Medical body area network (MBAN) with automatic in-facility spectrum use enforcement

• US 9,609,521 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2011
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Wang, Dong
• Primary Examiner(s): West, Lewis
• Application Number:
  US13/637,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20130023215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,192 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A medical system comprises: a medical body area network (MB AN) system (10) comprising a plurality of network nodes (12, 14) intercommunicating via short range wireless communication, the MBAN system (10) including a spectrum control sub-module (52) that selects an operating channel or frequency for the short range wireless communication; and a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag (60) disposed with the MBAN system. The spectrum control sub-module selects an operating channel or frequency from a spectrum comprising a combination of (1) a default spectrum and (2) a restricted spectrum authorized for use by the MBAN system conditional upon the MBAN system being within a medical facility as indicated by readings of the RFID tag. The spectrum control sub-module selects an operating channel or frequency from a spectrum comprising only the default spectrum conditional upon the MBAN system not being within the medical facility as indicated by readings of the RFID tag.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

operating a medical body area network (MBAN) system comprising a plurality of network nodes intercommunicating via short-range wireless communication at a selected operating channel or frequency;

selecting the operating channel or frequency from an extended spectrum comprising a default spectrum and an additional spectrum conditional upon the MBAN system being located inside a medical facility as indicated by a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag associated with the MBAN system; and

selecting the operating channel or frequency from the default spectrum but not the additional spectrum conditional upon the MBAN system being located outside the medical facility as indicated by the RFID tag associated with the MBAN system; and

determining the MBAN system is located outside the medical facility based on (i) a first RFID reader located relatively more inwardly of the medical facility detecting the RFID tag followed by (ii) a second RFID reader located relatively more outwardly of the medical facility detecting the RFID tag.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the MBAN system is located inside the medical facility based on (i) a second RFID reader located relatively more outwardly of the medical facility detecting the RFID tag followed by (ii) a first RFID reader located relatively more inwardly of the medical facility detecting the RFID tag.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each patient entrance/exit is provided a first RFID reader located relatively more inwardly of the medical facility and with a second RFID reader located relatively more outwardly of the medical facility, and the method further comprises:

determining the MBAN system is located outside the medical facility based on a last RFID reader detecting the RFID tag being one of the second RFID readers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each patient entrance/exit is provided a first RFID reader located relatively more inwardly of the medical facility and with a second RFID reader located relatively more outwardly of the medical facility, and the method further comprises:

determining the MBAN system is located inside the medical facility based on a last RFID reader detecting the RFID tag being one of the first RFID readers.

5. A medical system comprising:

a medical body area network (MBAN) system comprising a plurality of network nodes intercommunicating via short-range wireless communication, the MBAN system including a spectrum control sub-module that selects an operating channel or frequency for the short-range wireless communication; and

a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag disposed with the MBAN system;

an in-door RFID reader located inside a door of a medical facility; and

an out-door RFID reader located outside the door of the medical facility;

wherein the spectrum control sub-module of the MBAN system selects an operating channel or frequency from a spectrum comprising;

a combination of (1) a default spectrum and (2) a restricted spectrum authorized for use by the MBAN system conditional upon the MBAN system being within the medical facility as indicated by the last reading of the RFID tag being acquired by the in-door RFID reader; and

only the default spectrum conditional upon the MBAN system not being within the medical facility as indicated by readings of the RFID tag the last reading of the RFID tag being acquired by the out-door RFID reader.

6. The medical system of claim 5, wherein the spectrum control sub-module selects the operating channel or frequency based upon an electronic key indicating whether the MBAN system is authorized to use the restricted spectrum, and the medical system further comprises:

an MBAN application server issuing the electronic key to the MBAN system with the electronic key configured to authorize the MEAN system to use the restricted spectrum or not based at least in part on whether the MEAN system is within the medical facility as indicated by readings of the RFID tag.

7. The medical system of claim 6, further comprising:

a longer range communication or backhaul link via which the MBAN application server issues the electronic key to the MBAN system.

8. The medical system of claim 7, wherein the MBAN system includes:

a hub device; and

a plurality of network nodes communicating with the hub device via short-range wireless communication, the hub device also communicating via the longer range communication or backhaul link to receive the electronic key from the MBAN application server, the hub device embodying the spectrum control sub-module).

9. The medical system of claim 6, further comprising wherein:

the MBAN application server configures the electronic key to authorize the MBAN system to use the restricted spectrum if the last reading of the RFID tag was acquired by the in-door RFID reader and configures the electronic key to not authorize the MBAN system to use the restricted spectrum if the last reading of the RFID tag was acquired by the out-door RFID reader.

10. The medical system of claim 5, wherein:

the MBAN system includes a plurality of network nodes communicating with a hub device via short-range wireless communication,

wherein the RFID tag is disposed on or in the hub device.

11. The medical system of claim 5, wherein the spectrum control sub-module of the MBAN system selects an operating channel or frequency from a spectrum comprising:

a combination of (1) a default spectrum and (2) a restricted spectrum authorized for use by the MBAN system conditional upon the MBAN system being within a medical facility and not within a prohibited area of the medical facility as indicated by readings of the RFID tag; and

only the default spectrum conditional upon the MBAN system not being within the medical facility or being within a prohibited area of the medical facility as indicated by readings of the RFID tag.

12. A method comprising:

providing an active medical body area network (MBAN) system comprising a plurality of network nodes intercommunicating via short-range wireless communication at a selected operating channel or frequency that is in a restricted spectrum;

detecting the active MBAN system moving outside of a medical facility; and

responsive to the detecting, changing the operating channel or frequency to a different operating channel or frequency that is not in the restricted spectrum;

wherein the detecting of the RFID tag moving outside of the medical facility comprises detecting the RFID tag using a first RFID reader located relatively more inwardly of the medical facility followed by detecting the RFID tag using a second RFID reader located relatively more outwardly of the medical facility.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the detecting comprises detecting a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag disposed with the MBAN system moving outside of the medical facility.