus 20) or a semi-private room (two or more patients and patient support apparatuses 20); the location of any areas of interest within the room, as well as an identification of what those areas of interest are (e.g. a handwashing station, a sink, a supply closet or cupboard, etc.); the position of the non-hinged end of each door 198 (of each doorway 190 in the room 58) when the door 198 is open and/or when the door 198 is closed; a height of room 58 (e.g. three meters); the presence, absence, and/or location of any room dividers within the room 58; and/or the presence/absence and/or location of any other equipment within the room 58 (e.g. X-ray machine, MRI machine, etc.).

[00207] Controller 112, in some constructions, is configured to share room ID 122 and any one or more of boundary info 180, doorway info 182, and/or room info 184 with a patient support apparatus 20 that is positioned within room 58 and that becomes associated with locator unit 60. In some constructions, controller 112 may share some, or all, of this information with one or more devices 100 that are positioned within room 58 and that become associated with locator unit 60 and/or patient support apparatus 20. As will be discussed in greater detail below, any one or more of the boundary info 180, doorway info 182, and/or room info 184 may alternatively, or additionally, be stored within memory 134 of patient support apparatus 20 (and/or on server 84 and/or server 86).

[00208] Patient support apparatus 20 includes a controller 140, a memory 134, exit detection system 136, a scale system 144, monitoring system 138, a microphone 146, Bluetooth transceiver 128, one or more UWB transceivers 132, display 52 (which may be part of control panel 54a, and/or another control panel 54), network transceiver 96, a nurse call interface 154, and a plurality of additional components that are not shown in FIG. 5. It will be understood, of course, that the components of patient support apparatus 20 may vary in different constructions and that patient support apparatus 20 may include fewer components than that illustrated in FIG. 5, as well as, in some other constructions, additional components. For example, and without limitation, patient support apparatus 20 may omit any one or more of the following: exit detection system 136, microphone 146, monitoring system 138, scale system 144, cable port 148, and/or Bluetooth transceiver 128. In other constructions, one or more additional components may be provided.

[00209] Each UWB transceiver 132 is positioned at a known location on patient support apparatus 20. This known location information is stored in memory 134 and/or elsewhere, and may be defined with respect to any suitable frame of reference that is common to patient support apparatus 20. The known location information may include the spatial relationship between UWB transceivers 132 and/or any other components of patient support apparatus 20. For example, in some constructions, the known location information includes the spatial relationship not only between UWB transceivers 132, but also the spatial relationships between UWB transceivers 132 and one or more of the following: the head end 38 of patient support apparatus 20, the foot end 40 of patient support apparatus 20, the sides of patient support apparatus 20, a reference point R defined on patient support apparatus 20, the floor, and/or other components and/or landmarks of patient support apparatus 20. In some constructions, this location information is used to determine the orientation of patient support apparatus 20 with respect to one or more walls 62, locator units 60, another patient support apparatus 20, and/or another object or structure within the healthcare facility.

[00210] In some constructions, patient support apparatus 20 includes four UWB transceivers 132, each of which are positioned generally adjacent one of the four corners of patient support apparatus 20. In some such constructions, the four UWB transceiver 132 are attached to, or positioned near, the four comers of litter frame 28. In other constructions, the four UWB transceivers 132 are attached to, or positioned near, the four corners of base 22. In some constructions, each of the four UWB transceivers 132 are attached to the comers of support deck 30. Still other locations of the UWB transceivers 132, as well as different numbers of the UWB transceiver 132, may be incorporated into patient support apparatus 20. In those constructions of patient support apparatus 20 where one or more of the UWB transceivers 132 are coupled to components of patient support apparatus 20 that are movable (e.g. litter frame 28, which can have its height and orientation changed; or support deck 30 that can have its sections, such as head section 44, pivoted), sensors are included within patient support apparatus 20 that communicate the current position of the movable component to controller 140 so that controller 140 is able to determine the current positions of the UWB transceivers 132 and use those positions when determining the current location of a device 100 and/or a locator unit 60.

[00211] Nurse call interface 154 of patient support apparatus 20 (FIG. 5) includes Bluetooth transceiver 128 and a cable port 148, in some constructions. Nurse call interface 154 provides an interface for patient support apparatus 20 to communicate with outlet 64 of nurse call system 70. That is, nurse call interface 154 provides the means for patient support apparatus 20 to bidirectionally communicate with communication outlet 64. As has been discussed, in some situations, patient support apparatus 20 uses Bluetooth transceiver 128 to communicate with Bluetooth transceiver 106 of linked locator unit 60, and linked locator unit 60 forwards communications back and forth between outlet 64 and patient support apparatus 20. In other words, in some situations, linked locator unit 60 functions as a communications intermediary between nurse call interface 154 and outlet 64. Alternatively, a nurse call cable 66 may be coupled directly between patient support apparatus 20 and wall outlet 64, thereby avoiding the need to use linked locator unit 60 as a communication intermediary. In such situations, one end of a nurse call cable 66 is plugged into cable port 148 of patient support apparatus 20 and the other end of the cable 66 is plugged directly into outlet 64. Nurse call interface 154 thereby provides patient support apparatus 20 with the ability to communicate either wirelessly or via wired means with the outlet 64. Outlet 64, as was noted, is not only communicatively coupled to nurse call system 70, but also to television 72, room light 74, and reading light 76.

[00212] When patient support apparatus 20 includes microphone 146 (FIG. 5), it is used to detect the voice of the patient when the patient wants to speak to a remotely positioned nurse. The patient’s voice is converted to audio signals by microphone 146 and controller 140 is adapted to forward these audio signals to an adjacent communications outlet 64 positioned in wall 62 (FIG. 4). When a cable 66 is coupled between cable port 148 of patient support apparatus 20 and outlet 64, controller 140 forwards these audio signals to outlet 64 via the cable 66. When no such cable 66 extends between patient support apparatus 20 and outlet 64, controller 140 wirelessly forwards these audio signals to the linked locator unit 60 that it is currently associated with (using transceiver 128, or in some constructions, one of transceivers 132) and controller 112 of linked locator unit 60 forwards these audio signals to outlet 64 via a cable 66. As was noted, outlet 64 is in electrical communication with a conventional nurse call system 70 that is adapted to route the audio signals to the correct nurse’s station 78, and/or other location. In some constructions, microphone 146 acts as both a microphone and a speaker. In other constructions, a separate speaker may be included in order to communicate the voice signals received from the remotely positioned nurse. In some constructions, the audio communication between patient support apparatus 20 and communications outlet 64 is carried out in any of the manners, and/or includes any of the structures, disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 16/847,753 filed April 14, 2020, by inventors Alexander Bodurka et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH NURSE CALL AUDIO MANAGEMENT, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[00213] In the example shown in FIG. 5, there are three types of devices 100a, 100b, and 100c positioned in the vicinity of patient support apparatus 20. The first type of device 100a is a configuration tool that may be used to determine one or more aspects of the boundary information 180, doorway information 182, and/or room information 184, as discussed above. The second type of device 100b is a tagged device that has a UWB tag 170 attached to a non-UWB device 172. The third type of device 100c is a device that has a UWB transceiver 158c built into it (i.e. integrated therein), rather than separately attached as a tag 170. UWB devices 100c therefore do not need (although they can have, if desired) a separate UWB tag 170 attached to them in order for them to communicate with UWB transceivers 132 and 126 of patient support apparatus 20 and locator unit 60, respectively. Tagged devices 100b and UWB devices 100c may take on a variety of different forms, as will be discussed in greater detail below. In one specific example, which will be discussed in greater detail below, one of UWB devices 100c may be a wireless pendant that is usable by the patient (or other individual) for controlling aspects of patient support apparatus 20 and/or room devices 72, 74, and/or 76.

[00214] Configuration device 100a includes a controller 162a, a UWB transceiver 158a, a unique ID 160a, and a control panel 164. Controller 162a oversees the operation of configuration device 100a and is in communication with UWB transceiver 158a, unique ID 160a, and control panel 164. UWB transceiver 158a is adapted to range with UWB transceivers) 132 of patient support apparatus 20 and/or UWB transceiver 126 of fixed locator unit 60. The term “range,” or its variants, refers to the act of determining the distance and/or relative position and/or relative orientation of one UWB transceiver with respect to another transceiver. When UWB transceiver 158a ranges with the UWB transceiver(s) 132 of patient support apparatus 20, those patient support apparatus UWB transceivers 132 (and/or UWB transceiver 158a itself) determine their distance from each other and/or their angular relationship to each other. In some constructions, in addition to ranging with other UWB transceivers, UWB transceiver 158a is adapted to communicate other data (i.e. non-ranging data) with one or more other UWB transceivers, such as UWB transceivers 132 and/or 136.

[00215] Control panel 164 may include a plurality of buttons, knobs, dials, switches, and/or other user interface controls. Control panel 164 may include a display and/or a touchscreen. Control panel 164 allows a user to control configuration device 100a, including, but not limited to, entering information, controlling the operation of device 100a, and viewing information generated by configuration device 100a.

[00216] Configuration device 100a may be adapted to be used by an authorized individual in order to more easily generate and/or input the room boundary information 180, doorway information 182, and/or room information 184 into fixed locator unit 60 (and/or into patient support apparatus 20), as discussed above. Configuration device 100a may be adapted to generate the information 180, 182, and/or 184 for communication to fixed locator unit 60 and/or for patient support apparatus 20. Whether communicating with patient support apparatus 20 or fixed locator unit 60, configuration device 100a include an input for starting the room configuration process. The room configuration process is a process that allows a user to easily input boundary info 180, doorway info 182, and/or room info 184 into locator unit 60 and/or patient support apparatus 20.

[00217] When a user wishes to start the room configuration process, he or she initiates a start control on control panel 164. After the start control is initiated, controller 162a instructs UWB transceiver 158a to begin ranging with at least one other UWB transceiver in the room, depending upon whether configuration device 100a is configured for interaction with fixed locator unit 60 or for interaction with patient support apparatus 20. For purposes of the immediately following description, it will be assumed that configuration device 100a is designed to communicate with fixed locator unit 60. Similar principles, however, apply to those constructions of configuration device 100a that are configured to range with patient support apparatus 20.

[00218] After the start control is initiated, controller 112 begins ranging with one or more of the UWB transceiver(s) 126 of any fixed locator units 60 that are positioned within the room 58 in which configuration device 100a is currently positioned. During this ranging process, the user of device 100a walks around the perimeter of the room 58 in which they are positioned. In some constructions, control panel 164 includes an instruction on a display that instructs the user to walk around the perimeter of the room. As the user walks device 100a around the perimeter of the room, UWB transceiver 126 of fixed locator unit 60 repetitively ranges with UWB transceiver 158a of configuration device 100a. Controller 112 of fixed locator unit 60 stores the results of these repetitive ranging sessions in memory 178. The results of these repetitive ranging sessions include, at a minimum, data defining the boundary of room 58 (i.e. boundary information 180). As will be discussed more below, the user may also, in some constructions, use configuration device 100a to input doorway information 182 and/or other room information 184 during the room configuration process.

[00219] While the user is walking with configuration device 100a around the perimeter of the room 58, controller 112 is able to determine from its repetitive ranging with device 100 the boundary of room 58. That is, because the user moves 100a around the perimeter of the room 58, the position of device 100a as it moves, which is determined and recorded by controller 112 of fixed locator unit 60, defines the boundary of room 58. Thus, after the user has completely carried configuration device 100a around the perimeter of room 58, controller 112 will then know the position of the boundary of room 58. In some constructions, after the user has caried device 100a around the perimeter of the room, control panel 164 of device 100a includes a stop control, or the like, that is adapted to be activated by the user. The stop control indicates to the fixed locator unit 60 that the user has completed a circuit around the perimeter of the room 58. Controller 112 may, in response, then terminate the ranging between UWB transceiver 126 and UWB transceiver 158a of configuration device 100a.

[00220] In some constructions, it may be desirable to determine not only the position of the boundary of room 58, but the orientation of locator unit 60 within that room boundary. This may be accomplished in one or more different manners. In one construction, fixed locator unit 60 and/or configuration device 100a may include multiple UWB transceivers 126 and/or 158a that are positioned at known locations with respect to each other and that range with each other (i.e. the transceivers 126 of fixed locator unit 60 range with the transceiver 158a of configuration device 100a). From the multiple rangings between these multiple UWB transceivers, the orientation of the room boundary with respect the orientation of fixed locator unit 60 can be determined. [00221] In another construction, each time the user reaches a comer of the room, he or she activates a control on control panel 164 of configuration device 100a. From this information, controller 112 of fixed locator unit 60 is able to determine the location of each of the four corners of room 58, including the distance between locator unit 60 to each of the comers of the room. This allows controller 112 to determine the orientation of fixed locator unit 60 within the boundary of the room. Alternatively, or additionally, controller 112 and/or configuration device 100a may be designed such that the user’s journey with device 100a around the perimeter of the room always begins at a predefined position (e.g. such as, but not limited to, the location of fixed locator unit 60) and moves in a predefined direction (e.g. clockwise when viewed from above). In some constructions, locator unit 60 and/or device 100a may include an indicator of the direction in which the user should walk around the perimeter of room 58 with device 100a during the configuration process.

[00222] As yet another alternative or addition to the configuration process, controller 112 may assume that the room is rectangularly shaped, unless a user enters information indicating otherwise into configuration device 100a via control panel 164 (which is then forwarded by device 100a to fixed locator unit 60). Still further, in some constructions, the configuration process may involve the user carrying configuration device 100a only partially around the perimeter of the room, rather than completing a full circuit of the room’s periphery, particularly if the room has a known shape (e.g. a rectangle) that is symmetrical. In such constructions, the user can carry configuration device 100a along two or three of the walls and may skip the last one or two walls because controller 112 is able to determine the rest of the periphery of the room based on the known shape of the room and its symmetry to the walls that configuration device 100a has already been carried along.

[00223] In some constructions, configuration device 100a may be placed by a user at certain designated spots in the room and ranging readings may be taken at those spots, rather than having the user carry configuration device 100a around the entire periphery while taking repeated ranging measurements. Such spots may include the comers of the room, a location directly opposite fixed locator unit 60 (on the wall opposite fixed locator unit 60), and/or other locations. For example, in some constructions, configuration device 100a may be designed to allow a user to place configuration device 100a in each of the comers of a room 58 (or at least three of the corners in a symmetrical, quadrilateral-shaped room 58), during which the user activates a control on control panel 164 that initiates a ranging session. In other words, after the user moves configuration device 100a to a first corner, the user activates a control on device 100a that initiates a ranging session with fixed locator unit 60 whereby the position of configuration device 100a in that comer is determined by controller 112. The configuration device 100a is then moved by the user to a new corner and the process is repeated. The user may then move the device 100a to a third comer of the room and repeat the process. The end result is that controller 112 of fixed locator unit 60 is supplied with position readings of device 100a at each of the comers (or at least three of the comers) of the room 58, thereby enabling controller 112 to determine the boundary of the room 58 (assuming the walls are straight and the room has a quadrilateral shape). If the room does not have straight walls and/or is not quadrilaterally shaped, additional readings may need to be taken of device 100a at additional locations beyond the three or four comers of the room 58.

[00224] Whatever the details of the particular configuration process, the result of using the configuration device 100a to engage in multiple ranging sessions with UWB transceiver 126 of fixed locator unit 60 is the ability of controller 112 to define the boundary of room 58 in a coordinate frame of reference that also includes the location of fixed locator unit 60 within that same coordinate frame of reference. In other words, configuration device 100a is used to supply controller 112 with readings of the location of the boundaries of room 58 in a coordinate frame of reference, and controller 112 is also supplied with sufficient information to determine the location and orientation of fixed locator unit 60 within that same frame of reference. This frame of reference is referred to herein as the room frame of reference, and simply refers to a frame of reference in which the position and orientation of both the room boundaries and fixed locator unit 60 is known. This room frame of reference may be defined in any suitable manner (e.g. the coordinate origin may be located at the same location as fixed locator unit 60; it may be located at the doorway into the room; it may be located at a particular comer of the room; or it may be located at some other location), and it may be a two or a three dimensional coordinate frame of reference.

[00225] As will be discussed in more detail below, once a patient support apparatus 20 determines its position and orientation with respect to fixed locator unit 60, it can then determine its position and orientation within the room frame of reference using conventional geometric and/or algebraic techniques. Further, after determining its position and orientation within the room frame of reference, controller 140 of patient support apparatus 20 can determine how far it is from all of the walls 62 of the room 58. Still further, once patient support apparatus 20 knows its position and orientation in the room frame of reference, it can determine the position of additional devices 100 within the room frame of reference. This allows patient support apparatus 20 to determine not only where such additional devices 100 are located with respect to itself, but also with respect to the boundary (e.g. walls) of room 58 and/or with respect to fixed locator unit 60. Patient support apparatus 20 may utilize the position information of devices 100 within the room frame of reference in one or more manners, as will be discussed in greater detail below.

[00226] Configuration device 100a may also, or alternatively, be used to determine additional information about a particular room 58, such as one or more of aspects of the doorway information 182 and/or room information 184. For example, in some constructions, when the user has positioned configuration device 100a at a doorway of room 58, the user is instructed to activate a control on configuration device 100a that informs controller 112 that configuration device 100a is currently positioned adjacent a doorway 190. UWB transceivers 158a and 126 carry out one or more ranging sessions while the configuration device 100a is positioned at the doorway so that controller 112 is able to determine the position of the doorway relative to fixed locator unit 60. In some constructions, configuration device 100a allows a user to enter information via control panel 164 that indicates what type of doorway 190 it is currently positioned at (e.g. hallway doorway, bathroom doorway, closet doorway, etc.) In response to entering this information, configuration device 100a forwards this information to fixed locator unit 60 and controller 112 stores that information in memory 178.

[00227] As another example, configuration device 100a may also, or alternatively, be configured to allow a user to enter information indicating that configuration device 100a is currently positioned at other areas of interest within a given room, such as adjacent a handwashing station, a sink, a supply closet or cupboard, a piece of equipment, etc. After the user enters this information into configuration device 100a (and while the device 100a is positioned adjacent the particular area of interest), controller 162a forwards this information to controller 112 of fixed locator unit 60 and a ranging session takes place between UWB transceivers 126 and 158a, thereby enabling fixed locator unit 60 to determine the position of the area of interest. Controller 112 then stores the results of the ranging session, as well as the identification of the area of interest, in memory 178. Configuration device 100a may therefore be used to tell fixed locator unit 60 where not only the boundary of room 58 is located, but also doorways, equipment, and other areas of interest.

[00228] Configuration device 100a may be a handheld device that includes the components shown in FIG. 5. In some constructions, configuration device 100a may be a smart phone that includes a UWB transceiver 158 built therein and that executes a particular software app. In other constructions, it may be a tablet computer, laptop computer, or other easily carried computer that includes a UWB transceiver and that executes a particular software app. The software app controls the UWB transceiver in the manner discussed (to range with UWB transceiver 126) and communicates the information discussed herein to fixed locator unit 60, using either the UWB transceiver, a built-in Bluetooth transceiver, or another transceiver that is part of the smart phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, or other portable computer. In such constructions, control panel 164 refers to the built-in controls (i.e. the keypad, touchscreen, buttons, etc.) of the smart phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, or other portable computer. While executing the particular software app, the user may inform fixed locator unit 60 that it is at a particular position of interest (or moving around the perimeter of room 58, or other information) by tapping on the touchscreen, or activating another particular control of the smart phone or computer. In other constructions, configuration device 100a may be a stand-alone device that includes its own hardware, rather than being integrated into a smart phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, or other mobile computer. [00229] The foregoing description of configuration device 100a has been with respect to one or more constructions of configuration device 100a that are designed to have UWB transceiver 158a range with UWB transceiver 126 of fixed locator unit 60, and to forward information input by the user (via control panel 164) to fixed locator unit 60. It will be understood that, in other constructions, configuration device 100a may be designed to do any, or all, of the same process described above, but with respect to patient support apparatus 20, rather than fixed locator unit 60. That is, in some constructions, configuration device 100a may be alternatively, or additionally, designed such that UWB transceiver 158a ranges with UWB transceiver(s) 132 of patient support apparatus, and forwards the information input by the user (via control panel 164) to patient support apparatus 20. In this manner, configuration device 100a may be used to generate and to communicate the boundary info 180, doorway info 182, and/or room info 184 directly to patient support apparatus 20, rather than to fixed locator unit 60.

