Wireless Relay Module for Remote Monitoring Systems

• US 20120184207A1
• Filed: 01/14/2011
• 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., Wiesner, Joel D., Breitweiser, Kenneth M., Holste, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,818,260 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/11.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15542 Selecting at relay station its transmit and receive resources selection of wireless resources by user or terminal H04W72/02; arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path by two-dimensional division of the resources H04L5/0003, or by allocating sub-channels H04L5/003
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless relay module for networked communications between a series of medical devices and a remote monitoring device. An interface circuit coupled to each medical device communicates with the wireless relay module via a wireless relay network. The relay module communicates with the remote monitoring device over an internet-accessible wireless communication network, and includes a receiver coupled to the wireless relay network, a first transmitter coupled to the wireless relay network, a second transmitter coupled to the internet-accessible wireless communications network; and a controller. The controller determines a status of the internet-accessible wireless communications network. When the status indicates that the internet-accessible wireless communications network is accessible, the second transmitter is selected for transmitting medical device data. When the internet-accessible wireless communications network is not accessible, the first transmitter is selected for transmitting the data to another wireless relay module.

Claims

1. 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 data over an internet-accessible wireless communications network;

a second transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting medical device data to a second wireless relay module over the wireless relay 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.

2. The wireless relay module of claim 1, wherein said second transmitter is further capable of transmitting operating instructions to said at least one medical device.

3. The wireless relay module of claim 2, further comprising:

a second receiver capable of wirelessly receiving said operating instructions from said internet-accessible wireless communications network; and

a memory electrically connected to said controller, said memory capable of buffering said received operating instructions destined for respective ones of said medical devices, wherein said controls the order and/or priority for transmission of said operating instructions to said respective ones of said medical devices.

4. The wireless relay module of claim 1, further comprising:

a status module coupled to the first transmitter and controller, said status module capable of determining a status of potential communications over said wireless communications network and providing said status to the controller for selecting said first or second transmitter based on said status.

5. The wireless relay module of claim 4, further comprising:

a wireless communications network indicator electrically connected to said status module for providing a status indication of a determined status of potential communications over said wireless communications network by said wireless rely module.

6. The wireless relay module of claim 1, further comprising;

a wireless relay network indicator electrically connected to said controller for providing a status indication of a determined status of potential communications over said wireless relay network.

7. The wireless relay module of claim 1, wherein said controller is capable of selecting one of said first or second transmitter based on receiving a status parameter over said wireless relay network.

8. The wireless relay module of claim 1, further comprising a transformer circuit to enable said device to be powered by an AC power source.

9. The wireless relay module of claim 8, further configured for being plugged into and supported by an AC wall power outlet.

10. The wireless relay module of claim 9, further comprising a modular AC wall power plug that may be replaceably removed from the wireless relay module.

11. The wireless relay module of claim 1 wherein said wireless relay network is a ZIGBEE network.

12. The wireless relay module of claim 1 wherein said wireless relay network is a relay-enable Bluetooth network.

13. The wireless relay module of claim 1, wherein said an internet-accessible wireless communications network is a mobile communications network.

14. The wireless relay module of claim 13 wherein said mobile communications network is a CDMA or GSM-based network.

15. The wireless relay module of claim 1 wherein said medical device data is encrypted medical device data.

16. A process for operating a relay module in a medical device wireless network, comprising the steps of:

a. receiving data from at least one medical devices over a wireless relay network;

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

c. transmitting said data from said at least one medical devices over said communications channel by said first transmitter if said determined status satisfies a particular criteria; and

d. transmitting said data from said at least one medical devices by a second transmitter in communication with the wireless relay network to a second relay module over the wireless relay network if said determined status fails to satisfy the particular criteria.

17. The process of claim 16 further comprising the steps of:

receiving operating instructions over the internet-accessible wireless communications network intended for said at least one medical devices; and

transmitting said transmitting operating instructions to said intended ones of said at least one medical device.

18. The process of claim 17 further comprising the steps of:

buffering said received operating instructions destined for respective ones of said medical devices; and

controlling the order and/or priority for transmission of said operating instructions to said respective ones of said medical devices.

19. The process of claim 16 further comprising the steps of:

providing an indication of potential communications over said wireless communications network during a power-up sequence of said relay module.

20. The process of claim 16 further comprising the steps of:

providing an indication of potential communications over said wireless relay network during a power-up sequence of said relay module.

21. The process of claim 20, wherein the step of providing an indication of potential communications over said wireless relay network further comprises the step of:

providing an indication of a signal strength of said wireless relay network by selectively illuminating none or one or more LED indicators.

22. The process of claim 16, wherein said wireless relay network is a ZIGBEE network.

23. The process of claim 16, wherein said wireless relay network is a relay enabled Bluetooth network.

24. The process of claim 16, wherein said wireless communications network is a communications channel of a mobile communications network

25. The process of claim 24, wherein said mobile communications network is a CDMA or GSM-based network.

26. The process of claim 24, wherein the determining step further comprises the steps of:

measuring a state of said wireless communications network; and

determining said status of said wireless communications network as a function of said measured state of said wireless communications network.

27. The process of claim 16, wherein the said status is determined as a function of a value of a data element stored by a storage element of said relay module.