Cellular architecture and data transfer methods for real time patient monitoring within medical facilities
First Claim
1. A remote telemeter for use in a medical telemetry system which supports real-time monitoring of ambulatory patients, comprising:
- a processor which receives and processes real-time physiologic data of a patient, the physiologic data measured by sensors which attach to the patient;
a battery-powered transceiver responsive to the processor to transmit the physiologic data in data packets to selected receivers of a plurality of receivers, the plurality of receivers spatially distributed throughout a medical facility and coupled to a monitoring system such that different receivers provide data reception coverage for different areas of the medical facility, the transceiver switchable by the processor between a plurality of RF channels that correspond to the plurality of receivers; and
a control program executed by the processor to implement a wireless communications protocol in which the transceiver transmits the physiologic data to multiple different receivers of plurality on different, respective RF channels and during different timeslots to provide redundant transmission paths, the redundant transmission paths providing spacial diversity, frequency diversity and time diversity.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A medical telemetry system is provided for collecting the real-time physiologic data of patients (including ambulatory patients) of a medical facility, and for transferring the data via RF to a real-time data distribution network for monitoring and display. The system includes battery-powered remote telemeters which attach to respective patients, and which collect and transmit (in data packets) the physiologic data of the patients. The remote telemeters communicate bi-directionally with a number of ceiling-mounted RF transceivers, referred to as “VCELLs,” using a wireless TDMA protocol. The VCELLs, which are hardwire-connected to a LAN, forward the data packets received from the telemeters to patient monitoring stations on the LAN. The VCELLs are distributed throughout the medical facility such that different VCELLs provide coverage for different patient areas. As part of the wireless TDMA protocol, the remote telemeters continuously assess the quality of the RF links offered by different nearby VCELLs (by scanning the frequencies on which different VCELLs operate), and connect to those VCELLs which offer the best link conditions. To provide a high degree of protection against multi-path interference, each remote telemeter maintains connections with two different VCELLs at-a-time, and transmits all data packets (on different frequencies and during different timeslots) to both VCELLs; the system thereby provides space, time and frequency diversity on wireless data packet transfers from the telemeters. The telemeters and VCELLs also implement a patient location protocol for enabling the monitoring of the locations of individual patients. The architecture can accommodate a large number of patients (e.g., 500 or more) while operating within the transmission power limits of the VHF medical telemetry band.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A remote telemeter for use in a medical telemetry system which supports real-time monitoring of ambulatory patients, comprising:
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a processor which receives and processes real-time physiologic data of a patient, the physiologic data measured by sensors which attach to the patient;
a battery-powered transceiver responsive to the processor to transmit the physiologic data in data packets to selected receivers of a plurality of receivers, the plurality of receivers spatially distributed throughout a medical facility and coupled to a monitoring system such that different receivers provide data reception coverage for different areas of the medical facility, the transceiver switchable by the processor between a plurality of RF channels that correspond to the plurality of receivers; and
a control program executed by the processor to implement a wireless communications protocol in which the transceiver transmits the physiologic data to multiple different receivers of plurality on different, respective RF channels and during different timeslots to provide redundant transmission paths, the redundant transmission paths providing spacial diversity, frequency diversity and time diversity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A remote telemeter for use in a medical telemetry system which supports real-time monitoring of patients that are mobile within a medical facility, comprising:
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a transceiver circuit which communicates bi-directionally over a wireless channel with a plurality of transceivers that are coupled to a monitoring station, the plurality of transceivers spatially distributed throughout the medical facility such that different transceivers provide data reception coverage for different areas of the medical facility, the transceiver circuit configured to receive real-time physiologic data collected from a patient and to transmit the physiologic data to selected transceivers; and
a processor which implements a transceiver switch-over protocol to cause the transceiver circuit to switch between transceivers of the plurality as the patient moves throughout the medical facility. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of transferring physiologic data from a wireless telemeter device which attaches to a patient to a monitoring station of a patient monitoring system, the method comprising:
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receiving real-time physiologic data from at least one sensor which attaches to the patient;
transmitting the physiologic data from the telemeter device to a first transceiver of the patient monitoring system during a first timeslot on a first wireless channel; and
transmitting the physiologic data to a second transceiver of the patient monitoring system during a second timeslot on a second wireless channel, wherein the first and second transceivers are positioned remotely from one another to provide overlapping coverage zones. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. A method of transferring physiologic data from a wireless telemeter device which attaches to a patient to a monitoring station of a patient monitoring system, the method comprising:
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receiving real-time physiologic data from at least one sensor which attaches to the patient;
receiving signals on a plurality of wireless channels from a plurality of transceivers that are coupled to the monitoring station, the transceivers spatially distributed throughout the medical facility to provide overlapping zones of data reception coverage;
using said signals to periodically assess wireless link conditions provided by individual transceivers of the plurality; and
based on assessments of the wireless link conditions, selecting at least one transceiver to use to transfer the real-time physiologic data to the monitoring station;
wherein the method accommodates patient mobility by selecting a transceiver that corresponds to the patient'"'"'s current location. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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Specification