[00230] When configuration device 100a ranges with, and communicates directly with, patient support apparatus 20, controller 140 of patient support apparatus 20 receives information defining the location of the boundary of room 58 from configuration device 100a (and may also, or alternatively, receive doorway information 182 and/or other room information 184). Because this received information is defined with respect to patient support apparatus 20’s current position within the room, and because patient support apparatus 20 is mobile, controller 140 is configured to convert this information into the room frame of reference, rather than a frame of reference that is defined with respect to patient support apparatus 20 (and that moves with respect to patient support apparatus 20). In order to make this conversion, controller 140 uses UWB transceivers 132 of patient support apparatus 20 to range with fixed locator unit 60 and to determine the position and orientation of patient support apparatus 20 with respect to fixed locator unit 60. Using the known position and orientation of fixed locator unit 60 within the room frame of reference, controller 140 is able to determine the position and orientation of patient support apparatus 20 within the room’s frame of reference, and to update this position and orientation in the event patient support apparatus 20 moves. Patient support apparatus 20 also uses the known position and orientation of patient support apparatus 20 within the room frame of reference for determining the position and/or orientation of one or more other devices 100b and/or 100c within the room frame of reference.

[00231] If configuration device 100a is not designed to range with, and communicate directly with, patient support apparatus 20, controller 140 of patient support apparatus 20 is configured to communicate with controller 112 of fixed locator unit 60 and request the boundary info 180, doorway info 182, and/or other room info 184 from fixed locator unit 60. Upon receiving this requested information, controller 140 stores this information in memory 134 onboard patient support apparatus 20. Controller 140 may use this information to determine the position and orientation of patient support apparatus 20 within the room frame of reference, as well as the position and/or orientation of one or more other devices 100b and/or 100c within the room frame of reference. Controller 140 may also use this information for defining one or more zones, as will be discussed in greater detail below.

[00232] Although the foregoing description of configuration device 100a has focused primarily on moving the configuration device 100a around the periphery of room 58, or to different positions on the periphery of room 58, during the configuration process, it will be understood that configuration device 100a can also be used to define zones 152 that are smaller than the entire area of the room 58. For example, if a particular room 58 is intended to have multiple patient support apparatuses 20 positioned therein, a user can carry configuration device 100a around the periphery of a first area where the first patient support apparatus 20 is expected to be (or is) and/or where equipment used with the first patient support apparatus 20 is expected to be (or is), and then carry the configuration device 100a around the periphery of a second area where the second patient support apparatus 20 is expected to be (or is) and/or where equipment used with the second patient support apparatus 20 is expected to be (or is). The movement of the configuration device 100a around the peripheries of these two areas allows patient support apparatus 20 and/or fixed locator unit 60 to define two different zones 152— a first one for use with the first patient support apparatus 20 and a second one for use with the second patient support apparatus 20.

[00233] It will also be understood that, in some constructions, configuration device 100a may include multiple UWB transceivers 158a that are integrated into device 100a at known positions and orientations to each other (and/or with respect to the body of device 100a). In such cases, each UWB transceiver 158a is configured to range with the UWB transceivers of fixed locator unit 60 and/or patient support apparatus 20. The use of multiple UWB transceivers 158a in configuration device 100a may make it easier to determine the orientation of device 100a relative to patient support apparatus 20 and/or fixed locator unit 60, and therefore may make it easier to determine the orientation of fixed locator unit 60 relative to the room frame of reference. Similarly, fixed locator unit 60 may include multiple UWB transceivers 126 that range with the UWB transceivers of patient support apparatus 20 and/or configuration device 100, thereby making it easier for controller 112 to determine the orientation of fixed locator unit 60 relative to devices 100, patient support apparatus 20, and/or the room frame of reference.

[00234] Tagged devices 100b (FIG. 5) includes a UWB tag 170 and a device 172 to which the tag 170 is affixed. The device 172 may be any device, electronic or non-electronic. As will be discussed in more detail below, in some constructions, the device 172 is a door that swings between open and closed positions. Still other types of devices 172 may also be tagged with a UWB tag 170. UWB tag 170 is a UWB tag that is adapted to range with, and in some cases communicate with, either or both the UWB transceiver 126 of fixed locator unit 60 and/or the UWB transceivers 132 of patient support apparatus 20. In general, UWB transceivers 126 and/or 132 range with the UWB transceiver 158b of tag 170 in order to determine the position of tag 170 relative to patient fixed locator unit 60 and/or patient support apparatus 20. As was discussed above, controller 112 and/or controller 140 may be configured to determine the position of UWB tag 170 in two or three dimensions within the room frame of reference. As will be discussed in greater detail below, after determining the position of UWB tag 170, controller 112 and/or 140 may be configured to associate a device 100b with fixed locator unit 60 and/or patient support apparatus 20 if the tag 170 of that device 100b is positioned within a zone 152.

[00235] UWB tags 170 may take on any of the forms of the tags described in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 63/193,777 filed May 27, 2021 , by inventors Thomas Deeds et al. and entitled SYSTEM FOR ASSOCIATING MEDICAL DEVICE DATA, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[00236] Untagged devices 100c (FIG. 5) differ from tagged device 100b in that, instead of a separate tag 170 attached to a device 172, untagged devices 100c have the electronics and functionality of a UWB tag 170 built into them. In effect, untagged devices 100c include an internal tag 170 that is built into them and that may interact with the electronics 166 of the device 100c. Stated alternatively, devices 100c are themselves adapted to perform the functions of UWB tag 170, thereby making it unnecessary to attach a UWB tag 170 to them.

[00237] As can be seen in FIG. 5, untagged devices 100c include a UWB transceiver 158c, an identifier 160c, a controller 162c, and device electronics 166. UWB transceiver 158c, identifier 160c, and controller 162c all work in the same manner as UWB transceivers 158a and b, identifiers 160 and b, and controllers 162a and b, of devices 100a and b, respectively. The only difference between controller 162b and controller 162c is that controller 162c may be part of, and/or electrically communicate with, the electronics 166 of the device 100c itself. Thus, for example, if untagged device 100c is a DVT pump, controller 162c may, in addition to overseeing ranging operations and communications with patient support apparatus 20 and/or fixed locator unit 60, also oversee the operation of one or more aspects of the DVT pump. Further, because controller 162c is in communication with the electronics 166 of device 100c, controller 162c is able to forward information relating to the operation of device 100c to patient support apparatus 20 and/or fixed locator unit 60. Such information may include the outputs of any sensors onboard device 100c, any patient information contained within device 100c, and/or any other information that is generated by, or relates to, device 100c. [00238] As was noted above, the UWB transceivers 158 of devices 10Oa-c are adapted to communicate with the UWB transceivers 132 positioned onboard patient support apparatus 20 (and/or transceiver 126 onboard fixed locator unit 60) so that the position of the devices 100a-c relative to patient support apparatus 20 (and/or to fixed locator unit 60) can be repetitively determined. The UWB transceivers 158 of devices 100 may be the same as all of the other UWB transceivers discussed herein (e.g. UWB transceivers 126, 132). Each of the UWB transceivers 158 of devices 100a-c is further adapted to transmit its corresponding unique ID 160a-c to patient support apparatus 20 and/or to fixed locator unit 60 so that so that patient support apparatus 20 and/or fixed locator unit 60 knows which specific device 100 it is communicating with.

[00239] The devices 172 to which UWB tags 170 may be attached, or the devices 100c into which a UWB transceiver may be built, include, but are not limited to, any one or more of the following: another patient support apparatus 20, an infusion pump, a vital sign sensor, an exercise device, a heel care boot, an IV stand and/or pole, a ventilator, a DVT pump, a patient monitor (e.g. a saturated oxygen (SpO₂) monitor, an EKG monitor, a vital sign monitor, etc.), a patient positioning devices (e.g. a wedge, turning device, pump), an ambient sensor (e.g. air temperature, air flow, light, humidity, pressure, altitude, sound/noise), a mattress 42, an incontinence pad or one or more sensors adapted to detect patient incontinence, a Holter device adapted to monitor and record a patient’s heart signals, a patient ID tag or bracelet worn by the patient that identifies the patient, a badge 142, a caregiver tag or ID bracelet worn by a caregiver that identifies the caregiver, a patient temperature management device (or associated device, such as a one or more hoses, thermal wraps, etc.), a pendant, one or more mobility assistance devices that a patient may be expected to use, and/or other types of devices.

[00240] It will be understood that the components of devices 100a-c shown in FIG. 5 are merely illustrative examples of devices 100a-c, and that different devices 100 may be utilized with the system of the present disclosure that have fewer, greater, and/or different components than those shown in FIG. 5.

[00241] For example, when device 100c is a badge 142, device 100c may be adapted to allow a user of the device 100c to speak into a microphone onboard the badge 142 and have his or her voice transmitted to a remotely positioned phone, a different badge 142, and/or another type of remotely positioned computing device. Similarly, when device 100c is a badge 142, it may be adapted to receive audio signals from a remotely positioned phone, a different badge 142, and/or another type of remotely positioned computing device, and to route them to a speaker onboard device 100c so that the user of the device 100c can hear those audio signals. In other words, when device 100c is a badge 142, device 100c may be adapted to allow a user to bidirectionally communicate with remotely positioned personnel. [00242] In other constructions, one of more of devices 100c may be a pendant. When implemented as a pendant, device 100c is adapted to allow a patient to control various operations of patient support apparatus 20. As was described previously, controller 162c may be configured to send motion commands, in response to a user’s activation of one or more motion controls (that are in communication with, or part of, device electronics 166) to patient support apparatus 20 via UWB transceiver 158c (or by another transceiver built into device 100c, such as a Bluetooth transceiver). In addition, controller 140 of patient support apparatus 20 is configured to automatically utilize UWB transceivers 132 to determine the relative position of the pendant device 100c relative to patient support apparatus 20. If pendant device 100c is positioned inside of a first zone defined around patient support apparatus 20, controller 140 responds to commands (both motion and non-motion commands) from device 100c and implements those commands. If pendant device 100c is positioned outside of the first zone, but inside of a second zone that is larger than the first zone, controller 140 is configured to implement non-motion commands received from the pendant device 100c, but to ignore motion commands received from the pendant device 100c. Still further, if pendant device 100c is positioned outside of both the first and second zones, controller 140 is configured to ignore both motion and non- motion commands that it receives from the pendant device 100c. In some such constructions, the first zone is defined generally to match the perimeter of patient support apparatus 20 such that the user of pendant device 100c can only control the motion of patient support apparatus 20 if he or she is currently positioned on, or very close to, patient support apparatus. The second zone, in such constructions, may be extend several feet to several meters from patient support apparatus 20 and, in some constructions, may extend to the boundary of the room 58 in which the patient support apparatus 20 is positioned, thereby giving the user of device 100c the ability to control room devices 72, 74, and/or 76 using device 100c from any position within the room 58. However, in such constructions, if the user takes the pendant device 100c outside of the room 58, it will no longer be able to control patient support apparatus 20 and/or the room devices 72, 74, and/or 76.

[00243] Controllers 112, 140, and 162 may take on a variety of different forms. In the illustrated example, each of these controllers is implemented as a conventional microcontroller. However, these controllers may be modified to use a variety of other types of circuits— either alone or in combination with one or more microcontrollers— such as, but not limited to, any one or more microprocessors, field programmable gate arrays, systems on a chip, volatile or nonvolatile memory, discrete circuitry, and/or other hardware, software, or firmware that is capable of carrying out the functions described herein, as would be known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Such components can be physically configured in any suitable manner, such as by mounting them to one or more circuit boards, or arranging them in other manners, whether combined into a single unit or distributed across multiple units. The instructions followed by controllers 112, 140, and 162 when carrying out the functions described herein, as well as the data necessary for carrying out these functions, are stored in a corresponding memory that is accessible to that particular controller (e.g. memory 134 for controller 140). In some constructions, controllers 112, 140, and 162 may include and/or work with a microcontroller that is integrated into, or associated with, the UWB transceivers) aboard that particular device (e.g. UWB transceivers 126, 132, and 158), and that microcontroller may act as a location engine, either alone or in combination with its associated controller 112, 140, and 162, for determining the locations of the other UWB transceivers with which it is in communication.

[00244] Controller 140 of patient support apparatus 20 utilizes UWB transceivers 132 to determine the relative position of patient support apparatus 20 with respect to one or more nearby locator units 60 and any devices 100 that are positioned within communication range of patient support apparatus 20. If patient support apparatus 20 is positioned within range of a locator unit 60, its UWB transceivers 132 communicate with the UWB transceiver 126 positioned on that locator unit 60, and the transceivers 132 and 126 exchange signals that enable them to determine the distances between themselves (i.e. they range with each other). This distance determination is done for each UWB transceiver 132 positioned onboard patient support apparatus 20 (or for as many as is necessary in order to determine an accurate position of locator unit 60 relative to patient support apparatus 20). [00245] If a device 100 is positioned within range of the UWB transceivers 132 of patient support apparatus 20, the UWB transceivers 158 of the device 100 range with the UWB transceivers 132 of patient support apparatus 20. In some constructions, this ranging is done for each UWB transceiver 132 positioned onboard patient support apparatus 20 (or for as many as is necessary in order to determine an accurate position of the device 100 relative to patient support apparatus 20).

[00246] In some constructions, the UWB transceivers 126, 132, 158 may also be configured to determine an angular relationship between themselves during the ranging process. The distance (and angle information) in at least some constructions is calculated by UWB transceiver 132 and/or controller 140 of patient support apparatus 20. In other constructions, one or more of the locator unit 60 or device(s) 100 may also, or alternatively, calculate the distance (and angle information) and forward the results of this calculation to patient support apparatus 20 (either via a UWB transceiver or BT transceiver). In either situation, patient support apparatus controller 140 is informed of the distances (and, in some constructions, as noted, the angle information) between its UWB transceivers 132 and those onboard nearby fixed locator(s) 60 and/or device(s) 100. These distances and orientations are then used to calculate a relative position of patient support apparatus 20 to these devices (locator units 60 and/or devices 100) in a common frame of reference that may be defined in a fixed relationship to the patient support apparatus 20 or the device. Alternatively, or additionally, controller 140 may determine the position of locator unit(s) 60 and/or device(s) 100 in the room frame of reference, if patient support apparatus 20 has been supplied with boundary info 180. [00247] Although FIGS. 4 and 5 only illustrate a single locator unit 60, it will be understood that a typical healthcare facility will include multiple locator units 60 positioned at different locations throughout the facility, including ones positioned within patient rooms and others positioned outside of patient rooms. Typically, at least one locator unit 60 will be positioned in each patient room of the healthcare facility, and if the patient room is intended to be occupied by more than one patient (e.g. it includes multiple bays), then additional locator units 60 may be included so that each patient support apparatus 20 will have a locator unit 60 positioned adjacent to each bay area in the room. Additional locator units 60, such as unlinked locator units 60, may also be positioned at other locations through the healthcare facility. In some constructions, any of locator units 60 may include more than one UWB transceiver 126.

[00248] The location of patient support apparatus 20 relative to locator units 60 and devices 100 is repetitively determined by the ranging signals exchanged between their UWB transceivers 126, 132, and 158. This exchange may be initiated by an interrogation signal that is sent by the UWB transceivers 126, 132, and/or 158 of any of these devices. The trigger for sending these interrogation signals (from any source) may simply be the passage of a predefined interval of time, in at least some constructions. That is, patient support apparatus 20, locator units 60, and/or devices 100 may be configured to periodically send out an interrogation signal that will be responded to by any UWB transceivers that are positioned with range of that signal. In those constructions where patient support apparatuses 20 are configured to send out such an interrogation signal, the time intervals between the interrogation signals may be varied depending upon the location, the number of devices 100 that are positioned within range of patient support apparatus 20, and/or the status of the patient support apparatus 20. For example, in some constructions, controller 140 may be configured to send out the interrogation signals with longer timer intervals between them when the patient support apparatus is stationary (and, in some cases, when no devices 100 are currently positioned in communication range), and to send out the interrogation signals with shorter time intervals between them when the patient support apparatus 20 is in motion and/or when at least one device 100 is currently positioned within communication range of transceivers 132. In any of the aforementioned constructions, motion of the patient support apparatus 20 may be detected in any suitable manner, such as by including one or more motion sensors on the patient support apparatus 20 (e.g. one or more accelerometers), and/or by monitoring the values of the repetitive distance measurements and looking for changes indicative of movement.

[00249] In some constructions of patient support apparatus 20, controller 140 is configured to initiate ranging with a locator unit 60, and to thereafter associate itself with the locator unit 60, in response to the following triggers: (a) a brake on patient support apparatus 20 being applied, (b) a power cable of patient support apparatus 20 being plugged into an AC wall outlet, or (c) the passage of a threshold amount of time after patient support apparatus 20 comes to a stop (or after power is turned on on a stationary patient support apparatus 20). Thus, if a patient support apparatus 20 is wheeled into a room, or other area, near a locator unit 60, controller 140 will attempt to range with, and thereafter associate itself with, the locator unit 60 in response to either the brake on patient support apparatus 20 being applied and/or in response to the AC cord of patient support apparatus 20 being plugged into a mains wall outlet. If neither of those actions happen, controller 140 will also monitor the amount of time that elapses after patient support apparatus 20 comes to a stop. Controller 140 may be configured to detect when patient support apparatus 20 is moving and when it is stationary by using one or more accelerometers onboard patient support apparatus 20, one or more wheel encoders that generate signals when one or more wheels 24 are rotating, and/or by other means. In response to the threshold amount of time passing after coming to a stop— and no brake being applied and no AC cord being plugged in— controller 140 will automatically initiate ranging with the nearby locator unit 60 and, after successfully ranging with locator unit 60, associate patient support apparatus 20 with that particular locator unit 60.

[00250] If a stationary patient support apparatus 20 is unpowered and positioned next to a locator unit 60, and a user subsequently turns on the power to the patient support apparatus 20, controller 140 will also initiate ranging with the nearby locator unit 60 in response to the brake being subsequently applied or the power cord being subsequently plugged in. If the brake is not applied (or was previously applied while power was off) and if the power cord is not plugged in (or was previously plugged in while power was off), controller 140 monitors the amount of time that elapses since the patient support apparatus 20 was turned on. Once the threshold amount of time is reached, controller automatically initiates the ranging with the nearby locator unit 60 and thereafter associates itself with that locator unit 60. Although the precise value of the threshold amount of time may vary, it may be on the order of a minute or so, although greater or shorter time values may be used.

[00251] In some constructions, the UWB transceivers 126, 132, and/or 158 are configured to act as either UWB anchors or as UWB tags. In at least one construction, the UWB transceivers 126 of locator units 60 and the UWB transceivers 158 of devices 100 are both configured to act as UWB tags, while the UWB transceivers 132 of patient support apparatus 20 are configured to act as UWB anchors. It will be understood that modifications to these roles of anchors and tags can be made. For example, in some constructions, the UWB transceivers 132 of patient support apparatus 20 may be modified to act as UWB anchors in some instances and as UWB tags in other instances. Still other modifications can be made.

[00252] In general, when a UWB transceiver is configured to act as a UWB tag, it is configured to periodically transmit a UWB start packet, which acts as a discovery packet. The start packet requests that any UWB anchors that are within communication range to respond. If another UWB transceiver that is acting as a UWB tag happens to receive the start packet from another UWB tag, that UWB transceiver is configured to not respond to it. In other words, tags transmit start packets, but do not respond to start packets. UWB anchors, on the other hand, do not transmit start packets, but instead respond to start packets with a response packet that may be referred to as a stamp packet. Anchors therefore transmit stamp packets, but do not transmit start packets. UWB anchors also do not respond to other stamp packets that they may detect from other UWB anchors. In response to receiving a stamp packet from a UWB anchor, the UWB tags are configured to transmit an end packet back to the UWB anchor that transmitted the stamp packet.

[00253] The combination of the start, stamp, and end packet generally defines a ranging session between a UWB anchor and a UWB tag. The ranging session uses time of flight (TOF) information generated from the start, stamp, and end packets to allow the anchor and/or tag to determine a distance between the tag and the anchor. In some constructions, the start, stamp, and/or end packet may also contain other data in their payloads that is used for other purposes besides ranging. From the ranging information, the distance between the anchor and tag is determined. These ranging sessions are repetitively carried out while a UWB anchor and UWB tag are within communication range.

[00254] In some constructions, the time interval between ranging sessions is controlled by the UWB tag. That is, after the UWB tag sends a start packet, receives a stamp packet in response, and sends an end packet in response to the stamp packet, the UWB tag is configured to wait a defined amount of time before sending out another start packet. The defined amount of time is programmed into the UWB tag and can be varied during operation of the UWB tag. In some constructions, the UWB tag may be configured to change this defined amount of time (hereinafter, the “ranging interval”) based upon whether the UWB device with the tag is associated with, or not associated with, a UWB device having an anchor. In other constructions, the ranging interval may be changed by a tag based upon the status of one or more of the UWB devices that are involved in the ranging session. Such status may include, but is not limited to, the movement status of one or more of the UWB devices, the position and/or state of one or more components of the devices, the location of the device within the healthcare facility and/or in relation to other UWB device(s), and/or other factors.

