ELECTROCARDIOGRAPH AND BLOOD PRESSURE SIGNALS SIMULATOR

• US 20080052333A1
• Filed: 08/20/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pronk Technologies Inc.
• Original Assignee: Pronk Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: RUITER, KARL
• Granted Patent: US 7,917,774 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 708/8
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/319 Circuits for simulating ECG signals
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 for simulation or modelling of medical disorders

Abstract

System, methods, and apparatuses produce simulated human physiological waveforms such as electrocardiograph (ECG) and blood pressure signals where the microcontroller and/or digital-to-analog converters may be switched to a lower power-consuming state by programmable instructions and switched on in response to a programmable sleep timer.

Claims

1. A physiological waveform simulator comprising:

a sleep timer; and

a microcontroller comprising;

means for waking, responsive to an output from the sleep timer;

means for writing a portion of a physiological waveform profile; and

means for sleeping.

2. The physiological waveform simulator of claim 1 wherein the sleep timer comprises a sleep timer oscillator and the microcontroller further comprises a microcontroller oscillator.

3. The physiological waveform simulator of claim 1 wherein the sleep timer is invoked when a time slope of the physiological waveform profile becomes zero.

4. The physiological waveform simulator of claim 1 wherein the means for writing comprises a writing module for writing a plurality of physiological waveform values representative of a physiological waveform profile to a digital-to-analog converter.

5. The physiological waveform simulator of claim 1 wherein the means for writing comprises a writing module for executing one or more writing events including a first writing event wherein the microcontroller transmits a first physiological waveform value based on the physiological waveform profile;

and wherein the microcontroller is placed in a lower power-consuming state after the writing module transmits the first physiological waveform value.

6. The physiological waveform simulator of claim 5 wherein

the writing module for executing one or more writing events further includes a second writing event wherein the microcontroller wakens and transmits a second physiological waveform value based on the physiological waveform profile;

wherein the microcontroller is placed in a lower power-consuming state after the writing module transmits the second physiological waveform value; and

wherein a time interval between the first writing event and the second writing event is based on the physiological waveform profile.

7. The physiological waveform simulator of claim 6 wherein a time interval between the first writing event and the second writing events is inversely related to non-zero time rates of change in the physiological waveform profile.

8. A physiological waveform simulator comprising:

a sleep timer; and

a microcontroller comprising;

a writing module for executing one or more writing events including a first writing event wherein the microcontroller transmits a first physiological waveform value based on the physiological waveform profile, to a digital-to-analog converter; and

wherein the microcontroller is adapted to be placed in a lower power-consuming state after the writing module transmits the first physiological waveform value; and

wherein the digital-to-analog converter is adapted to be placed in an on state to receive the first transmitted physiological waveform value and the digital-to-analog converter is adapted to be placed in a lower power-consuming state after receiving the first physiological waveform value transmission.

9. The physiological waveform simulator of claim 8 wherein the sleep timer comprises a sleep timer oscillator and the microcontroller further comprises a microcontroller oscillator.

10. The physiological waveform simulator of claim 8 further comprising a sample-and-hold circuit for receiving an output of the digital-to-analog converter prior to the digital-to-analog converter being placed in a lower power-consuming state.

11. The physiological waveform simulator of claim 8 wherein

the writing module for executing one or more writing events further includes a second writing event wherein the microcontroller transmits a second physiological waveform value to a digital-to-analog converter;

and

wherein the digital-to-analog converter is adapted to be placed in an on, or awake, state to receive the second transmitted physiological waveform value and the digital-to-analog converter is adapted to be placed in a lower power-consuming state after receiving the second physiological waveform value transmission and wherein a time interval between the first writing event and the second writing event is based on the physiological waveform profile.

12. The physiological waveform simulator of claim 8 wherein the digital-to-analog converter is adapted to be placed in an on state responsive to the sleep timer.

13. The physiological waveform simulator of claim 8 wherein the sleep timer is invoked when a time slope of the physiological waveform profile becomes zero.

14. The physiological waveform simulator of claim 8 wherein a time interval between the first writing event and the second writing events is inversely related to non-zero time rates of change in the physiological waveform profile.

15. The physiological waveform simulator of claim 8 wherein the digital-to-analog converter is output-enabled to output a value for a duration wherein the digital-to-analog converter output-enabled duration is based on the physiological waveform profile.

16. The physiological waveform simulator of claim 8 wherein the digital-to-analog converter is output-enabled to output a value for a duration wherein the digital-to-analog converter output-enabled duration is based on a magnitude of the physiological waveform profile.

17. The physiological waveform simulator of claim 8 wherein the digital-to-analog converter is output-enabled to output a value for a duration wherein the digital-to-analog converter output-enabled duration is based on a time rate of change of the physiological waveform profile.

18. A physiological waveform simulator comprising:

a microcontroller;

an electrocardiograph (ECG) ladder having a high side and a low side;

a first digital-to-analog converter (DAC); and

a second DAC;

wherein the first DAC drives the high side of the ECG ladder via a first hold circuit, and the wherein the second DAC drives the low side of the ECG ladder via a second hold circuit.

