Power efficient wireless RF communication between a base station and a medical device
First Claim
1. A method for use by a base station (BS) that enables power efficient wireless radio frequency (RF) communication between the BS and a medical device (MD), the method comprising:
- (a) establishing a communication session between the BS and the MD, wherein the communication session comprises a time period over which there is a desire to transfer data between the BS and the MD, and wherein step (a) includes turning off a drop link mode and establishing an RF link between the BS and the MD;
(b) selectively turning the drop link mode on and off during the communication session between the BS and the MD, wherein step (b) includes turning the drop link mode on when the BS will not send another command to the MD until the BS receives an input from a user via a user interface of the BS;
(c) while the drop link mode is turned off during the communication session between the BS and the MD, maintaining an already established RF link between the BS and the MD;
(d) while the drop link mode is turned on during the communication session between the BS and the MD, establishing a new RF link between the BS and the MD only when the BS is to send a command to the MD, and terminating the new RF link between the BS and the MD when the BS receives a command response from the MD; and
(e) terminating the communication session between the BS and the MD;
wherein each said RF link comprises a wireless communication path established between the BS and the MD that enables data to be wirelessly transmitted therebetween.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Specific embodiments of the present invention are for use by a base station (BS) that enables power efficient wireless radio frequency (RF) communication between the BS and a medical device (MD), which may or may not be an implantable medical device (IMD). In an embodiment, once a communication session is established between the BS and the MD, the BS selectively turns a drop link mode on and off. The drop link mode is a communication mode that while turned on (i.e., enabled) reduces and preferably minimizes the length of time that an RF link is maintained between the BS and the MD. In accordance with an embodiment, at any given time during a communication session the drop link mode is either turned on (i.e., enabled) or turned off (i.e., disabled).
14 Citations
26 Claims
-
1. A method for use by a base station (BS) that enables power efficient wireless radio frequency (RF) communication between the BS and a medical device (MD), the method comprising:
-
(a) establishing a communication session between the BS and the MD, wherein the communication session comprises a time period over which there is a desire to transfer data between the BS and the MD, and wherein step (a) includes turning off a drop link mode and establishing an RF link between the BS and the MD; (b) selectively turning the drop link mode on and off during the communication session between the BS and the MD, wherein step (b) includes turning the drop link mode on when the BS will not send another command to the MD until the BS receives an input from a user via a user interface of the BS; (c) while the drop link mode is turned off during the communication session between the BS and the MD, maintaining an already established RF link between the BS and the MD; (d) while the drop link mode is turned on during the communication session between the BS and the MD, establishing a new RF link between the BS and the MD only when the BS is to send a command to the MD, and terminating the new RF link between the BS and the MD when the BS receives a command response from the MD; and (e) terminating the communication session between the BS and the MD; wherein each said RF link comprises a wireless communication path established between the BS and the MD that enables data to be wirelessly transmitted therebetween. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 24)
-
-
12. A base station (BS), comprising:
-
a controller configured to selectively establish, with a medical device (MD), a communication session that comprises a time period over which there is a desire to transfer data between the BS and the MD; a user interface configured to accept one or more inputs from a user; and an RF transceiver communicatively coupled to the controller and configured to selectively establish a radio frequency (RF) link with an RF transceiver of a medical device (MD) during the communication session between the BS and the MD; the controller also configured to selectively turn a drop link mode on and off during the communication session between the BS and the MD; wherein the controller is configured to turn the drop link mode on when the BS will not send another command to the MD until the BS receives an input from a user via the user interface of the BS; wherein, while the drop link mode is turned off during the communication session between the BS and the MD, the controller controls the RF transceiver of the BS to maintain an already established RF link between the BS and the MD; wherein, while the drop link mode is turned on during the communication session between the BS and the MD, the controller controls the RF transceiver of the BS to establish a new RF link between the BS and the MD only when the BS is to send a command to the MD, and the controller controls the RF transceiver of the BS to terminate the new RF link between the BS and MD when the BS receives a command response from the MD; and wherein each said RF link comprises a wireless communication path established between the BS and the MD that enables data to be wirelessly transmitted therebetween. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 25)
-
-
16. A non-transitory computer readable medium, including instructions stored thereon which when read and executed by one or more processors of a base station (BS) cause the one or more processors to perform the steps comprising:
-
(a) establishing a communication session between the BS and a medical device (MD), wherein the communication session comprises a time period over which there is a desire to transfer data between the BS and the MD, and wherein step (a) includes turning off a drop link mode and establishing an RF link between the BS and the MD; (b) selectively turning the drop link mode on and off during the communication session between the BS and the MD, wherein step (b) includes turning the drop link mode on when the BS will not send another command to the MD until the BS receives an input from a user via a user interface of the BS; (c) while the drop link mode is turned off during the communication session between the BS and the MD, maintaining an already established RF link between the BS and the MD; (d) while the drop link mode is turned on during the communication session between the BS and the MD, establishing a new RF link between the BS and the MD only when the BS is to send a command to the MD, and terminating the new RF link between the BS and the MD when the BS receives a command response from the MD; and (e) terminating the communication session between the BS and the MD; wherein each said RF link comprises a wireless communication path established between the BS and the MD that enables data to be wirelessly transmitted therebetween.
-
-
17. A method for use by a base station (BS) that enables power efficient wireless radio frequency (RF) communication between the BS and a medical device (MD), wherein the method is for use during a communication session between the BS and the MD, the method comprising:
-
establishing a communication session between the BS and the MD, wherein the communication session comprises a time period over which there is a desire to transfer data between the BS and the MD; wherein during the communication session turning a drop link mode off whenever the BS is to send a command to the MD that requires multiple command responses from the MD, or whenever the BS is to send multiple commands to the MD, and once the drop link mode is turned off establishing a new RF link between the BS and the MD and maintaining the new RF link between the BS and the MD while the BS sends the command to the MD and the BS receives the multiple command responses from the MD; and turning the drop link mode on whenever the BS is to wait for a user input via a user interface of the BS and an already established RF link exists between the BS and the MD, and once the drop link mode is turned on terminating the already established RF link; terminating the communication session between the BS and the MD; wherein each said RF link comprises a wireless communication path established between the BS and the MD that enables data to be wirelessly transmitted therebetween. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 26)
-
-
20. A method for use by a base station (BS) that enables power efficient wireless radio frequency (RF) communication between the BS and a medical device (MD), the method comprising:
-
establishing a communication session between the BS and the MD, wherein the establishing the communication session between the BS and the MD includes turning off a drop link mode and establishing an RF link between the BS and the MD; selectively turning the drop link mode on and off during the communication session between the BS and the MD, including turning the drop link mode on when the BS will not send another command to the MD until the BS receives an input from a user via a user interface of the BS; and wherein while the drop link mode is turned off during the communication session between the BS and the MD, maintaining an already established RF link between the BS and the MD; wherein while the drop link mode is turned on during the communication session between the BS and the MD, establishing a new RF link between the BS and the MD only when the BS is to send a command to the MD, and terminating the new RF link between the BS and MD when the BS receives a command response from the MD; wherein while the drop link mode is turned on, an average total amount of time from establishing the new RF link to terminating the new RF link is less than one second; and wherein each said RF link comprises a wireless communication path established between the BS and the MD that enables data to be wirelessly transmitted therebetween. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23)
-
Specification