Wireless Relay Module For Remote Monitoring Systems Having Power And Medical Device Proximity Monitoring Functionality

• US 20120182143A1
• Filed: 01/19/2012
• Published: 07/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kpr U.S., LLC (Cardinal Health, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Healthcare Group LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Gaines, Robert B., Breitweiser, Kenneth M., Wiesner, Joel D., Holste, John
• Granted Patent: US 9,020,419 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.12
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0271 using a remote monitoring unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse, heart rate, blood pressure or blood flow; Combined pulse/heart-rate/blood pressure determination; Evaluating a cardiovascular condition not otherwise provided for, e.g. using combinations of techniques provided for in this group with electrocardiography or electroauscultation; Heart catheters for measuring blood pressure
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0277 Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth, piconet, zigbee, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN]
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0453 worn on the body to detect health condition by physiological monitoring, e.g. electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Wireless relay modules for networked communications between a medical device and a remote monitoring device via wireless relay networks and/or internet-accessible wireless communications networks. The wireless relay module includes a receiver, a first transmitter coupled to the wireless relay network, a second transmitter coupled to the internet-accessible wireless communication network, a controller and a display. The controller is coupled to the first and second transmitters, and controls the wireless relay module to select one of the transmitters for transmitting medical device data over one of the two respective networks. The controller generates an alarm signal and stores storing wirelessly-received medical device data in a memory of the wireless relay module upon detecting a changed characteristic for a power source of the wireless relay module. The controller also generates an alarm upon detecting a change in a characteristic of a signal transmitted by the medical device.

Claims

1. A wireless relay module comprising:

an electrical connector configured to receive primary power from a power source;

a battery configured to provide secondary power upon a changed characteristic of primary power;

a first receiver capable of wirelessly receiving medical device data over a wireless relay network from at least one medical device;

a first transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting medical device data over the wireless relay network;

a second transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting medical device data over an Internet-accessible wireless communications network; and

a controller coupled to the first and second transmitters, said controller capable of controlling said wireless relay module to select one of said first or second transmitter for transmitting medical device data received by said first receiver; and

said controller further capable of producing an alarm signal upon the changed characteristic of the primary power.

2. The wireless relay module of claim 1, further comprising at least one of a visual display or speaker coupled to the controller and configured to provide a visual and/or audio alert.

3. The wireless relay module of claim 1, wherein the second transmitter is configured to transmit an alert signal to a remote monitoring device over the internet-accessible wireless communications network.

4. The wireless relay module of claim 1, wherein the first transmitter is configured to transmit an alert signal to at least one of at least one other wireless relay module and the medical device.

5. The wireless relay module of claim 1, wherein the controller is capable of transmitting an alarm signal when a charge state of the battery falls below a particular charge level.

6. The wireless relay module of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to modulate the alarm signal to be indicative of the state of charge of the secondary power source between a low charge state and a zero charge state.

7. The wireless relay module of claim 1 further comprising a sensor capable of detecting disconnection of the connector from the power source.

8. The wireless relay module of claim 7, wherein the controller is capable of transmitting an alarm signal when the sensor detects disconnection of the connector from the power source.

9. The wireless relay module of claim 1 further comprising:

a memory electrically connected to said controller, said memory capable of storing said received medical device data.

10. The wireless relay module of claim 9 wherein at least one of the first or second transmitters is configured to transmit the stored medical device data upon restoration of the primary power.

11. The wireless relay module of claim 1 wherein said first transmitter is configured to, upon generation of the alarm signal, send a notice to the medical device or to another wireless relay module indicating that the primary power has been disrupted.

12. The wireless relay module of claim 11 wherein said first transmitter is further configured to, upon restoration of the primary power, send a notice to the medical device or to the other wireless relay module indicating that the primary power has been restored.

13. The wireless relay module of claim 1 wherein said controller is capable of transmitting to the remote monitoring device at least one of the medical data or an acknowledgement signal in response to receipt of a particular signal transmitted by the remote monitoring device.

14. A wireless relay module comprising:

an electrical connector configured to receive power from a power source;

a first receiver capable of wirelessly receiving medical device data over a wireless relay network from at least one medical device;

a first transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting medical device data over the wireless relay network;

a second transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting data over an internet-accessible wireless communications network; and

a controller coupled to the first and second transmitters, said controller capable of controlling said wireless relay module to select one of said first and second transmitter for transmitting the medical device data received by said first receiver; and

said controller further capable of producing an alarm signal upon a changed characteristic of the received power.

15. The wireless relay module of claim 14, further comprising at least one of a visual display or speaker coupled to the controller and configured to provide a visual and/or audio alert.

16. The wireless relay module of claim 14, wherein the second transmitter is configured to transmit an alert signal to a remote monitoring device over the internet-accessible wireless communications network.

17. The wireless relay module of claim 14, wherein the first transmitter is configured to transmit an alert signal to at least one of at least one other wireless relay module and the medical device.

