Ambulatory recorder having synchronized communication between two processors

• US 6,245,013 B1
• Filed: 01/27/1999
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Butler, Arch W., Minoz, Alain, Pedersen, Henrik E., Gunnarsson, Thorir, Williams, Malcolm G. S.
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Connor, Cary
• Assistant Examiner(s): ASTORINO, MICHAEL C
• Application Number:
  US09/237,926
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 600/300, 600/301, 600/345, 600/361, 600/365, 600/481-486, 600/500-508, 600/529-532, 600/538, 600/544-545, 128/920-925, 705/2-3, 705/35
• US Class Current: 600/300
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/00 Measuring for diagnostic purposes radiation diagnosis A61B6/00; diagnosis by ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves A61B8/00; Identification of persons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/24 Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 9/005 Solid-state data loggers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 Computer assisted medical diagnostics

Abstract

An ambulatory recording system for medical and especially diagnostic purposes is described having synchronized communication between two processors. The recorder features two processors which are of differing architectures—the first processor being a real time processor which handles the sampling function, the second processor being a non real time processor which handles the operating system function. The invention further includes a protocol for communication between the two processors which permits the two processors to have synchronized and reliable communication.

Claims

1. An ambulatory medical recording system, comprising:

a medical sensing catheter;

a medical data recorder coupled with the medical sensing catheter, the medical data recorder comprising;

a first processor;

a second processor;

wherein the first processor and the second processor communicate along at least one communication line, the second processor having means for writing data along the least one communication line, the second processor further having means for setting a time out windows, the time out window beginning at the writing of data along the least one communication line.

2. An ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 1, wherein the first processor is a real time processor RTP and the second processor is a non real-time processor NRTP.

3. An ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one communication line comprises a data bus.

4. An ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 2, further comprising

the NRTP having means for writing to the RTP;

the RTP having means for reading the writing from the NRTP;

the RTP having means for writing back to the NRTP what the RTP has read from the NRTP; and

the NRTP having means for reading what the RTP has written back.

5. An ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 4, wherein the means for writing to the RTP from the NRTP further comprises means for setting a timing window, the timing window defining the lime period in which the RTP must respond back to the NRTP before the NRTP retries writing to the RTP.

6. An ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 5, wherein the NRTP further comprises means for counting the number of times in a row the NRTP retries writing to the RTP due to the timing window lapsing;

and means for sending out a message to the user when the number of times in a row the NRTP retries writing to the RTP due to the timing window lapsing exceeds a preselected number.

7. An ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 4, wherein means for reading the writing from the NRTP to the RTP further comprises means for setting a busy signal along the at least one communication line between the RTP and the NRTP.

8. An ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 4, wherein the RTP has means for writing back to the NRTP what the RTP has read from the NRTP, and further comprises means for signaling to the NRTP that the RTP has written data which the NRTP should read.

9. An ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 8, wherein the means for signaling to the NRTP that the RTP has written data which the NRTP should read comprises a flip flop moveable from a high state to a low state and back to a high state again.

10. A method of communicating between a NRTP and a RTP in a medical data recorder comprising:

the NRTP writing first data alone a first line to the RTP;

the RTP reading the first data along the first line from the NRTP;

the RTP writing second data along a second line to the NRTP and signaling to the NRTP that there is data to be read along the second line; and

the NRTP reading the second data along the second line from the RTP;

a method of communicating between a NRTP and a RTP in a medical data recorder, wherein the first processor is a real time processor RTP and the second processor is a non real-time processor NRTP;

wherein the step of the RTP reading the first data along the first line from the NRTP further comprises setting a busy signal along a busy signal line between the RTP and the NRTP, and wherein the NRTP will not begin additional task communication with the RTP while the busy signal is present.

11. An ambulatory medical recording system, comprising:

a medical sensing catheter;

a medical data recorder coupled with the medical sensing catheter, the medical data recorder comprising;

a first real time processor RTP;

a second processor;

wherein the RTP has means for writing data along a line of communication to the second processor, the RTP further having means for signaling to the second processor that the RTP has written data along the line of communication the second processor.

12. An ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 11, wherein the communication line comprises a data bus.

13. An ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 11, wherein:

the second processor has means for writing to the RTP;

the RTP has means for reading the writing from the second processor and means for writing back to the second processor what the RTP has read from the second processor;

the second processor has means for reading what the RTP has written back.

14. An ambulatory medical recording system according, to claim 13, wherein the means for writing to the RTP from the second processor further comprises means for setting a timing window, the timing window defining the time period in which the RTP must respond back to the second processor before the second processor retries writing to the RTP.

15. An ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 14, wherein the second processor further comprises means for counting the number of limes in a row the second processor retries writing to the RTP due to the timing windows lapsing, and means for sending out a message to the user when the number of times in a row the second processor retries writing to the RTP due to the timing window lapsing exceeds a preselected number.

16. An ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 13, wherein means for reading the writing from the second processor to the RTP further comprises means for setting a busy signal along the at least one communication line between the RTP and the second processor.

17. An ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 13, wherein the RTP further comprises means for writing back to the second processor what the RTP has read from the second processor and means for signaling to the second processor that the RTP has written data which the second processor should read.

18. An ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 17, wherein the means for signaling to the second processor that the RTP has written data which the second processor should read comprises a flip flop moveable from a high state to a low state and back again to a high state.

19. An ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 18, wherein the second processor is a non real time processor NRTP.

20. An ambulatory medical recording system comprising:

a medical sensing catheter;

a medical data recorder coupled with the medical sensing catheter, the medical data recorder comprising;

a first processor;

a second processor;

wherein the first processor and the second processor communicate along at least one communication line, the second processor having means for determining whether the first processor may have data communicated thereto from the second processor.

21. An ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 20, wherein the means for determining whether the first processor may have data communicated to it from the second processor comprises a flip flop.

22. An ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 20, the second processor further having means for setting a time out window starting from the writing of data along the least one communication line.

23. An ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 20, wherein the first processor is a real time processor RTP and the second processor is a non real-time processor NRTP.

24. A ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 20, wherein the at least one communication line comprises a first line of communication and a second line of communication.

25. An ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 20, wherein the at least one communication line comprises a data bus.

26. An ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 20, wherein:

the second processor includes means for writing to the first processor;

the first processor includes means for reading the writing from the second processor;

the first processor having means for writing back to the second processor what the first processor has read from the second processor; and

the second processor having means for reading what the first processor has written back.

27. An ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 26, wherein the means for writing to the first processor from the second processor further comprises means for setting a timing window, the timing window defining the time period in which the first processor must respond back to the second processor before the second processor retries writing to the first processor.

28. An ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 27, wherein the second processor further comprises means for counting the number of times in a row the second processor retries writing to the first processor due to the timing window lapsing;

and means for sending out a message to the user when the number of times in a row the second processor retries writing to the first processor due to the timing window lapsing exceeds a preselected number.

29. An ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 26, wherein the means for reading the whiting from the second processor to the first processor further comprises means for setting a busy signal along the at least one communication line between the first processor and the second processor.

30. An ambulatory medical recording system according to claim 26, wherein the first processor includes means for writing back to the second processor what the first processor has read from the second processor and means for signaling to the second processor that the first processor has written data which the second processor should read.

31. An ambulatory recorder according to claim 30, further comprising means for mounting the ambulatory recorder to a patient.

32. An ambulatory recorder according to claim 31, wherein the mounting means further comprises a loop configured for a belt or a shoulder strap to be inserted theretrough.

33. An ambulatory recorder according to claim 20, wherein the medical sensing catheter comprises a pH sensing catheter.