Patent attributes
The invention provides a bed occupant monitoring system comprising a pressure sensitive member attached to a support member for supporting a bed occupant, the pressure sensitive member comprising a plurality of pressure sensors. Each of the pressure sensors is configured to provide a reflected wave energy pressure signal by reflecting incident wave energy with an intensity which varies with a pressure applied to the sensor. A pair of fibers are coupled to each pressure sensor, each pair of fibers comprising an input fiber and an output fiber. The fibers are coupled to interface electronics comprising a wave energy source coupled to the input fiber of each of the pairs of fibers for providing the applied light energy, and, a wave energy detector coupled to the output fiber of each of the pairs of fibers for converting the scattered light energy into an electrical signal.