18. The wireless relay module of claim 14, wherein said power source is a battery and the controller is capable of transmitting an alarm signal when the charge state of the battery falls to or below a particular charge level.

19. The wireless relay module of claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to modulate the alarm signal to be indicative of the state of charge of the secondary power source between a low charge state and a zero charge state.

20. The wireless relay module of claim 14 further comprising:

a memory electrically connected to said controller, said memory capable of storing said received medical device data.

21. The wireless relay module of claim 20 wherein at least one of the first and second transmitters is configured to transmit the stored medical device data based upon the characteristic of received power.

22. The wireless relay module of claim 14 wherein said first transmitter is configured to, upon generation of the alarm signal, send a notice to the medical device or to another wireless relay module.

23. The wireless relay module of claim 14 wherein said controller is capable of transmitting to a remote monitoring device at least one of the medical device data and an acknowledgement signal in response to receipt of a particular signal transmitted by the remote monitoring device.

24. A process for operating a relay module in a medical device wireless network, the relay module comprising a first transmitter in communication with a wireless relay network, comprising the steps of:

receiving medical device data from at least one medical devices over the wireless relay network;

transmitting said medical device data to a second relay module through the medical device network or to a web server through and internet-accessible wireless network, based on an accessibility condition of the wireless relay module to the internet-accessible wireless network; and

upon disruption of primary power to the relay module, connecting the relay module to a secondary power source and generating an alarm signal.

25. The process of claim 24 further comprising the steps of:

determining the accessibility condition of the internet-accessible wireless communications network from the second transmitter of said relay module.

26. The process of claim 24 further comprising the steps of:

providing a visual and/or audio alert based upon the generated alarm signal.

27. The process of claim 24 further comprising the step of:

the second transmitter transmitting an alert signal to a remote monitoring device over the internet-accessible wireless communications network after connecting the wireless relay module to the secondary power source.

28. The process of claim 24 further comprising the step of:

the first transmitter transmitting an alert signal to at least one of another wireless relay module and the medical device based upon the alarm signal.

29. The process of claim 24 further comprising the step of:

at least one of the first or second transmitters transmitting a second alarm signal when the charge state of the secondary power source falls below a particular charge level.

30. The process of claim 29 wherein the particular charge level indicates one of a low battery condition or a near dead battery condition, and the alarm signals for indicating each of the low battery condition or the near dead battery condition are indicative of its depreciated charge level.

31. The process of claim 24, further comprising the step of:

storing in a memory of the relay module said received medical device data.

32. The process of claim 30, further comprising the step of at least one of the first or second transmitters, transmitting the stored medical device data upon restoration of the primary power.

33. The process of claim 31, further comprising the step of the first transmitter, upon restoration of the primary power, sending a notice to the medical device or to another wireless relay module indicating that the primary power has been restored.

34. A wireless relay module comprising:

a first receiver capable of wirelessly receiving medical device data over a wireless relay network from at least one medical device;

a first transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting the medical device data to at least a second wireless relay module over the wireless relay network;

a second transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting the medical device data over an internet-accessible wireless communications network;

an alarm indicator and

a controller coupled to the first and second transmitters and the alarm indicator, said controller capable of selecting one of said first and second transmitter for transmitting medical device data received by said first receiver; and

said controller further capable of activating the alarm indicator if a characteristic of a signal received over the wireless relay network from a medical device falls below a particular threshold.

35. The wireless relay module of claim 34 wherein said characteristic is signal strength.

36. The wireless relay module of claim 34 wherein said characteristic is data rate.

37. The wireless relay module of claim 34 wherein said characteristic is indicative of distance between said relay module and said medical device.

38. The wireless relay module of claim 34 wherein the second transmitter is capable of transmitting an alert to a remote monitoring device upon interruption of the receipt of the medical device data from the medical device.

39. A process for operating a relay module in a medical device wireless network, the relay module comprising a first transmitter in communication with a wireless relay network, comprising the steps of:

receiving medical data from at least one medical device over the wireless relay network;

determining the status of an internet-accessible wireless communications network in communication with a said wireless relay module;

transmitting said medical device data from said at least one medical device over said internet-accessible wireless communications network if said determined status satisfies a particular criteria;

transmitting said medical device data from said at least one medical device to a second relay module over the wireless relay network if said determined status fails to satisfy the particular criteria;

monitoring a characteristic of a received signal over the wireless relay network from said at least one medical device;

generating an alarm if said monitored characteristic is outside of predetermined limits.

40. The process of claim 39 wherein said characteristic is signal strength.

41. The process of claim 39 wherein said characteristic is data rate.

42. The process of claim 39 wherein said characteristic is indicative of distance between said relay module and said medical device.

43. The process of claim 39 wherein the step of generating the alarm further comprises transmitting a notice regarding the alarm to a remote monitoring device.