Reliable communications for wireless devices

• US 8,380,126 B1
• Filed: 10/13/2005
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Abbott Medical Optics Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Ma, Dung, Lee, Fred
• Primary Examiner(s): HSIEH, PING Y
• Application Number:
  US11/250,982
• Time in Patent Office: 2,686 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/66.1, 455/450, 455/452.2, 455/509, 455/512, 455/513, 455/515, 455/516, 433/77, 433/98
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00973 pedal-operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/74 for increasing reliability, e.g. using redundant or spare channels or apparatus replacing by standby devices for amplifiers H03F1/52, H03F1/542
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/22 using redundant apparatus to increase reliability

Abstract

A method and apparatus for connectivity management of a wireless device is provided, such as a wireless medical device. The method comprises providing a wireless connection between at least two medical devices, the at least two medical devices comprising a primary medical device and a secondary medical device, causing the primary medical device to transmit and the secondary medical device to receive state signals wirelessly across a plurality of communication data channels, and reporting a non-active state for one of the plurality of data channels from the primary medical device to the secondary medical device using the plurality of communication data channels.

Claims

1. A method for managing communications between a plurality of medical devices, comprising:

providing a wireless connection between at least two medical devices, the at least two medical devices comprising a primary medical device and a secondary medical device, wherein the primary medical device comprises a footpedal;

causing the primary medical device to search for and establish a plurality of communication channels including a primary communication channel and at least one secondary communication channel;

causing the primary medical device to transmit and the secondary medical device to receive signals wirelessly across the plurality of communication data channels, wherein each secondary communication channel provides redundant communications to communications transmitted over the primary communication channel, wherein the primary medical device transmits a set of data over the primary communication channel when the primary communication channel is operational and transmits the set of data over one secondary communication channel when the one secondary communication channel is operational;

monitoring health and status of the plurality of communication data channels and alternating communication data channels based on observed channel quality; and

generating and reporting an independent redundant fail safe trigger from the footpedal to a wireless controller, wherein when the primary communication channel and the at least one secondary communication channel are not communicating adequately, the independent fail safe trigger causes one selected from the group consisting of;

shutdown of at least one medical device; and

providing user notification of communication inadequacy.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating status of the primary medical device by producing one or more state signals;

reporting status of the primary medical device, said reporting indicating a current device state; and

communicating primary medical device status by alternating transmission of device state information between a plurality of communication data channels.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein reporting status comprises communicating at least one device state signal to the secondary medical device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the health and status of the plurality of communication data channels comprises signal strength and quality for said data channels.

5. A connectivity management system, comprising:

a wireless controller configured to search for and establish a plurality of communication channels including a primary communication channel and at least one secondary communication channel and communicate over the plurality of communications data channels, the wireless controller further configured to monitor health and status of the plurality of communication channels, wherein communication over each secondary channel comprises redundant communications to communications transmitted over the primary communication channel; and

a wireless medical device comprising a footpedal configured to wirelessly transmit state information over the plurality of communications data channels, wherein the wireless controller transmits a set of data over the primary communication channel when the primary communication channel is operational and transmits the set of data over one secondary communication channel when the one secondary communication channel is operational;

wherein the wireless controller and wireless medical device are wirelessly connected and exchange the state information across said plurality of communications data channels and alternate communication between at least two of said communications data channels based on observed channel quality, and wherein the wireless controller and wireless medical device generate and report an independent redundant fail safe trigger, wherein when the primary communication channel and the at least one secondary communication channel are not communicating adequately, the independent fail safe trigger causes at least one selected from the group consisting of;

shutdown of at least one medical device; and

providing user notification of communication inadequacy.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the wireless medical device comprises a transmitter capable of transmitting information receivable by the wireless controller.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the connection is configured to forward wireless medical device state information to the host system.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein said wireless medical device is configured to generate state information indicating a non-active state serving as a fail safe trigger.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein said wireless controller further comprises a fixed wired connection as an alternate communications path.

10. The system of claim 5 wherein said wireless medical device and the wireless controller employ a wireless communications protocol enabling a plurality of observed device state parameters to be transmitted between the wireless medical device and the wireless controller.

