Self powered serial-to-serial or USB-to-serial cable with loopback and isolation

• US 20050001179A1
• Filed: 06/22/2004
• Published: 01/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Embecta Corporation
• Original Assignee: Becton, Dickinson & Co
• Inventors: Arndt, Dave, Gisler, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 9,529,762 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/551
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/045 with a separable interface unit, e.g. for communication
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/222 Electrical cables or leads therefor, e.g. coaxial cables or ribbon cables
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/301 providing electrical separation, e.g. by using isolating transformers or optocouplers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/303 Patient cord assembly, e.g. cable harness
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0216 Human interface functionality, e.g. monitoring system providing help to the user in the selection of tests or in its configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0272 Presentation of monitored results, e.g. selection of status reports to be displayed; Filtering information to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/221 to test buses, lines or interfaces, e.g. stuck-at or open line faults
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/323 Visualisation of programs or trace data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4072 Drivers or receivers G06F13/4086 takes precedence; for multistate logic circuits H03K19/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/16 the semiconductor device sensitive to radiation being controlled by the light source or sources
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/12 for medicine and surgery
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/78 using opto-electronic devices, i.e. light-emitting and photoelectric devices electrically- or optically-coupled
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/802 for isolation, e.g. using optocouplers

Abstract

The cable for a medical device is an optically isolated serial transmission cable, used to connect a base device with a serial port, or the like, to a medical device. In an alternate embodiment of the invention, the invention enables auto detection of the cable. The base device is used to power the cable electronics. In another embodiment of the present invention, the interface cable is also supported by graphical and text message display that assists users in connecting the cable to both the medical device and a base device.

Claims

1. A cable for connecting a medical device to a base device comprising:

a serial port connector for connecting a first end of said cable to said base device;

a second connector for connecting a second end of said cable to said medical device; and

an optical isolation circuit isolating the medical device from the base device.

2. A cable as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a power supply in the base device that provides power to said optical isolation circuit.

3. A cable as claimed in claim 2 further comprising:

a loopback circuit that is used by the base device to automatically identify which of said one of said plurality of serial ports said cable is connected.

4. A cable as claimed in claim 3 further comprising:

wherein said loopback circuit provides signals to the base device in response to signals from the base device;

said signals are interpreted by the base device, and a graphical display related to the interpreted signals is presented to the user.

5. A cable as claimed in claim 4, wherein said graphical display indicates points where said cable has not made a proper connection to the base device, the medical device, or both.

6. A cable as claimed in claim 1, wherein said serial port connector is a Universal Serial Bus connector.

7. A cable as claimed in claim 1, wherein said serial port connector is a RS-232C connector.

8. A cable for connecting a medical device to a base device to transfer data comprising:

a serial port connector for connecting a first end of said cable to said base device;

a second connector for connecting a second end of said cable to said medical device; and

an optical isolation circuit isolating the medical device from the base device; and

wherein said optical isolation circuit receives power from said base device.

9. A cable as claimed in claim 8, wherein power is removed from the optical isolation circuit after a predetermined condition is satisfied.

10. A cable as claimed in claim 9, wherein said predetermined condition is satisfied when all the required data has been transferred between the medical device and the base device.

11. A cable as claimed in claim 9, wherein the medical device reduces the amount of power it provides to said cable.

12. A cable as claimed in claim 8, wherein said serial port connector is a Universal Serial Bus connector.

13. A cable as claimed in claim 8, wherein said serial port connector is a RS-232C connector.

14. A cable for connecting a medical condition therapy device to a base device comprising:

a serial port connector to connect to one of a plurality of serial ports in said base device;

an optical isolation circuit isolating the medical condition therapy device from the base device; and

a loopback circuit used to automatically identify which of said one of said plurality of serial ports said medical device is connected.

15. A cable as claimed in claim 14 wherein said further comprises:

returning data transmitted by the base device through a serial port in the base device to said cable to a serial port confirming said connecting device is connected to said medical device.

16. A cable as claimed in claim 15, wherein said loopback circuit used to automatically identify said serial port provides a signal for a graphical display to display for the user to see or hear whether the medical device is connected or not connected to said base device or to said cable.

17. A cable as claimed in claim 14, wherein power is removed from said loopback circuit allowing the medical device to transmit data relating to a medical condition to the base device.

18. A cable as claimed in claim 14, wherein power is removed from the optical isolation circuit which reduces the amount of power provided to the connecting device by the medical device.

19. A cable as claimed in claim 14, wherein said serial port connector is a Universal Serial Bus connector.

20. A cable as claimed in claim 14, wherein said serial port connector is a RS-232C connector.

21. A medical condition management kit comprising:

a cable for connecting a medical device to a base device, said cable comprising an optical isolation circuit for electrically isolating a first end of the cable connected to the medical device from a second end of the cable connected to the base device while allowing signaling between the medical device and the base device; and

software that instructs a graphical display to display the status of connection points as a user connects the medical device to the base device via the cable.