Medical diagnostic apparatus with sleep mode
First Claim
1. A method for conserving power in a medical diagnostic apparatus, said apparatus including a processor and a memory, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) measuring a first physiological parameter of a patient using said apparatus;
(b) storing data reflecting said measuring of the first physiological parameter in said memory;
(c) processing said data using said processor; and
(d) putting said processor in a sleep mode when an amount of data in said memory is below a predetermined level.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for conserving power in a medical diagnostic apparatus by using a sleep mode during a monitoring state. The sleep mode allows not only the processor to be put to sleep, but other detection circuitry as well. This is accomplished by not relying on detecting events to awaken the sleeping circuitry, but rather establishing the stability of a physiological parameter before going to sleep. The invention monitors a physiological parameter of the patient and enters a sleep mode only after it has been stable for a predetermined period of time. The apparatus is periodically awakened from the sleep mode to take additional measurements and to ascertain that the stability of the physiological parameter has not changed. In one embodiment, the sleep period is chosen to be consistent with the period in which an alarm condition would need to be generated if a patient'"'"'s condition started to quickly change.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method for conserving power in a medical diagnostic apparatus, said apparatus including a processor and a memory, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) measuring a first physiological parameter of a patient using said apparatus; (b) storing data reflecting said measuring of the first physiological parameter in said memory; (c) processing said data using said processor; and (d) putting said processor in a sleep mode when an amount of data in said memory is below a predetermined level. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A medical diagnostic apparatus comprising:
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a processor; a memory coupled to said processor; means for measuring a first physiological parameter of a patient and storing measurement data in said memory; and means for putting said processor in a sleep mode when an amount of data in said memory is below a predetermined level. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6)
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7. A method for conserving power in a medical diagnostic apparatus, said apparatus including electronic circuitry, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) measuring a first physiological parameter of a patient using said apparatus; (b) monitoring a stability-indicating physiological parameter of said patient; (c) determining when said stability-indicating physiological parameter has been stable for a predetermined stable time period and providing a stability indication signal; (d) initiating a sleep mode for at least a portion of said electronic circuitry, in response to said stability indication signal, for a first, sleep portion of each of a plurality of sleep mode time periods; (e) exiting said sleep mode for at least some of said portion of electronic circuitry for a second, awake portion of each of said plurality of sleep mode time periods; (f) determining whether said stability indicating physiological parameter remains stable during at least periodic ones of said sleep mode time periods; (g) repeating steps (a)-(f) if said stability-indicating physiological parameter is determined to not have remained stable during said awake portion; and (h) repeating steps (c)-(f) if said stability-indicating physiological parameter is determined to have remained stable during said awake portion. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A medical diagnostic apparatus having electronic circuitry and a power saving feature, comprising:
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means for measuring a first physiological parameter of a patient; means, coupled to said apparatus, for monitoring at least one stability-indicating physiological parameter of said patient; means, coupled to said means for monitoring, for determining when said stability-indicating physiological parameter has been stable for a predetermined stable time period and providing a stability indication signal; means, coupled to said means for determining, for initiating a sleep mode for said at least a portion of said electronic circuitry, in response to said stability indication signal, for a first, sleep portion of each of a plurality of sleep mode time periods; means for exiting said sleep mode for at least some of said portion of said electronic circuitry for a second, awake portion of each of said plurality of sleep mode time periods; means for determining whether said stability-indicating physiological parameter remains stable during at least periodic ones of said sleep mode time periods; and means for reinitiating said sleep portion if said stability-indicating physiological parameter is determined to have remained stable during said awake portion. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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Specification