Wearable interface for remote monitoring and control of a medical device

• US 10,288,881 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Incorporated (Fresenius Medical Care AG)
• Original Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Incorporated (Fresenius Medical Care AG)
• Inventors: Christensen, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chanh D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Truong, Nguyen H
• Application Number:
  US13/804,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20140266983A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,252 Days
• Field of Search: 345 7- 9, 345156, 345157
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/1601 Control or regulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/34 Filtering material out of the blood by passing it through a membrane, i.e. hemofiltration or diafiltration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3403 Regulation parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3607 Regulation parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3609 Physical characteristics of the blood, e.g. haematocrit, urea
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3368 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3561 local, e.g. within room or hospital
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3592 using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/50 with microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/502 User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/505 Touch-screens; Virtual keyboard or keypads; Virtual buttons; Soft keys; Mouse touches
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/507 Head Mounted Displays [HMD]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A wearable interface device, such as a head-mounted display, provides an augmented reality and/or display system and may be used in accordance with medical devices and the performance of medical treatments, particularly a dialysis machine and a dialysis treatment. The wearable interface device may be worn by a user, such as a health care practitioner (HCP), in connection with remotely monitoring and/or controlling the dialysis machine during the dialysis treatment. The HCP may receive alerts and/or other information concerning the dialysis treatment from the dialysis machine that are displayed on the wearable interface device and may use the wearable interface device to control the dialysis machine via the exchange of wireless signals with the dialysis machine. The wearable interface device may recognize commands from the HCP, such as gestures, to provide non-contact operation of the wearable interface device and remote control of the dialysis machine by the HCP.

Claims

1. A method of remotely interfacing with a medical device, comprising:

providing a wearable interface device that enables remote interfacing with the medical device by a user wearing the wearable interface device, wherein the wearable interface device includes a command recognition device that recognizes and interprets commands in connection with operation of the wearable interface device, and wherein the wearable interface device includes a first screen for displaying information and a second screen for displaying information that provides a view through the wearable interface device that is unobstructed by a visual display during use of the wearable medical device, wherein the second screen functions independently of the first screen and wherein information corresponding to treatment being performed is displayed on the first screen and an alert symbol is displayed on the second screen, the alert symbol remotely alerting the user that the medical device is near an end of the treatment being performed;

providing a display on the medical device, wherein the display includes touch screen features that accept commands for controlling the medical device;

wirelessly exchanging signals between the wearable interface device and the medical device, wherein the signals correspond to a treatment performed using the medical device and wherein at least one processing device of the medical device that is processing signals received from the wearable interface device is given focus to enable the wearable interface device to control the medical device via the at least one processing device in a mode that excludes control of the medical device by other devices different from the wearable interface device while the signals are being processed;

processing at least one of the signals at the wearable interface device to generate information corresponding to the treatment performed using the medical device;

displaying the information on at least one of the first screen and the second screen of the wearable interface device; and

recognizing, using the command recognition device, at least one non-contact gesture input by the user, wherein control of treatment using the wearable interface device is different from control of treatment using the touch screen of the medical device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the medical device includes a dialysis machine.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the non-contact command is used to remotely control the medical device during the treatment.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the non-contact command includes a command to remotely control the medical device during the treatment by modifying at least one parameter of the medical device from a position in which the wearable interface device is out of a visual line-of-sight of the medical device.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the wearable interface device is a head-mounted device and wherein the information displayed on the first screen of the wearable interface device includes dialysis treatment information.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the dialysis treatment information includes an alert concerning the dialysis treatment.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

augmenting a real view through the wearable interface device with information corresponding to the dialysis treatment information.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one non-contact gesture input by the user includes hand gestures, head gestures and eye gestures of the user.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software that remotely interfaces with a medical device, the software comprising:

