Wireless Sensor Network System and Method

• US 20080164979A1
• Filed: 01/10/2008
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MobileHelp, LLC
• Original Assignee: Halo Monitoring, Inc. (Integrity Tracking LLC)
• Inventors: Otto, Chris A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,556,833 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/286.01
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• 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 5/0024 for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network
• 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 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/145 Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissuemeasuring of blood pressure or blood flow A61B5/02; non-radiation detecting or locating of foreign bodies in blood A61B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A system has at least one sensor and a controller communicatively coupled to the sensor. In addition, the system has logic that discovers the sensor and stores a unique identifier corresponding to the sensor. Further, the logic further instructs a user to place the sensor at a particular location and store data indicative of the location associated with a unique identifier.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

at least one sensor;

a controller communicatively coupled to the sensor; and

logic configured to discover the sensor and store a unique identifier corresponding to the sensor, the logic further configured to instruct a user to place the sensor at a particular location and store data indicative of the location associated with a unique identifier.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the logic is further configured to configure the sensor based upon the location.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the logic is further configured to reload a microprocessor of the sensor based upon the location.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the logic is further configured to reconfigure the microprocessor with at least one algorithm associated with the location.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is for monitoring a body.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the logic is further configured to instruct a user to place the sensor at a particular location on the body and store data indicative of the location on the body associated with the unique identifier.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of sensors.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the logic is further configured to determine which particular sensor of the plurality of sensors is being placed on the body based upon an input from the sensors.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the logic is further configured to determine the particular sensor based upon data indicative to motion.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the logic is further configured to determine the particular sensor based upon data indicative of temperature.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the logic is further configured to determine the particular sensor based upon data indicative of a skin impedance.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the logic is further configured to assign a function to the sensor based upon the location on the body.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor and the controller are connected via a wireless sensor network.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the logic is further configured to discover the sensor by transmitting a discovery message to the sensor and receiving a response from the sensor identifying a hardware address corresponding to the sensor in the response.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a display device and the logic is further configured to instruct the user where to place the sensor by displaying information describing the location on the display device.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a speaker device, and the logic is further configured to instruct the user where to place the sensor via an audible command from the speaker device.

17. A method, comprising the steps:

discovering a sensor;

storing a unique identifier corresponding to the sensor; and

instructing a user to place the sensor at a particular location and store data indicative of the location associated with a unique identifier.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of configuring the sensor based upon the location.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of reconfiguring a processor of the sensor based upon the location.

20. The method of claim 19, farther comprising the step of reconfiguring the processor with at least one algorithm associated with the location.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein the instructing step further comprises the step of instructing the user to place the sensor on a body.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of storing data indicative of the location on the body associated with the unique identifier.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the discovering step further comprises the step of discovering a plurality of sensors.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising the step of determining which particular sensor of the plurality of sensors is being placed on a body based upon an input from the sensors.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of determining the particular sensor based upon data indicative to motion.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of determining the particular sensor based upon data indicative of temperature.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of determining the particular sensor based upon data indicative of a skin impedance.

28. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of assigning a function to the sensor based upon the location on the body.

29. The method of claim 17, wherein the storing step further comprises storing the data on a controller.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the discovering step further comprises the step transmitting from the controller a discovery message via a network.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the discovering step further comprises the step of receiving a response to the discovery message from the sensor via the network.

32. A system, comprising:

at least one sensor;

a controller communicatively coupled to the sensor;

means for discovering the sensor;

means for instructing a user to place the sensor at a particular location; and

means for storing data indicative of the location associated with a unique identifier.