CONTROL DEVICE FOR COMMUNICATION WITH A MEDICAL IMPLANT AND A MACHINE

• US 20110257814A1
• Filed: 03/23/2011
• Published: 10/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Biotronik SE & Company KG
• Original Assignee: Biotronik SE & Company KG
• Inventors: Diebold, Michael, DOERR, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 8,423,205 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37235 Aspects of the external programmer
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37254 Pacemaker or defibrillator security, e.g. to prevent or inhibit programming alterations by hackers or unauthorised individuals

Abstract

A safety system comprising an implant, a control device, and a machine. The machine has a control unit which is designed to allow operation of the machine only when a unique identifier has been received, and to set an operating mode of the machine as a function of the received suitability index. The implant is designed to detect physiological data of an implant wearer, and to either generate a suitability index based on detected physiological data and transmit the suitability index to the control device, or to transmit the physiological data itself to the control device.

Claims

1. A control device comprising:

a first interface configured to communicate wirelessly with an implant;

a second interface configured to communicate with a machine having a machine control system;

a memory for a unique identifier, wherein the first interface is configured to receive physiological data or a suitability index from said implant which describes a fitness of an implant wearer to operate the machine, and

wherein the second interface is configured to transmit the suitability index together with the unique identifier to the machine control system of the machine.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device has a classification unit which is configured to receive said physiological data, in each case to assign said physiological data to one of a plurality of specified suitability classes, and to generate an index which denotes a particular assigned suitability class, and to provide the index as said suitability index to the second interface.

3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the second interface has a short range of several centimeters.

4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the second interface is configured to transmit data in the ISM frequency band.

5. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device is configured as an electronic vehicle key.

6. A safety system comprising:

an implant;

a machine having a machine control system;

a control device comprising

a first interface configured to communicate wirelessly with said implant;

a second interface configured to communicate with said machine having said machine control system;

a memory for a unique identifier, wherein the first interface is configured to receive physiological data or a suitability index from said implant which describes a fitness of an implant wearer to operate the machine;

wherein the second interface is configured to transmit the suitability index together with the unique identifier to the machine control system of the machine;

wherein said machine control system which is configured to allow operation of the machine only when the unique identifier has been received, and to set an operating mode of the machine as a function of the suitability index, wherein the implant is configured to detect said physiological data of the implant wearer, and to either generate the suitability index based on said physiological data and transmit the suitability index to the control device, or to transmit the physiological data itself to the control device.

7. The safety system according to claim 6, wherein the machine is a vehicle and the machine control system is part of a vehicle electronics system.

8. An implant-control system comprising:

an implant configured as a medical implant;

a control device comprising

a first interface configured to communicate wirelessly with the implant;

a second interface configured to communicate with a machine having a machine control system;

a memory for a unique identifier, wherein the first interface is configured to receive physiological data or a suitability index from said implant which describes a fitness of an implant wearer to operate the machine;

wherein the second interface is configured to transmit the suitability index together with the unique identifier to the machine control system of the machine;

wherein the implant is configured to detect said physiological data of the implant wearer; and

,

a classification unit which is configured to receive said physiological data, in each case to assign said physiological data to one of a plurality of specified suitability classes, and to generate the suitability index which denotes a particular assigned suitability class.

9. The implant-control system according to claim 8 wherein:

the control device comprises said classification unit;

said implant is configured to transmit the physiological data to the control device,

said classification unit is configured to provide the suitability index to the second interface.

10. The implant-control system according to claim 8 wherein:

said classification unit is configured to transmit the suitability index to the control device;

the control device configured to provide a particular suitability index, received from the implant, to the second interface.

11. The implant-control system according to claim 8, wherein the implant is a cardiac stimulator.

12. A method for controlling a machine, comprising:

generating physiological parameters which describe physiological data from an implant;

forming a suitability index from the physiological data; and

,

transmitting the suitability index together with a unique identifier

from a control device comprising

a first interface configured to communicate wirelessly with the implant;

a second interface configured to communicate with a machine having a machine control system;

a memory for the unique identifier, wherein the first interface is configured to receive said physiological data or said suitability index from said implant which describes a fitness of an implant wearer to operate the machine;

to said machine comprising said machine control system.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

controlling the machine as a function of the suitability index received by the machine control system.