Methods and systems for reuse of radio resources in medical telemetry networks

• US 8,315,224 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2010
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Hoctor, Ralph Thomas, Davenport, David Michael, Seidl, Neal John, Grubis, Matthew George, Genc, Sahika
• Primary Examiner(s): ABELSON, RONALD B
• Application Number:
  US12/691,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20110183698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 370328-330, 370/341, 370343-345, 370/436
• US Class Current: 370/330
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0837 using pre-detection combining H04B7/0868 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/06 the signals being represented by different frequencies combined with time-division multiplexing H04L5/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/346 distributing total power among users or channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/367 Power values between minimum and maximum limits, e.g. dynamic range
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/52 based on load
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/54 based on quality criteria

Abstract

Methods and systems and computer program products for reusing radio resources in a medical telemetry networks are provided. The method receives at a server, traffic information for a plurality of mobile transceivers, from a plurality of distributed receivers. The method identifies time slot assignments and frequency channel assignments of the plurality of mobile transceivers based on traffic information. The method then updates one or more time slot assignments and/or one or more frequency channel assignments based, at least in part, on traffic information. Finally, the method broadcasts updated instances of the time slot assignments and updated instances of frequency channel assignments.

Claims

1. A method for reusing radio resources in a medical telemetry network, the method comprising:

receiving at a server, traffic information for a plurality of mobile transceivers from a plurality of distributed receivers, wherein each of the plurality of mobile transceivers resides in a coverage zone formed by the plurality of distributed receivers;

identifying time slot assignments and frequency channel assignments of the plurality of mobile transceivers based on the traffic information;

updating one or more time slot assignments and/or one or more frequency channel assignments based, at least in part, on the traffic information;

broadcasting updated instances of the time slot assignments and updated instances of frequency channel assignments;

receiving at the server, error rate of each of the plurality of mobile transceivers;

comparing the error rate of each of the plurality of mobile transceivers with a maximum permissible error rate; and

transmitting error correction enable signals to enable error correction on one or more of the plurality of mobile transceivers responsive to the comparison, wherein the error correction comprises;

transmitting on a first frequency, a first transmission comprising a payload data and a first error detection data associated with the payload data; and

transmitting on a second frequency, a second transmission comprising forward error correction data associated with the payload data and a second error detection data associated with the forward error correction data, wherein the forward error correction data comprises parity data generated using an invertible code.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating further comprises taking into account a constraint map, wherein the constraint map comprises channel separation parameters to mitigate co-channel interference, adjacent zone interference and co-site interference.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the traffic information comprises one or more of number of mobile transceivers in communication with each of a plurality of distributed receivers, a mobile transceiver identifier of the plurality of mobile transceivers, buffer state of the mobile transceiver, and presence of the plurality of mobile transceivers in coverage zones of the plurality of distributed receivers.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the medical telemetry network operates in the Wireless Medical Telemetry Service (WMTS) spectrum.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying unused time slots in each of a plurality of frequency channels;

identifying for re-assignment, mobile transceivers utilizing time slots immediately following the unused time slots;

updating the time slot assignments and/or the frequency channel assignments of the mobile transceivers identified for re-assignment, to the unused time slots, in order of location of the unused time slots in time and frequency; and

circularly shifting the frequency channel order.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving at the server, the number of time slots required by each of the plurality of mobile transceivers; and

updating the number of time slots assigned to one or more of the plurality of mobile transceivers based on the number of time slots required.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving at the server, transmission power of each of the plurality of mobile transceivers;

comparing the transmission power of each of the plurality of mobile transceivers to a maximum permissible transmission power; and

transmitting a power control signal to adjust the transmission power of one or more of the plurality of mobile transceivers responsive to the comparison.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

updating the number of time slots assigned to the one or more of the plurality of mobile transceivers to allow transmission of error correction data.

9. A system for reusing radio resources in a medical telemetry network, the system comprising:

one or more network interfaces;

one or more processors;

a memory; and

computer program code stored in a computer readable storage medium, wherein the computer program code, when executed, is operative to cause the one or more processors to;

receive at a server, traffic information for a plurality of mobile transceivers from a plurality of distributed receivers, wherein each of the plurality of mobile transceivers resides in a coverage zone formed by the plurality of distributed receivers;

identify time slot assignments and frequency channel assignments of the plurality of mobile transceivers based on the traffic information;

update one or more time slot assignments and/or one or more frequency channel assignments based, at least in part, on the traffic information;

broadcast updated instances of the time slot assignments and updated instances of frequency channel assignments;

receive at the server, error rate of each of the plurality of mobile transceivers;

compare the error rate of each of the plurality of mobile transceivers with a maximum permissible error rate; and

transmit error correction enable signals to enable error correction on one or more of the plurality of mobile transceivers responsive to the comparison, wherein the error correction comprises;

transmitting on a first frequency, a first transmission comprising a payload data and a first error detection data associated with the payload data; and

