Medical sensor with amplitude independent output
First Claim
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1. A pulse oximeter system comprising:
- (a) a sensor for attachment to a patient includinga first light emitter for emitting light of a first wavelength,a second light emitter for emitting light of a second wavelength,a light to frequency converter integrated on a single semiconductor chip, said light to frequency converter including a photodetector and a current to frequency converter, and providing a frequency output signal,an automatic gain control circuit for separately adjusting the gain of said frequency output signal for said first and second wavelengths,a transmitter for transmitting said frequency output signal; and
(b) a pulse oximeter monitor includinga receiver input for receiving said transmitted frequency output signal,a bus connected directly to said receiver input to receive said frequency output signal as a digital signal without any analog to digital conversion,a microprocessor, coupled to said bus, for analyzing said frequency output signal as a digital signal to determine a corresponding amplitude value represented by said frequency output signal, said microprocessor being programmed to measure oxygen saturation.
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Abstract
The present invention provides a medical sensor for detecting a blood characteristic. The sensor includes a transducer for producing an analog signal related to the blood characteristic. The analog signal is converted into a transmission signal which is in amplitude-independent form for transmission to a remote analyzer. In one embodiment, a current-to-frequency converter converts a signal from a pulse oximeter sensor into a frequency signal which can be transmitted over a transmission line to a remote pulse oximeter.
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Citations
2 Claims
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1. A pulse oximeter system comprising:
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(a) a sensor for attachment to a patient including a first light emitter for emitting light of a first wavelength, a second light emitter for emitting light of a second wavelength, a light to frequency converter integrated on a single semiconductor chip, said light to frequency converter including a photodetector and a current to frequency converter, and providing a frequency output signal, an automatic gain control circuit for separately adjusting the gain of said frequency output signal for said first and second wavelengths, a transmitter for transmitting said frequency output signal; and (b) a pulse oximeter monitor including a receiver input for receiving said transmitted frequency output signal, a bus connected directly to said receiver input to receive said frequency output signal as a digital signal without any analog to digital conversion, a microprocessor, coupled to said bus, for analyzing said frequency output signal as a digital signal to determine a corresponding amplitude value represented by said frequency output signal, said microprocessor being programmed to measure oxygen saturation. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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Specification
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Current AssigneeNellcor Puritan Bennett Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
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Original AssigneeNellcor Puritan Bennett Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
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InventorsMerchant, Adnan I., Bernstein, Michael
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Primary Examiner(s)Sykes, Angela D.
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Assistant Examiner(s)NASSER, ROBERT L
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Application NumberUS08/169,093Time in Patent Office1,019 DaysField of Search128/633-634, 128/664-6, 356/41US Class Current600/323CPC Class CodesA61B 5/0017 transmitting optical signal...A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
