System and method for automatically powering on and synchronizing a wireless remote console to a central control unit so as to allow remote control of a medical device

• US 8,149,108 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2007
• Issued: 04/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stryker Corporation
• Original Assignee: Stryker Corporation
• Inventors: Hamel, Andrew J., Hilldoerfer, Michael G., Wells, Brannon P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, QUANG
• Application Number:
  US11/985,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20090121865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,602 Days
• Field of Search: 606/1, 606/27, 606/34, 340/855.6, 340/539.17, 340/5.61, 340/10.34, 340/10.1, 340/10.3, 340/539.1, 341/176, 455/343.1
• US Class Current: 340/539.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00006 of control signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00016 using wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00036 Means for power saving, e.g. sleeping mode
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00059 provided with identification means for the endoscope
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/045 Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00199 with a console, e.g. a control panel with a display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0214 of power generation or supply
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3259 Power saving in cursor control device, e.g. mouse, joystick, trackball
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A system and method for controlling one or more medical devices by a remote console. The remote console communicates wirelessly with a central control unit that connects to one or more of the medical devices. To conserve battery power and simplify operation, the remote console is configured to automatically power on and initiate a wireless connection in response to being brought into proximity of the central control unit. According to another embodiment, the remote console automatically powers on and terminates any previously established wireless connections when brought into proximity of the central control unit.

Claims

1. A system for controlling at least two medical devices, comprising:

a central control unit in communication with and controlling at least two medical devices;

a remote console having a battery and at least one user-operable control, the remote console configured to wirelessly transmit console command signals to the central control unit indicating a state of the at least one user-operable control for selectively controlling the at least two medical devices;

an identification device associated with the remote console and programmed with an identification code unique to the remote console;

an identification reader associated with the central control unit that

     1) automatically wirelessly retrieves the identification code programmed in the identification device and

     2) automatically synchronizes the central control unit and the remote console, using an electromagnetic field when the identification device is brought within a predetermined distance of the identification reader; and

an activation circuit associated with the remote console separate from the identification device, the activation circuit automatically powering on the remote console with the battery, while the remote console is in an unpowered off state, in response to the inducement of an electrical current in the activation circuit by the electromagnetic field generated by the identification reader associated with the central control unit when the remote console is brought within a predetermined distance.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the identification device comprises a radio frequency identification device.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the activation circuit is electrically isolated from the identification device.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the activation circuit comprises a coil switching circuit including a coil wound to an inductance generally corresponding to a frequency of the electromagnetic field generated by the identification reader.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the remote console will automatically terminate any previously established relationships between the remote console and the central control unit in response to the remote console being brought within a predetermined distance of a second central control unit.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the central control unit will only process console command signals containing the identification code that corresponds to the remote console with which the central control unit is synchronized.

7. A method of controlling at least one medical device by a wireless connection, comprising the steps of:

providing a remote console with an identification device which is programmed with an identification code unique to the remote console with which the identification device is associated and having at least one user-operable control for remotely controlling at least one function on at least one medical device, the remote console including an activation circuit separate from the identification device and having an off state wherein no power is drawn from a battery of the remote console;

providing a central control unit with an identification reader;

connecting the at least one medical device to the central control unit capable of communicating wirelessly with the remote console;

automatically powering on the remote console with the battery in response to the inducement of an electrical current in the activation circuit of the remote console by an electromagnetic field generated by the identification reader associated with the central control unit by placing the remote console within a predetermined distance of the central control unit;

wirelessly retrieving the identification code from the identification device and automatically wirelessly synchronizing the remote console with the central control unit using the electromagnetic field by placing the remote console within a predetermined distance of the identification reader of the central control unit; and

generating with the synchronized remote console at least one wireless remote console command signal that is indicative of a state of the at least one user-operable control.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of automatically terminating a previous synchronization between the remote console and the central control unit by placing the remote console within a predetermined distance of a second central control unit.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the activation circuit comprises a coil switching circuit that closes to automatically power on the remote console when the induced current is greater than a threshold value.

10. A system for controlling at least two medical devices, comprising:

a central control unit in communication with and controlling at least two medical devices;

a remote console comprising a battery, at least one user-operable control and an activation circuit for activating the remote console by supplying power from the battery to the remote console, said remote console being configured to wirelessly transmit console command signals to the central control unit indicating a state of the at least one user-operable control, wherein the remote console, while in an off state drawing no power from the battery, is automatically powered on by the battery in response to the activation circuit being brought within a predetermined distance of the central control unit;

an identification device associated with the remote console and programmed with an identification code unique to the remote console, said identification device being separate from said activation circuit; and

an identification reader associated with the central control unit that automatically wirelessly retrieves the identification code programmed in the identification device using an electromagnetic field when the identification device is brought within a predetermined distance of the identification reader and the activation circuit associated with the remote console automatically powers on the remote console with the battery in response to the inducement of an electrical current in the activation circuit by the electromagnetic field generated by the identification reader.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said central control unit is connected to each of the at least two said medical devices, and said remote console is configured to wirelessly transmit console command signals to the central control unit that selectively control each of the at least two medical devices.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the activation circuit comprises a switching circuit.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the switching circuit comprises a coil switching circuit that induces a current to bias a transistor to switch operating states and provide power from the battery to the remote console.

14. The system according to claim 10, wherein the activation circuit comprises a coil switching circuit including a coil wound to an inductance.

15. A system for controlling at least two medical devices by a secure wireless connection, comprising:

at least two medical devices for use during a medical procedure;

a remote console comprising;

at least one user-operable control;

a battery;

a transmitter for wirelessly transmitting console command signals indicating a state of the at least one user-operable control and an identification code unique to the remote console;

an identification device storing the identification code; and

an activation circuit for powering on the remote console from an off state drawing no power from the battery to an on state by enabling the battery to provide power to the remote console,

a central control unit in communication with the at least two medical devices comprising;

a central control unit receiver for receiving the console command signals wirelessly transmitted by the transmitter of the remote console to control the at least two medical devices; and

an identification reader providing an output to read the identification code of the identification device for automatically placing the central control unit and the remote console in a synchronized state when the remote console is brought within a predetermined distance of the central control unit so as to permit the identification reader to wirelessly retrieve the identification code programmed in the identification device, and the output from the identification reader inducing an electrical current in the activation circuit that automatically powers on the remote console with the battery in response to the output.

16. The system according to claim 15, the identification reader communicating with the identification device separately and independently of the communication between the transmitter of the remote console and the receiver of the central control unit.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein the identification device comprises a radio frequency identification device that is free from electrical connection to the user-operable control, the battery, the transmitter, and the activation circuit of the remote console.

18. The system according to claim 15, wherein the switching circuit comprises a coil switching circuit that induces a current to bias a transistor to switch operating states and provide power from the battery to the remote console.