Apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment comprising all-round display

Abstract

An apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment comprising a control unit and a display device, wherein the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment is equipped with a person locating and identifying device and the person locating and identifying device and the display device are in contact of information exchange with each other via the control unit and the person locating and identifying device is adapted to obtain and to process information about the position of a person being located in the environment of the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment, and the display device is adapted to display on a display information in response to the position of the person so that it is visible from the position of the person.

Claims

1. A system comprising: an apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment; a control unit for the apparatus; an external peripheral display fixedly mounted to the apparatus such that the external peripheral display is not movable relative to the apparatus, the external peripheral display having a plurality of subareas directed in different directions; and a person locating and identifying device configured to exchange data with the external peripheral display via the control unit, and adapted to obtain and to process location information about a position of a person located in a detectable range; wherein the external peripheral display is visible from all positions inside the detectable range, and is adapted to automatically display information about at least one of a treatment cycle and the apparatus, in response to at least the position of the person relative to the apparatus, on a subarea of the external peripheral display facing in a direction of the person so that the displayed information about the at least one of the treatment cycle and the apparatus is visible to the person.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the person locating and identifying device is adapted to obtain and to process gesture information about gestures of the person and wherein the external peripheral display is adapted to operate in response to the gesture information.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the person locating and identifying device is adapted to obtain and to process gesture information about gestures of the person and wherein the apparatus is adapted to operate in response to the gesture information.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment is operable with a plurality of user profiles, wherein each of the plurality of user profiles is assigned to a user identity, wherein the person locating and identifying device is adapted to obtain and to process identity information about a respective user identity of the person, and wherein the external peripheral display is adapted to display the identity information about the respective user identity of the person according to a pertinent user profile for the person on the display.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment is operable with a plurality of user profiles, wherein each of the plurality of user profiles is assigned to a user identity, wherein the person locating and identifying device is adapted to obtain and to process identity information about a respective user identity of the person, and wherein at least one of the external peripheral display or the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment is adapted to operate in response to the respective user identity of the person according to a pertinent user profile for the person.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the person locating and identifying device includes a camera.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the person locating and identifying device includes a face recognition device.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment is equipped with a device for acoustic alarm, wherein the person locating and identifying device and the device for acoustic alarm exchange information via the control unit, and wherein the device for acoustic alarm is adapted to be operable by signals of the person locating and identifying device.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the external peripheral display includes a display having a convexly curved display surface turned away from a center of curvature.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the external peripheral display is adapted to display a criticality assessment in an event of alarm.

11. A network comprising: two or more structures, each of the two or more structures comprising the system according to claim 1 having a respective apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment and a respective external peripheral display, wherein the respective external peripheral displays supported by the respective apparatuses for extracorporeal blood treatment are adapted to display, in a case of alarm on plural apparatuses, alarm information to be displayed on the display surfaces of the external peripheral displays according to a priority of the alarms.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is best understood from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. Included in the drawings are the following figures:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a simplified representation of an apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment according to aspects of the invention comprising a display device having an external convexly curved display and comprising a person identifying device.

(3) FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of the ranges of interaction around the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment.

(4) FIG. 3 shows a simplified top view of a display device comprising a polyhedral display and plural display subareas each having a viewing angle .

(5) FIG. 4 shows a schematic representation of the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment comprising machine components according to aspects of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(6) FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified representation of an apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment 1 comprising a display device 2 in the present case having an external convexly curved display 3 and a person locating/identifying device 4. The display device 2 is preferably disposed in the upper area of the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment 1 (dialysis machine) so that it is within the viewing range of the user. The surface of the curved display 3 on the display device 2 is convexly curved and is turned away from the center of curvature so that it faces the user in the perimeter (preferably 360) of the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment 1 from all positions in the room, where appropriate. In the preferably upper area of the display device 2 the person locating/identifying device 4 is provided the sensor system of which covers the (complete) perimeter of the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment 1. The position of a person in the perimeter of the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment 1 is detected by the person locating/identifying device 4 and the detection signals of a controller/control unit/computer are preferably supplied to the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment 1. Since apparatuses for extracorporeal blood treatment 1 already belong to the state of the art and, as is known, they are always equipped with a control unit for controlling/regulating the functions internal to the apparatus, a more detailed description of such apparatus as well as of the control thereof can be dispensed with here; instead, the relevant state of the art, for example to the applicant of this application, can be referred to. The controller controls the display device 2 in such way that the information to be displayed can always be displayed in the direction of the user via the curved display thereof.

(7) FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic representation of the ranges of interaction around the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment 1. The range of manual interaction 5 (average arm length) is the range indicated by the broken line around the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment 1 in which the user can establish direct contact with the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment 1 so as to manually operate e.g. actuating elements such as buttons and switches on the machine or the display device 2 or a touchscreen on the display device 2. The range of sensory interaction 6 indicated by a dash-dot line extends from the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment 1 beyond the range of manual interaction. Within the range of sensory interaction 6 the user is identified by the person identifying device 4 (not shown in FIG. 2) and the information displayed via the display device 2 is displayed in the direction of the user. Within the range of sensory interaction 6 e.g. gestures and/or the user identity of the user can be detected by the person locating/identifying device 4 so that the user can operate the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment 1 and/or display device 2 within the range of sensory interaction 6 contactless in a manner preferably selected/individually reduced to the user.

(8) FIG. 3 illustrates a simplified top view onto a display device 2 including a polyhedral display 7 and plural display subareas 8 each having a viewing angle . The polyhedral shape is realized by planar adjacent display subareas 8 facing away from the center of the polyhedron and being orientated to different directions of the room. The viewing angle is chosen so that from each position within the perimeter around the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment 1 at least one display subarea 8 can be seen by the user. For reasons of simplification, the viewing angle was indicated at one display subarea 8 only.

(9) FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic representation of the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment comprising machine components according to aspects of the invention. The apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment 1 is equipped with a control unit 9 being connected to the display device 2 and the person locating/identifying device 4. The person locating/identifying device 4 is preferably equipped with a face recognition device 10. Signals that are detected/generated by the sensor system of the person locating/identifying device 4, for example the position of a person in the environment of the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment 1, the gestures and/or user identity thereof, where appropriate, and signals of the related face recognition device 10, where appropriate, are forwarded to the control unit 9. In response to the signals of the person locating/identifying device 4, the control unit 9 controls the display of the information on the display device 2, for example in response to the current position of the person detected by the person locating/identifying device 4 in the environment of the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment 1 the display direction of the information to be displayed on the display of the display device 2 is controlled. Equally, signals are forwarded from the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment 1 to the control unit 9 which, in response to the transmitted information from the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment 1, controls the information to be displayed by the display device 2. Also, the user-dependent authorizations for operating the apparatus for extracorporeal blood treatment 1 and the display device 2 are controlled by the control unit 9. For this purpose, the user identity is detected by the user identifying device 4, for example by reading out a person-related chip, or by face recognition by the face recognition device 10 and is forwarded to the control unit 9 which, in response to the pertinent user profile stored on the control unit 9, admits or blocks the operating inputs of the user.