Bi-Directional Communications in a Wearable Monitor

• US 20160165333A1
• Filed: 12/05/2014
• Published: 06/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Gokingco, Jefferson Lim, Altmejd, Moshe Morrie
• Granted Patent: US 9,942,848 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6815 Ear
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6058 involving the use of a headset accessory device connected to the portable telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal

Abstract

A technique for arbitrating conflicting usage of a communications channel of a wearable communications device is disclosed. In at least one embodiment of the invention, a method includes transmitting a voice signal from a microphone to a portable device using a first communications channel in a first mode of operating a system. The method includes transmitting a monitor signal to the portable device using the first communications channel for a predetermined period of time in response to detection of a beacon signal initiated by an application executing on the portable device. The first and second signals may be ultrasonic signals received over the first communications channel and may have the same frequency and different phases. The beacon signal may be detected based on the first and second signals. The first communications channel may include an audio jack of the portable device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting a voice signal from a microphone to a portable device using a first communications channel in a first mode of operating a system; and

transmitting a monitor signal to the portable device using the first communications channel for a predetermined period of time in response to detection of a beacon signal initiated by an application executing on the portable device.

2. The method, as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

waking a processor of the system from a low-power mode of operation in response to detecting a differential amplitude greater than a predetermined threshold level of a first signal received using a first speaker channel of the first communications channel and a second signal received using a second speaker channel of the first communications channel; and

detecting the beacon signal based on the first and second signal.

3. The method, as recited in claim 2, wherein, the first and second signals are ultrasonic signals received over the first communications channel and have the same frequency and different phases and the beacon signal is detected based on the first and second signals.

4. The method, as recited in claim 1, wherein, the first communications channel comprises a microphone jack socket of the portable device.

5. The method, as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a first signal using a first speaker channel;

receiving a second signal using a second speaker channel; and

receiving a sensed signal using the first speaker channel, the monitor signal being based on the sensed signal.

6. The method, as recited in claim 5, wherein the first signal comprises an audio signal and an ultrasonic signal.

7. The method, as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

providing physiological information to a display on the portable device, the physiological information being based on the monitor signal; and

providing voice information based on the voice signal to an audio application executing on the portable device

8. The method, as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

executing the application on the portable device, the application being a physiological parameter monitoring application responsive to the monitor signal; and

executing a voice communications application on the portable device responsive to the voice signal.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a controller configured to enter a first operational mode from a second operational mode in response to detecting presence of a first ultrasonic tone and a second ultrasonic tone in a signal received from a portable device; and

a circuit configured to transmit a first signal received from a microphone to the portable device in the first mode and configured to transmit a second signal received from a detector in a first speaker module to the portable device in the second mode.

10. The apparatus, as recited in claim 9, wherein the second operating mode is a monitoring mode.

11. The apparatus, as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

the portable device comprising a processor configured to execute a first application and a second application, the first application being configured to cause the portable device to transmit the first ultrasonic tone having a first ultrasonic frequency and having a first phase on a first speaker channel and to cause the portable device to transmit the second ultrasonic tone having the first frequency and a second phase on a second speaker channel.

12. The apparatus, as recited in claim 11, wherein the portable device comprises a microphone jack socket and the portable device is configured to combine the first ultrasonic tone with an audio signal provided by a third application executing on the portable device to generate the signal, the signal being transmitted using the microphone jack socket.

13. The apparatus, as recited in claim 11,

wherein the first application is a physiological parameter monitoring application and the second application is a voice communications application.

14. The apparatus, as recited in claim 9,

a first speaker module comprising:

a first speaker configured to provide a first audio signal; and

an optical emitter configured to emit signals in a first frequency range;

an optical detector configured to detect signals in the first frequency range; and

a processor configured to communicate a signal to the first application based on the signals detected by the optical detector.

15. The apparatus, as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

a microphone module comprising;

the controller; and

a microphone configured to transmit a voice signal to the portable device.

16. The apparatus, as recited in claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to detect differential energy between first and second speaker channels based on the first and second tone and enter an intermediate operational mode based thereon.

17. The apparatus, as recited in claim 16, wherein the controller is further configured to detect a beacon based on the first and second tone and enter the first mode based thereon.

18. The apparatus, as recited in claim 16, wherein the controller enters the first mode for a predetermined period and enters the second mode after expiration of the predetermined period.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a microphone; and

means for arbitrating signals communicated using an audio jack of a portable device, the signals comprising audio signals received from the portable device, a voice signal received from the microphone and transmitted to the portable device, and a monitor signal received from a speaker module and transmitted to the portable device, the monitor signal being transmitted for a predetermined period of time in response to a beacon signal based on ultrasonic signals received from the portable device.

20. The apparatus, as recited in claim 19, further comprising:

the portable device configured to execute an application configured to generate the ultrasonic signals and receive the monitor signal.