ESTABLISHING AN RF LINK BETWEEN A BASE STATION AND A MEDICAL DEVICE

• US 20150305002A1
• Filed: 06/29/2015
• Published: 10/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TC1 LLC (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Spinal Modulation, Inc. (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Pixley, April C., Campbell, Cary WR, Brandon, Steven T.
• Granted Patent: US 9,686,781 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Certain embodiments described herein enable a base station (BS) and a medical device (MD) to establish a radio frequency (RF) link using any one of a plurality of different RF channels. The MD sniffs the RF channels over which a BS may send a link request, and tunes to the RF channel identified, as a result of the sniffing, as the channel over which a BS may be transmitting a link request. The MD may also demodulate a signal received over the RF channel to which the MD is tuned, and determine, based on a portion of the demodulated signal including a channel identifier, a specific one of the RF channels over which a BS is actually transmitting. This enables the MD to change the channel to which it is tuned if it determines that it is not tuned to the RF channel over which a BS is actually transmitting.

Claims

1. A method for use by a system including a base station (BS) and a medical device (MD), the method comprising:

the base station (BS)

selecting one of the plurality of different radio frequency (RF) channels over which to send a link request to the MD; and

sending the link request to the MD over the selected one of the plurality of different RF channels, and sending along with the link request

a device identifier that enables the MD to determine whether a transmission from the BS is intended for the MD, and

a channel identifier that informs the MD of the specific one of the RF channels over which the BS is transmitting;

the medical device (MD)

sniffing the plurality of different RF channels for the presence of a signal that may include a link request and to identify the one of the plurality of different RF channels over which the BS may be transmitting;

in response to detecting the presence of a signal that may include a link request from the BS, tuning to the one of the plurality of different RF channels that the MD identified, as a result of the sniffing, as the channel over which transceiver may be transmitting;

receiving a signal over the one of the plurality of different RF channels that the MD is tuned to and demodulating the received signal;

determining, based on a portion of the demodulated signal including the device identifier, whether the detected signal is intended for the MD;

determining, based on a portion of the demodulated signal including the channel identifier, the specific one of the RF channels over which the BS is actually transmitting, if the MD determines that the detected signal is intended for the MD; and

changing the channel to which the MD is tuned to the channel specified by the channel identifier, if the MD determines that it is not tuned to the one of the plurality of different RF channels over which the BS is actually transmitting.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the MD comparing the channel to which it is tuned to the channel specified by the channel identifier to determine whether the MD is tuned to the one of the plurality of different RF channels over which the BS is actually transmitting; and

the MD not changing the channel to which the MD is tuned if the MD determines, as a result of the comparing, that the MD is already tuned to the to the one of the plurality of different RF channels over which the BS is actually transmitting.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the channel identifier is included in a header of a packet that includes the link request.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the device identifier is also included in the header of the packet that includes the link request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the MD is implanted in a patient and the BS is not implanted, or both the MD and the BS are not implanted.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the BS comprises a clinical programmer, a patient programmer or a remote monitoring device; and

the MD comprises a neurostimulator.

7. A medical device (MD), comprising:

a controller; and

an RF transceiver communicatively coupled to the controller and configured to selectively establish a radio frequency (RF) link with a base station (BS);

wherein the controller and RF transceiver of the MD are configured to

sniff a plurality of different RF channels for the presence of a signal that may include a link request and identify one of the plurality of different RF channels over which a BS may be transmitting;

tune to the one of the plurality of different RF channels identified, as a result of the sniffing, as the channel over which a BS may be transmitting;

demodulate a signal received over the one of the plurality of different RF channels to which the MD is tuned;

determine, based on a portion of the demodulated signal including a device identifier, whether the detected signal is intended for the MD;

determine, based on a portion of the demodulated signal including a channel identifier, a specific one of the RF channels over which a BS is actually transmitting, if the MD determines that the detected signal is intended for the MD; and

change the channel to which the RF transceiver is tuned to the channel specified by the channel identifier, if the RF transceiver is not tuned to the one of the plurality of different RF channels over which a BS is actually transmitting.

8. The medical device (MD) of claim 7, wherein the portion of the demodulated signal including the device identifier comprises a portion of the demodulated signal corresponding to a header of a packet including the link request.

9. The medical device (MD) of claim 8, wherein the portion of the demodulated signal including the channel identifier also comprises the portion of the demodulated signal corresponding to the header of the packet including the link request.

10. A method for use by a medical device (MD), comprising:

sniffing a plurality of different radio frequency (RF) channels for the presence of a signal that may include a link request and identifying one of a plurality of different RF channels over which a BS may be transmitting;

tuning to the one of the plurality of different RF channels identified, as a result of the sniffing, as the channel over which a BS may be transmitting;

demodulating a signal received over the one of the plurality of different RF channels to which the MD is tuned;

determining, based on a portion of the demodulated signal including a device identifier, whether the detected signal is intended for the MD;

determining, based on a portion of the demodulated signal including a channel identifier, a specific one of the RF channels over which a BS is actually transmitting, if the MD determines that the detected signal is intended for the MD; and

changing the channel to which the MD is tuned to the channel specified by the channel identifier, if the MD is not tuned to the one of the plurality of different RF channels over which a BS is actually transmitting.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the portion of the demodulated signal including the device identifier comprises a portion of the demodulated signal corresponding to a header of a packet including the link request.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the portion of the demodulated signal including the channel identifier also comprises the portion of the demodulated signal corresponding to the header of the packet including the link request.

13. A method for use by a base station (BS) adapted to perform wireless radio frequency (RF) communication with a medical device (MD), the method for enabling the BS to establish an RF link with the MD using any one of a plurality of different RF channels, the method comprising:

selecting one of the plurality of different RF channels over which to send a link request from the BS to the MD; and

sending the link request from the BS to the MD over the selected one of the plurality of different RF channels, and sending along with the link request

a device identifier that enables the MD to determine whether a transmission from the BS is intended for the MD, and

a channel identifier that informs the MD of the specific one of the RF channels over which the BS is transmitting to thereby enable the MD to tune to the specific RF channel over which the BS is transmitting if the MD initially tunes to a different one of the RF channels.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the channel identifier is included in a header of a packet that includes the link request.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the device identifier is also included in the header of the packet that includes the link request.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the MD is implanted in a patient and the BS is not implanted, or both the MD and the BS are not implanted.

17. A base station (BS), comprising:

a controller; and

an RF transceiver communicatively coupled to the controller and configured to selectively establish a radio frequency (RF) link with an RF transceiver of a medical device (MD);

wherein the controller and RF transceiver are configured to transmit, from the BS to the MD, when establishing an RF link therebetween

a device identifier that enables the MD to determine whether a transmission from the BS is intended for the MD, and

a channel identifier that informs the MD of the specific one of the RF channels over which the BS is transmitting to thereby enable the MD to tune to the specific RF channel over which the BS is transmitting if the MD is tuned to a different RF channel.

18. The BS of claim 17, wherein the controller and RF transceiver are configured to include the channel identifier in a header of a packet that includes a link request.

19. The BS of claim 18, wherein controller and RF transceiver are configured to also include the device identifier in the header of the packet that includes the link request.

20. The BS of claim 17, wherein the BS comprises a clinical programmer, a patient programmer or a remote monitoring device.