[00255] After the installation of locator units 60 in a particular healthcare facility, the location of each locator unit 60 within that facility is recorded. In some constructions, the coordinates of the locations of locator units 60 are recorded in a common frame of reference (or converted to a common frame of reference after recordation). Such coordinates may be three dimensional (i.e. include a vertical and two horizontal components), or they may be two dimensional (no height component). In other constructions, a more generalized location of one or more locator units 60 is determined, rather than the precise coordinates of the locator units 60. The generalized location of the locator units 60 may include an indication of the room, bay, area, hallway, portion of a hallway, wing, maintenance area, etc. that the locator unit 60 is positioned in. In still other constructions, the locations of one or more locator units 60 are determined both generally and more precisely.

[00256] Regardless of how the location of each locator unit 60 is initially determined after they are installed in a healthcare facility (e.g. whether their coordinates are determined or a more generalized location is determined), the locations of all of the locator units 60, as well as their unique IDs 122, are stored in a memory accessible to server 84 and/or 86. Server 84 and/or 86 then uses this location data and ID data to determine the location of a patient support apparatus 20 (as well as the location of any associated devices 100). Alternatively, or additionally, the location data and IDs 122 are forwarded to patient support apparatuses 20 for storage in their onboard memories 134 and for use in determining their own locations. In some constructions, the location of each locator unit 60 (whether specific and/or general) may also, or alternatively, be stored in a memory within that particular locator unit 60 and shared with the devices it communicates with (e.g. patient support apparatuses 20). In some other constructions, the location of each locator unit 60 may be stored in multiple locations.

[00257] It will be appreciated that patient support apparatuses 20 are configured to communicate with locator units 60 regardless of the orientation of the patient support apparatus 20. That is, the UWB transceivers 126 and 132 are radio frequency transceivers that do not rely on line-of- sight communication, unlike the IR transceiver 124 (if present). Thus, the patient support apparatuses 20 do not have to be pointed in any particular direction with respect to the locator units in order for transceivers 126 and 132 to communicate. This differs from some prior art systems that use IR communication between the patient support apparatuses 20 and the locator units and that require the IR transceiver onboard the patient support apparatus to be aimed toward the locator unit in order for communication to be established. It will also be understood that locator units 60 can be positioned on walls, columns, ceilings, or any other fixed structures within the healthcare facility.

[00258] For all of the UWB devices 100 that patient support apparatus 20 is configured to determine the location of (i.e. perform UWB ranging with), controller 140 of patient support apparatus 20 uses the relative position information to determine how it will interact with these devices 100, including whether to associate with these devices 100 or not. When controller 140 associates patient support apparatus 20 with one or more of devices 100, as will be discussed in greater detail below, controller 140, server 84 and/or server 86 may take one or more of the following actions: display data from these devices 100 on display 52 and/or another display device; automatically route data from one or more of these devices 100 to one or more appropriate destinations; retrieve data about one or more of these devices 100 from patient support apparatus server 84, EMR server 92, and/or badge sever 94 via network transceiver 96; send one or more signals from these devices 100 to communication outlet 64 (via a cable 66 or through linked locator unit 60); forward one or more signals from outlet 64 to one or more of these devices 100; retrieve data from EMR server 92 that was generated by these devices 100; retrieve data from these devices 100 via another route that is independent from EMR server 92; and/or perform other actions.

[00259] For locator units 60, controller 140 is configured to determine whether to automatically associate patient support apparatus 20 with a particular locator unit 60 based on whether both locator unit 60 and patient support apparatus 20 (or a reference point R thereon) are positioned within a common zone (e.g. zone 152a of FIG. 4). For devices 100, controller 140 is configured to determine whether to automatically associate patient support apparatus 20 with a particular device 100 based on whether the device 100 is positioned within a zone 152 that surrounds the patient support apparatus 20, such as zone 152b of FIG. 4.

[00260] Once a device 100 or locator unit 60 is associated with patient support apparatus 20, it thereafter remains associated with patient support apparatus 20 until either it or patient support apparatus move outside of a particular zone, such as zones 152a-c of FIG. 4, at which point controller 140 disassociates the device from patient support apparatus 20. That is, controller 140 repetitively determines and monitors the position of the devices 100 and locator unit 60 while they are within UWB communication range, and if either of patient support apparatus 20 or the device 100 moves outside of a corresponding zone 152, controller 140 automatically disassociates the device from patient support apparatus 20. The same is true for fixed locator unit 60. For example, controller 140 may make such an automatic disassociation if patient support apparatus 20 moves such that locator unit 60 is no longer inside zone 152a (if zone 152a is defined with respect to patient support apparatus 20), or such that patient support apparatus 20 is no longer inside zone 152a (if zone 152a is defined with respect to locator unit 60). Similarly, if a device 100, for example, moves outside of a zone 152b defined around an associated patient support apparatus 20, controller 140 may automatically disassociate the device 100 from the patient support apparatus 20.

[00261] Still further, in some constructions discussed in more detail below, controller 140 may not completely disassociate itself from a device 100 if it moves outside of a first zone 152 and into a second zone, but instead change a manner in which controller 140 interacts with the device 100. In such constructions, controller 140 may wait to completely disassociate the device 100 from patient support apparatus 20 only if the device 100 moves outside of both of the first and second zones 152. [00262] In some constructions, controller 140 may use modified zones— such as larger zones— when determining whether to automatically disassociate devices 100 (or locator units 60) from patient support apparatus 20. In other words, once a device has been determined to be positioned inside of a particular zone, such as zones 152a-c (and any additional association conditions are met, if there are any), and controller 140 has associated the device with patient support apparatus 20, controller 140 may thereafter increase the size of— and/or otherwise change one or more dimensions of— the zone 152 when determining whether to automatically disassociate the device from patient support apparatus 20. In this manner, the zones152 may have a sort of hysteresis aspect wherein a device has to be positioned inside of a smaller zone in order to be associated with patient support apparatus 20, but thereafter can only be disassociated if it moves outside of a larger sized zone. One example of this type of hysteresis effect is shown in FIG. 12 of commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 63/356,242 filed June 28, 2022, by inventors Madhu Sandeep Thota et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS COMMUNICATION AND LOCATION SYSTEM, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Controller 140 may be configured to utilize the hysteresis effect disclosed in the aforementioned ‘242 application, and/or to implement any of the functions of the patient support apparatuses disclosed therein. Alternatively, controller 140 may use the same dimensions for the zones 152 for both association and disassociation purposes.

[00263] In some constructions, zones 152a-c (FIG. 4) are defined with respect to patient support apparatus 20 and therefore move as patient support apparatus 20 moves. Zone 152a, which may be the smallest of the zones 152, is generally used for the automatic association and disassociation between patient support apparatus 20 and a locator unit 60. Zone 152b is generally used for the automatic association and disassociation between patient support apparatus 20 and some devices 100 that are expected to be used in close proximity to the patient. Zone 152c is generally used by controller 140 for the automatic association and disassociation between patient support apparatus 20 and devices 100 that are expected to be positioned further away from patient support apparatus 20, such as, but not limited to, badges 142 and/or UWB tags 170 that are attached to doorways 190. It will be understood that controller 140 may utilize zones 152 other than the three shown in FIG. 4.

[00264] In addition to, or as an alternative to, the manners of automatically disassociating a patient support apparatus 20 from a device 100 and/or locator unit 60, controller 140 may be constructed to automatically disassociate itself in response to the passage of a predetermined amount of time. For example, in some constructions, controller 140 may be configured to commence a timer in response to a device 100 moving outside of a particular zone, such any of zones 152a-d (FIG. 8).

Once the timer reaches a predetermined value (e.g. thirty seconds, a minute, etc.), controller 140 may be configured to automatically disassociate the device 100 from the patient support apparatus 20 provided the device 100 has remained outside of the zone 152 for the predetermined time period. In some of these constructions, controller 140 is configured to automatically maintain the association and stop and reset the timer if/when the device 100 moves back inside the zone 152 prior to the expiration of the predetermined time period. If controller 140 determines that the device 100 has stayed outside of the zone 152 for the predetermined time period, it is configured to automatically disassociate the device 100 from the patient support apparatus 20. [00265] In some constructions, controller 140 may base the decision to automatically disassociate a device 100 from the patient support apparatus 20 based on multiple factors, such as both the distance of the device 100 from the patient support apparatus 20 and the amount of time that has elapsed since the device 100 moved outside of a particular zone 152. For example, in some constructions, when a device 100 is moved outside of a first zone 152, controller 140 starts a timer while continuing to monitor the position of the device relative to patient support apparatus 20. In this example, controller 140 is programmed to automatically disassociate the device 100 from the patient support apparatus 20 in response to whichever one of the following conditions occurs first: (1) the device 100 moves outside of a second zone 152 that is larger than the first zone; or (2) the device remains outside of the firs zone for the predetermined amount of time without re-entering the first zone. In this manner, if the device 100 moves outside of the first zone 152 but never moves outside of the second zone 152, the device will become automatically disassociated from the patient support apparatus 20 after the passage of the predetermined time period. Further, if the device 100 moves outside of the second zone before the predetermined time period elapses, the device 100 will also be automatically disassociated from patient support apparatus 20 at the moment it exits the second zone. Still further, if the device 100 moves back into the first zone prior to the predetermined time period elapsing, and without the device 100 ever exiting the second zone, the device will remain associated with the patient support apparatus 20 (and the timer will be stopped and reset).

[00266] In some constructions of patient support apparatus 20, controller 140 may be configured to respond to commands received from certain associated devices 100 (e.g. cell phones, badges, etc.) in different manners, depending upon the amount of time that has elapsed since the device 100 has moved outside of one or more zones 152. For example, controller 140 may be configured to fully implement a plurality of commands received from a device 100 when the device 100 is inside a particular zone 152 and associated with the patient support apparatus 20. However, in response to the device 100 moving outside of that particular zone 152, controller 140 may start a timer and only continue to respond to that plurality of commands, or a subset of the plurality of commands, from the device 100 for a predetermined amount of time after the device 100 has moved outside of, and remains outside of, the particular zone 152 (and while still associated with patient support apparatus 20). Once the predetermined time period ends, controller 140 may be configured to ignore commands received from the device 100.

[00267] In addition, in some constructions, controller 140 may sub-divide the predetermined time period into multiple time segments and, with the expiration of each segment of time, controller 140 may progressively reduce the number of commands that it responds to from the device 100. In such constructions, controller 140 may respond to a first set of commands during a first segment of the predetermined time period; respond to only a subset of those commands during a second and subsequent time segment; respond to an even smaller subset of those commands (or no commands at all) during a third and subsequent time segment; and so on. Still further, in addition to progressively responding to one or more ever-narrowing subsets of commands in response to the passage of predetermined time segments, controller 140 may automatically disassociate the device 100 from patient support apparatus 20 in response to moving outside of a second and larger zone, at which point controller 140 will stop responding to any commands (even if the time segment has not yet expired). Thus, controller 140 may be configured in a wide variety of different manners to automatically change its command-responsiveness to a device 100 based on the passage of time and/or the distance between the device 100 and patient support apparatus 20, and/or controller 140 may be configured in a wide variety of different manners to automatically disassociate itself from patient support apparatus 20 based on the passage of time and/or the distance between the device 100 and patient support apparatus 100.

[00268] In terms of command-responsiveness, the commands that controller 140 may stop responding to in response to the passage of a predetermined amount of time and/or the movement outside of a particular zone 152 of device 100 may vary. In one example, controller 140 may stop responding to motion commands from a device 100 to move an actuator on patient support apparatus 20 if the device 100 is outside of a particular first zone for more than a predetermined amount of time (and/or the device 100 moves outside of a second and larger zone 152). Such motion commands may include any one or more of the motion commands previously discussed, such as, but not limited to, raising/lowering head section 44, raising/lower lifts 26, raising/lowering a knee gatch, and/or moving other components or combinations of components onboard patient support apparatus 20. These motion commands are carried out by driving one or more electrical, pneumatic, and/or hydraulic actuator onboard patient support apparatus. Once the predetermined time period expires, controller 140 may stop responding to the motion commands, but continue to respond to non-motion commands from the device 100. Such non-motion commands were also discussed previously and include, for example, commands to control one or more aspects of the room devices 72, 74, and/or 76.

[00269] In some constructions of patient support apparatus 20, the manner in which controller 140 changes its responsiveness to commands from a device 100 and/or the manner in which controller 140 automatically disassociates the device 100 from patient support apparatus 20 are configurable by authorized individuals. Such configuration may take place via an authorized user utilizing one or more of the control panels 54 on patient support apparatus 20, via an authorized user logging into patient support apparatus server 84 and having server 84 send a configuration command to one or more patient support apparatuses 20, and/or via an authorized user utilizing a device 100 associating with patient support apparatus 20 to send a configuration command to the patient support apparatus 20. The configurability allows the authorized user to set the rules for how controller 140 automatically disassociates from a device 100 (i.e. choose whether the rules are based on time and/or distance, as well as choosing what the time and distance parameters are), and/or how controller 140 may change its responsiveness to certain commands from device 100 (i.e. whether the change in commandresponsiveness is based on time and/or distance, as well as what commands have their responsiveness changed).

[00270] In some constructions, controller 140 is configured to change the size and/or shape of a zone 152 based upon whether or not boundary information 180 is stored in memory 134 (or has been communicated to controller 140 from fixed locator unit 60). For example, controller 140 may be configured to use a default or first definition of a zone 152 when no boundary information 180 is stored or available to controller 140, and to use a second definition of zone 152 when boundary information 180 for the room in which it is positioned is available. The first or default zone definition may be a zone 152 having a predetermined size and shape that moves with the movement of patient support apparatus 20. The second definition of the zone may be a zone 152 that is defined to substantially coincide with the perimeter of the room 58 and that is fixed relative to the room 58 (i.e. it does not move when the patient support apparatus 20 moves). In other words, when boundary information 180 is available, controller 140 may automatically switch to using a zone 152 (at least for some devices 100 and/or for some purposes) that has substantially the same size and shape as the size and shape of the room 58 in which the patient support apparatus 20 is currently located. In this manner, controller 140 can be configured to automatically associate certain ones of devices 100 that are within the same room 58 with patient support apparatus 20.

[00271] In some constructions, if room 58 is a semi-private room, configuration device 100a may be used to define the boundary of the portion of the room 58 that is assigned to a first patient support apparatus 20 (or patient) and the boundary of the other portion of the room 58 that is assigned to a second patient support apparatus 20 (or patient). If the room 58 is intended to house more than two patients, configuration device 100a can be used to define the boundaries of each of the three or more portions of the room that are assigned to the three or more patients (or patient support apparatuses 20). In such constructions, the boundary information 180 may include— either in addition to, or in lieu of the room boundary information— the boundaries of each of these portions of room. The room boundary information 180 may also include data indicating which particular fixed locator unit 60 is associated with each particular portion of the room (if there are multiple fixed locator units 60 in the room), thereby allowing each patient support apparatus 20 within the room to know which fixed locator unit 60 is assigned to which portion of the room 58.

[00272] When room 58 is a semi-private room, controller 140 of patient support apparatus 20 may be configured to automatically choose a zone 152 that has the same size and shape as the portion of the room in which the patient support apparatus 20 is located. Similar to some of the constructions described above, controller 140 may be configured to utilize a default zone selection 152 (e.g. a zone with a default size and shape) when the boundary information 180 relating to portions of a semi-private room is not available to controller 140, and to automatically switch from the default zone to a zone shaped and sized to match a portion of the room 58 in response to the room boundary information 180 that defines the portion of the room 58 in which patient support apparatus 20 is currently located.

[00273] It will be understood that when controller 140 of patient support apparatus 20 selects a zone 152 that substantially matches the boundaries of the room 58, the zone 152 need not exactly match the boundaries of the room 58. Instead, the zone 152 is selected to substantially, but not necessary perfectly, match the boundaries of the room 58. The degree of fidelity between the boundary of zone 152 and the room 58 may vary, depending upon the purpose for the selection of zone 152, depending upon the type of devices 100 that may be used in the vicinity of patient support apparatus, depending upon the ranging accuracy of the UWB transceivers 126, 132, and 158, and/or depending upon other factors. In at least one construction, the zone 152 selected by controller 140 should have a boundary that is accurate to about six to twelve inches of the actual walls of the room 58 (although other ranges of accuracy may be used).

[00274] It will be understood that the size and shape of any of zones 152 may be dynamic. That is, in response to a triggering event, controller 140 may change the size and/or shape of one or more of the zones 152 that is uses. Such triggering events may include any one or more of the following: the presence or absence of another patient support apparatus within the room 58, the presence or absence of a caregiver within the room 58, the presence or absence of a room divider in the room 58, the receipt by controller 140 of boundary information defining a boundary of a room 58, movement of patient support apparatus 20, movement of a device 100, the opening and/or closing of a door 198, and/or other events. The changing of a zone in response to any one or more of these triggers may be especially useful for zones 152 that are used for functions other than solely association.

[00275] It will also be understood that, although the accompanying drawings all depict all of the zones 152 as having rectangular shapes, these shapes may be varied, including shapes that are all curved and/or shapes that have a combination of curved and straight boundaries. For example, in some constructions, such as where patient support apparatus 20 has only a single UWB transceiver 132, the zones 152 may be spherical and/or arcuate. It will also be understood that zones 152 may be defined in two dimensions or three dimensions, and thus refer to areas of space or volumes of space. The area or volumes defined by the zones may have their boundary definitions stored as coordinates in an appropriate frame of reference and/or as distances and/or in other manners.

[00276] In some constructions, controller 140 may be configured to allow a user to associate a device 100 to patient support apparatus 20 via a manual process, in addition to the previously described automatic association process. For the manual process, the caregiver has to manually inform patient support apparatus 20 that a particular device 100 should now be associated with that patient support apparatus 20. This manual process may be accomplished in different manners. For example, the device 100 and patient support apparatus 20 may include near field transceivers that, when positioned within close proximity (e.g. several inches) of each other, exchange information that establishes that that particular device 100 should be associated with that particular patient support apparatus. Further details regarding the use of near field transceivers for associating devices 100 to a patient support apparatus 20 are disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 63/352,061 filed June 14, 2022, by inventors Jerald Trepanier et al. and entitled COMMUNICATION SYSTEM FOR PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES, the complete disclosure of which has already been incorporated herein by reference. Other types of manual association processes may also, or alternatively be used.

[00277] FIG. 6 illustrates one manner in which patient support apparatus 20 may be configured to automatically determine the location of the boundaries of the room 58 in which it is positioned (i.e. automatically determine boundary information 180). As shown in FIG. 6, patient support apparatus 20 is positioned in a room 58 having an adjacent bathroom 192, an adjacent closet 196, and an adjacent hallway 194. There are three doorways 190 shown as well: a bathroom doorway 190a, a closet doorway 190b, and a hall doorway 190c. Each of the doorways 190a-c include a corresponding door 198a-c, respectively. Room 58 includes, in addition to fixed locator unit 60 and patient support apparatus 20, three UWB tags 170 positioned in three corners of the room. Because tags 170 are each coupled to a wall 62, the combination of the tag 170 and wall 62 may be considered to constitute a device 100b (wherein the wall 62 is the device 172 to which the tag 170 is coupled). Additionally, it will be understood that, rather than just using a tag 170 coupled to a wall 62 (e.g. a device 100b), the automatic determination of the room boundary information, as illustrated in FIG. 6, may utilize configuration devices 100a positioned in the comers of room 58 and/or devices 100c. However, the following written description will simply refer to the UWB devices positioned in the corners of room 58 as tags 170.

[00278] The tags 170 positioned in the corners of room 58 may include data within their unique identifiers 160b that indicate that they are positioned in the comers of room 58. For example, each tag 170 that is positioned in a comer of a room 58 may start with a unique prefix, or end with a unique suffix, or otherwise contain a string of characters in the identifier 160b that controller 140 is able to recognize as corresponding to a comer tag 170 (as opposed to a tag 170 coupled to something other than a comer of the room, such as, for example, a mobile device 172). In this manner, when tag 170 ranges with UWB transceivers 132 of patient support apparatus 20 is able to recognize these tags as being positioned in the corners of a room 58. Alternatively, a user may enter information into patient support apparatus 20 manually via one of control panels 54 indicating that these particular tags 170 are positioned in the comers of room 58. Still other manners of informing controller 140 that these tags 170 are positioned in the corners of room 58 may also, or alternatively, be used.

[00279] After controller 140 determines that tags 170 are positioned in the corners of room 58 and after transceivers 132 range with the tags 170, controller 140 determines the boundaries of the room 58. In the example shown in FIG. 6, controller 140 is able to automatically determine the boundaries of room 58 using the assumption that each of the walls 62 are straight and that room 58 is rectangularly shaped. Based on this assumption, controller 140 calculates the location of the fourth corner of the room (using the known position of the three comers determined from UWB ranging). After calculating the location of the fourth comer of the room, controller 140 defines the boundaries of room 58 as four lines connecting together the four comers of the room. It will be understood that if room 58 is not rectangularly shaped, it may be necessary to put a tag 170 on more than three comers of the room 58 and/or to enter additional information into patient support apparatus 20 that defines the shape of the boundaries of room 58.

