Systems and methods of determining locations of medical devices relative to wearable devices

• US 9,897,459 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2015
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zoll Medical Corporation (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Zoll Medical Corporation (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Inventors: Johnson, Guy Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Kiswanto, Nicholas
• Assistant Examiner(s): TAVERAS, KENNY ABEL
• Application Number:
  US14/974,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20160187153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/16 by integrating acceleration or speed, i.e. inertial navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters

Abstract

According to some aspects, a wearable device is provided. The wearable device includes a memory, one or more antennas, one or more processors coupled with the memory and the one or more antennas, a location manager component executable by the one or more processors and configured to determine a location of the wearable device, and a direction manager component executable by the one or more processors. The direction manager component may be configured to receive, via the one or more antennas, information descriptive of a location of the medical device, determine a path between the location of the wearable device and the location of the medical device, and provide information descriptive of the path.

Claims

1. A wearable device comprising:

a memory;

one or more antennas;

one or more processors coupled with the memory and the one or more antennas;

a location manager component executable by the one or more processors and configured to determine a location of the wearable device;

a direction manager component executable by the one or more processors and configured to;

receive, via the one or more antennas, information descriptive of a location of a medical device separate from the wearable device;

determine a path between the location of the wearable device and the location of the medical device; and

provide information descriptive of the path.

2. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein the wearable device comprises at least one of an earpiece, a pair of glasses, and a watch.

3. The wearable device according to claim 1, further comprising a speaker.

4. The wearable device according to claim 3, wherein the direction manager component is further configured to provide the indication of the path to the subject at least in part by providing an audio message regarding the path via the speaker.

5. The wearable device according to claim 1, further comprising a display.

6. The wearable device according to claim 5, wherein the wearable device comprises a pair of glasses and wherein the display includes at least one display lens.

7. The wearable device according to claim 5, wherein the direction manager component is further configured to provide the indication of the path at least in part by displaying directions regarding the path via the display.

8. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein the direction manager component is further configured to determine whether the wearable device is within a threshold distance of the medical device.

9. The wearable device according to claim 8, wherein the direction manager component is further configured to transmit, via the one or more antennas, a notification to the medical device responsive to the wearable device being within the threshold distance of the medical device.

10. The wearable device according to claim 9, wherein the notification includes an instruction for the medical device to issue an audible sound.

11. A method for determining a location of a medical device, the method comprising:

receiving, by one or more antennas coupled with one or more processors at a wearable device, information descriptive of a location of the medical device;

determining, by the one or more processors, a path between the location of the wearable device and the location of the medical device; and

providing information descriptive of the path.

12. The method according to claim 11, where providing the information descriptive of the path includes providing information by at least one of an earpiece, a pair of glasses, and a watch.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein providing the information descriptive of the path includes providing, by a speaker coupled with the one or more processors, an audio message regarding the path.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein providing the information descriptive of the path includes providing, by a display coupled with the one or more processors, the information descriptive of the path.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein providing, by a display coupled with the one or more processors, the information descriptive of the path includes providing, by at least one display lens of a pair of glasses coupled with the one or more processors, the information descriptive of the path.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein providing, by a display coupled with the one or more processors, the information descriptive of the path includes displaying, by the display, directions regarding the path.

17. The method according to claim 11, further comprising determining whether the wearable device is within a threshold distance of the medical device.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising transmitting, by the one or more antennas, a notification to the medical device responsive to the wearable device being within the threshold distance of the medical device.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein transmitting the notification includes transmitting an instruction for the medical device to issue an audible sound.

20. A medical device comprising:

a memory;

one or more antennas;

one or more processors coupled with the memory and the one or more antennas;

a location manager component executable by the one or more processors and configured to;

receive first location information from a first location information source and second location information from a second location information source;

rank the first location information source and the second location information source according to a hierarchy of location information sources, the hierarchy of location information sources specifying that the first location information source is of higher rank than the second location information source;

determine an approximate location of the medical device based on the first location information;

improve, responsive to the receipt of the first location information and the second location information, the accuracy of the approximate location based on the second location information; and

transmit, via the one or more antennas, the approximate location to a wearable device.

21. The medical device of claim 20, wherein the wearable device includes:

a memory;

one or more antennas;

one or more processors coupled with the memory and the one or more antennas;

a location manager component executable by the one or more processors and configured to determine a location of the wearable device; and

a direction manager component executable by the one or more processors and configured to;

receive, via the one or more antennas, information descriptive of a location of the medical device;

determine a path between the location of the wearable device and the location of the medical device; and

provide information descriptive of the path.

22. The medical device of claim 20, wherein the location manager is further configured to:

receive, via the one or more antennas, a notification from the wearable device; and

issue an audible sound responsive to the notification.

23. The medical device of claim 22, wherein the notification indicates that the wearable device is within a threshold distance of the medical device.

24. The medical device of claim 20, wherein the second location information source comprises an inertial navigation system configured to determine the second location information using dead reckoning.

25. The medical device of claim 20, wherein the second location information source comprises a pressure sensor configured to measure an ambient air pressure.

26. The medical device of claim 20, wherein the second location information source comprises at least one of an ultrasonic sensor and an infrared sensor configured to locate nearby objects.

27. The medical device of claim 20, wherein the second location information comprises a temperature sensor configured to measure an ambient air temperature.