Method and computer program for authenticating a physiological sensor, a sensor system, a patient monitor, and a physiological sensor

• US 8,652,126 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2009
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Rantala, Borje
• Primary Examiner(s): Dvorak, Linda
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ram, Jocelyn D
• Application Number:
  US12/624,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20110125000A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,547 Days
• Field of Search: 606/32, 606/34, 606/38
• US Class Current: 606/34
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/0803 Counting the number of times an instrument is used
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/08 Sensors provided with means for identification, e.g. barcodes or memory chips
• 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 5/0245 by using sensing means generating electric signals, i.e. ECG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/24 Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A mechanism for authenticating a physiological sensor is disclosed. When a sensor is connected to a monitor, the monitor examines whether a first sensor-specific usage identifier of the connected sensor is consistent with a second sensor-specific usage identifier thereof. The first and second sensor-specific usage identifiers are indicative of the cumulative usage of the connected sensor, but may nevertheless be unequal. The first sensor-specific usage identifier is maintained in the sensor and the second sensor-specific usage identifier in a host memory external to the sensor. The use of the connected sensor is allowed when the examining indicates that the said two identifiers of the connected sensor are consistent, and rejected when the identifiers are inconsistent. The two identifiers are further updated in response to the use of the connected sensor in the patient monitor, thereby to keep the said identifiers consistent and updated for a subsequent use attempt of the sensor.

Claims

1. A method for authenticating a physiological sensor, the method comprising:

examining, in response to a sensor being connected to a patient monitor, whether a first sensor-specific usage count of the connected sensor is greater than or equal to a second sensor-specific usage count of the connected sensor, wherein the first and second sensor-specific usage counts are indicative of cumulative usage of the connected sensor and wherein the first sensor-specific usage count is stored in the connected sensor and the second sensor-specific usage count is stored in a host memory external to the connected sensor;

allowing use of the connected sensor in the patient monitor when the examining indicates that the first sensor-specific usage count is greater than or equal to the second sensor-specific usage count for the connected sensor;

rejecting the use of the connected sensor in the patient monitor when the examining indicates that the first sensor-specific usage count is less than the second sensor-specific usage count of the connected sensor; and

updating the first and second usage counts for the connected sensor in response to the use of the connected sensor in the patient monitor, thereby to keep the first and second sensor-specific usage counts of the connected sensor consistent and updated for a subsequent use attempt of the connected sensor.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the updating includes updating the first usage count stored in the connected sensor, in which the first usage count is stored in a generic memory of one of EEPROM and EPROM memory types.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising storing a fixed sensor-specific count in a plurality of sensors, wherein the storing is performed prior to use of the plurality of sensors and wherein the connected sensor is any of the plurality of sensors.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising

encrypting the fixed sensor-specific count and the first sensor-specific usage count prior to the storing;

and

encrypting the first sensor-specific usage identifier prior to the updating.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the examining includes retrieving the second sensor-specific usage through a network.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the examining includes relieving the second sensor-specific usage count from the host memory, wherein the host memory is in the patient monitor.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the updating includes incrementing the first usage count and the second usage count, wherein the first usage count is indicative of total number of times the connected sensor is used and the second usage count is indicative of total number of times the sensor is used in the patient monitor.

8. A computer program product for authenticating a physiological sensor connected to a patient monitor, the computer program product comprising:

a first program product portion configured retrieve, upon connection of a sensor to a patient monitor, a first usage count of the connected sensor from said sensor and a second usage count of the connected sensor from a host memory external to the connected sensor, wherein the first and second usage counts are indicative of cumulative usage of the connected sensor;

a second program product portion configured to examine whether the retrieved first usage count is greater than or equal to the second usage count of the connected sensor;

a third program product portion configured to allow use of the connected sensor when the first usage count is greater than or equal to the second usage count and to reject the use of the connected sensor when the first usage count is less than the second usage count; and

a fourth program product portion configured to update the first and second usage counts of the connected sensor in response to the use of the connected sensor, thereby to keep the first and second usage counts of the connected sensor consistent and updated for a subsequent use attempt of the sensor.

9. A method for authenticating a physiological sensor, the method comprising:

identifying the connection of the sensor to a patient monitor;

determining in the patient monitor a relationship between a first sensor-specific usage count and a second sensor-specific usage count for the connected sensor, wherein the first and second sensor-specific usage counts are indicative of cumulative usage of the connected sensor, wherein the first sensor-specific usage count is stored in the connected sensor and the second sensor-specific usage count is stored in a memory unit external to the connected sensor;

allowing use of the connected sensor with the patient monitor when the first sensor-specific usage count is greater than or equal to the second sensor-specific usage count;

rejecting the use of the connected sensor with the patient monitor when the first sensor-specific usage count is less than the second sensor-specific usage count; and

updating the first and second sensor-specific usage counts upon the authorized use of the connected sensor with the patient monitor.

10. The method according to claim 9 further comprising the steps of storing a fixed sensor-specific count in a plurality of sensors, wherein the fixed sensor-specific count is stored in the plurality of sensors prior to use of any of the plurality of sensors.

11. The method according to claim 9 wherein the examining step includes retrieving the second sensor-specific usage count through a network.

12. The method according to claim 9 wherein the examining includes retrieving the second sensor-specific usage count from the host memory, wherein the host memory is in the patient monitor.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the updating includes incrementing the first usage count the second usage count, wherein the first usage count is indicative of total number of times the connected sensor is used and the second usage count is indicative of total number of times the sensor is used in the patient monitor.