LOCATION-BASED RANKING AND SWITCHING OF WIRELESS CHANNELS IN A BODY AREA NETWORK OF MEDICAL DEVICES

• US 20110152970A1
• Filed: 12/23/2009
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Minimed Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Minimed Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: MEHTA, Kaezad J., JOLLOTA, James
• Application Number:
  US12/646,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20110152970A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/60
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37282 characterised by communication with experts in remote locations using a network
• 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 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

Operating techniques and methodologies for a body area network of medical devices are provided. One technique relates to an intelligent channel hopping scheme that detects loss of wireless synchronization on an initial wireless channel, thereafter obtains a measure of quality for the initial wireless channel, and then selects a new wireless channel when the obtained measure of quality fails to satisfy a threshold criteria. Another operating technique dynamically adapts an ordered list of available wireless channels in accordance with a quality measure of the available wireless channels. Thus, when quality degradation associated with a first wireless channel is detected, the ordered list can be updated to indicate a lower preference for the first wireless channel and to indicate a higher preference for a second wireless channel that does not suffer from quality degradation. Another channel hopping or switching technique selects wireless channels in a manner that is influenced by the current geographic position of the medical device.

Claims

1. A method of operating a portable medical device that is configured for wireless data communication using a plurality of wireless channels, the method comprising:

obtaining, at the medical device, location data that is indicative of a current geographic position of the medical device;

selecting, with the medical device, one of the plurality of wireless channels to obtain a selected wireless channel, wherein the selected wireless channel is correlated to the obtained location data; and

thereafter, performing wireless data communication with the medical device, using the selected wireless channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the location data obtains global positioning system (GPS) data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining a channel list at the medical device, the channel list including a designated wireless channel for each of the plurality of local areas, wherein selecting one of the plurality of wireless channels comprises:

determining, from the location data, that the medical device is located in a particular local area contained in the channel list; and

identifying the designated wireless channel for the particular local area, wherein the designated wireless channel corresponds to the selected wireless channel.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the designated wireless channel for each of the plurality of local areas represents a preferred wireless channel that satisfies predetermined quality criteria while the medical device is located in the respective local area.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising dynamically populating at least a portion of the channel list during operation of the medical device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to the selecting step, performing wireless data communication with the medical device, using an initial wireless channel of the plurality of wireless channels; and

thereafter, detecting quality degradation associated with the initial wireless channel;

wherein the selecting step is initiated in response to the detecting step.

7. A method of operating a portable medical device that is configured for wireless data communication using a plurality of wireless channels, the method comprising:

performing wireless data communication with the medical device, using a first wireless channel;

receiving, at the medical device, a location assignment command;

obtaining, at the medical device, location data that is indicative of a first geographic position of the medical device; and

designating, with the medical device, the first wireless channel as a preferred wireless channel for a first local area associated with the first geographic position.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein obtaining the location data obtains global positioning system (GPS) data.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the first local area corresponds to a location selected from the group consisting of:

a residence location;

a workplace location;

a school location;

a recreational location; and

a business location.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

obtaining, at the medical device, updated location data that is indicative of a second geographic position of the medical device; and

designating, with the medical device, a second wireless channel as a preferred wireless channel for a second local area associated with the second geographic position.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

obtaining, at the medical device, updated location data that is indicative of a second geographic position of the medical device; and

expanding a range associated with the first local area to include an additional local area associated with the second geographic position.

12. A wireless medical device for a body area network of medical devices, the wireless medical device comprising:

a processor;

a memory element coupled to the processor and configured to store a location-correlated list of wireless channels for the medical device, the location-correlated list including entries that correlate local areas to preferred wireless channels;

a positioning subsystem coupled to the processor and configured to obtain location data that is indicative of a current geographic position of the medical device; and

a wireless communication module coupled to the processor and configured to support wireless data communication using the preferred wireless channels included in the location-correlated list;

wherein the processor is configured to;

determine when the location data indicates that the medical device is located in one of the local areas;

identify the preferred wireless channel that is correlated to the one of the local areas; and

cause the wireless communication module to perform wireless data communication using the identified preferred wireless channel.

13. The wireless medical device of claim 12, wherein the positioning subsystem comprises a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

14. The wireless medical device of claim 12, wherein the location-correlated list includes preferred wireless channels that satisfy predetermined quality criteria for operation of the wireless medical device in the local areas.

15. The wireless medical device of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to automatically select preferred wireless channels dynamically in response to changes in the location data.