Systems and methods for display device and sensor electronics unit communication

• US 10,561,349 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2017
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DexCom Incorporated
• Original Assignee: DexCom Incorporated
• Inventors: Wedekind, Jeffrey R., Burnette, Douglas William, Mandapaka, Aditya, McDaniel, Zebediah L., Simpson, Peter C., Garcia, Arturo
• Primary Examiner(s): Jang, Christian
• Application Number:
  US15/471,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20170281000A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0209 adapted for power saving
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0223 of calibration, e.g. protocols for calibrating sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0252 using ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0004 characterised by the type of physiological signal transmitted
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0015 characterised by features of the telemetry system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1116 Determining posture transitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14865 invasive, e.g. introduced into the body by a catheter or needle or using implanted sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4839 combined with drug delivery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7278 Artificial waveform generation or derivation, e.g. synthesising signals from measured signals A61B5/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 : for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/60 : for the operation of medical equipment or devices
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 : for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 : Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 : Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for communication among display devices and sensor electronics unit in an analyte monitoring system. The analyte monitoring system may include a sensor that is configured to perform measurements indicative of analyte levels. The sensor may be communicatively coupled to the sensor electronics unit. The sensor electronics unit may be configured to transmit data indicative of analyte levels to the display devices using one or more communication protocols. Furthermore, the sensor electronics unit may be configured to operate in multiple modes, and switch between the modes in response to commands received from the display devices. Related systems, methods, and articles of manufacture are also described.

Claims

1. An analyte monitoring system, comprising:

an analyte sensor configured to generate sensor data indicative of analyte levels;

a sensor electronics unit communicatively coupled to the analyte sensor, the sensor electronics unit configured to;

process the sensor data indicative of analyte levels generated by the analyte sensor;

operate in a first power mode and a second power mode;

transmit sensor information when in the first power mode over a first communication protocol using a Bluetooth module; and

receive one or more commands and respond to the received one or more commands in the second power mode via a second communication protocol using a Near Field Communication (NFC) module; and

a display device configured to;

receive at least some of the processed sensor data over the first communication protocol;

present a user interface for user selection of at least one of the one or more commands;

receive a selection of at least one of the one or more commands from a user;

transmit the selected at least one of the one or more commands to the sensor electronics unit using the second communication protocol; and

receive at least some of the processed sensor data over the second communication protocol in response to the selected at least one of the one or more commands.

2. The analyte monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the first communication protocol has a first communication range and the second communication protocol has a second communication range, and wherein the second communication range is shorter than the first communication range.

3. The analyte monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the selected at least one of the one or more commands is a retrieve data command.

4. The analyte monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the display device is configured to present a user interface displaying sensor information received from the sensor electronics unit.

5. The analyte monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the display device is configured to present an alarm based at least in part on sensor information received from the sensor electronics unit.

6. The analyte monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the display device is a mobile phone or a medical receiver.

7. In an analyte monitoring system comprising a sensor configured to generate sensor data indicative of analyte levels, a sensor electronics unit communicatively coupled to the sensor, and a display device, a method of using the system to monitor analyte levels of a subject, the method comprising:

transcutaneously implanting the sensor;

with a user interface presented on the display device, selecting a wake command for the sensor electronics unit;

waking up the sensor electronics unit from a low power mode by transmitting the selected wake command from the display device to the sensor electronics unit via a first communication protocol having a first communication range, wherein the first communication protocol uses a Near Field Communication (NFC) module;

with the user interface presented on the display device, selecting a retrieve data command for the sensor electronics unit;

retrieving sensor data from the sensor electronics unit by transmitting the selected retrieve data command from the display device to the sensor electronics unit via the first communication protocol;

establishing a communication channel via a second communication protocol between the sensor electronics unit and the display device, wherein the second communication protocol has a longer range than the first communication protocol, wherein the second communication protocol uses a Bluetooth module; and

transmitting sensor data from the sensor electronics unit to the display device via the second communication protocol;

wherein the retrieved sensor data via the first communication protocol is being used to display information associated with the sensor data on the display device, and wherein the sensor data transmitted via the second communication protocol is being used to generate alarms on the display device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first communication protocol has a range of 10 cm or less, and wherein the second communication protocol has a range of 30 feet or more.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the low power mode is a sleep mode or a shelf mode.

10. The method of claim 7, comprising holding the display device within 10 cm of the sensor electronics unit when transmitting the wake command from the display device.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the establishment of the communication channel via the second communication protocol includes using authentication information related to the sensor electronics unit.