Cable unit for connecting devices to enable wireless exchange of data and/or power between them
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips N.V.
InventorJosephus Arnoldus Henricus Maria Kahlman
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a cable unit for connecting devices in a system, in particular in a patient monitoring system, to enable wireless exchange of data and/or power between them. The proposed cable unit comprises a cable (510) and a connector (520, 530) arranged at each end of said cable, said connector comprising a data transmission unit (522, 532) for transmitting data to and/or receiving data from a device having a counterpart connector and a magnetic coupling unit (521, 531) for transmitting power to and/or receiving power from another device of the system having a counterpart connector by use of inductive coupling.
Claims18
A method for enabling a wireless exchange of data and/or power between devices in a system via a cable unit comprising a cable and a connector arranged at each end of the cable, the connector comprising a data transmission unit and a magnetic coupling unit, the method comprising:
- transmitting data to a device having a counterpart connector via the cable unit;
- performing at least one of:
- transmitting power via the cable unit to another device of the system having a counterpart connector by use of inductive coupling, and receiving power from another device of the system having a counterpart connector by use of inductive coupling;
- detecting the strength of magnetic coupling between the magnetic coupling unit and a magnetic coupling unit of another devices;
- and
- switching the data transmission unit into one of:
- (i) a low-power mode if the detected strength of magnetic coupling is above a first threshold and/or has an increase above a second threshold, (ii) a high-power mode if the strength of magnetic coupling is below third threshold and/or its decrease is above a fourth threshold, and (iii) a disabled state if the strength of magnetic coupling is below third threshold and/or its decrease is above a fourth threshold.
A method for enabling a wireless exchange of data and/or power between devices in a system via a cable unit comprising a cable and a connector arranged at each end of the cable, the connector comprising a data transmission unit and a magnetic coupling unit, the method comprising:
- receiving data from a device having a counterpart connector via the cable unit;
- performing at least one of:
- transmitting power via the cable unit to another device of the system having a counterpart connector by use of inductive coupling, and receiving power from another device of the system having a counterpart connector by use of inductive coupling;
- detecting the strength of magnetic coupling between the magnetic coupling unit and a magnetic coupling unit of another devices;
- and
- switching data transmission unit into one of:
- (i) a low-power mode if the detected strength of magnetic coupling is above a first threshold and/or has an increase above a second threshold, (ii) a high-power mode if the strength of magnetic coupling is below third threshold and/or its decrease is above a fourth threshold, and (iii) a disabled state if the strength of magnetic coupling is below third threshold and/or its decrease is above a fourth threshold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.