[00280] After controller 140 determines the boundaries of room 58, it may, as noted, define a zone, such as zone 152c of FIG. 7, that substantially matches the boundaries of room 58. In the example shown in FIG. 7, controller 140 has defined and/or is using three different zones 152: a first zone 152a, a second zone 152b, and a third zone 152c. First zone 152a is used to associate patient support apparatus 20 with fixed locator unit 60. That is, when the ranging between UWB transceiver 126 of fixed locator unit 60 and the UWB transceivers 132 of patient support apparatus 20 reveal that a reference point R of patient support apparatus 20 is positioned inside of zone 152a, controller 140 associates the fixed locator unit 60 with patient support apparatus 20. In some constructions, zone 152 is defined with respect to fixed locator unit 60 and is static (i.e. it does not move when patient support apparatus 20 moves).

[00281] Second zone 152b surrounds patient support apparatus 20 and is defined with respect to patient support apparatus 20 (i.e. it moves with patient support apparatus 20. Third zone 152c is defined to substantially match room 58 and is fixed in the room frame of reference (i.e. it does not move with movement of patient support apparatus 20). Third zone 152c is the zone that controller 140 may automatically define in response to receiving, or determining, the room boundary information 180.

Thus, prior to receiving the boundary information 180, controller 140 may utilize a different size and/or shape for zone 152c. In some constructions, controller 140 may utilize fewer than the three zones shown in FIG. 7, while in other constructions, controller 140 may utilize more than the three zones shown in FIG. 7. Still further, in some constructions, controller 140 may utilize only zones 152a and b, for example, prior to receiving boundary information 180, at which point it may additionally, or alternatively, use zone 152c. [00282] In some constructions, third zone 152c is used primarily for the detection of badges 142 that may be worn by caregivers, patients, visitors, and/or other individuals, while second zone 152b is used for detecting medical devices 100, or other devices 100, that are used as part of the treatment of the patient assigned to patient support apparatus 20. However, in some constructions, third zone 152c may be used for associating medical devices 100 and/or other devices 100 besides badges 142 with patient support apparatus 20. And first zone 152 may be used primarily for devices that are used during the care of a patient and that are expected to be positioned on patient support apparatus 20 itself (as opposed to next to patient support apparatus 20).

[00283] In some constructions, controller 140 is configured to change the size and/or shape of a zone 152 if the zone 152 would otherwise extend outside of the boundary of room 58. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 7, if patient support apparatus 20 is positioned closer to the wall 62 adjacent the restroom 192 such that the upper boundary of zone 152b were to extend partially into restroom 192, controller 140 would utilize room boundary information 180 to reduce that portion of zone 152b that was extending into restroom 192.

[00284] After patient support apparatus 20 has received room boundary information 180 from corner tags 170a-c, or from another source other than fixed locator unit 60, controller 140 is configured to forward this room boundary information to fixed locator unit 60. Fixed locator unit 60 then stores this information and saves it for forwarding to any future patient support apparatus 20 that may enter that particular room 58. In this manner, when a new patient support apparatus 20 enters room 58, it does not need to range with the comer tags 170a-c in order to determine the boundaries of room 58. Instead, it can request and/or automatically receive the room boundary information 180 from fixed locator unit 60. In some constructions, comer tags 170a-c may be temporarily affixed to the comers of room 58 during the gathering of room boundary information 180 and, once that information has been stored in patient support apparatus 20 and/or fixed locator unit 60, comer tags 170a-c may be removed, or thereafter not utilized, if desired. However, it will be understood that, in at least some constructions, corner tags 170a-c may be left in their corner positions and used to range with one or more devices 100, patient support apparatus 20, and/or fixed locator unit 60 after the room boundary information 180 has been determined.

[00285] In some constructions, controller 140 may be configured to determine the room boundary information 180 in yet another manner which may be used, either in addition to, or in lieu of, the two methods described above (i.e. the use of a configuration device 100a and the use of tags 170 positioned in corners of the rooms 58). This other manner involves controller 140 instructing one or more of UWB transceivers 132 to emit UWB signals and to detect the reflections of those signals off the walls 62 of room 58. Based on the time elapsed between the moment of emission of the UWB signals and the moment of detection of the reflected signals, the distance to each of the walls 62 may be determined. In some constructions, the UWB transceivers may be configured detect not only first order reflections of the UWB signals off of the walls 62, but also second and/or even third order reflections. These reflections are then used by controller 140 to determine the position of one or more of the walls 62 relative to patient support apparatus 20. In some constructions, the UWB transceivers 132, as noted above, include directional sensitivity so that the direction in which the reflections are sensed may yield additional information for determining the relative position of patient support apparatus 20 within the room 58. Once the room boundary information 180 is determined by this method (or any of the other methods discussed herein), controller 140 may forward the room boundary information 180 to fixed locator unit 60 for storage therein.

[00286] Controller 140, in some constructions, is configured to automatically request, or automatically receive, room boundary information 180 from fixed locator unit 60 whenever it initially associates patient support apparatus 20 with a particular fixed locator unit 60, such as when the patient support apparatus 20 is first pushed into a particular room 58. If the fixed locator unit 60 does not have the room boundary information stored in its memory 178, or is otherwise not able to forward this boundary info 180 to patient support apparatus 20, controller 140 is configured to take one or more steps to automatically determine the room boundary information 180 itself, such as, but not limited to, communicating with corner tags 170a-c (if present), communicating with a configuration device 100a, emitting and detecting UWB reflections off of the walls 62, and/or taking other actions as will be described below.

[00287] In response to receiving room boundary information 180 from fixed locator unit 60, or in response to determining room boundary information 180 in another way, controller 140 is configured to change (or add) at least one zone 152 (e.g. zone 152c) such that its boundary substantially matches the boundary of the room 58. In this manner, if patient support apparatus 20 is initially positioned in room A that has a first floorplan and/or size, and then patient support apparatus 20 is subsequently moved to room B that has a different floorplan and/or a differently sized area, controller 140 will automatically adjust at least one of its zones 152 from a having a first size and/or shape (when in room A) to having a second size and/or shape when entering into room B. In this manner, as patient support apparatus 20 is moved throughout different rooms 58 in a healthcare facility, controller 140 automatically adjusts, as necessary, the size and/or shape of at least one zone 152 to match the boundaries of whatever room patient support apparatus 20 is currently positioned in. This process of adjusting at least one zone 152 takes place automatically without requiring any user input.

[00288] As was noted, in some constructions, controller 140 may be configured to use more than three zones 152a-c. One example of a construction in which controller 140 is configured to use at least four zones 152 is shown in FIG. 8. As shown therein, there are four zones 152a-d. Zones 152a-c may be the same as the zones 152a-c described above. Zone 152d may be utilized specifically for a patient pendant. That is, in some constructions, when at least one of devices 100 includes a patient pendant, controller 140 may be configured to allow the patient pendant to control both motion and nonmotion aspects of patient support apparatus 20 while the patient pendant is positioned within zone 152d. However, if the pendant is moved outside of zone 152d but remains inside of another, larger zone, such as zone 152b or 152c, controller 140 is configured to not implement any motion commands received from the pendant, but to still implement non-motion commands from the pendant. And if the pendant is moved outside of both zone 152d and the larger zone (e.g. 152b and/or 152c), controller 140 is configured to not implement either motion commands or non-motion commands received from the pendant.

[00289] The non-motion commands include, but are not limited to, commands to control one or more aspects of the room devices 72, 74, and/or 76, and the motion commands refer to commands for at least one component of patient support apparatus 20 to move. Such motion commands include, but are not limited to, raising/lowering head section 44, raising/lower lifts 26, raising/lowering a knee gatch, and/or moving other components or combinations of components onboard patient support apparatus 20. The motion commands are carried out by driving one or more electrical, pneumatic, and/or hydraulic actuator onboard patient support apparatus 20.

[00290] Each of the ID’s 160 of devices 100 may include information identifying the type of device 100 that they are, such as, for example, a badge 142, a DVT pump, a mattress, a vital sign sensor, etc. In some constructions, the ID 160 identifies additional information beyond the type of device. For example, in some constructions, when a device 100 is a badge 142, the ID 160 of that badge 142 may indicate additional information as to the type of badge. For example, identifiers 160 may indicate that the badge is a badge 142 of the type worn by a caregiver, or that the badge 142 is of the type worn by a patient, or that badge 142 is of the type worn by a visitor, or of the type worn by still other personnel (e.g. doctors, technicians, food service employees, transport workers, cleaners, etc.). In such constructions, when one or more of UWB transceivers 132 ranges with a badge 142, the transmission of the badge’s ID 160 to controller 140 allows controller 140 to determine whether it is ranging with a caregiver badge, a patient badge, a visitor badge, or some other type of badge.

[00291] In some constructions, controller 140 may be configured to automatically determine where one or more doorways 190 are located in a particular room, either in addition to, or in lieu of, receiving this information from a configuration device 100a and/or from a fixed locator unit 60. In such constructions, controller 140 is configured to range with badges 142 that enter into the room 58 in which patient support apparatus 20 is located. By repetitively ranging with the badges 142 that enter within the room 58 (i.e. that enter zone 152c in FIGS. 7 and 8), controller 140 is configured, in at least one construction, to determine where the doorways 190 of the room 58 are located. Controller 140 does this by monitoring the movement of the badges 142 into and out of zone 152c and recording what portions of the border of zone 152c the badges move through and what portions of the zone 152c the badges 142 do not move through. This is more easily understood with respect to FIG. 8.

[00292] As shown in FIG. 8, there are portions of the room boundary where doorways are present, and thus no walls 62. For example, portion 202 is an area of the right boundary of room 58 (when viewed from above) in which no wall 62 is present. In contrast, portion 200 is an area of the right boundary of room 58 where a wall 62 is present. Controller 140 keeps track of where UWB badges 142 enter and exit the room boundary (or, in this example, zone 152c) by repetitively ranging with the badges 142 using transceivers 132. At any location along the perimeter of zone 152c where a badge 142 is detected entering or exiting zone 152c, controller 140 concludes that there is a doorway present there. Thus, in the example of FIG. 8, when controller 140 detects a badge 142 moving through portion 202 of the room boundary, it concludes that there is a doorway there, which, in fact there is: doorway 190c. In some constructions, controller 140 is configured to conclude that a wall 62 is present in particular areas of the boundary of the room based on an absence of any badges 142 being detected entering or exiting room 58 through those area, particular over a threshold amount of time. In other constructions, controller 140 may be configured to assume that a wall is present in all locations along the room boundary except where a doorway 190 is detected. In still other constructions, controller 140 may be configured to only detect where doorways 190 are located and not concern itself with whether walls 62 are present or not.

[00293] In some constructions, controller 140 is configured to not only determine where doorways 190 are present in a room 58 but also to determine a particular type of each doorway 190 that is present. That is, controller 140 may be configured to automatically determine whether a doorway is a restroom doorway 190a, a closet doorway 190b, a hallway doorway 190c (FIG. 8), and/or another type of doorway. Controller 140 may make this automatic determination by determining what type of badges 142 pass through the doorways 190 and/or the movement patterns of the badges 142 through the doorways 190. For example, in order to determine that a doorway 190 is a closet doorway, controller 140 monitors for movement of a badge 142 that is worn by a caregiver (or other healthcare worker), rather than by a patient. Controller 140 also monitors the amount of time that passes between a caregiver badge 142 entering and exiting room 58 though the doorway 190. For a closet doorway, the caregiver badge 142 will be expected to exit room 58 only for a relatively short period of time (e.g. in the range of several second to several minutes), while the caregiver grabs supplies from the closet and/or re-stocks supplies in the closet. In contrast, for a hallway doorway 190, the caregiver badge 142 will be expected to exit for much longer periods of time (up to an hour or more) as the caregiver attends to other patients and/or performs other duties. In addition, the closet doorway 190b will only be entered/exited after the caregiver badge 142 has been first detected passing through the hallway doorway 190c because the caregiver must first enter room 58 through hallway door 190c before they are able to enter the closet 196. Accordingly, controller 140 may be configured to not only record the times between the entries/exits for each doorway 190, but also whether a doorway 190 is entered/exited by itself during a caregiver visit or whether it is entered/exited in addition to one or more other doorways 190 being entered/exited during the caregiver visit. From this information, controller 140 is able to detect and distinguish between hallway doorways 190c and closet doorways 190b. In some constructions, controller 140 may need to record the entry/exit information of badges 142 for multiple visits before it is able to accurately conclude which doorway is which, and/or before it is able to detect a closet doorway 190 (which may not be used with every caregiver visit to a particular room). [00294] Controller 140 may be configured to automatically detect a restroom doorway 190a by monitoring and recording the movement of a badge 142 worn by a patient. Because a patient will typically use the restroom multiple times during his or her visit to the healthcare facility, but typically leave their room 58 through hallway exit 1940c a lesser amount of times, controller 140 may utilize a comparison of the frequency at which a patient badge 142 passes through a particular doorway as compared to another doorway to distinguish a restroom doorway 190a from a closet or hallway doorway 190. Similarly, controller 140 may use the movement of a caregiver badge 142 in making the determination that a doorway 190 is a restroom doorway 190a. This is because it will typically be expected that a patient will use the restroom doorway 190a more frequently than a caregiver. Accordingly, controller 140 may also utilize a comparison of the frequency at which a caregiver badge 142 passes through a particular doorway use as compared to another doorway to distinguish a restroom doorway 190a from a closet or hallway doorway 190. In such constructions, controller 140 concludes that a doorway 190 is a bathroom doorway 190 if a patient badge 142 passes through it more frequently than the other doorway(s) 190 that are present in the room, and if caregiver badge(s) 142 pass through it less frequently than at least one other doorway 190 that is present in the room 58. [00295] In some constructions, instead of automatically detecting what type of doorway 190 that each doorway is, controller 140 may be configured to receive this doorway information from configuration device 100a (either directly or through fixed locator unit 60). In still other constructions, controller 140 may be configured to automatically request information indicating the doorway types (i.e. doorway information 182) from fixed locator unit 60 and, if it not available, to automatically begin tracking the movement of badges 142 in order to figure out what type of doorway 190 each doorway is. [00296] In those constructions where controller 140 automatically determines the type of each doorway 190 that is present in the room 58 it is currently positioned in, controller 140 is configured to thereafter send this information to fixed locator unit 60. Controller 112 of fixed locator unit 60 then stores this information as doorway information 182 in its memory 178. In addition, when fixed locator unit 60 subsequently pairs with another patient support apparatus 20 (which will happen if the first patient support apparatus 20 is moved out of room 58 and replaced with a second patient support apparatus 20), controller 112 automatically forwards this doorway information 182 to the second patient support apparatus 20, thereby relieving the second patient support apparatus 20 of having to determine the doorway information itself (if it is even capable of that, which it may not be, in some constructions). In some constructions, controller 112 and/or controller 140 may be configured to forward the doorway information 182 (and/or boundary info 180 and/or room info 184) to patient support apparatus server 84 and/or remote server 86 via network 80.

[00297] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a situation where controller 140 of patient support apparatus 20 may be triggered to adjust the boundary of one or more zones 152. Specifically, FIG. 9 illustrates an example of two patient support apparatuses 20 adjusting at least one of their respective zones 152 in response to them both sharing a common room 58. That is, patient support apparatus 20a and/or 20b may be configured to automatically adjust at least one of their zones 152 (e.g. 152c) to match the boundary of room 58 when that particular patient support apparatus 20 is positioned within room 58 alone (i.e. only a single patient support apparatus 20a or 20b is positioned in room 58). However, when a second patient support apparatus 20 is moved into room 58, the patient support apparatus 20 that is already positioned within room 58 is triggered by the presence of the incoming patient support apparatus 20 to change the dimensions of at least one zone 152c. Similarly, the incoming patient support apparatus 20 is triggered by the presence of the already-existing patient support apparatus 20 to define at least one zone 152 that takes into account the presence of the patient support apparatus 20 that is already in room 58.

[00298] For example, suppose patient support apparatus 20a is positioned by itself within room 58 in FIG. 9. In that case, controller 140 may be configured to automatically set the boundary of one of its zones (e.g. zone 152c) to match the boundary of room 58. As noted, it may use other boundaries for other zones 152 (e.g. 152a, 152b, 152d, etc.). As patient support apparatus 20b is moved into room 58, its UWB transceivers 132 range with the UWB transceivers 132 of patient support apparatus 20a, and both patient support apparatuses 20 detect the nearby presence of each other. In response to detecting the presence of each other, their controllers 140 are each configured to automatically select a boundary of at least one zone 152 that collectively divides room 58 into two zones— a first zone 152c1 for patient support apparatus 20a and a second zone 152c2 for patient support apparatus 20b. Together, zones 152c1 and 152c2 fill substantially the entire room 58, and collectively the non-shared borders of zones 152c1 and 152c2 substantially match the boundary of room 58.

[00299] In some constructions, controllers 140 are configured to automatically divide the area of room 58 in half when there are two patient support apparatuses 20 present in the same room, and then to set a first zone 152 (e.g. 152c1 ) for the first patient support apparatus equal to one of the halves and to set another zone 152 (e.g. 152c2) for the second patient support apparatus equal to the other one of the halves. In some constructions, controller 140 may divide the room in other fractions (other than one half) depending upon the layout of the room, the intended location of patient support apparatuses 20 (e.g. the location of the bed bays), and/or based on other factors. In other constructions, one or more fixed locator units 60 may be present that instruct the controllers 140 how to divide the area of room 58 between themselves so that they can define zones 152 that collectively occupy substantially all of the area of the room.

[00300] In addition to, or as an alternative to, automatically divvying up the area of room 58 into separate portions for separate zones for multiple patient support apparatuses 20, controller 140 of either or both of patient support apparatuses 20a and/or 20b may be configured to create a zone 152 that occupies the entire area of room 58 but that is only used for limited purposes. For example, instead of dividing room 58 into zones 152c1 and 152c2, such as is shown in FIG. 9, controller 140 of one or both of patient support apparatuses 20a and/or 20b may continue to utilize a zone 152 that occupies the entire area of room 58, but use that zone 152 for only limited purposes. For example, in one such construction, controller 140 of patient support apparatus 20a may be configured to utilize a zone 152 that occupies the entire area of room 58 for caregiver visits. In such constructions, controller 140 determines when a caregiver enters room 58 by detecting the presence of the caregiver’s badge 142 anywhere within the room-sized zone 152. Controller 140 may then automatically record the detection of the caregiver’s presence and/or send this information to patient support apparatus server 84 and/or remote server 86, which may utilize this information to automatically detect when a caregiver has performed her or her rounding duties. Controller 140, in some constructions, detects the presence of the caregiver’s badge 142 within the room by determining whether the caregiver’s badge is present within a room-sized zone 152. The room-sized zone 152, in some constructions, may not be used for other purposes, such as for associating other devices 100 within the room with a particular patient support apparatus 20. Instead, a smaller zone that is centered around, or immediately adjacent to, a patient support apparatus 20 may be used by the controller 140 for determining whether to associate one or more other device 100 (i.e. non-badge devices 100) with patient support apparatus 20.

[00301] FIG. 10 illustrates another manner in which controller 140 may dynamically adjust a zone 152 in response to the triggering event of another patient support apparatus 20 being in close proximity. Specifically, FIG. 10 illustrates two patient support apparatuses 20a and 20b. Each patient support apparatus 20a and 20b includes a zone 152a and 152b, respectively, that that particular patient support apparatus 20 uses for one or more purposes. In this particular construction, in the absence of another nearby patient support apparatus 20, each controller defines its respective zone 152a and 152b to be a completely circular zone. However, because patient support apparatuses 20a and 20b are positioned close together, the two zones 152a and 152b include an overlapping region 206 where the two zones 152a and 152b overlap. In order to avoid such an overlapping region 206, controllers 140 of patient support apparatuses 20a and 20b are configured to communicate with each other to automatically adjust the boundaries of zones 152a and 152b so that they don’t overlap with each other. [00302] In the particular example shown in FIG. 10, controllers 140 of patient support apparatuses 20a and 20b are configured to divide the overlapping region 206 generally into two halves 206a and 206b, with the area of the first half 206a being included within the modified zone 152a but excluded from the modified zone 152b, and with the area of the second half 206b being included within the modified zone 152b but excluded from the modified zone 152a. If the patient support apparatuses 20a and 20b move even closer together than what is shown in FIG. 10, the controllers 140 are configured to continue to split the overlapping region 206 into two halves, with each half belonging to the nearer patient support apparatus 20a or 20b instead of the further patient support apparatus 20a or 20b. Similarly, as the patient support apparatuses 20a and 20b are moved further apart and the overlapping region 206 shrinks in size, controllers 140 are configured to continue to divide the overlapping region in half until, eventually, the overlapping region 206 disappears and zones 152a and 152b can be used without modification (e.g. in FIG. 10, the zones 152a and 152b return to being complete circles).

