Facilitating urgency modulated beaconing rates for medical devices

• US 10,617,875 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2017
• Issued: 04/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Demmer, Wade M., Gordon, Charles R., Yoder, Matthew R., Eisele, Val D., Hanly, Matthew P., Peichel, James R., Wine, Nicholas C., Wyszynski, Ryan D., Williams, Eric R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Akhter, Sharmin
• Application Number:
  US15/472,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20180243568A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,112 Days
• Field of Search: 34087007
• 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: A61N 1/37258 Alerting the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3727 characterised by the modulation technique
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37276 characterised by means for reducing power consumption during telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/103 with adaptive polling, i.e. dynamically adapting the polling rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• 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

Abstract

Techniques for facilitating telemetry between a medical device and an external device are provided. In one example, a medical device includes a classification component and a communication component. The classification component is configured to determine a classification for data generated by the medical device. The classification component is also configured to determine an urgency level for an advertising data packet based on the classification for the data. The communication component is also configured to broadcast the advertising data packet for the medical device at a defined beaconing rate based on the urgency level for the advertising data packet.

Claims

1. A medical device configured to be employed by a patient, comprising:

a housing;

a memory, within the housing, that stores executable components; and

circuitry, within the housing, and configured to at least one of obtain sensed physiological data associated with the patient or deliver a therapy to the patient;

a processor, within the housing, that executes the executable components stored in the memory, wherein the executable components comprise;

a classification component configured to determine a classification for data generated by the medical device and to determine an urgency level for an advertising data packet based on the classification for the data, wherein the advertising data packet is a data packet that facilitates establishment of a connection with another device; and

a communication component configured to;

broadcast the advertising data packet for the medical device at a defined beaconing rate based on the urgency level for the advertising data packet, wherein the advertising data packet for the medical device is broadcast at the defined beaconing rate a plurality of times over an advertising period;

establish the connection with the other device; and

transmit the data generated by the medical device via the established communication channel, wherein transmission of the data is via a set of packets distinct from the advertising data packet.

2. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the communication component is configured to broadcast the advertising data packet via modulation of the broadcast at the defined beaconing rate.

3. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the communication component is configured to increase the defined beaconing rate based on a determination that the urgency level for the advertising data packet corresponds to a defined event associated with the data.

4. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the communication component is further configured to decrease the defined beaconing rate based on a determination that the urgency level for the advertising data packet corresponds to a defined event associated with the data.

5. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the urgency level for the advertising data packet corresponds to a defined event.

6. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the urgency level for the advertising data packet corresponds to a defined medical event associated with the data or a processing event associated with the medical device.

7. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the urgency level for the advertising data packet corresponds to a defined medical event associated with a cardiac rhythm reading for the sensed physiological data.

8. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the communication component is configured to decrease the defined beaconing rate based on a determination that a communication connection is established between the medical device and an external device.

9. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the communication component is configured to modify the defined beaconing rate based on historical data indicative of a history of data exchanges with respect to an external device.

10. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the communication component is configured to modify the defined beaconing rate based on time data indicative of a timestamp associated with the broadcast of the advertising data packet.

11. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the defined beaconing rate is a first defined beaconing rate, and wherein the communication component is further configured to modify the defined beaconing rate to a second defined beaconing rate based on receipt of input by the medical device.

12. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the defined beaconing rate is a first defined beaconing rate, and wherein the communication component is further configured to modify the defined beaconing rate to a second defined beaconing rate based on longevity data indicative of a lifespan period for a battery of the medical device.

13. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the communication component is configured to broadcast the advertising data packet at the defined beaconing rate via a communication channel associated with a communication protocol utilizing a level of energy consumption that is less than a defined threshold.

14. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the medical device is an implantable medical device configured to be at least partially implanted within the patient.

15. A method, comprising:

classifying, by a medical device comprising a processor, data for an advertising data packet associated with the medical device;

determining, by the medical device, an urgency level for the advertising data packet based on the classifying for the data, wherein the advertising data packet is a data packet that facilitates establishment of a connection with another device;

modulating, by the medical device, a beaconing rate for the advertising data packet based on the urgency level for the advertising data packet, wherein the advertising data packet for the medical device is broadcast at the modulated beaconing rate a plurality of times over an advertising period;

establishing, by the device, a connection with the other device; and

transmitting, by the device, the data generated by the medical device via the established communication channel.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the modulating the beaconing rate for the advertising data packet comprises increasing the beaconing rate based on a determination that the urgency level for the advertising data packet corresponds to a defined event associated with the data.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the modulating the beaconing rate for the advertising data packet comprises decreasing the beaconing rate based on a determination that the urgency level for the advertising data packet corresponds to a defined event associated with the data.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the modulating the beaconing rate for the advertising data packet comprises decreasing the beaconing rate based on a determination that a communication connection is established between the medical device and an external device.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory that stores executable components; and

a processor that executes the executable components stored in the memory, wherein the executable components comprise;

a user feedback component configured to process user input data received via the apparatus; and

a communication component configured to;

transmit the user input data to a medical device via a first communication channel; and

scan for an advertising data packet broadcast via a second communication channel, wherein the advertising data packet is a data packet that facilitates establishment of a connection, wherein the advertising data packet is broadcast at a defined beaconing rate based on an urgency level for the advertising data packet to establish the connection with the apparatus and to transmit the data generated by the medical device to the apparatus via the established communication channel, and wherein the advertising data packet for the medical device is broadcast at the defined beaconing rate a plurality of times over an advertising period.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the communication component is configured to communicate with the medical device via a third communication channel based on a determination that the advertising data packet satisfies a defined criterion.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the user feedback component is further configured to receive, via the apparatus, data that includes an interval of time for broadcasting the advertising data packet.

22. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions that, based on execution, cause a medical device including at least one processor to perform operations, comprising:

determining a classification for data associated with the medical device;

adjusting polling associated with an advertising data packet provided by the medical device based on the classification for the data, wherein the advertising data packet is a data packet that facilitates establishment of a connection with a device, and wherein the advertising data packet for the medical device is broadcast a plurality of times over an advertising period in accordance with the adjusted polling;

establishing the connection with the device; and

transmitting the data generated by the medical device via the established communication channel.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining an urgency level for the advertising data packet based on the classification for the data.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the adjusting comprises increasing or decreasing a defined beaconing rate for the advertising data packet.

25. A system comprising:

a medical device comprising;

a classification component configured to determine a classification for data included in an advertising data packet associated with a telemetry communication protocol; and

a communication component configured to;

modulate the advertising data packet at a defined beaconing rate based on the classification for the data, wherein the advertising data packet is a data packet that facilitates establishment of a connection with another device, and wherein the advertising data packet for the medical device is broadcast at the defined beaconing rate a plurality of times over an advertising period;

establish a connection with a second device; and

transmit the data generated by the medical device via the established communication channel; and

the second device configured to perform telemetry communication with the medical device using the telemetry communication protocol and the advertising data packet.

26. The system claim 25, wherein the classification component is further configured to determine an urgency level for the advertising data packet based on the classification for the data.

27. The system claim 26, wherein the communication component is further configured to modulate the advertising data packet at the defined beaconing rate based on the urgency level for the advertising data packet.

28. The system claim 25, wherein the communication component is configured to broadcast the advertising data packet at the defined beaconing rate based on the classification for the data.