SYSTEM AND METHOD TO SYNCHRONIZE A PATIENT MONITORING DEVICE WITH A CENTRAL SERVER

• US 20120151093A1
• Filed: 07/09/2010
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Zheng, Chuan
• Granted Patent: US 9,046,878 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/248
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 7/02 by radio
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0664 unidirectional timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1678 where the control information is for timing, e.g. time stamps

Abstract

A patient monitoring device (10) transmits patient data packets (70) to a server (12). In response to the server receiving the transmitted patient data packet, the server sends an acknowledgement (ACK) message (72) from the server at the patient monitoring device including a timestamp (74). The patient monitoring device compares the timestamp in the received ACK message with a current time of its clock (28). If the times differ by more than a selected amount, the clock is synchronized to the timestamp.

Claims

1. A method of synchronizing a patient monitoring device, the method comprising:

transmitting a patient data packet from the patient monitoring device to a server;

receiving at the patient monitoring device an acknowledgement (ACK) message from the server in response to the server receiving the transmitted patient data packet; and

synchronizing a clock of the patient monitoring device in accordance with a timestamp in the ACK message.

2. The method of synchronizing a patient monitoring device according to claim 1, further including:

synchronizing the clock of the patient monitoring device in response to a difference between the timestamp in the received ACK message and the clock of the patient monitoring device being greater than a first predetermined time.

3. The method of synchronizing a patient monitoring device according to claim 1, further including:

generating a sync warning in response to the synchronizing changing the time of the clock more than a second predetermined time.

4. The method of synchronizing a patient monitoring device according to claim 1, further including:

transmitting a dummy data packet to the server in response to the clock of the patient monitoring device not having been synchronized within a third predetermined time.

5. The method of synchronizing a patient monitoring device according to claim 1, further including:

delaying synchronization of the patient monitoring device in response to at least one of

     1) a patient record being open,

     2) patient measurements being taken,

     3) patient records being printed or

     4) patient data being sent.

6. A computer-readable medium carrying software which controls a processor to perform the message according to claim 1.

7. A patient monitoring device comprising:

a plurality of sensors which sense physiological data about a patient;

a processor programmed to perform the method according to claim 1.

8. A patient monitoring device comprising:

a plurality of sensors which collect physiological data from a patient;

a controller which transmits a patient data packet generated from the collected physiological data to a server and receives a acknowledgement (ACK) message from the server in response to receiving the patient data packet; and

a synchronization unit which synchronizes a clock of the patient monitoring device to a timestamp of the ACK message.

9. The patient monitoring device according to claim 8, wherein the synchronization unit synchronizes the clock of the patient monitoring device in response to a difference between the timestamp in the ACK message and the clock of the patient monitoring device being greater than a first predetermined time.

10. The patient monitoring device according to claim 8, further including:

a display which displays a sync warning on the physiological data of the patient in response to a time change of the patient monitoring device during synchronization greater than a second predetermined time.

11. The patient monitoring device according to claim 8, wherein the controller transmits a dummy data packet to the server-in response to the clock of the patient monitoring device not having been synchronized within a third predetermined time.

12. The patient monitoring device according to claim 8, wherein the controller generates and transmits a data packet indicating that a time change of the clock is greater than a second predetermined amount in response to a difference between the time stamp of the ACK message being greater than a first predetermined time.

13. A patient monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of patient monitoring devices according to claim 8;

a server which transmits an acknowledgement (ACK) message in response to receiving a patient data packet, the ACK message having a timestamp.

14. The patient monitoring system according to claim 13, wherein the server includes:

a patient record memory;

a controller which receives the patient data packet, sends the ACK messages, and stores in the patient record memory patient data from the patient data packets and messages concerning changes in a patient monitoring device'"'"'s clock time during synchronization.

15. The patient monitoring system according to claim 13, wherein the server includes a clock which supplies time information for the time stamp of the ACK message and further including:

a time server which periodically adjusts the clock of the server.