Personal area network pairing

• US 9,973,883 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2017
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Welch Allyn Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Welch Allyn Incorporated
• Inventors: Baker, Steven D., Kahlke, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Quang D
• Application Number:
  US15/493,443
• Publication Number:
  US 20170223490A1
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• 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 5/0015 characterised by features of the telemetry system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0024 for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0028 Body tissue as transmission medium, i.e. transmission systems where the medium is the human body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02405 Determining heart rate variability
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0836 Measuring rate of CO2 production
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14542 for measuring blood gases A61B5/14551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/411 Detecting or monitoring allergy or intolerance reactions to an allergenic agent or substance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6824 Arm or wrist
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6831 Straps, bands or harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 for noise prevention, reduction or removal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7246 using correlation, e.g. template matching or determination of similarity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/98 using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 : for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 : using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 : Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 : Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 : Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 : Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A method for automatically adding a first sensor device to a first personal area network in a healthcare application includes receiving a signal with out-of-band pairing data at the first sensor device. The first sensor device is disposed on a patient'"'"'s body. The out-of-band pairing data is injected into the patient'"'"'s body by a second sensor device disposed on the patient'"'"'s body. Pairing data is extracted from the received signal at the first sensor device. Using the pairing data, the first sensor device is added to the first personal area.

Claims

1. A method for automatically identifying a patient in a healthcare application using a wristband on the patient'"'"'s body, the method comprising:

attaching the wristband to the patient, the wristband adapted to provide out-of-band pairing data of a personal area network of the patient, the out-of-band pairing data including an identifier of a patient monitor device;

coupling a first sensor device to the wristband, wherein the first sensor device obtains physiological data of the patient;

receiving, by the first sensor device, the out-of-band pairing data provided by the wristband;

attaching the first sensor device to the patient'"'"'s body;

detecting, by the first sensor device, the personal area network that uses the out-of-band pairing data;

joining, by the first sensor device, the personal area network that uses the out-of-band pairing data;

attaching a second sensor device to the patient'"'"'s body;

detecting, by the second sensor device, the out-of-band pairing data injected into patient'"'"'s body by the first sensor device once the first sensor device is paired with the patient monitor;

measuring first physiological data from the patient'"'"'s body using the first sensor device;

measuring second physiological data from the patient'"'"'s body using the second sensor device;

transmitting, by the first sensor device, the first physiological data to the patient monitor device via the personal area network;

transmitting, by the second sensor device, the second physiological data to the patient monitor device via the personal area network;

correlating, by the patient monitor device, the first and second physiological data of the first and second sensor devices using a correlation factor between the first physiological data and the second physiological data; and

determining, by the patient monitor device, whether the first and second sensor devices are associated with the same patient based on said correlation factor of the first and second physiological data.