Patent ID: 7825814

Claim:
A bed occupant monitoring system comprising: a first grouping of spaced-apart fiber-optic pressure sensors configured to generate first light output in response to pressure applied to a first portion of a mattress, a second grouping of spaced-apart fiber-optic pressure sensors configured to generate second light output in response to pressure applied to a second portion of the mattress spaced from the first portion of the mattress, and electronics, spaced from the first and second groupings of fiber-optic pressure sensors, including: at least one first light source to provide light energy to the first grouping of fiber-optic pressure sensors, at least one first light sensor to detect the first light output from the first grouping of fiber-optic pressure sensors and generate a first electrical signal indicative of pressure applied to one or more of the pressure sensors in the first grouping of fiber-optic pressure sensors, at least one second light source to provide light energy to the second grouping of fiber-optic pressure sensors, at least one second light sensor to detect the second light output from the second grouping of fiber-optic pressure sensors and generate a second electrical signal indicative of pressure applied to one or more of the pressure sensors in the second grouping of fiber-optic pressure sensors, and circuitry to determine a total pressure applied to the mattress, determine a first pressure applied to the first portion of the mattress, and determine a second pressure applied to the second portion of the mattress, from the first and second electrical signals, and send the first pressure, second pressure, and total pressure to a remote monitoring station.