Hazard mitigation in medical device
First Claim
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1. A method comprising:
- generating a handshake signal in a first processor of a first functional module of a medical device;
providing the handshake signal to a watchdog timer software process in a second processor of a second functional module of the medical device, wherein the watchdog timer software process corresponds to a watchdog timer hardware unit;
receiving a reset signal from the second processor to reset the first processor when the handshake signal is not provided to the watchdog timer software process within a prescribed time interval; and
receiving a reset signal from the watchdog timer software process to reset the second processor when the handshake signal is not provided to the watchdog timer software process within the prescribed time interval.
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Abstract
Delivery of energy by a defibrillator or other medical device is inhibited when the processor or software that controls a module of the medical device operates abnormally. A windowed watchdog timer (WWDT) incorporated into one module of the medical device is used to control the operation of other modules of the medical device via a software-based extension technique. As a result, the risk of harm to the patient is reduced compared to medical devices that incorporate over-limit type watchdog timers. In addition, costs associated with implementing WWDTs in multiple modules of the defibrillator are avoided, thereby lowering the overall cost of implementation.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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generating a handshake signal in a first processor of a first functional module of a medical device; providing the handshake signal to a watchdog timer software process in a second processor of a second functional module of the medical device, wherein the watchdog timer software process corresponds to a watchdog timer hardware unit; receiving a reset signal from the second processor to reset the first processor when the handshake signal is not provided to the watchdog timer software process within a prescribed time interval; and receiving a reset signal from the watchdog timer software process to reset the second processor when the handshake signal is not provided to the watchdog timer software process within the prescribed time interval. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A processor-readable computer storage medium containing processor-executable instructions to cause a processor to:
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generate a handshake signal in a first processor of a first functional module of a medical device; provide the handshake signal to a watchdog timer software process in a second processor of a second functional module of the medical device, wherein the watchdog timer software process corresponds to a watchdog timer hardware unit; receive a reset signal from the second processor to reset the first processor when the handshake signal is not provided to the watchdog timer software process within a prescribed time interval; and receive a reset signal from the watchdog timer software process to rest the second processor when the handshake signal is not provided to the watchdog timer software process within the prescribed time interval. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A medical device comprising:
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a watchdog timer hardware unit; a first embedded processor included in a first functional module, configured to generate a handshake signal; and a second embedded processor included in a second functional module, with a watchdog timer software process corresponding to the watchdog timer hardware unit, wherein the watchdog timer software process is configured to receive the handshake signal and to reset the first embedded processor and the second embedded processor when the handshake signal is not provided to the watchdog timer software process within a prescribed time interval. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification