Functional assembly with automatic adaptable wireless characteristics

• US 7,369,818 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2004
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zarlink Semiconductor AB (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Zarlink Semiconductor AB (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Westerberg, Anders K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phu; Sanh D.
• Application Number:
  US11/005,035
• Publication Number:
  US 20050146460A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• Field of Search: 455/91, 455/12.1, 455/456.3, 455/561
• US Class Current: 455/91
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/39 the satellite radio beacon positioning system transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A functional device is configured to communicate with one or more additional devices over a wireless communications link using wireless circuitry. The device includes a memory for storing information about different wireless characteristics in different geographic locations, a receiver for receiving information about the geographic location of the device, a memory for storing information about different wireless characteristics in different geographic locations, and a control element for retrieving information from the memory based on the geographic location of the device and configuring the wireless circuitry such that its wireless characteristics match the wireless characteristics retrieved from the memory appropriate for the geographic location.

Claims

1. A functional assembly comprising:

a master device implantable in a human body for performing a medical function therein;

a control device for controlling said master device;

wireless circuitry in each of said master device and said control device to permit local communication between said master device and said control device over a wireless link;

a memory for storing information about wireless characteristics of different geographic locations;

a radio receiver for receiving information about the geographic location of said assembly; and

a controller for retrieving information from said memory based on the geographic location of said master device and configuring said wireless circuitry in each of said master device and said control device to match wireless characteristics appropriate for said geographic location.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said radio receiver is a GPS receiver for receiving GPS position data.

3. An assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said memory stores said wireless characteristics in association with regions bounded by GPS coordinates.

4. An assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said memory stores said wireless characteristics in association with raw GPS data.

5. A functional device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said receiver is a radio receiver for receiving land-based positional information.

6. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controller is a microprocessor.

7. An assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein said microprocessor is programmed to transmit a signal indicating a change of a wireless characteristic to said control device, and change said wireless circuitry to transmit using an updated wireless characteristic in response to an acknowledgement signal from said control device.

8. An assembly as claimed in claim 7, wherein said wireless characteristic is frequency.

9. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, which is a pacemaker system, and wherein said master device is a pacemaker.

10. A wireless communication system comprising:

two or more functional devices, each having wireless circuitry for mutually communicating over a wireless link;

a radio receiver in at least one of said devices for receiving information about the geographic location of the device;

a memory in at least one of said devices for storing information about different wireless characteristics in different geographic locations; and

a controller for retrieving information from said memory based on the geographic location of said devices and configuring said wireless circuitry in each of said functional devices to match the wireless characteristics retrieved from said memory appropriate for said geographic location, and

wherein upon detection of a required change in said wireless characteristics said controller is programmed to update said wireless characteristics, and wherein at least one of said functional devices includes a watch dog programmed to scan available wireless characteristics in the event of no communication occurring over a predetermined period of time and update said wireless characteristics in the event that a signal is detected from another of said functional devices using different wireless characteristics.

11. A wireless communication system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said controller is a microprocessor.

12. A wireless communication system as claimed in claim 11, wherein one of said functional devices is a master, and one or more of said functional devices is a slave controlled by said master.

13. A wireless communication system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said receiver is in said master.

14. A wireless communication system as claimed in claim 13, wherein said microprocessor is in said master, and said microprocessor is programmed to change said wireless characteristics in response to a change in geographic location requiring different wireless characteristics.

15. A wireless communication system as claimed in claim 14, wherein upon detection of a required change in said wireless characteristics said microprocessor is programmed to transmit a signal to said one or more slave devices using current wireless characteristics and update said wireless characteristics in response to an acknowledgement signal from said one or more slave devices.

16. A wireless communication system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said receiver is in one of said slaves, and said slave is programmed to transmit a signal indicating a required change of wireless characteristics to said master.

17. A wireless communication system as claimed in claim 12, wherein each of said devices includes a receiver for extracting geographic positional information.

18. A wireless communication system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said wireless characteristics are the radio frequency.

19. A wireless communication system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said receiver is a GPS receiver.