transmitting on a second frequency, a second transmission comprising forward error correction data associated with the payload data and a second error detection data associated with the forward error correction data, wherein the forward error correction data comprises parity data generated using an invertible code.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the computer program code is further operative to cause the one or more processors to take into account a constraint map, wherein the constraint map comprises channel separation parameters to mitigate co-channel interference, adjacent zone interference and co-site interference.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein traffic information comprises one or more of number of mobile transceivers in communication with each of a plurality of distributed receivers, a mobile transceiver identifier of the plurality of mobile transceivers, buffer state of the mobile transceiver, and presence of the plurality of mobile transceivers in coverage zones of the plurality of distributed receivers.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the medical telemetry network operates in the Wireless Medical Telemetry Service (WMTS) spectrum.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the computer program code is further operative to cause the one or more processors to:

identify unused time slots in each of a plurality of frequency channels;

identify for re-assignment, mobile transceivers utilizing time slots immediately following the unused time slots;

update the time slot assignments and/or the frequency channel assignments of the mobile transceivers identified for re-assignment, to the unused time slots, in order of location of the unused time slots in time and frequency; and

circularly shift the frequency channel order.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the computer program code is further operative to cause the one or more processors to:

receive at the server, the number of time slots required by each of the plurality of mobile transceivers; and

update the number of time slots assigned to one or more of the plurality of mobile transceivers based on the number of time slots required.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein the computer program code is further operative to cause the one or more processors to:

receive at the server, transmission power of each of the plurality of mobile transceivers;

compare the transmission power of each of the plurality of mobile transceivers to a maximum permissible transmission power; and

transmit a power control signal to adjust the transmission power of one or more of the plurality of mobile transceivers responsive to the comparison.

16. The system of claim 9 wherein the computer program code is further operative to cause the one or more processors to update the number of time slots assigned to the one or more of the plurality of mobile transceivers to allow transmission of error correction data.

17. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium encoded with computer-executable instructions for reusing radio resources in a medical telemetry network, the computer-executable instructions, when executed, cause one or more processors to:

receive at a server, traffic information for a plurality of mobile transceivers from a plurality of distributed receivers, wherein each of the plurality of mobile transceivers resides in a coverage zone formed by the plurality of distributed receivers;

identify time slot assignments and frequency channel assignments of the plurality of mobile transceivers based on the traffic information;

update one or more time slot assignments and/or one or more frequency channel assignments based, at least in part, on the traffic information;

broadcast updated instances of the time slot assignments and updated instances of frequency channel assignments;

further comprising computer-executable instructions operable to cause the one or more processors to;

receive at the server, error rate of each of the plurality of mobile transceivers;

compare the error rate of each of the plurality of mobile transceivers with a maximum permissible error rate; and

transmit error correction enable signals to enable error correction on one or more of the plurality of mobile transceivers responsive to the comparison, wherein the error correction comprises;

transmitting on a first frequency, a first transmission comprising a payload data and a first error detection data associated with the payload data; and

transmitting on a second frequency, a second transmission comprising forward error correction data associated with the payload data and a second error detection data associated with the forward error correction data, wherein the forward error correction data comprises parity data generated using an invertible code.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising computer-executable instructions operable to cause the one or more processors to take into account a constraint map, wherein the constraint map comprises channel separation parameters to mitigate co-channel interference, adjacent zone interference and co-site interference.

19. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein traffic information comprises one or more of number of mobile transceivers in communication with each of a plurality of distributed receivers, a mobile transceiver identifier of the plurality of mobile transceivers, buffer state of the mobile transceiver, and presence of the plurality of mobile transceivers in coverage zones of the plurality of distributed receivers.

20. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the medical telemetry network operates in the Wireless Medical Telemetry Service (WMTS) spectrum.

21. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising computer-executable instructions operable to cause the one or more processors to:

identify unused time slots in each of a plurality of frequency channels;

identify for re-assignment, mobile transceivers utilizing time slots immediately following the unused time slots;

update the time slot assignments and/or the frequency channel assignments of the mobile transceivers identified for re-assignment, to the unused time slots, in order of location of the unused time slots in time and frequency; and

circularly shift the frequency channel order.

22. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising computer-executable instructions operable to:

receive at the server, the number of time slots required by each of the plurality of mobile transceivers; and

update the number of time slots assigned to one or more of the plurality of mobile transceivers based on the number of time slots required.

23. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising computer-executable instructions operable to cause the one or more processors to:

receive at the server, transmission power of each of the plurality of mobile transceivers;

compare the transmission power of each of the plurality of mobile transceivers to a maximum permissible transmission power; and

transmit a power control signal to adjust the transmission power of one or more of the plurality of mobile transceivers responsive to the comparison.

24. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising computer-executable instructions operable to cause the one or more processors update the number of time slots assigned to the one or more of the plurality of mobile transceivers to allow transmission of error correction data.