11. A method for providing wireless communications between medical devices, comprising:

causing a footpedal to wirelessly transmit state information across a communications network comprising a primary and at least one secondary communication data channel, wherein communication over each secondary communication channel comprises redundant communications to communications transmitted over the primary communication channel;

monitoring health and status of the primary and the at least one secondary communication channel;

switching between said primary and secondary communication data channels when the primary channel becomes temporarily disconnected; and

generating and reporting an independent redundant fail safe trigger from the footpedal to a wireless controller, wherein when the primary communication channel and the at least one secondary communication channel are not communicating adequately, the independent fail safe trigger causes at least one selected from the group consisting of;

shutdown of at least one medical device; and

providing user notification of communication inadequacy;

wherein the wireless controller wirelessly communicates with the footpedal and the wireless controller transmits a set of data over the primary communication channel when the primary communication channel is operational and transmits the set of data over one secondary communication channel when the secondary communication channel is operational.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein transmitting further comprises sending state information across one channel at a time.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein transmitting further comprises providing state information comprising status of the footpedal for the purposes of controlling the wireless controller.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the wireless controller comprises an instrument host of a phacoemulsification system.

15. A method for providing wireless communications for a wireless medical device, comprising:

wirelessly transmitting surgical procedure information across a communications network comprising a primary and at least one secondary communication data channel;

transmitting a set of data over the primary communication data channel when the primary communication data channel is operational and transmitting the set of data over one secondary communication data channel when the secondary communication data channel is operational;

alternating transmission of the surgical procedure information between the primary data communication data channel and the at least one secondary communication data channel based on observed channel quality, wherein the surgical procedure information is wirelessly transmitted on the primary communication data channel and a copy of the surgical procedure information is wirelessly transmitted on the at least one secondary communication data channel; and

generating and reporting an independent redundant fail safe trigger, wherein when the primary communication channel and the at least one secondary communication channel are not communicating adequately, the independent fail safe trigger causes at least one selected from the group consisting of;

shutdown of at least one medical device; and

providing user notification of communication inadequacy.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the surgical procedure and the copy of the surgical procedure are transmitted on the primary communication data channel and the secondary communication data channel, respectively, at different times.

17. A method for managing communications between a plurality of medical devices, comprising:

providing a wireless connection between an instrument host of a phacoemulsification system and a footpedal;

causing the footpedal to wirelessly transmit and the instrument host to receive footpedal state signals wirelessly across a plurality of communication data channels, wherein at least one of the communication data channels provides redundant communications to communications transmitted over a different communication data channel and further wherein the instrument host transmits a set of data over the primary communication data channel when the primary communication data channel is operational and transmits the set of data over one secondary communication data channel when the secondary communication data channel is operational;

monitoring health and status of the plurality of communication data channels;

detecting a non-active channel state for one of the plurality of data channels; and

switching to an active data channel of the plurality of data channels when the non-active channel state is detected;

generating and reporting an independent redundant fail safe trigger, wherein when the primary communication channel and the at least one secondary communication channel are not communicating adequately, the independent fail safe trigger causes at least one selected from the group consisting of;

shutdown of at least one medical device; and

providing user notification of communication inadequacy.

18. The connectivity management system of claim 17, wherein the wireless footpedal is configured to move in the pitch direction and in the yaw direction, wherein the pitch direction is rotation about a horizontal axis and the yaw direction is rotation about a vertical axis, and the wireless footpedal is further configured to translate physical movement into electrical signals.

19. A connectivity management system, comprising:

an instrument host of a phacoemulsification system comprising a wireless controller, wherein the wireless controller is configured to wirelessly communicate over a plurality of communications data channels and configured to monitor surgical procedure state information, wherein at least one of the communication data channels provides redundant communications to communications transmitted over a different communication data channel; and

a wireless footpedal configured to communicate over the plurality of communications data channels, wherein the wireless controller and wireless footpedal are wirelessly connected and exchange the surgical procedure footpedal state information across said plurality of communications data channels,

wherein communication switches between at least two of said communications data channels based on observed channel quality and further wherein the wireless controller wirelessly communicates with the footpedal and the wireless controller transmits a set of data over one communication data channel when the one communication data channel is operational and transmits the set of data over a second communication data channel when the second communication data channel is operational, and wherein the connectivity management system is configured to generate and report an independent redundant fail safe trigger, wherein when each communications data channel is not communicating adequately, the independent fail safe trigger causes at least one selected from the group consisting of;

shutdown of at least one of the wireless footpedal and the medical device; and

providing user notification of communication inadequacy.

20. The connectivity management system of claim 19, wherein the wireless footpedal is configured to move in the pitch direction and in the yaw direction, wherein the pitch direction is rotation about a horizontal axis and the yaw direction is rotation about a vertical axis, and the wireless footpedal is further configured to translate physical movement into electrical signals.