[00303] FIG. 11 illustrates another example of one or more controllers 140 implementing and utilizing one or more dynamic zones 152. That is, FIG. 11 illustrates another example of one or more controller 140 implementing and utilizing one or more zones 152 whose boundaries are changed by the controller(s) 140 in response to one or more triggering events. In the example shown in FIG. 11 , the triggering event is the movement of one patient support apparatus 20b into proximity of another patient support apparatus 20a. Specifically, FIG. 11 illustrates patient support apparatus 20b being moved through a doorway 190 into a room 58 in which patient support apparatus 20b is located. As can be seen therein, patient support apparatus 20a includes a movable zone 152a that is defined around patient support apparatus 20a and that moves with patient support apparatus 20a. Similarly, patient support apparatus 20b includes a movable zone 152b that is defined around patient support apparatus 20b and that moves with patient support apparatus 20b. A room zone 152c is also defined and remains stationary (i.e. it is fixed with respect to the boundaries of room 58).

[00304] As patient support apparatus 20b is moved into room 58, a portion of the boundary of its movable zone 152b comes into contact with a portion of the boundary of the movable zone 152a of patient support apparatus 20a. This line of contact is identified in FIG. 11 as the dashed line that bears both the reference numbers 152a and 152b. In the same or similar manner as was discussed above with respect to FIG. 10, controller 140 of patient support apparatuses 20a and 20b may mutually work out the location of the mutual boundary line 152a, 152b by determining how each zone 152a and 152b would otherwise overlap and splitting the overlapping region generally equally between patient support apparatus 20a and patient support apparatus 20b. In other words, controllers 140 are configured to adjust the boundaries of zones 152a and 152b such that the boundaries of their zones 152a and 152b do not define any overlapping regions. In this manner, a device 100 that is positioned within zone 152a, for example, will become associated with patient support apparatus 20a and a device 100 that is positioned in zone 152b will become associated with patient support apparatus 20b, and there is no location within either of zones 152a or 152b where a device has the potential for being associated with both patient support apparatuses 20a and 20b (which would be an error).

[00305] As can be seen in FIG. 11 , although controllers 140 have adjusted the size and shape of zones 152a and 152b in response to patient support apparatuses 20a and 20b moving close together, the size and shape of room zone 152c has not changed. In some constructions, both patient support apparatuses 20a and 20b may utilize the same room zone 152c for certain purposes. Such purposes may include detecting when a caregiver (with a badge 142) visits the room 58 and/or the movement of the caregiver within room 58; detecting when a patient (with a badge 142) visits the restroom, exits the room 58, and/or otherwise moves about the room; tracking the location of one or more devices 100 that may be positioned within room 58 (but that may not necessarily be associated with the particular patient support apparatus 20 that is performing the device tracking; and/or for other purposes.

[00306] In order for patient support apparatuses 20 to adjust one or more zones 152 in response the nearby presence of another patient support apparatus 20, the patient support apparatuses 20 are configured to detect each other’s presence using UWB transceivers 132. When the UWB transceivers 132 of multiple patient support apparatuses 20 detect each other’s presence, the UWB transceivers 132 determine the distance between (and in some cases the orientation of) the multiple patient support apparatuses 20. The controllers 140 of each patient support apparatus 20 may be further configured to exchange with the nearby patient support apparatus 20 information defining the boundaries of the one or more zones 152 that each patient support apparatus 20 is using. In this manner, each patient support apparatus 20 can determine how much one or more of its own zones 152 overlaps with one or more zones 152 of the other patient support apparatus 20, and thereafter make the appropriate adjustments to the zones 152 so as to remove any overlapping regions. In some constructions, the patient support apparatuses 20 all use standardized zones 152, in which case it may not be necessary for the patient support apparatuses 20 to exchange zone information because each patient support apparatus 20 can include within its own memory 134 data that defines the zones 152 used by other patient support apparatuses 20.

[00307] In some constructions of patient support apparatuses 20, controller 140 may be configured to automatically determine whether the doors 198 within one or more doorways 190 are open or closed. One manner in which controller 140 may be configured to carry out this automatic door state detection is illustrated in more detail in FIGS. 12 and 13. FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate a patient support apparatus 20 positioned in a room 58 having three doors 198a, 198b, and 198c. Each door 198 includes a tag 170 attached to it. Thus, each door 198 and tag 170 pair constitutes a device 100c (with door 198 corresponding to device 172 in FIG. 5). Controller 140 is configured to detect the distance between itself and each door tag 170 in order to determine whether the door 198 is open or closed. In the example shown in FIG. 12, each door 198 is open, and the distances between patient support apparatus 20 (i.e. reference point R) and each door tag 170a, b, and c is shown as D_openA, DopenB, and Dopenc, respectively. In the example shown in FIG. 13, each door 198 is closed, and the distances between patient support apparatus 20 (i.e. reference point R) and each door tag 170a, b, and c is shown as DciosedA, DciosedB, and Ddosedc. As can be seen from a comparison between FIGS. 12 and 13, distance D_openA is larger than distance DciosedA; distance D_openB is larger than distance DciosedB; and distance D_openc is shorter than distance Ddosedc. By determining each of these distances D, controller 140 is able to determine whether each door 198 is open or closed.

[00308] More specifically, controller 140 is able to determine whether a door 198 is open or closed based on its distance measurements by comparing the distance measurement D to the doorway information 182 (which may be stored in fixed locator unit 60’s memory and/or onboard patient support apparatus 20). Doorway info 182 includes data indicating the position of door tags 170 when the respective door to which they are attached is open and when that door is closed. This data may be stored in the room frame of reference. After controller 140 determines the distances D to each tag 170, it uses its known position and orientation within room 58 (as determined through ranging with fixed locator unit 60), as well as the measured distances D, to determine the current position of each door tag 170 in the room frame of reference. By simply comparing this current position to the doorway information 182 and seeing whether the current position corresponds to an open position or a closed position (or somewhere in between), controller 140 is able to determine if the door is open or closed (or somewhere in between).

[00309] In an alternative construction, fixed locator units 60 may be configured to determine whether each door 198 is open or closed, either in lieu of, or in addition to, the determination made by patient support apparatus 20. Fixed locator units 60 may be configured to determine the open or closed state of a door 198 in the same manner as patient support apparatuses 20. That is, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, fixed locator unit 60 may be configured to measure the distances between itself and each door tag 170. These distances are indicated in FIGS. 12 and 13 as distances D_openAi, D_openBi, and Dopenci (FIG. 12) and distances DciosedAi, DciosedBi, and Ddosedci (FIG. 13). After controller 112 of fixed locator unit 60 determines the distances D to each tag 170, it uses its known position and orientation within room 58 (as determined during installation), as well as the measured distances D, to determine the current position of each door tag 170 in the room frame of reference. By simply comparing this current position to the doorway information 182 and seeing whether the current position correspond to an open position or a closed position (or somewhere in between), controller 140 is able to determine if the door is open or closed (or somewhere in between).

[00310] The manner in which doorway information 182— which includes the position of each door tag 170 when in the closed position and when in the open position— is initially determined and stored in memory 178 and/or 134 can vary. In one construction, configuration device 100a may be held in contact with, or immediately next to, each door tag 170 when the corresponding door 198 is open and when the corresponding door 198 is closed. When the door 198 is open, UWB transceivers 132 of patient support apparatus 20 (and/or the UWB transceiver 126 of fixed locator unit 60) ranges with the UWB transceiver 158a of configuration device 100a and determines its position. The user of configuration device 100a uses the control panel 164 of configuration device 100a to enter information indicating that the current position of device 100a corresponds to either the open position or the closed position of the door 198. Configuration device 100a then forwards this information to patient support apparatus 20 and/or fixed locator unit 60. Patient support apparatus 20 and/or fixed locator unit 60 stores this information in its corresponding memory (as part of doorway information 182). After recording the position of the door tag 170 while the door is an open or closed position (using configuration device 100a), the user moves the door 198 to its opposite position and places configuration device 100a in contact with, or immediately next to, the tag 170 of that door 198. Through UWB ranging with device 100a, patient support apparatus 20 and/or fixed locator unit 60 determines the position of device 100a while in this opposite position. This information is then stored in memory 178 and/or 134 of fixed locator unit 60 and/or patient support apparatus 20 as part of doorway information 182. This information indicates the position of UWB tag 170 when in the door is in the opposite position of the previous measurement. In this manner, by placing device 100a substantially at the same location as each tag 170 when the door is initially opened and then closed (or vice versa), and recording the position of device 100a in each position, patient support apparatus 20 and/or fixed locator unit 60 are able to determine and save data defining the positions of tag 170 when the door 198 is open and when the door 198 is closed.

[00311] As one alternative to the above-described method of determining the position of tags 170 when each door 198 is open and closed, configuration device 100a may be used to simply inform patient support apparatus 20 and/or fixed locator unit 60 of what position the tag 170 is currently in, rather than as a ranging tool. In other words, in some constructions, configuration device 100a does not need to be placed in contact with, or adjacent to, the tag 170 while it is in the open and closed position. Instead, when the door of a tag 170 is in the open position, for example, configuration device 100a may simply be used to inform patient support apparatus 20 and/or fixed locator unit 60 that the door is currently open. The UWB transceivers 132 and/or 126 then range with the tag 170 itself, rather than configuration device 100a, and determine the position of tag 170 within the room frame of reference when the door is open. This process is then repeated with the door in the closed position. The data generated during each step is stored in memory 134 and/or 178 as part of doorway information 182 and used for subsequent determinations of whether each door 198 is open or closed. [00312] As yet another alternative to the above-described method of determining the position of tags 170 when each door 198 is open and closed, a user may simply enter information indicating the current state of the door (i.e. open or closed) directly into a control panel onboard patient support apparatus 20 and/or onboard fixed locator unit 60. In this manner, when patient support apparatus 20 and/or fixed locator unit 60 range with a tag 170, they are informed manually by the user whether door 198 is open or closed. After one ranging session, the user then moves the door to its opposite position (i.e. from open to closed, or vice versa), and another ranging session with the UWB tag 170 attached to the door is performed. The result of the two ranging sessions is data indicating the position of tag 170 when the door is open and when the door is closed. As noted, this information is then stored as part of doorway info 182.

[00313] In some constructions, in addition to determining whether one or more doors 198 are closed or open, patient support apparatus 20 and/or fixed locator unit 60 are configured to keep a record of the opening and closing of doors 198. The records may detail how long each door was open or closed, the time each door 198 was closed or opened, the type of door 198 (e.g. doorway, bathroom, hallway, etc.), who passed through the doorway (wearing a badge 142), the direction in which the person passed through the doorway (e.g. into or out of room 58, closet 196, and/or hallway 194), and/or other pieces of information associated with doors 198. This information may then be forwarded by patient support apparatus 20 and/or fixed locator unit 60 to patient support apparatus server 84 and/or to remote server 86. In some constructions, one or both of these servers 84 and/or 86 may then forward one or more of these doorway records to another server, such as, but not limited to, EMR server 92, and/or to one or more electronic devices 98.

[00314] Additionally, or alternatively, patient support apparatus 20 and/or fixed locator unit 60 may keep a record of each time a patient (wearing a badge 142) passes through a bathroom doorway 190. These records may then be shared with the EMR server 92 and/or one or more electronic devices 98. From these records, a healthcare worker can get an idea of how often a patient is using the restroom, which may be useful information in the treatment of the patient. Controller 140 may also be configured to automatically zero scale system 144, or take one or more other actions, when controller 140 detects that the patient’s badge 142 has passed through a bathroom doorway 190. In some constructions, controller 140 immediately forwards a notification to patient support apparatus server 84 and/or server 86 when a patient enters the bathroom 192, and one or both of these servers 84 and/or 86 sends a notification to a caregiver’s associated electronic device 98. In this manner, a caregiver can be informed of when a patient is using the bathroom, which may be useful for the treatment of some patients. In some constructions, a caregiver can use his or her electronic device 98, and/or a control panel 54 on patient support apparatus 20, to configure patient support apparatus 20 to either send, or not send, notifications of when a patient has entered the bathroom, thereby giving the caregiver the option of receiving such notifications or not.

[00315] In addition to, or in lieu of, keeping records of when the patient enters and/or exits restroom 192, patient support apparatus 20 and/or fixed locator unit 60 may keep track of when the patient leaves room 58 through a hallway doorway 190. In such constructions, patient support apparatus 20 may be configured— either directly via a control panel 54 or indirectly via an electronic device 98— to send a notification to one or more caregivers in response to a patient passing through a hallway doorway 190 (out of room 58, into room 58, or both).

[00316] Patient support apparatus 20 may also, or alternatively, keep a record of when a caregiver enters room 58 by detecting a caregiver badge 142 within the room 58. Still further, patient support apparatus 20 may also, or alternatively, keep a record of when a caregiver wearing a badge 142 moves within a threshold distance of one or more areas of interest within room 58, such as, but not limited to, a sink, a disinfecting station, a supply closet or cupboard, or another area. In such constructions, patient support apparatus 20 may be configured to send notifications to patient support apparatus server 84, remote server 86, and/or one or more electronic devices 98 in response to detecting the caregiver in one or more of these areas of interest.

[00317] In some constructions, controller 140 is configured to determine whether a badge 142 is associated with a caregiver or patient (or other type of person) based upon the identifier 160 received from the badge 142. Additionally, or alternatively, controller 140 may be configured to determine whether a badge 142 is worn by a caregiver or a patient based upon repetitive monitoring of the movement and location of the badge 142. Patient badges 142 will be detected within the footprint of patient support apparatus 20 while the patient is on patient support apparatus 20. Patient badges 142 will also be expected to periodically travel to the restroom 192 and less frequently exit through a hallway doorway 194. Caregiver badges 142, in contrast, will rarely be positioned within the footprint of patient support apparatus 20, but instead will periodically be positioned around the periphery of patient support apparatus 20 when the caregiver visits the patient. Additionally, caregiver badges 142 will less frequently travel to the restroom 192 (when compared to patients) and will more frequently travel in and out of the hallway door 194 (when compared to patients). By monitoring badges 142 are located, where they move to, and the frequency of their movement (and/or the time at which they remain stationary in certain locations), controller 140 is able to automatically determine whether a badge 142 is worn by a caregiver or is worn by a patient.

[00318] In some constructions, controller 140 may be configured to detect a device 100 that provides an indication of whether a room divider is present and/or is being deployed within a room 58. In some such constructions, the device 100c is a tag 170 that is attached to a movable portion of the room divider, and the room divider corresponds to the device 172 of FIG. 5. For example, the room divider may be a sliding curtain, or the like, that slides along a rail in the ceiling and/or in the floor. In such cases, a first tag 170 may be affixed to one end of the room divider and a second tag may be affixed to the other end of the room divider (or to a stationary structure near the other end of the room divider, such as to a wall 62). When the divider is moved its extended (or deployed) position, the distance between the two tags 170 increases. When the divider is moved to its retracted (or undeployed) position, the distance between the two tags 170 is decreased. Controller 140 may be configured to range with such room divider tags 170 and to determine their position relative to each other in order to determine whether the room divider is in a deployed or undeployed position. When in the undeployed position, controller 140 may be configured to utilize a zone 152 that is dimensioned so as to substantially match the boundary of the room 58. When in the deployed position, controller 140 may be configured to utilize a zone 152 that is dimensioned to match the portion of the room 58 that is on the same side of the room divider as patient support apparatus 20.

[00319] In some constructions, controller 140 may be additionally, or alternatively, configured to detect the presence of a room divider that has only a single tag 170 attached to it, or that otherwise does not provide an indication to controller 140 as to whether the divider is being deployed or not. In such situations, controller 140 may be configured to automatically assume that, when the presence of a divider is detected, the divider is being used, and to therefore use a zone 152 that only encompasses the portion of the room 58 that patient support apparatus 20 is positioned on (i.e. the portion of the room on the side of the divider that patient support apparatus 20 is located in. In some such constructions, controller 140 may be configured to define a zone 152 whose boundary follows approximately half of the room. Alternatively, the zone 152 may be defined to match a portion of the room 58 wherein the portion of the room is based upon the detected position of the room divider tag 170 within the room. In such situations, if the tag 170 is positioned two-thirds of the way along the length of the room, for example, controller 140 may be configured to automatically define a zone 152 that has a boundary equal to the one-third portion of the room if the patient support apparatus 20 is located in the one-third portion of the room 58, or to automatically define a zone 152 that has a boundary equal to the two-thirds portion of the room 58 if patient support apparatus 20 is located in the two-thirds portion of the room 58.

[00320] In still other constructions, room info 184 may contain data indicating how the room 58 should be divided in response to a divider being present. In such cases, controller 140 may consult its own memory 134, if room info 184 is stored therein, or it may request room info 184 from fixed locator unit 60. Once this room info 184 is received, controller 140 may then define at least one zone 152 that matches the portion of the room 58 specified within the room info 184. Controller 140 may use this zone 152 for one or more purposes (e.g. associating one or more devices 100 with patient support apparatus 20). Controller 140 may also, in some constructions, use a room-sized zone 152 for other purposes, such as monitoring caregiver visits, patient trips to the restroom, the tracking of equipment (devices 100), and/or for other purposes.

[00321] In some constructions, the boundary info 180 of a particular room 58 within a healthcare facility may be determined in yet another alternative manner from what has been previously described herein. One example of this is shown in FIG. 14. This alternative manner of determining the boundary of room 58 utilizes a jig 220 to which a laser emitter 222 and laser detector 224 is attached. The jig includes a body portion 226 that is dimensioned to be inserted into a slot 228 defined in the top of fixed locator unit 60. After being inserted therein, the laser emitter 222 is activated and spins in a complete circle about a generally vertical pivot axis, thereby emitting a laser beam about the entire periphery of the room 58. Laser detector 224 rotates in unison with laser emitter 222 and detects the reflections of the emitted laser beam off of the walls 62. From the reflections of the laser beam off of the surrounding walls 62, the distance to each of the walls 62 is calculated by the jig 220. Jig 220 forwards these distance measurements to fixed locator unit 60 and/or to patient support apparatus 20. [00322] Controller 112 of fixed locator unit 60 includes within its memory 178 data indicating the spatial relationship between UWB transceiver 126 and the jig 220 when the jig is inserted into slot 228. Using this known spatial relationship, controller 112 is configured to convert the distances between jig 220 and the walls 62 into distances between UWB transceiver 126 and the walls 62 of room 58. That is, controller 112 uses the known offset of the laser emitter 222 and detector 224 from UWB transceiver 126 to convert the distance measurements of jig 220 into distance measurements corresponding to UWB transceiver 126. Because the jig is attached at a known location on fixed locator unit 60 (i.e. slot 228), and the offset from the jig 220 from UWB transceiver 126 when the jig is inserted into slot 228 is known, controller 112 is able to carry out this conversion using conventional means.

[00323] It will be understood that jig 220 may be modified to be positioned at other locations on fixed locator unit 60 other than the position illustrated in FIG. 14. Indeed, jig 220 may be designed to be positioned anywhere with respect to fixed locator unit 60 so long as the offset between the UWB transceiver 126 and the jig 220 is known. In some constructions, a jig 220 may be utilized on patient support apparatus 20, either in addition to, or in lieu of, the jig illustrated in FIG 14. When used on patient support apparatus 20, the jig 220 is adapted to be coupled to patient support apparatus 20 at a fixed location whose offset from reference point R (or from the UWB transceivers 132 themselves) is known to controller 140. Controller 140 uses this known offset to convert the distances measured by the jig 220 into distances measured with respect to reference point R (or one or more of the UWB transceivers 132). A jig 220 can therefore be used with either fixed locator unit 60 and/or patient support apparatus 20 to measure the distances to the walls 62, and to thereby generate the room boundary information 180.

[00324] In some constructions, jig 220 may be modified to also measure the height of room 58, as well as its height in the room 58. In such constructions, jig 220 may include another emitter 222 and detector 224 that rotate about one or more horizontal axes, and therefore detect the reflections of the laser off the ceiling, floor, and some walls of the room 58. Alternatively, the emitter 222 and detector 224 shown in FIG. 14 may be modified so as to be rotatable about both a vertical axis and a horizontal axis, thereby enabling the jib 220 to determine the distances to the walls 62 as well as the distances to the floor and ceiling.

