System and method for unscheduled wireless communication with a medical device

• US 20070060053A1
• Filed: 09/12/2005
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Peichel, David, Rosar, George, Haubrich, Gregory, Denzene, Quentin, Twetan, Len, Dudding, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 8,065,018 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/39
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37252 Details of algorithms or data aspects of communication system, e.g. handshaking, transmitting specific data or segmenting data

Abstract

Unscheduled wireless communication with a medical device is achieved by operating a receiver of the medical device in a series of modes. Each mode provides an increasingly selective evaluation of received RF energy. The receiver, when operating in a first mode, is capable of detecting the presence of RF energy transmitted from a communicating device. The receiver, when operating in a second mode, consumes more energy than the first mode and analyzes the RF energy to determine whether it contains the appropriate type of modulation. When operating in a third mode, the receiver consumes more energy than the second mode, and operates the full receiver to begin communication with the communicating device. The receiver opens a communication session after the RF energy has passed the evaluation by the series of modes to receive an unscheduled communication.

Claims

1. A method for operating a receiver of a medical device, the method comprising:

sequentially operating the receiver in a series of modes, wherein the modes define increasingly selective evaluation by the receiver of received RF energy to identify the presence of an unscheduled communication; and

opening a communication session to receive the unscheduled communication after the received RF energy has passed the evaluation by the receiver operating in each mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein when operating the receiver in a first mode, the receiver evaluates a signal strength of any received RF energy.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein when operating the receiver in the first mode, the method further comprises:

sampling a plurality of channels of a communication band for RF energy;

determining a relative strength of energy sampled;

storing a strength value representative of the strength of RF energy sampled; and

comparing the strength value to a threshold value.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein when operating the receiver in the first mode, the method further comprises:

waiting for a period of time based upon a frame length of the unscheduled communication;

sampling the plurality of channels of the communication band for RF energy after the period of time;

determining a second strength of RF energy sampled;

storing a second strength value of the second strength of energy sampled; and

comparing the second strength value to the threshold value.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein when operating the receiver in a second mode, after the first mode, the receiver evaluates a modulation of the unscheduled communication.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein when operating the receiver in the second mode, the method further comprises:

individually sampling each of the plurality of channels for energy;

determining the strength of energy in each of the plurality of channels;

storing a second value representative of the strength of energy for each of the plurality of channels;

comparing the second value, for each channel, to the threshold value for each of the channels;

evaluating modulation of energy of any channel that exceeds the threshold value; and

evaluating whether the modulation is correlated to a defined modulation, wherein the second mode is only initiated if the first mode determines that at least one strength value exceeds the threshold value.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising increasing the threshold value if the modulation is not correlated to the defined modulation.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising decreasing the threshold value after a threshold decrease period.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising calculating the threshold decrease period to achieve a first falsing rate.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein when operating the receiver in a third mode, after the second mode, the receiver evaluates the data contained within the unscheduled communication.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein when operating the receiver in the third mode, the method further comprises evaluating a message contained within the unscheduled communication to determine whether further communication is appropriate.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising increasing the threshold value if further communication is not appropriate.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising increasing the selectivity of the modulation evaluation if further communication is not appropriate.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising decreasing the selectivity of the modulation evaluation after a modulation adjustment period.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising calculating the modulation adjustment period to achieve a desired second falsing rate.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising decreasing a bandwidth of the receiver with each consecutive mode.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising terminating the evaluation of the RF energy after the RF energy fails to pass an evaluation by one of the series of modes.

18. A method of operating a receiver of a medical device, the method comprising:

sequentially operating the receiver in a series of modes, wherein operation in each consecutive mode consumes more energy than operation in the previous mode, and wherein each consecutive mode defines increasingly selective evaluation of received RF energy to identify an unscheduled communication; and

opening a communication session to receive the unscheduled communication after the received RF energy has passed the evaluation by the receiver in the series of modes.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein operating the receiver in a plurality of modes further comprises:

operating the receiver in the first mode to detect radio frequency energy exceeding a threshold; and

operating the receiver in a second mode to detect radio frequency energy having a desired modulation.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein operating the receiver in a plurality of modes further comprises operating the receiver in a third mode to detect a message contained within the unscheduled communication.

21. A medical device capable of receiving an unscheduled communication and including a receiver capable of sequentially operating in a series of modes, wherein each consecutive mode defines an increasingly selective evaluation by the receiver of the received RF energy, and for opening a communication session to receive the unscheduled communication after the evaluation of the receiver operating in the series of modes.

22. The medical device of claim 21, the receiver further comprising:

signal strength indicator means for evaluating the RF energy and generating an output indicative of a strength of the RF energy; and

comparison means for evaluating the output of the signal strength indicator to determine whether the strength of the unscheduled communication exceeds a threshold, wherein the signal strength indicator and the comparison means enable the receiver to operate in a first mode of the series of modes.

23. The medical device of claim 22, the receiver further comprising correlation means for determining whether a modulation on the RF energy is correlated to a predefined modulation, wherein the correlation means enables the receiver to operate in a second mode of the series of modes.

24. The medical device of claim 23, the receiver further comprising data evaluation means for evaluating a message contained within the unscheduled communication, wherein the data evaluation means enables the receiver to operate in a third mode of the series of modes, and wherein the data evaluation means causes the receiver to open a communication session after the evaluation of the message.