executable code that operates a wearable interface device that enables remote interfacing with the medical device by a user wearing the wearable interface device, wherein the wearable interface device includes a command recognition device that recognizes and interprets commands in connection with operation of the wearable interface device, and wherein the wearable interface device includes a first screen for displaying information and a second screen for displaying information that provides a view through the wearable interface device that is unobstructed by a visual display during use of the wearable medical device, wherein the second screen functions independently of the first screen and wherein information corresponding to treatment being performed is displayed on the first screen and an alert symbol is displayed on the second screen, the alert symbol remotely alerting the user that the medical device is near an end of the treatment being performed;

executable code that operates a display on the medical device, wherein the display includes touch screen features that accept commands for controlling the medical device;

executable code that wirelessly exchanges signals between the wearable interface device and the medical device, wherein the signals corresponds to a treatment performed using the medical device and wherein at least one processing device of the medical device that is processing signals received from the wearable interface device is given focus to enable the wearable interface device to control the medical device via the at least one processing device in a mode that excludes control of the medical device by other devices different from the wearable interface device while the signals are being processed;

executable code that processes at least one of the signals at the wearable interface device to generate information corresponding to the treatment performed using the medical device;

executable code that displays the information on at least one of the first screen and the second screen of the wearable interface device; and

executable code that recognizes, using the command recognition device, at least one non-contact gesture input by the user, wherein control of treatment using the wearable interface device is different from control of treatment using the touch screen of the medical device.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the medical device includes a dialysis machine.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the non-contact command is used to remotely control the medical device during the treatment.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the non-contact command includes a command to remotely control the medical device during the treatment by modifying at least one parameter of the medical device from a position in which the wearable interface device is out of a visual line-of-sight of the medical device.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the wearable interface device is a head-mounted device, and wherein the information displayed on the first screen of the wearable interface device includes dialysis treatment information.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the dialysis treatment information includes an alert concerning the dialysis treatment.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the software further comprises:

executable code that augments a real view through the wearable interface device with information corresponding to the dialysis treatment information.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the at least one non-contact gesture input by the user includes hand gestures, head gestures and eye gestures of the user.

17. A system for enabling remote interfacing with a medical device, comprising:

at least one processing device of the medical device that receives and transmits signals corresponding to a medical treatment performed by the medical device;

a display on the medical device, wherein the display includes touch screen features that accept commands for controlling the medical device;

a wearable interface device that is worn by a user and that is wirelessly coupled to the at least one processing device of the medical device, wherein the at least one processing device of the medical device is given focus to enable the wearable interface device to control the medical device via the at least one processing device in a mode that excludes control of the medical device by other devices different from the wearable interface device while the signals are being processed and wherein the wearable interface device includes;

at least one processor that processes received signals into information corresponding to the medical treatment and transmits signals used to control the medical device;

a first screen for displaying information;

a second screen for displaying information that provides a view through the wearable interface device that is unobstructed by a visual display during use of the wearable medical device, wherein at least one screen of the first screen and the second screen displays the information corresponding to the medical treatment, wherein the second screen functions independently of the first screen and wherein information corresponding to treatment being performed is displayed on the first screen and an alert symbol is displayed on the second screen, the alert symbol remotely alerting the user that the medical device is near an end of the treatment being performed; and

at least one command recognition device that recognizes a non-contact gesture input by the user to the wearable interface device, wherein control of treatment using the wearable interface device is different from control of treatment using the touch screen of the medical device.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the wearable interface device further includes:

a camera that captures an image being viewed using the wearable interface device.

19. The system according to claim 17, wherein the wearable interface device controls the medical device when the wearable interface device is out of a visual line-of-sight with the medical device during the medical treatment.

20. The system according to claim 17, wherein the first screen and the the second screen are part of a head-mounted display of the wearable interface device, and wherein the wearable interface device includes a non-transitory computer readable medium storing software that enables control of the medical device during the medical treatment using at least one treatment display displayed on at least of the first screen and the second screen of the head-mounted display.

21. The system according to claim 17, wherein the medical device includes a dialysis machine.

22. The system according to claim 17, wherein the non-contact gesture input by the user includes hand gestures, head gestures and eye gestures of the user.