[00325] In some constructions, when patient support apparatus 20, server 84, and/or server 86 associate a device 100 with a particular patient support apparatus 20, controller 140 and/or servers 84 and/or 86 are configured to inform medical personnel (via electronic devices 98) that the device 100 is associated with a particular patient support apparatus 20 and/or with a particular patient assigned to that patient support apparatus 20. In this manner, data from the device 100 can be correlated with a particular patient, room location, and/or patient support apparatus 20. Patient support apparatus 20 may therefore be configured to automatically forward data from the associated device 100 to server 84 and/or 86 after the device 100 becomes associated with patient support apparatus 20. Some of such data may, in turn, be automatically forwarded by server 84 and/or 86 to EMR server 92 for entry into the corresponding patient’s electronic medical record. In this manner, once controller 140 associates a device 100 with the patient support apparatus 20, data from the device 100 can be automatically recorded in that patient’s particular electronic medical record without requiring the caregiver to either manually associate these devices 100 with the patient and/or with the patient support apparatus 20 assigned to that patient. In other words, because controller 140 automatically determines that the device 100 is positioned within a corresponding zone 152, it is not necessary for a caregiver to take any manual steps to ensure that data from the device 100 is forwarded to the proper corresponding patient’s electronic medical record because patient support apparatus 20, along with server 84 and/or 86, automatically determine the correct patient associated with that device 100.

[00326] In those situations where controller 140 and/or server 84 determine the identity of a specific patient assigned to a particular patient support apparatus, controller 140 and/or server 84 communicates with ADT server 102 (FIG. 8). ADT server keeps track of which patients are assigned to which rooms and/or which bays of rooms with multiple patients. In order for controller 140 or server 84 to determine which patient is assigned to a particular patient support apparatus 20, it needs only to determine which room and/or bay that particular patient support apparatus 20 is currently located in. This is accomplished through communications with an associated locator unit 60, as discussed above. In brief overview, controller 140 either sends the locator unit ID 122 of an associated locator unit 60 to patient support apparatus server 84, which then looks up the room and/or bay location of that locator unit ID 122, or controller 140 consults an onboard listing of what rooms and/or bays correspond to each particular locator unit 60. In either case, the room or bay number of a particular patient support apparatus 20 is determined. After determining which room or bay a particular patient support apparatus is located in, ADT server 102 is consulted to determine the particular patient assigned to that particular room or bay (and thus that particular patient support apparatus 20).

[00327] The term “associates,” or its variants, as used herein, refers to the identification by controller 140 that a first UWB device 100 is positioned within a sufficiently close proximity to patient support apparatus 20 (e.g. within a particular zone 152) such that controller 140 of the patient support apparatus 20 can safely conclude that the UWB device 100 is intended for use with the patient assigned to patient support apparatus 20. Alternatively, or additionally, the term “associates,” or its variants, as used herein, refers to the identification by controller 140 and/or controller 112 that a first UWB device 100 is positioned within a sufficiently close proximity to patient support apparatus 20 or fixed locator unit 60 (i.e. within a zone 152) such that the controller 140 or 112 can safely conclude that the location of the UWB device 100 within the healthcare facility is the same as the location of patient support apparatus 20 and/or fixed locator unit 60. Alternatively, or additionally, the term “associates,” or its variants, as used herein, refers to the identification by controller 140 or 112 that another UWB device 100 is positioned within a sufficiently close proximity to the patient support apparatus 20 or fixed locator unit 60 such that the controller 140 or 112 can safely conclude that data from the UWB device 100 and the data from the patient support apparatus 20 or fixed locator unit 60 should be routed to the same destination(s) and/or via the same pathway. Still further, the term “associates,” or its variants, may mean the pairing of patient support apparatus 20 and/or fixed locator unit 60 with another device 100. Such pairing may occur in response to the device 100 being positioned within a particular zone 152.

[00328] In some constructions, once an association has been made between a particular UWB device 100 and a particular patient support apparatus 20 and/or a particular locator unit 60, a further association may be made between that particular UWB device 100 and a particular patient. This task of associating and disassociating a particular patient to a particular UWB device 100 may also be carried out locally by controller 140 and/or 1112, or it may be carried out remotely by patient support apparatus server 84 and/or remote server 86. Such remote association to a particular patient generally involves patient support apparatus server 84 using information from ADT server 102 or EMR server 92 on network 80 to determine the room location (e.g. room number and/or bed bay ID) of a particular patient, and then matching that room location with the room location of a particular UWB device 100 (which is reported to server 84 by patient support apparatus 20 or fixed locator unit 60 after either or both of these have associated themselves with the UWB device 100). In other words, server 84 consults a conventional server on network 80 that correlates specific patients to specific room numbers and/or bay areas, such as ADT server 102 and/or EMR server 92, and then uses the known room numbers and/or bay areas of specific UWB devices 100 to match a specific patient to those specific UWB devices 100.

[00329] In some constructions, when a UWB device 100 and/or server 84 associate a UWB device 100 with a specific patient, the UWB device 100 and/or server 84 are configured to inform medical personnel (via electronic devices 98) that the UWB device 100 is associated with a specific patient. Either or both of patient support apparatus 20 and/or fixed locator unit 60 may therefore be configured to automatically forward various data (such, as but not limited to, patient temperature data, vital sign data, and/or other data) from one or more associated UWB devices 100 to server 84 and/or 86 after the corresponding devices 100 become associated with a specific patient. Such data may, in turn, be automatically forwarded by server 84 to EMR server 92 for entry into the corresponding patient’s electronic medical record. Alternatively, or additionally, such data may be forwarded by server 84 or 86 to one or more electronic devices 98 associated with corresponding caregivers so that the caregivers assigned to that particular patient may be remotely informed of the data from the associated UWB device(s) 100.

[00330] Once a particular UWB device 100 is associated with a particular patient, data from the associated UWB device 100 can be automatically recorded in that patient’s particular electronic medical record without requiring the caregiver to manually associate the UWB device 100 with a particular patient and/or with the patient support apparatus 20 assigned to that patient. In other words, because controller 140 and/or 112 automatically determines what UWB devices 100 they are associated with, it is not necessary for a caregiver to take any manual steps to ensure that data from any of these UWB devices 100 is forwarded to the proper corresponding patient’s electronic medical record. Further details regarding at least one manner in which this automatic patient determination may be made are found in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 63/193,777 filed May 27, 2021 , by inventors Thomas Deeds et al. and entitled SYSTEM FOR ASSOCIATING MEDICAL DEVICE DATA, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Additional details regarding a manner of automatically associating a UWB device with a particular patient, location, caregiver, or other parameters are found in commonly assigned Indian patent application serial number 202211062036 filed October 31 , 2022, in the Indian Patent Office by inventors Thomas Durlach et al. and entitled CAREGIVER ASSISTANCE SYSTEM, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[00331] In some constructions, patient support apparatus server 84 is configured to determine patient-to-room, patient-to-bed, patient-to-bed-bay, patient-to-caregiver, caregiver-to-room, caregiver- to-patient-support-apparatus, and/or caregiver-to-bed-bay correlations in any of the manners disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 62/826,097, filed March 29, 2019 by inventors Thomas Duriach et al. and entitled PATIENT CARE SYSTEM, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[00332] In some constructions, controller 140 may be configured to display data from a device 100 associated with patient support apparatus 20, and/or process the data from the associated device, in any of the manners disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 63/306,279 filed February 3, 2022, by inventors Madhu Sandeep Thota et al. and entitled COMMUNICATION SYSTEM FOR PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES; or in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 63/426,450 filed November 18, 2022, by inventors Madhu Sandeep Thota et al. and entitled COMMUNICATION SYSTEM FOR PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES, the complete disclosures of which are both incorporated herein by reference.

[00333] In some constructions, UWB transceivers 126, 132, and/or 158 (FIG. 5) may operate in the same manner as, and include any of the same functions as, the anchors and pseudo-anchors disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 63/193,777 filed May 27, 2021 , by inventors Thomas Deeds et al. and entitled SYSTEM FOR ASSOCIATING MEDICAL DEVICE DATA, the complete disclosure of which has already been incorporated herein by reference. In some constructions, locator units 60 may also be configured to determine the location of a device 100 in any of the manners disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 63/132,514 filed December 31 , 2020, by inventors Alexander Bodurka et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS AND MEDICAL DEVICE NETWORKS, and in commonly assigned U.S. patent application serial number 63/154,677 filed February 27, 2021 , by inventors Celso Pereira et al. and entitled SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS AND MEDICAL DEVICE LOCATION, the complete disclosures of both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[00334] In some constructions, controller 140 is adapted to automatically associate itself with any one or more of the devices disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application 63/154,677 filed February 27, 2021 , by inventors Celso Pereira et al. and entitled SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS AND MEDICAL DEVICE LOCATION, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Such automatic association, as with all of the association discussed herein, takes place when the device 100 moves within a specific zone 152 that is defined with respect to fixed locator unit 60, patient support apparatus 20, and/or room 58.

[00335] It will also be understood that, although the system described herein has focused on determining the boundaries of room 58 and/or using one or more zones that match the boundaries of room 58, the principles described herein may be applied to determining the boundaries or other areas within a healthcare facility besides rooms 58. Thus, for example, configuration device 100a, fixed locator unit 60, and/or patient support apparatus 20 may determine the boundary of a hallway, or a portion of a hallway, or other area of the healthcare facility, and then use that information boundary information to define and/or adjust one or more zones.

[00336] In some constructions, as was noted previously, the room info 184 may include an indication of what floor each locator unit 60 is located on. In some constructions, this information is entered into each fixed locator unit 60 during the installation of fixed locator unit 60 by a technician. In another construction, a tag 170 may be affixed to the wall, or other architectural structure, adjacent each elevator and/or ramp, and the floor that that each 170 is located on may also be entered into each tag. When a patient support apparatus 20 passes by the tag 170 (such as when changing floors), the patient support apparatus 20 reads the floor information from the tag 170 and stores it in memory 134. When the patient support apparatus 20 associates itself with any fixed locator units 60 that are on that same floor, it sends the floor information to the fixed locator unit 60 and controller 112 stores it as part of room info 184. In this manner, the natural movement of patient support apparatuses 20 through the healthcare facility will eventually inform all of the fixed locator units 60 of the floor they are located on without requiring this information to be manually input into each fixed locator unit 60.

[00337] In some constructions, after a fixed locator unit 60 and/or a patient support apparatus 20 have been provided the boundary information of a particular room 58, the fixed locator unit 60 and/or patient support apparatus 20 will monitor the movement of devices 100 to see if any of them pass through room boundary at locations where there is no doorway. If such a situation is detected, it may be an indication that one or more of the room boundaries were not determine correctly and/or that there is a problem with the ranging between the device 100 and the fixed locator unit 60 and/or patient support apparatus 20. In some constructions, controller 140 and/or 112 may be configured to presume that such a movement of a device 100 through what was previously assumed to be a wall 62 is an indication that the location of the wall 62 was inaccurately recorded, and controller 140 and/or 112 will automatically adjust the previously recorded boundary to a corrected boundary. Alternatively, or additionally, controller 140 and/or 112 may issue a notification to a caregiver, or other authorized personnel, that there may be an issue with the ranging of patient support apparatus 20 and/or fixed locator unit 60, and/or the room boundary information may have previously been entered inaccurately. The notification may be sent over network 80 to one or more electronic devices 98 associated with the appropriate personnel.

[00338] From the foregoing description, it can be seen that controller 140 and/or servers 84, 86 may use zones 152 with different devices for different purposes. These different purposes include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) nurse call system linking, (2) location determination, (3) data association, (4) location determination and data association, and (5) motion control. An example of the first use occurs when a patient support apparatus 20 and a linked locator unit 60 are both positioned in a common zone 152 (e.g. zone 152a of FIG. 4). In this case, patient support apparatus 20 associates itself with the linked locator unit for communicating with the nurse call system 70 via outlet 64. In this manner, the patient on patient support apparatus 20 is able to communicate with a remotely positioned nurse.

[00339] The second type of use of zones 152 is for determining the location of a device. One example of this is when a patient support apparatus 20 and a linked locator unit 60 are both positioned in a common zone 152 (e.g. zone 152a of FIG. 4). In this case, patient support apparatus 20 associates itself with the linked locator unit 60 and in response to this association, controller 140 and/or server 84 or 86 determines that the patient support apparatus 20 is positioned in the same location as that particular locator unit 60. As another example, if a badge 142 is moved into a zone 152 corresponding to a room 58, controller 140 and/or server 84 or 86 determines that the badge 152 is positioned in the same room as the patient support apparatus 20 and/or locator unit 60 positioned therein. Still other examples are possible with still other devices and/or other zones 152.

[00340] The third type of use of zones 152 is for associating device data with a particular patient. For example, if an IV pump or blood pressure sensor moves within a particular zone 152 defined around patient support apparatus 20 (e.g. zone 152b or d of FIG. 8), controller 140 and/or server 84 or 86 determines that the IV pump or blood pressure is being used with the patient assigned to that patient support apparatus 20. Controller 140 and/or server 84 or 86 may then determine that the IV pump or blood pressure sensor is associated that particular patient. Consequently, any data generated from the IV pump or blood pressure sensor should be associated with that patient and recorded in that particular patient’s electronic medica record. In some situations, the data from the IV pump or blood pressure sensor may be routed through patient support apparatus 20, server 84, and/or server 86, while in other situations, the data is routed in another manner. In either situation, the association conclusion is shared by controller 140 or server 84 or 86 with the electronic medical records server 92 so that the data can be saved in the appropriate medical record. Other devices besides blood pressure sensors and IV pumps can, of course, have their data associated with a particular patient by controller 140 and/or servers 84 or 86.

[00341] The fourth type of use of zones 152 is a combination of the second and third uses. That is, if a device is detected within a particular zone 152, not only is the location of that device determined, but the device is associated with a particular patient.

[00342] The fifth type of use of zones 152 is for motion control. As was mentioned previously, if a pendant is positioned in a first zone (e.g. zone 152d of FIG. 8), controller 140 allows the pendant to control both motion and non-motion aspects of patient support apparatus 20. However, if the pendant is moved outside of zone 152d but remains inside of another, larger zone, such as zone 152b or 152c of FIG. 8, controller 140 is configured to not implement any motion commands received from the pendant, but to still implement non-motion commands from the pendant. And if the pendant is moved outside of both zone 152d and the larger zone (e.g. 152b and/or 152c of FIG. 8), controller 140 is configured to not implement either motion commands or non-motion commands received from the pendant. It will be understood that this type of use of zones 152 may be applied to other devices besides pendants. For example, if a smart phone include an app intended to allow motion control of patient support apparatus 20, controller 140 may treat the smart phone in the same manner as the pendant (i.e. allow motion and non-motion controls in a first zone, allow only non-motion controls in a second and larger zone, and disallow both motion and non-motion controls in a third and even larger zone).

[00343] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the use of the term “transceiver” throughout this specification is not intended to be limited to devices in which a transmitter and receiver are necessarily within the same housing, or share some circuitry. Instead, the term “transceiver” is used broadly herein to refer to both structures in which circuitry is shared between the transmitter and receiver, and transmitter-receivers in which the transmitter and receiver do not share circuitry and/or a common housing. Thus, the term “transceiver” refers to any device having a transmitter component and a receiver component, regardless of whether the two components are a common entity, separate entities, or have some overlap in their structures.

[00344] Various additional alterations and changes beyond those already mentioned herein can be made to the above-described embodiments. This disclosure is presented for illustrative purposes and should not be interpreted as an exhaustive description of all embodiments or to limit the scope of the claims to the specific elements illustrated or described in connection with these embodiments. For example, and without limitation, any individual element(s) of the described embodiments may be replaced by alternative elements that provide substantially similar functionality or otherwise provide adequate operation. This includes, for example, presently known alternative elements, such as those that might be currently known to one skilled in the art, and alternative elements that may be developed in the future, such as those that one skilled in the art might, upon development, recognize as an alternative. Any reference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” “the” or “said,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1 . A patient support apparatus comprising: a support surface adapted to support a patient; an ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with a device; a network transceiver adapted to communicate with a healthcare facility computer network; and a controller adapted to receive boundary information defining a boundary of a room in which the patient support apparatus is currently located, to use the boundary information to define a zone, to use the UWB transceiver to range with the device in order to determine if the device is positioned inside or outside of the zone, to react to a presence of the device in a first manner if the device is positioned inside the zone, and to react to the presence of the device in a second and different manner if the device is positioned outside the zone.

2. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is adapted to define the zone such that a boundary of the zone substantially matches the boundary of the room.

3. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information by ranging with a plurality of UWB tags, wherein a first one of the plurality of UWB tags is positioned in a first corner of the room, a second one of the plurality of the UWB tags is positioned in a second corner of the room, and a third one of the plurality of UWB tags is positioned in a third comer of the room.

4. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information by repetitively ranging with a UWB configuration tag as the UWB configuration tag is moved around at least a portion of the boundary of the room.

5. The patient support apparatus of claim 4 wherein the portion of the boundary of the room includes at least two walls of the room.

6. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information from a computer device via the network transceiver.

7. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a user interface adapted to allow a user to input the boundary information.

8. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information by transmitting a UWB pulse from the UWB transceiver and detecting one or more reflections of the UWB pulse off of one or more walls of the room.

9. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information from a fixed locator unit mounted to a fixed location in the room.

10. The patient support apparatus of claim 9 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information from the fixed locator unit using the UWB transceiver.

11. The patient support apparatus of claim 9 wherein the controller is further adapted to use the UWB transceiver to range with the fixed locator unit in order to determine a position of the patient support apparatus within the boundary of the room.

12. The patient support apparatus of claim 9 further comprising a microphone positioned thereon adapted to convert sound waves of the patients’ voice into audio signals, and wherein the controller is adapted to directly forward the audio signals to the fixed locator unit.

13. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information by repetitively ranging with a fixed locator unit mounted to a fixed location in the room while the patient support apparatus is moved around at least a portion of the boundary of the room.

14. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information from a measurement device adapted to detect distances to walls of the room by rotating a laser beam and detecting reflections of the laser beam.

15. The patient support apparatus of claim 14 wherein the measurement device is adapted to wirelessly communicate with the patient support apparatus.

16. The patient support apparatus of claim 14 wherein the measurement device includes a jig adapted to support the measurement device on the patient support apparatus at a fixed and known position with respect to the patient support apparatus while the measurement device measures distances to walls of the room.

17. The patient support apparatus of claim 14 wherein the measurement device includes a jig adapted to support the measurement device at a fixed and known position with respect to a fixed locator unit positioned on one of the walls while the measurement device measures the distances to the walls of the room.

18. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is adapted to define the zone without using the boundary information if the controller does not receive the boundary information.

19. The patient support apparatus of claim 18 wherein the controller is adapted to define the zone by selecting a border for the zone having a predetermined size and a predetermined shape.

20. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is adapted to change a boundary of the zone in response to a trigger.

21 . The patient support apparatus of claim 20 wherein the trigger includes any one or more of the following: a presence of another patient support apparatus within the room, a presence of a caregiver within the room, a presence of a room divider in the room, an absence of another patient support apparatus in the room, an absence of a caregiver within the room, or an absence of a room divider in the room.

22. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is further adapted to define a second zone different from the zone, to react to the presence of the device within the second zone, but outside the zone, in the second manner, and to react to the presence of the device outside of both the zone and the second zone in a third manner different from both the first and second manners.

23. The patient support apparatus of claim 22 wherein the device is a pendant having a first control and a second control, the first control adapted to instruct the controller to move a component of the patient support apparatus and the second control adapted to instruct the controller to control a television positioned within the room, and wherein the first manner includes the controller enabling both the first and second controls, the second manner includes the controller disabling the first control but enabling the second control, and the third manner includes disabling both the first and second controls.

24. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the device is a tag attached to a door in a manner that causes the tag to move to different positions when the door is open and when the door is closed, the first manner includes the controller ranging with the tag to determine its relative position to the patient support apparatus and determining if the door is currently open or closed based upon the ranging, and the second manner includes not determining if the door is currently open or closed.

25. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is further adapted to use the UWB transceiver to range with a tag attached to a door and to determine if the door is open or closed based upon the ranging.

26. The patient support apparatus of claim 25 wherein the controller is adapted to range with the tag and determine if the door is open or closed regardless of whether the tag is positioned inside or outside of the zone.

27. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first manner includes the controller pairing with the device and the second manner includes the controller not pairing with the device.

28. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first manner includes the controller associating the device to at least one of the patient support apparatus or the patient, and the second manner includes the controller not associating the device to the patient support apparatus or the patient.

29. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first manner includes receiving an ID from the device and sending a message to a server in communication with the healthcare facility computer network via the network transceiver, and the second manner includes not sending the message to the server.

30. The patient support apparatus of claim 29 wherein the message includes the ID of the device.

31 . The patient support apparatus of claim 29 wherein the message indicates that the device is to be associated with the patient support apparatus.

32. The patient support apparatus of claim 29 wherein the message contains data generated by the device that is to be stored in an electronic medical record.

33. The patient support apparatus of claim 29 wherein the message indicates that the device is currently positioned within the room.

34. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is adapted to use the UWB transceiver to range with a badge worn by a person.

35. The patient support apparatus of claim 34 wherein the controller is further adapted to determine if the badge is worn by the patient or a caregiver.

36. The patient support apparatus of claim 35 wherein the controller is adapted to determine if the badge is worn by the patient or the caregiver based upon ID data wirelessly transmitted from the badge to the UWB transceiver.

37. The patient support apparatus of claim 35 wherein the controller is adapted to monitor movement of the badge and to determine from the monitoring of the movement of the badge whether the badge is worn by a caregiver or by a patient.

38. The patient support apparatus of claim 34 wherein the controller is adapted to monitor movement of the badge and to determine from the monitoring of the movement of the badge where a doorway is located in the room.

39. The patient support apparatus of claim 38 wherein the controller is adapted to determine whether the doorway is a bathroom doorway or a hallway doorway.

40. The patient support apparatus of claim 39 wherein the controller is further adapted to determine if the badge is worn by the patient or a caregiver, to conclude that the doorway is a bathroom doorway if the badge is worn by the patient and the badge travels through the doorway, and to conclude that the doorway is a hallway doorway if the badge is worn by the caregiver and the badge travels through the doorway.

41 . The patient support apparatus of claim 39 wherein the controller is further adapted to record how often a patient visits a bathroom based upon movement of the badge through the bathroom doorway.

42. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is further adapted to use the UWB transceiver to range with a fixed locator unit mounted to a fixed location in the room, and to use the ranging to determine a position of the patient support apparatus within the boundary of the room.

43. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the information defining the boundary of the room defines the boundary of the room in two dimensions.

44. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the information defining the boundary of the room defines the boundary of the room in three dimensions.

45. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a second UWB transceiver and a third UWB transceiver adapted to range with the device, and wherein the controller is further adapted to also use the second and third UWB transceivers to determine if the device is positioned inside or outside of the zone.

46. The patient support apparatus of claim 45 wherein the controller is further adapted to use the UWB transceiver, second UWB transceiver, and third transceiver to range with a second device and to determine if the second device is positioned inside or outside of the zone.

47. The patient support apparatus of claim 46 wherein the controller is further adapted to react to the presence of the second device in the first manner if the second device is positioned inside the zone, and to react to the presence of the second device in the second manner if the second device is positioned outside the zone.

48. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the device is a medical device adapted to be used in a treatment of the patient.

49. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the device is one of the following: a second patient support apparatus; an infusion pump; a vital sign sensor; an exercise device; a heel care boot; an IV stand; a ventilator; a DVT pump; a patient monitor; a patient positioning device; an ambient surroundings sensor; a mattress; an incontinence detector; a Holter device adapted to monitor and record a patient’s heart signals; a patient ID badge; a caregiver badge; a patient temperature management device; or wound treatment device.

50. A patient support apparatus comprising: a support surface adapted to support a patient; an ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with a badge worn by a person; a network transceiver adapted to communicate with a healthcare facility computer network; and a controller adapted to use the UWB transceiver to range with the badge in order to determine a position of the badge relative to the patient support apparatus, to monitor movement of the badge, and to determine from the monitoring of the movement of the badge where a doorway is located.

51 . The patient support apparatus of claim 50 further including a memory in which boundary information is stored, the boundary information defining a boundary of a room in which the patient support apparatus is located.

52. The patient support apparatus of claim 51 wherein the controller is further adapted to use the boundary information to determine where the doorway is located relative to the boundary of the room.

53. The patient support apparatus of claim 52 wherein the controller is further adapted to determine if the badge is worn by the patient or a caregiver.

54. The patient support apparatus of claim 53 wherein the controller is adapted to determine if the badge is worn by the patient or the caregiver based upon ID data wirelessly transmitted from the badge to the UWB transceiver.

55. The patient support apparatus of claim 53 wherein the controller is adapted to monitor movement of the badge and to determine from the monitoring of the movement of the badge whether the badge is worn by a caregiver or by a patient.

56. The patient support apparatus of claim 53 wherein the controller is adapted to determine whether the doorway is a bathroom doorway or a hallway doorway.

57. The patient support apparatus of claim 52 wherein the controller is further adapted to determine if the badge is worn by the patient or a caregiver, to conclude that the doorway is a bathroom doorway if the badge is worn by the patient and the badge travels through the doorway, and to conclude that the doorway is a hallway doorway if the badge is worn by the caregiver and the badge travels through the doorway.

58. The patient support apparatus of claim 56 wherein the controller is further adapted to record how often a patient visits a bathroom based upon movement of the badge through the bathroom doorway.

59. The patient support apparatus of claim 50 wherein the UWB transceiver is also adapted to wirelessly communicate with a device separate from the badge worn by the person, and the controller is adapted to receive boundary information defining a boundary of a room in which the patient support apparatus is currently located, to use the boundary information to define a zone, to use the UWB transceiver to determine if the device is positioned inside or outside of the zone, to react to a presence of the device in a first manner if the device is positioned inside the zone, and to react to the presence of the device in a second and different manner if the device is positioned outside the zone.

60. The patient support apparatus of claim 59 wherein the controller is further adapted to use the boundary information to determine where the doorway is located relative to the boundary of the room.

61 . The patient support apparatus of claim 59 wherein the controller is adapted to define the zone such that a boundary of the zone substantially matches the boundary of the room.

62. The patient support apparatus of claim 59 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information by ranging with a plurality of UWB tags, wherein a first one of the plurality of UWB tags is positioned in a first corner of the room, a second one of the plurality of the UWB tags is positioned in a second corner of the room, and a third one of the plurality of UWB tags is positioned in a third comer of the room.

63. The patient support apparatus of claim 59 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information by repetitively ranging with a UWB configuration tag as the UWB configuration tag is moved around at least a portion of the boundary of the room.

64. The patient support apparatus of claim 63 wherein the portion of the boundary of the room includes at least two walls of the room.

65. The patient support apparatus of claim 59 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information from a computer device via the network transceiver.

66. The patient support apparatus of claim 59 further comprising a user interface adapted to allow a user to input the boundary information.

67. The patient support apparatus of claim 59 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information by transmitting a UWB pulse from the UWB transceiver and detecting one or more reflections of the UWB pulse off of one or more walls of the room.

68. The patient support apparatus of claim 59 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information from a fixed locator unit mounted to a fixed location in the room.

69. The patient support apparatus of claim 68 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information from the fixed locator unit using the UWB transceiver.

70. The patient support apparatus of claim 68 wherein the controller is further adapted to use the UWB transceiver to range with the fixed locator unit in order to determine a position of the patient support apparatus within the boundary of the room.

71 . The patient support apparatus of claim 68 further comprising a microphone positioned thereon adapted to convert sound waves of the patients’ voice into audio signals, and wherein the controller is adapted to directly forward the audio signals to the fixed locator unit.

72. The patient support apparatus of claim 59 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information by repetitively ranging with a fixed locator unit mounted to a fixed location in the room while the patient support apparatus is moved around at least a portion of the boundary of the room.

73. The patient support apparatus of claim 59 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information from a measurement device adapted to detect distances to walls of the room by rotating a laser beam and detecting reflections of the laser beam.

74. The patient support apparatus of claim 73 wherein the measurement device is adapted to wirelessly communicate with the patient support apparatus.

75. The patient support apparatus of claim 73 wherein the measurement device includes a jig adapted to support the measurement device on the patient support apparatus at a fixed and known position with respect to the patient support apparatus while the measurement device measures distances to walls of the room.

76. The patient support apparatus of claim 73 wherein the measurement device includes a jig adapted to support the measurement device at a fixed and known position with respect to a fixed locator unit positioned on one of the walls while the measurement device measures the distances to the walls of the room.

77. The patient support apparatus of claim 59 wherein the controller is adapted to define the zone without using the boundary information if the controller does not receive the boundary information.

78. The patient support apparatus of claim 77 wherein the controller is adapted to define the zone by selecting a border for the zone having a predetermined size and a predetermined shape.

79. The patient support apparatus of claim 59 wherein the controller is adapted to change a boundary of the zone in response to a trigger.

80. The patient support apparatus of claim 79 wherein the trigger includes any one or more of the following: a presence of another patient support apparatus within the room, a presence of a caregiver within the room, a presence of a room divider in the room, an absence of another patient support apparatus in the room, an absence of a caregiver within the room, or an absence of a room divider in the room.

81 . The patient support apparatus of claim 59 wherein the controller is further adapted to define a second zone different from the zone, to react to a presence of the device within the second zone, but outside the zone, in the second manner, and to react to the presence of the device outside of both the zone and the second zone in a third manner different from both the first and second manners.

82. The patient support apparatus of claim 81 wherein the device is a pendant having a first control and a second control, the first control adapted to instruct the controller to move a component of the patient support apparatus and the second control adapted to instruct the controller to control a television positioned within the room, and wherein the first manner includes the controller enabling both the first and second controls, the second manner includes the controller disabling the first control but enabling the second control, and the third manner includes disabling both the first and second controls.

83. The patient support apparatus of claim 59 wherein the device is a tag attached to a door in a manner that causes the tag to move to different positions when the door is open and when the door is closed, the first manner includes the controller ranging with the tag to determine its relative position to the patient support apparatus and determining if the door is currently open or closed based upon the ranging, and the second manner includes not determining if the door is currently open or closed.

84. The patient support apparatus of claim 59 wherein the controller is further adapted to use the UWB transceiver to range with a tag attached to a door and to determine if the door is open or closed based upon the ranging.

85. The patient support apparatus of claim 84 wherein the controller is adapted to range with the tag and determine if the door is open or closed regardless of whether the tag is positioned inside or outside of the zone.

86. The patient support apparatus of claim 59 wherein the first manner includes the controller pairing with the device and the second manner includes the controller not pairing with the device.

87. The patient support apparatus of claim 59 wherein the first manner includes the controller associating the device to at least one of the patient support apparatus or the patient, and the second manner includes the controller not associating the device to the patient support apparatus or the patient.

88. The patient support apparatus of claim 59 wherein the first manner includes receiving an ID from the device and sending a message to a server in communication with the healthcare facility computer network via the network transceiver, and the second manner includes not sending the message to the server.

89. The patient support apparatus of claim 88 wherein the message includes the ID of the device.

90. The patient support apparatus of claim 88 wherein the message indicates that the device is to be associated with the patient support apparatus.

91 . The patient support apparatus of claim 88 wherein the message contains data generated by the device that is to be stored in an electronic medical record.

92. The patient support apparatus of claim 88 wherein the message indicates that the device is currently positioned within the room.

93. The patient support apparatus of claim 59 wherein the information defining the boundary of the room defines the boundary of the room in two dimensions.

94. The patient support apparatus of claim 59 wherein the information defining the boundary of the room defines the boundary of the room in three dimensions.

95. The patient support apparatus of claim 59 further comprising a second UWB transceiver and a third UWB transceiver adapted to range with the device, and wherein the controller is further adapted to also use the second and third UWB transceivers to determine if the device is positioned inside or outside of the zone.

96. The patient support apparatus of claim 95 wherein the controller is further adapted to use the UWB transceiver, second UWB transceiver, and third transceiver to range with a second device and to determine if the second device is positioned inside or outside of the zone.

97. The patient support apparatus of claim 96 wherein the controller is further adapted to react to a presence of the second device in the first manner if the second device is positioned inside the zone, and to react to the presence of the second device in the second manner if the second device is positioned outside the zone.

98. The patient support apparatus of claim 59 wherein the device is a medical device adapted to be used in a treatment of the patient.

99. The patient support apparatus of claim 59 wherein the device is one of the following: a second patient support apparatus; an infusion pump; a vital sign sensor; an exercise device; a heel care boot; an IV stand; a ventilator; a DVT pump; a patient monitor; a patient positioning device; an ambient surroundings sensor; a mattress; an incontinence detector; a Holter device adapted to monitor and record a patient’s heart signals; a patient ID badge; a caregiver badge; a patient temperature management device; or wound treatment device.

100. A patient support apparatus comprising: a support surface adapted to support a patient; an ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with a device; a network transceiver adapted to communicate with a healthcare facility computer network; and a controller adapted to use the UWB transceiver to range with the device in order to determine a position of the device relative to the patient support apparatus, the controller further adapted to determine if the device is positioned inside a first zone, inside a second zone, or outside of both the first zone and the second zone, wherein the controller is further adapted to react in a first manner if the device is positioned inside the first zone, to react in a second and different manner if the device is positioned outside the first zone but inside the second zone, and to react in a third and different manner if the device is positioned outside of both the first and second zones.

101. The patient support apparatus of claim 100 wherein the device is a pendant having a first control and a second control, the first control adapted to instruct the controller to move a component of the patient support apparatus and the second control adapted to instruct the controller to control a television, and wherein the first manner includes the controller enabling both the first and second controls, the second manner includes the controller disabling the first control but enabling the second control, and the third manner includes disabling both the first and second controls.

102. The patient support apparatus of claim 100 wherein the second zone substantially matches a boundary of a room in which the patient support apparatus is currently positioned.

103. The patient support apparatus of claim 101 wherein the first zone is smaller than the second zone.

104. The patient support apparatus of claim 100 wherein the controller is adapted to receive boundary information defining a boundary of a room in which the patient support apparatus is currently located, and to use the boundary information to define one of the first zone or the second zone.

105. The patient support apparatus of claim 104 wherein the controller is adapted to define the one of the first zone or the second zone such that its boundary substantially matches the boundary of the room.

106. The patient support apparatus of claim 104 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information by ranging with a plurality of UWB tags, wherein a first one of the plurality of UWB tags is positioned in a first corner of the room, a second one of the plurality of the UWB tags is positioned in a second corner of the room, and a third one of the plurality of UWB tags is positioned in a third comer of the room.

107. The patient support apparatus of claim 104 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information by repetitively ranging with a UWB configuration tag as the UWB configuration tag is moved around at least a portion of the boundary of the room.

108. The patient support apparatus of claim 107 wherein the portion of the boundary of the room includes at least two walls of the room.

109. The patient support apparatus of claim 104 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information from a computer device via the network transceiver.

110. The patient support apparatus of claim 104 further comprising a user interface adapted to allow a user to input the boundary information.

111. The patient support apparatus of claim 104 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information by transmitting a UWB pulse from the UWB transceiver and detecting one or more reflections of the UWB pulse off of one or more walls of the room.

112. The patient support apparatus of claim 104 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information from a fixed locator unit mounted to a fixed location in the room.

113. The patient support apparatus of claim 112 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information from the fixed locator unit using the UWB transceiver.

114. The patient support apparatus of claim 112 wherein the controller is further adapted to use the UWB transceiver to range with the fixed locator unit in order to determine a position of the patient support apparatus within the boundary of the room.

115. The patient support apparatus of claim 112 further comprising a microphone positioned thereon adapted to convert sound waves of the patients’ voice into audio signals, and wherein the controller is adapted to directly forward the audio signals to the fixed locator unit.

116. The patient support apparatus of claim 104 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information by repetitively ranging with a fixed locator unit mounted to a fixed location in the room while the patient support apparatus is moved around at least a portion of the boundary of the room.

117. The patient support apparatus of claim 104 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information from a measurement device adapted to detect distances to walls of the room by rotating a laser beam and detecting reflections of the laser beam.

118. The patient support apparatus of claim 117 wherein the measurement device is adapted to wirelessly communicate with the patient support apparatus.

119. The patient support apparatus of claim 117 wherein the measurement device includes a jig adapted to support the measurement device on the patient support apparatus at a fixed and known position with respect to the patient support apparatus while the measurement device measures distances to walls of the room.

120. The patient support apparatus of claim 117 wherein the measurement device includes a jig adapted to support the measurement device at a fixed and known position with respect to a fixed locator unit positioned on one of the walls while the measurement device measures the distances to the walls of the room.

121. The patient support apparatus of claim 104 wherein the controller is adapted to define the first zone without using the boundary information if the controller does not receive the boundary information.

122. The patient support apparatus of claim 121 wherein the controller is adapted to define the one of the first zone or the second zone to match a predetermined size and a predetermined shape.

123. The patient support apparatus of claim 100 wherein the controller is adapted to change a boundary of at least one of the first or second zones in response to a trigger.

124. The patient support apparatus of claim 123 wherein the trigger includes any one or more of the following: a presence of another patient support apparatus within a room in which the patient support apparatus is located, a presence of a caregiver within the room, a presence of a room divider in the room, an absence of another patient support apparatus in the room, an absence of a caregiver within the room, or an absence of a room divider in the room.

125. The patient support apparatus of claim 100 wherein the controller is further adapted to use the UWB transceiver to range with a tag attached to a door and to determine if the door is open or closed based upon the ranging.

126. The patient support apparatus of claim 125 wherein the controller is adapted to range with the tag and determine if the door is open or closed regardless of whether the tag is positioned inside or outside of the first zone.

127. The patient support apparatus of claim 100 wherein the first manner includes the controller pairing with the device and the second manner includes the controller not pairing with the device.

128. The patient support apparatus of claim 100 wherein the first manner includes the controller associating the device to at least one of the patient support apparatus or the patient, and the second manner includes the controller not associating the device to the patient support apparatus or the patient.

129. The patient support apparatus of claim 100 wherein the first manner includes receiving an ID from the device and sending a message to a server in communication with the healthcare facility computer network via the network transceiver, and the second manner includes not sending the message to the server.

130. The patient support apparatus of claim 129 wherein the message includes the ID of the device.

131. The patient support apparatus of claim 129 wherein the message indicates that the device is to be associated with the patient support apparatus.

132. The patient support apparatus of claim 129 wherein the message contains data generated by the device that is to be stored in an electronic medical record.

133. The patient support apparatus of claim 129 wherein the message indicates that the device is currently positioned within a room in which the patient support apparatus is currently positioned.

134. The patient support apparatus of claim 104 wherein the controller is adapted to use the UWB transceiver to range with a badge worn by a person.

135. The patient support apparatus of claim 134 wherein the controller is further adapted to determine if the badge is worn by the patient or a caregiver.

136. The patient support apparatus of claim 104 further comprising a memory in which the controller is adapted to store the boundary information.

137. The patient support apparatus of claim 134 wherein the controller is adapted to determine if the badge is worn by the patient or a caregiver based upon ID data wirelessly transmitted from the badge to the UWB transceiver.

138. The patient support apparatus of claim 134 wherein the controller is adapted to monitor movement of the badge and to determine from the monitoring of the movement of the badge whether the badge is worn by a caregiver or by a patient.

139. The patient support apparatus of claim 134 wherein the controller is adapted to monitor movement of the badge and to determine from the monitoring of the movement of the badge where a doorway is located in the room.

140. The patient support apparatus of claim 139 wherein the controller is adapted to determine whether the doorway is a bathroom doorway or a hallway doorway.

141 . The patient support apparatus of claim 140 wherein the controller is further adapted to determine if the badge is worn by the patient or a caregiver, to conclude that the doorway is a bathroom doorway if the badge is worn by the patient and the badge travels through the doorway, and to conclude that the doorway is a hallway doorway if the badge is worn by the caregiver and the badge travels through the doorway.

142. The patient support apparatus of claim 140 wherein the controller is further adapted to record how often a patient visits a bathroom based upon movement of the badge through the bathroom doorway.

143. The patient support apparatus of claim 104 wherein the controller is further adapted to use the UWB transceiver to range with a fixed locator unit mounted to a fixed location in a room in which the patient support apparatus is currently positioned, and to use the ranging to determine a position of the patient support apparatus within the boundary of the room.

144. The patient support apparatus of claim 104 wherein the information defining the boundary of the room defines the boundary of the room in two dimensions.

145. The patient support apparatus of claim 104 wherein the information defining the boundary of the room defines the boundary of the room in three dimensions.

146. The patient support apparatus of claim 100 further comprising a second UWB transceiver and a third UWB transceiver adapted to range with the device, and wherein the controller is further adapted to also use the second and third UWB transceivers to determine if the device is positioned inside or outside of the first zone and the second zone.

147. The patient support apparatus of claim 146 wherein the controller is further adapted to use the UWB transceiver, second UWB transceiver, and third transceiver to range with a second device and to determine if the second device is positioned inside or outside of the first zone or the second zone.

148. The patient support apparatus of claim 100 wherein the device is a medical device adapted to be used in a treatment of the patient.

149. The patient support apparatus of claim 148 wherein the device is one of the following: a second patient support apparatus; an infusion pump; a vital sign sensor; an exercise device; a heel care boot; an IV stand; a ventilator; a DVT pump; a patient monitor; a patient positioning device; an ambient surroundings sensor; a mattress; an incontinence detector; a Holter device adapted to monitor and record a patient’s heart signals; a patient ID badge; a caregiver badge; a patient temperature management device; or wound treatment device.

