HEALTH CARE SYSTEM, AND APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING HEALTH CARE

• US 20120184822A1
• Filed: 07/28/2011
• Published: 07/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Jong Pal, Kim, Seok Chan, Shin, Kunsoo, Park, Gunguk
• Granted Patent: US 8,625,618 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/00 Measuring for diagnostic purposes radiation diagnosis A61B6/00; diagnosis by ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves A61B8/00; Identification of persons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/389 Electromyography [EMG]
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

An apparatus for controlling health care in a health care system is provided. The apparatus for controlling health care in a health care system includes a communication unit configured to transmit and/or receive a sensed biological signal, a determination unit configured to determine whether the health care system comprises, in addition to a first gateway through which the sensed biological signal is transmitted and/or received, at least one second gateway through which the sensed biological signal can be transmitted and/or received, and determine which gateway the sensed biological signal is to be transmitted and/or received through in response to the health care system comprising the second gateway, and a communication control unit configured to control a transmitting and/or receiving function of each gateway according to a result of the determining.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling health care in a health care system, the apparatus comprising:

a communication unit configured to transmit and/or receive a sensed biological signal;

a determination unit configured to determine whether the health care system comprises, in addition to a first gateway through which the sensed biological signal is transmitted and/or received, at least one second gateway through which the sensed biological signal can be transmitted and/or received, and determine which gateway the sensed biological signal is to be transmitted and/or received through in response to the health care system comprising the second gateway; and

a communication control unit configured to control a transmitting and/or receiving function of each gateway according to a result of the determining.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in response to the determination unit determining that the health care system comprises the second gateway, the determination unit determines the gateway to transmit and/or receive the sensed biological signal based on a user'"'"'s setting, processing capacities of the gateways, or a combination thereof.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in response to the determination unit determining that the health care system comprises the second gateway, the communication control unit controls the transmitting and/or receiving function of the first gateway to be deactivated.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the gateways further comprises a signal strength measurement unit for measuring a signal strength corresponding to a sensing unit for sensing a biological signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the health care controller is comprised in a health care server.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the determination unit determines whether a biological signal received from the first gateway via the communication unit is the same as a biological signal received from the second gateway, and wherein the communication control unit controls the gateways by generating a control signal for controlling the transmitting and/or receiving function of each gateway according to a result of the determining.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein in response to the determination unit determining that the received biological signals are the same, the communication control unit generates a control signal that requests that the transmitting and/or receiving function of the first gateway be deactivated.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein in response to the measured signal strength is less than a threshold value or in response to the communication unit does not receive a biological signal from the second gateway, the communication control unit generates a control signal that requests the transmitting and/or receiving function of the first gateway be activated.

9. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the health care controller is comprised in each gateway.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein in response to the determination unit determining that the health care system comprises the second gateway, the communication unit comprised in the second gateway transmits a control signal that requests the transmitting and/or receiving function of the first gateway be deactivated.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein in response to the measured signal strength being less than the threshold value, the communication unit comprised in the second gateway transmits a control signal that requests the transmitting and/or receiving function of the first gateway be activated.

12. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the health care controller is comprised in the sensing unit.

13. A method of controlling health care in a health care system, the method comprising:

transmitting and/or receiving a sensed biological signal;

determining whether the health care system comprises, in addition to a first gateway through which the sensed biological signal is transmitted and/or received, at least one second gateway through which the sensed biological signal can be transmitted and/or received, and determining which gateway the sensed biological signal is to be transmitted and/or received through in response to the health care system comprising the second gateway; and

controlling a transmitting and/or receiving function of each gateway according to a result of the determining.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein in response to a determination determining that the health care system comprises the second gateway, the determining comprising determining the gateway to transmit and/or receive the sensed biological signal based on a user'"'"'s setting, processing capacities of the gateways, or a combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein in response to a determination determining that the health care system comprises the second gateway, the controlling comprises controlling the transmitting and/or receiving function of the first gateway to be deactivated.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the gateways measures a signal strength corresponding to a sensing unit for sensing a biological signal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein a health care controller configured to perform the method of controlling health care is comprised in a health care server, the gateways, the sensing unit, or a combination thereof.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein in response to the health care controller being comprised in the health care server, the determining comprises determining whether a biological signal received from the first gateway is the same as a biological signal received from the second gateway, and the controlling comprises controlling the gateways by generating a control signal for controlling the transmitting and/or receiving function of each gateway according to a result of the determining.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein in response to a determination determining that the received biological signals are the same, the controlling comprises controlling by generating a control signal that requests the transmitting and/or receiving function of the first gateway be deactivated.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein in response to the measured signal strength being less than a threshold value or in response to the health care server not receiving a biological signal from the second gateway, the controlling comprises controlling a control signal that requests the transmitting and/or receiving function of the first gateway be activated.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein in response to the health care controller being comprised in each gateway, in response to a determination determining that the health care system comprises the second gateway, further comprising transmitting a control signal that requests the transmitting and/or receiving function of the first gateway be deactivated.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein in response to the health care controller being comprised in each gateway, in response to the measured signal strength being less than a threshold value, further comprising transmitting a control signal that requests the transmitting and/or receiving function of the first gateway be activated.

23. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having embodied thereon a computer program for executing the method of claim 13.

24. A health care system comprising:

a sensing unit configured to sense a biological signal of a user;

a health care server configured to analyze information regarding health care of the user based on the sensed biological signal;

a plurality of gateways configured to receive the biological signal from the sensing unit, transmitting the received biological signal to the health care server, and displaying the information regarding health care; and

a health care controller configured to receive the biological signal, configured to determine whether the health care system comprises, in addition to a first gateway through which the sensed biological signal is transmitted and/or received, at least one second gateway through which the sensed biological signal may be transmitted and/or received, configured to determine which gateway the sensed biological signal is to be transmitted and/or received through in response to the health care system comprises the second gateway, and configured to control a transmitting and/or receiving function of each gateway according to a result of the determining, wherein the health care controller is comprised in the health care server, the gateways, the sensing unit, or a combination thereof.

25. An apparatus for controlling health care in a health care system, the apparatus comprising:

a communication unit configured to transmit and/or receive a sensed biological signal;

a determination unit configured to determine which gateway of a plurality of gateways the sensed biological signal is to be transmitted and/or received through based on a set of predefined conditions; and

a communication control unit configured to control a transmitting and/or receiving function of each gateway according to a result of the determining.