Systems and methods for emulating RFID transponders of a plurality of medical devices

• US 10,061,948 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2015
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Covidien LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Covidien LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Jensen, Jeffrey L., Paterson, William Gary, Velandia, Erich M., Ourada, Paul E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Timory, Kabir A
• Application Number:
  US14/806,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20160055359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,133 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00988 Means for storing information, e.g. calibration constants, or for preventing excessive use, e.g. usage, service life counter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/00 Instruments, implements or accessories specially adapted for surgery or diagnosis and not covered by any of the groups A61B1/00 - A61B50/00, e.g. for luxation treatment or for protecting wound edges protective face masks A41D13/11; surgeon's or patient's gowns or dresses A41D13/12; devices for carrying-off, for treatment of, or for carrying-over, body liquids A61M1/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/98 using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0725 the arrangement being a circuit for emulating a plurality of record carriers, e.g. a single RFID tag capable of representing itself to a reader as a cloud of RFID tags
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0095 Testing the sensing arrangement, e.g. testing if a magnetic card reader, bar code reader, RFID interrogator or smart card reader functions properly testing of electrical circuits G01R31/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A radio frequency identification (RFID) network is presented including a plurality of medical devices each including an RFID transponder and a single RFID transponder emulator configured to emulate functionality of each of the RFID transponders of the plurality of medical devices. The RFID network further includes a plurality of RFID interrogation devices configured to operatively communicate with the single RFID transponder emulator. The single RFID transponder emulator is used for development, testing, evaluation, and validation of each of the plurality of RFID interrogation devices.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of medical devices each including a radio frequency identification (RFID) transponder storing a data set; and

an RFID transponder emulator storing a plurality of data sets, each of the plurality of data sets corresponding to the data set stored in each of the RFID transponders of the plurality of medical devices, the RFID transponder emulator configured to emulate, using the stored plurality of data sets, functionality of each of the RFID transponders of the plurality of medical devices, the RFID transponder emulator including a user interface for selecting a mode from a plurality of modes of operation and which of the RFID transponders to emulate.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an RFID interrogation device configured to receive information emulated by the RFID transponder emulator.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the RFID transponders of each of the plurality of medical devices include data related to at least one of unique identifiers, digital signatures, authentication features, authorization features, anti-counterfeiting features, device usage management features, encrypted data, and unencrypted data.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the RFID transponder emulator includes an antenna, an analog front end (AFE), a processor, and a memory.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the AFE emulates radio frequency (RF) response of an RFID transponder included in each of the RFID transponders of the plurality of medical devices.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the memory stores information received from the RFID transponder emulator through the AFE and the processor processes information.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the RFID transponder emulator includes a display device for displaying the mode selected from the plurality of modes of operation.

8. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an electrosurgical generator configured to receive and process information collected, processed, and stored on the RFID transponder emulator.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the RFID transponder emulator is a passive, high-frequency (HF) RFID transponder emulator.

10. A radio frequency identification (RFID) network comprising:

a plurality of medical devices each including an RFID transponder storing a data set;

an RFID transponder emulator storing a plurality of data sets, each of the plurality of data sets corresponding to the data set stored in each of the RFID transponders of the plurality of medical devices, the RFID transponder emulator configured to emulate, using the stored plurality of data sets, functionality of each of the RFID transponders of the plurality of medical devices, the RFID transponder emulator including a user interface for selecting a mode from a plurality of modes of operation and which of the RFID transponders to emulate; and

a plurality of RFID interrogation devices configured to operatively communicate with the RFID transponder emulator;

wherein the RFID transponder emulator is used for development, testing, evaluation, and validation of each of the plurality of RFID interrogation devices.

11. The RFID network according to claim 10, wherein the RFID transponder emulator includes an antenna, an analog front end (AFE), a processor, and a memory.

12. The RFID network according to claim 10, wherein the RFID transponder emulator includes:

a display device for displaying the mode selected from the plurality of modes of operation.

13. The RFID network according to claim 10, further comprising an electrosurgical generator configured to receive and process information collected, processed, and stored on the RFID transponder emulator.

14. A method of emulating a plurality of RFID transponders, the method comprising:

configuring an RFID transponder emulator to operate in a mode from a plurality of modes of operation and to emulate at least one RFID transponder of a plurality of RFID transponders, associated with a respective medical device of a plurality of medical devices;

emulating functionality of the at least one RFID transponder; and

interfacing with the RFID transponder emulator through an RFID interrogation device to operatively communicate with the RFID transponder emulator.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising providing the RFID transponder emulator with a plurality of input controls for selection of the mode of the plurality of modes of operation.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising displaying the mode selected from the plurality of modes of operation on a display device.

17. The method according to claim 14, further comprising transmitting information collected, processed, and stored by the RFID transponder emulator to an electrosurgical generator.

18. The method according to claim 14, further comprising operatively communicating a plurality of RFID communication protocols from the RFID transponder emulator to imitate a behavior of a plurality of RFID transponders.