Failsafe supervisor system for a patient monitor
First Claim
1. A patient monitor which collects parameter data related to physiological parameters of a patient and displays said parameter data, said monitor comprising:
- means for collecting said parameter data;
a display processing means for processing said parameter data and displaying the processed parameter data on said display and for providing watchdog pulses indicating at least whether said collecting means and said parameter processing means are operating properly;
a power supply for selectively providing power to said display, said collecting means, and said parameter processing means upon receipt of a power up or power down signal;
an alarm which sounds upon receipt of an error signal;
an on/off button for selectively turning on/off said patient monitor; and
a failsafe supervisor processing means responsive to said on/off button for selectively providing said power up or said power down signals to said power supply and responsive to said watchdog pulses for generating said error signal to sound said alarm when a watchdog pulse is not received by said failsafe supervisor processing means in a predetermined period of time.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A failsafe supervisor system for a patient monitor which integrates the functions of coordinating the turning on/off of the patient monitor with the user and the system software, alerting the operator in the event the patient monitor turns off due to a power failure, and alerting the operator to improper operation of the patient monitor system'"'"'s processor hardware or software. Upon detection of such unexpected changes of state or malfunctions during operation of the patient monitor, the patient monitor is powered down in a failsafe manner to a safe state. Additionally, the failsafe supervisor system optionally allows the operator to select a service mode when turning on the monitor, thereby facilitating testing. The entire failsafe supervisor system is preferably implemented in a small one-chip microcontroller so that it can be readily incorporated into the patient monitor'"'"'s microprocessor control system.
21 Citations
7 Claims
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1. A patient monitor which collects parameter data related to physiological parameters of a patient and displays said parameter data, said monitor comprising:
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means for collecting said parameter data; a display processing means for processing said parameter data and displaying the processed parameter data on said display and for providing watchdog pulses indicating at least whether said collecting means and said parameter processing means are operating properly; a power supply for selectively providing power to said display, said collecting means, and said parameter processing means upon receipt of a power up or power down signal; an alarm which sounds upon receipt of an error signal; an on/off button for selectively turning on/off said patient monitor; and a failsafe supervisor processing means responsive to said on/off button for selectively providing said power up or said power down signals to said power supply and responsive to said watchdog pulses for generating said error signal to sound said alarm when a watchdog pulse is not received by said failsafe supervisor processing means in a predetermined period of time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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Specification