19. A physiological waveform simulator comprising:

a microcontroller comprising a means for writing a physiological waveform value to a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) wherein the DAC has a reference voltage; and

wherein a positive supply voltage to the physiological waveform simulator is drawn from a monitor excitation signal and a negative supply voltage to the physiological waveform simulator is drawn from an output of a charge pump inverter driven by the monitor excitation signal.

20. The physiological waveform simulator of claim 19 wherein the monitor excitation signal is rectified.

21. A method of energy management for a physiological waveform simulator comprising:

waking a microcontroller of the physiological waveform simulator from a sleep mode via a sleep timer;

transmitting a first physiological waveform value, based on physiological waveform profile, to at least one of;

a first receiving digital-to-analog converter and a second receiving digital-to-analog converter;

putting the microcontroller into the sleep mode after the transmission of the first physiological waveform value; and

enabling at least one of;

(a) the first receiving digital-to-analog converter to be powered for a duration to drive a first hold circuit and (b) the second receiving digital-to-analog converter to be powered for a duration to drive a second hold circuit.

22. The method of energy management for a physiological waveform simulator of claim 21 wherein the enabling duration of the at least one of the first receiving digital-to-analog converter and the second receiving digital-to-analog converter is based on the physiological waveform profile.

23. The method of energy management for a physiological waveform simulator of claim 21 wherein the enabling duration of the at least one of:

the first receiving digital-to-analog converter and the second receiving digital-to-analog converter is based on a magnitude of the physiological waveform profile.

24. The method of energy management for a physiological waveform simulator of claim 21 wherein the enabling duration of the at least one of:

of the first receiving digital-to-analog converter and the second receiving digital-to-analog converter is based on a time rate of change of the physiological waveform profile.

25. A method of energy management for the physiological waveform simulator of claim 21 further comprising, when a monitor excitation source is available, powering a portion of the physiological simulator via the monitor excitation source.

26. The method of energy management for a physiological waveform simulator of claim 21 further comprising:

waking, after a time interval, the microcontroller from a sleep mode via the sleep timer; and

transmitting a second physiological waveform value, based on physiological waveform profile, to at least one of a first receiving digital-to-analog converter and a second receiving digital-to-analog converter;

wherein the time interval is based on the physiological waveform profile.

27. A method of energy management for the physiological waveform simulator of claim 26 further comprising inverting the monitor excitation source to drive at least one of:

the first receiving digital-to-analog converter and the second receiving digital-to-analog converter.

28. A method of energy management for a physiological waveform simulator comprising:

waking a microcontroller of the physiological waveform simulator from a sleep mode via a sleep timer;

writing a first physiological waveform value, based on physiological waveform profile; and

putting the microcontroller into the sleep mode after the writing of the first physiological waveform value.

29. The method of energy management for a physiological waveform simulator of claim 28 further comprising:

waking, after a time interval, the microcontroller from a sleep mode via the sleep timer; and

writing a second physiological waveform value, based on physiological waveform profile;

wherein the time interval is based on the physiological waveform profile.

30. A method of energy management for the physiological waveform simulator of claim 28 further comprising, when a monitor excitation source is available, powering a portion of the physiological waveform simulator via the monitor excitation source.

31. A method of energy management for the physiological waveform simulator of claim 30 further comprising inverting the monitor excitation source to drive at least one digital-to-analog converter.

32. A display system for a physiological waveform simulator having at least two output modes, the display system comprising:

a button;

a lighting circuit;

an output mode lamp array comprising two or more lamps; and

wherein a depression and release of the button advances the physiological waveform simulator to a successive output mode and switches the lighting circuit to a lamp associated with the successive output mode; and

wherein, for at least one of the output modes, a depression and continued depression of the button advances the physiological waveform simulator to a successive waveform output series of the at least one output mode.

33. A display system for a physiological waveform simulator having at least two output modes, the display system comprising:

a button;

a lighting circuit;

an output mode lamp array comprising two or more lamps; and

wherein a double click of the button advances the physiological waveform simulator to a successive output mode and switches the lighting circuit to a lamp associated with the successive output mode; and

wherein, for at least one of the output modes, a single click of the button advances the physiological waveform simulator to a successive waveform output series of the at least one output mode.

34. An electrical connector receiving system for a physiological waveform simulator comprising:

a snap portion comprising;

a disc portion having a top side, a bottom side and an edge; and

the snap portion further comprising an inverted frustroconical portion fixedly attached to the top side of the disc portion; and

a mounting element having planar surface proximate to a first aperture; and

wherein the bottom side of the disc portion is proximate to the planar surface of the mounting element, and a first sector of the bottom side of the disc portion extends over a portion of the first aperture.

35. The electrical connector receiving system for a physiological waveform simulator of claim 34 wherein the planar surface of the mounting element is interposed between the first aperture and a second aperture;

and wherein a second sector of the bottom side of the disc portion extends over a portion of the second aperture.