150. A patient support apparatus comprising: a support surface adapted to support a patient; an ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with a device; a network transceiver adapted to communicate with a healthcare facility computer network; and a controller adapted to use the UWB transceiver to range with the device in order to determine if the device is positioned inside or outside of a zone having a first area, to react to a presence of the device in a first manner if the device is positioned inside the zone, to react to the presence of the device in a second and different manner if the device is positioned outside the zone, and to change the zone from having the first area to having a second area different from the first area in response to a trigger.

151. The patient support apparatus of claim 150 wherein the trigger includes any one or more of the following: a receipt of boundary information defining a boundary of a room in which the patient support apparatus is positioned, a presence of another patient support apparatus within the room, a presence of a caregiver within the room, a presence of a room divider in the room, an absence of another patient support apparatus in the room, an absence of a caregiver within the room, or an absence of a room divider in the room.

152. The patient support apparatus of claim 150 wherein the first area is smaller than the second area, the trigger is a receipt of boundary information defining a boundary of a room in which the patient support apparatus is positioned, the controller is configured to change a boundary of the zone such that the boundary of the zone substantially matches the boundary of the room in response to the trigger.

153. The patient support apparatus of claim 150 wherein the first area is larger than the second area and the trigger is a detection of a second patient support apparatus within a room in which the patient support apparatus is positioned.

154. The patient support apparatus of claim 152 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information by ranging with a plurality of UWB tags, wherein a first one of the plurality of UWB tags is positioned in a first corner of the room, a second one of the plurality of the UWB tags is positioned in a second corner of the room, and a third one of the plurality of UWB tags is positioned in a third comer of the room.

155. The patient support apparatus of claim 152 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information by repetitively ranging with a UWB configuration tag as the UWB configuration tag is moved around at least a portion of the boundary of the room.

156. The patient support apparatus of claim 155 wherein the portion of the boundary of the room includes at least two walls of the room.

157. The patient support apparatus of claim 152 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information from a computer device via the network transceiver.

158. The patient support apparatus of claim 152 further comprising a user interface adapted to allow a user to input the boundary information.

159. The patient support apparatus of claim 152 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information by transmitting a UWB pulse from the UWB transceiver and detecting one or more reflections of the UWB pulse off of one or more walls of the room.

160. The patient support apparatus of claim 152 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information from a fixed locator unit mounted to a wall or ceiling of the room.

161. The patient support apparatus of claim 160 wherein the controller is further adapted to use the UWB transceiver to range with the fixed locator unit in order to determine a position of the patient support apparatus within the boundary of the room.

162. The patient support apparatus of claim 160 further comprising a microphone positioned thereon adapted to convert sound waves of the patients’ voice into audio signals, and wherein the controller is adapted to directly forward the audio signals to the fixed locator unit.

163. The patient support apparatus of claim 152 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information by repetitively ranging with a fixed locator unit mounted to a fixed location in the room while the patient support apparatus is moved around at least a portion of the boundary of the room.

164. The patient support apparatus of claim 152 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information from a measurement device adapted to detect distances to walls of the room by rotating a laser beam and detecting reflections of the laser beam.

165. The patient support apparatus of claim 164 wherein the measurement device is adapted to wirelessly communicate with the patient support apparatus.

166. The patient support apparatus of claim 164 wherein the measurement device includes a jig adapted to support the measurement device on the patient support apparatus at a fixed and known position with respect to the patient support apparatus while the measurement device measures distances to walls of the room.

167. The patient support apparatus of claim 164 wherein the measurement device includes a jig adapted to support the measurement device at a fixed and known position with respect to a fixed locator unit positioned on one of the walls while the measurement device measures the distances to the walls of the room.

168. The patient support apparatus of claim 152 wherein the controller is adapted to define the zone without using the boundary information if the controller does not receive the boundary information.

169. The patient support apparatus of claim 158 wherein the controller is adapted to define the zone by selecting a border for the zone having a predetermined size and a predetermined shape.

170. The patient support apparatus of claim 152 wherein the controller is further adapted to define a second zone different from the zone, to react to the presence of the device within the second zone, but outside the zone, in the second manner, and to react to the presence of the device outside of both the zone and the second zone in a third manner different from both the first and second manners.

171. The patient support apparatus of claim 170 wherein the device is a pendant having a first control and a second control, the first control adapted to instruct the controller to move a component of the patient support apparatus and the second control adapted to instruct the controller to control a television positioned within the room, and wherein the first manner includes the controller enabling both the first and second controls, the second manner includes the controller disabling the first control but enabling the second control, and the third manner includes disabling both the first and second controls.

172. The patient support apparatus of claim 152 wherein the device is a tag attached to a door in a manner that causes the tag to move to different positions when the door is open and when the door is closed, the first manner includes the controller ranging with the tag to determine its relative position to the patient support apparatus and determining if the door is currently open or closed based upon the ranging, and the second manner includes not determining if the door is currently open or closed.

173. The patient support apparatus of claim 152 wherein the controller is further adapted to use the UWB transceiver to range with a tag attached to a door and to determine if the door is open or closed based upon the ranging.

174. The patient support apparatus of claim 173 wherein the controller is adapted to range with the tag and determine if the door is open or closed regardless of whether the tag is positioned inside or outside of the zone.

175. The patient support apparatus of claim 152 wherein the first manner includes the controller pairing with the device and the second manner includes the controller not pairing with the device.

176. The patient support apparatus of claim 152 wherein the first manner includes the controller associating the device to at least one of the patient support apparatus or the patient, and the second manner includes the controller not associating the device to the patient support apparatus or the patient.

177. The patient support apparatus of claim 152 wherein the first manner includes receiving an ID from the device and sending a message to a server in communication with the healthcare facility computer network via the network transceiver, and the second manner includes not sending the message to the server.

178. The patient support apparatus of claim 177 wherein the message includes the ID of the device.

179. The patient support apparatus of claim 177 wherein the message indicates that the device is to be associated with the patient support apparatus.

180. The patient support apparatus of claim 177 wherein the message contains data generated by the device that is to be stored in an electronic medical record.

181. The patient support apparatus of claim 177 wherein the message indicates that the device is currently positioned within the room.

182. The patient support apparatus of claim 152 wherein the controller is adapted to use the UWB transceiver to range with a badge worn by a person.

183. The patient support apparatus of claim 182 wherein the controller is further adapted to determine if the badge is worn by the patient or a caregiver.

184. The patient support apparatus of claim 183 wherein the controller is adapted to determine if the badge is worn by the patient or the caregiver based upon ID data wirelessly transmitted from the badge to the UWB transceiver.

185. The patient support apparatus of claim 183 wherein the controller is adapted to monitor movement of the badge and to determine from the monitoring of the movement of the badge whether the badge is worn by a caregiver or by a patient.

186. The patient support apparatus of claim 182 wherein the controller is adapted to monitor movement of the badge and to determine from the monitoring of the movement of the badge where a doorway is located in the room.

187. The patient support apparatus of claim 186 wherein the controller is adapted to determine whether the doorway is a bathroom doorway or a hallway doorway.

188. The patient support apparatus of claim 187 wherein the controller is further adapted to determine if the badge is worn by the patient or a caregiver, to conclude that the doorway is a bathroom doorway if the badge is worn by the patient and the badge travels through the doorway, and to conclude that the doorway is a hallway doorway if the badge is worn by the caregiver and the badge travels through the doorway.

189. The patient support apparatus of claim 187 wherein the controller is further adapted to record how often a patient visits a bathroom based upon movement of the badge through the bathroom doorway.

190. The patient support apparatus of claim 182 wherein the controller is further adapted to use the UWB transceiver to range with a fixed locator unit mounted to a wall or ceiling of the room, and to use the ranging to determine a position of the patient support apparatus within the boundary of the room.

191. The patient support apparatus of claim 182 wherein the information defining the boundary of the room defines the boundary of the room in two dimensions.

192. The patient support apparatus of claim 182 wherein the information defining the boundary of the room defines the boundary of the room in three dimensions.

193. The patient support apparatus of claim 182 further comprising a second UWB transceiver and a third UWB transceiver adapted to range with the device, and wherein the controller is further adapted to also use the second and third UWB transceivers to determine if the device is positioned inside or outside of the zone.

194. The patient support apparatus of claim 193 wherein the controller is further adapted to use the UWB transceiver, second UWB transceiver, and third transceiver to range with a second device and to determine if the second device is positioned inside or outside of the zone.

195. The patient support apparatus of claim 194 wherein the controller is further adapted to react to a presence of the second device in the first manner if the second device is positioned inside the zone, and to react to the presence of the second device in the second manner if the second device is positioned outside the zone.

196. The patient support apparatus of claim 182 wherein the device is a medical device adapted to be used in a treatment of the patient.

197. The patient support apparatus of claim 196 wherein the device is one of the following: a second patient support apparatus; an infusion pump; a vital sign sensor; an exercise device; a heel care boot; an IV stand; a ventilator; a DVT pump; a patient monitor; a patient positioning device; an ambient surroundings sensor; a mattress; an incontinence detector; a Holter device adapted to monitor and record a patient’s heart signals; a patient ID badge; a caregiver badge; a patient temperature management device; or wound treatment device.

198. The patient support apparatus of claim 182 further comprising a memory in which the controller is adapted to store the boundary information.

199. The patient support apparatus of claim 182 wherein the controller is further adapted to receive information defining an area of interest in the room, and to record when a person wearing a UWB badge visits the area of interest.

200. The patient support apparatus of claim 150 wherein the device is a fixed locator unit and the first manner includes the controller initiating communication with the fixed locator unit via the UWB transceiver in response to at least one of the following: (a) a brake on the patient support apparatus being operated; (b) a power cord of the patient support apparatus being plugged into a source of power; or (c) a passage of a threshold amount of time after the patient support apparatus comes to a stop.

201 . A fixed locator unit adapted to be mounted to a fixed location within a room within a healthcare facility, the fixed locator unit comprising: a first ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with a second UWB transceiver positioned onboard a patient support apparatus; a headwall interface adapted to establish a multi-pin connection to a connector mounted in the room, the multi-pin connection including a plurality of pins; a memory; and a controller adapted to route patient audio signals received from the patient support apparatus to a particular pin of the plurality of pins, the controller further adapted to receive and store boundary information in the memory, the boundary information defining a boundary of the room in which the fixed locator unit is positioned.

202. The fixed locator unit of claim 201 wherein the controller is further adapted to transmit the boundary information to the patient support apparatus.

203. The fixed locator unit of claim 201 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information by ranging with a plurality of UWB tags, wherein a first one of the plurality of UWB tags is positioned in a first corner of the room, a second one of the plurality of the UWB tags is positioned in a second corner of the room, and a third one of the plurality of UWB tags is positioned in a third comer of the room.

204. The fixed locator unit of claim 201 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information by repetitively ranging with a UWB configuration tag as the UWB configuration tag is moved around at least a portion of the boundary of the room.

205. The fixed locator unit of claim 204 wherein the portion of the boundary of the room includes at least two walls of the room.

206. The fixed locator unit of claim 201 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information from a computer device via a network transceiver adapted to communicate with a healthcare facility computer network.

207. The fixed locator unit of claim 201 further comprising a user interface adapted to allow a user to input the boundary information.

208. The fixed locator unit of claim 201 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information by transmitting a UWB pulse from the first UWB transceiver and detecting one or more reflections of the UWB pulse off of one or more walls of the room.

209. The fixed locator unit of claim 201 wherein the controller is further adapted to use the first UWB transceiver to range with the patient support apparatus in order to determine a position of the patient support apparatus within the boundary of the room.

210. The fixed locator unit of claim 201 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the boundary information from a measurement device adapted to detect distances to walls of the room by rotating a laser beam and detecting reflections of the laser beam.

211. The fixed locator unit of claim 210 wherein the measurement device is adapted to wirelessly communicate with the fixed locator unit.

212. The fixed locator unit of claim 210 wherein the measurement device includes a jig adapted to support the measurement device on the patient support apparatus at a fixed and known position with respect to the patient support apparatus while the measurement device measures distances to walls of the room.

213. The fixed locator unit of claim 210 wherein the measurement device includes a jig adapted to support the measurement device at a fixed and known position with respect to the fixed locator unit while the measurement device measures the distances to the walls of the room.

214. The fixed locator unit of claim 201 wherein the controller is further adapted to use the first UWB transceiver to range with a tag, wherein the tag is attached to a door in a manner that causes the tag to move to different position when the door is open and when the door is closed, and the controller is adapted to determine from the ranging with the tag whether the door is currently open or closed.

215. The fixed locator unit of claim 201 wherein the controller is adapted to use the first UWB transceiver to range with a badge worn by a person.

216. The fixed locator unit of claim 215 wherein the controller is further adapted to determine if the badge is worn by the patient or a caregiver.

217. The fixed locator unit of claim 216 wherein the controller is adapted to determine if the badge is worn by the patient or the caregiver based upon ID data wirelessly transmitted from the badge to the first UWB transceiver.

218. The fixed locator unit of claim 216 wherein the controller is adapted to monitor movement of the badge and to determine from the monitoring of the movement of the badge whether the badge is worn by a caregiver or by a patient.

219. The fixed locator unit of claim 215 wherein the controller is adapted to monitor movement of the badge and to determine from the monitoring of the movement of the badge where a doorway is located in the room.

220. The fixed locator unit of claim 219 wherein the controller is adapted to determine whether the doorway is a bathroom doorway or a hallway doorway.

221 . The fixed locator unit of claim 220 wherein the controller is further adapted to determine if the badge is worn by the patient or a caregiver, to conclude that the doorway is a bathroom doorway if the badge is worn by the patient and the badge travels through the doorway, and to conclude that the doorway is a hallway doorway if the badge is worn by the caregiver and the badge travels through the doorway.

222. The fixed locator unit of claim 220 wherein the controller is further adapted to record how often a patient visits a bathroom based upon movement of the badge through the bathroom doorway.

223. The fixed locator unit of claim 201 wherein the information defining the boundary of the room defines the boundary of the room in two dimensions.

224. The fixed locator unit of claim 201 wherein the information defining the boundary of the room defines the boundary of the room in three dimensions.

225. The fixed locator unit of claim 201 further comprising a radio frequency (RF) transceiver adapted to communicate with the patient support apparatus.

226. The fixed locator unit of claim 225 wherein the RF transceiver is a Bluetooth transceiver.

227. The fixed locator unit of claim 225 wherein the controller is further adapted to transmit the boundary information to the patient support apparatus using the RF transceiver.

228. The fixed locator unit of claim 201 wherein the controller is further adapted to store in the memory a location indicator and to transmit the location indicator to the patient support apparatus after the controller associates the patient support apparatus with the fixed locator unit.

229. The fixed locator unit of claim 228 wherein the location indicator includes at least one of a room number, a floor number, or a department of the healthcare facility.

230. The fixed locator unit of claim 201 wherein the controller is further adapted to store doorway information defining a location of a door to the room and to transmit the doorway information to the patient support apparatus.

231 . The fixed locator unit of claim 201 wherein the controller is further adapted to store information defining an area of interest in the room, and to transmit the information defining the area of interest to the patient support apparatus.

232. The fixed locator unit of claim 201 wherein the controller is further adapted to store privacy information indicating whether the room is a private room with a single patient support apparatus or a semi-private room with multiple patient support apparatuses.

233. The fixed locator unit of claim 201 wherein the controller is further adapted to receive nurse audio signals from the connector and to wirelessly forward the nurse audio signals to the patient support apparatus.

234. A patient support apparatus comprising: a support surface adapted to support a patient; an ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with a device; a network transceiver adapted to communicate with a healthcare facility computer network; and a controller adapted to associate the device with the patient support apparatus if the device meets at least one criterion; to carry out a plurality of functions in response to commands received from the device if the device is associated with the patient support apparatus; to not carry out any of the plurality of functions in response to commands received from the device if the device is disassociated from the patient support apparatus; to use the UWB transceiver to range with the device in order to determine when the device exits a zone having a first area; and to wait a predetermined amount of time after the device exits the zone before automatically disassociating the device from the patient support apparatus.

235. The patient support apparatus of claim 234 wherein the controller is further adapted to carry out only a subset of the plurality of functions in response to commands received from the device after the device exits the zone but before the device is disassociated from the patient support apparatus.

236. The patient support apparatus of claim 234 wherein the controller is further adapted to sub-divide the predetermined amount of time into a first time period and a subsequent second time period, to carry out only a first subset of the plurality of functions in response to commands received from the device during the first time period; and to carry out only a second subset of the plurality of functions in response to commands received from the device during the second time period, wherein the second subset is a subset of the first subset.

237. The patient support apparatus of claim 236 wherein the first subset of the plurality of functions includes: (a) driving an actuator onboard the patient support apparatus to move a component of the patient support apparatus, and (b) sending a command to a television; and wherein the second subset of the plurality of functions excludes driving the actuator onboard the patient support apparatus and includes sending the command to the television.

238. The patient support apparatus of claim 234 wherein the controller is further adapted to sub-divide the predetermined amount of time into a first time period and a subsequent second time period, to carry out all of the plurality of functions in response to commands received from the device during the first time period; and to carry out only a subset of the plurality of functions in response to commands received from the device during the second time period.

239. The patient support apparatus of claim 238 wherein the first subset of the plurality of functions includes: (a) driving an actuator onboard the patient support apparatus to move a component of the patient support apparatus, and (b) sending a command to a television; and wherein the second subset of the plurality of functions excludes driving the actuator onboard the patient support apparatus and includes sending the command to the television.

240. The patient support apparatus of claim 234 wherein the device is one of a cell phone or a badge.

241 . The patient support apparatus of claim 234 wherein the controller is further adapted to automatically associate the device to the patient support apparatus in response to the device moving within a threshold distance of the patient support apparatus, as determined from ranging between the UWB transceiver and the device.

242. The patient support apparatus of claim 241 wherein the threshold distance is defined by an association zone.

243. The patient support apparatus of claim 242 wherein the association zone is the same as the zone.

244. The patient support apparatus of claim 242 wherein the association zone is different from the zone.

245. A patient support apparatus comprising: a support surface adapted to support a patient; an ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with a device; a network transceiver adapted to communicate with a healthcare facility computer network; and a controller adapted to associate the device with the patient support apparatus if the device meets at least one criterion; to carry out a plurality of functions in response to commands received from the device if the device is associated with the patient support apparatus; to not carry out any of the plurality of functions in response to commands received from the device if the device is disassociated from the patient support apparatus; to use the UWB transceiver to range with the device in order to determine when the device exits a zone having a first area; and to automatically disassociate the device from the patient support apparatus in response to whichever one of the following occurs first: (a) passage of a predetermined amount of time after the device exits the zone; and (b) movement of the device outside of a boundary.

246. The patient support apparatus of claim 245 wherein the boundary is defined by a room in which the patient support apparatus is located.

247. The patient support apparatus of claim 245 wherein the controller is further adapted to carry out only a subset of the plurality of functions in response to commands received from the device after the device exits the zone but before the device is disassociated from the patient support apparatus.

248. The patient support apparatus of claim 245 wherein the controller is further adapted to sub-divide the predetermined amount of time into a first time period and a subsequent second time period, to carry out only a first subset of the plurality of functions in response to commands received from the device during the first time period provided the device remains associated with the patient support apparatus; and to carry out only a second subset of the plurality of functions in response to commands received from the device during the second time period provided the device remains associated with the patient support apparatus, wherein the second subset is a subset of the first subset.

249. The patient support apparatus of claim 248 wherein the first subset of the plurality of functions includes: (a) driving an actuator onboard the patient support apparatus to move a component of the patient support apparatus, and (b) sending a command to a television; and wherein the second subset of the plurality of functions excludes driving the actuator onboard the patient support apparatus and includes sending the command to the television.

250. The patient support apparatus of claim 245 wherein the controller is further adapted to sub-divide the predetermined amount of time into a first time period and a subsequent second time period, to carry out all of the plurality of functions in response to commands received from the device during the first time period provided the device remains associated with the patient support apparatus; and to carry out only a subset of the plurality of functions in response to commands received from the device during the second time period provided the device remains associated with the patient support apparatus.

251 . The patient support apparatus of claim 250 wherein the first subset of the plurality of functions includes: (a) driving an actuator onboard the patient support apparatus to move a component of the patient support apparatus, and (b) sending a command to a television; and wherein the second subset of the plurality of functions excludes driving the actuator onboard the patient support apparatus and includes sending the command to the television.

252. The patient support apparatus of claim 245 wherein the device is one of a cell phone or a badge.

253. The patient support apparatus of claim 245 wherein the controller is further adapted to automatically associate the device to the patient support apparatus in response to the device moving within a threshold distance of the patient support apparatus, as determined from ranging between the UWB transceiver and the device.

254. The patient support apparatus of claim 253 wherein the threshold distance is defined by an association zone.

255. The patient support apparatus of claim 254 wherein the association zone is the same as the zone.

256. The patient support apparatus of claim 254 wherein the association zone is different from the zone.