# US 12,178,555 B2 · Time synchronization in a medical device system or network

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- Number: US 12,178,555 B2
- Document ID: US12178555B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/893,396
- Filed: 2022-08-23
- Published: 2023-02-23
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2015-12-21
- Assignees: ZOLL Medical Corporation
- Applicants: ZOLL Medical Corporation
- Inventors: Bruce Edwards; Tim Stever; Suzanne Crowell; Gary A. Freeman
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12178555B2

## CPC

- A61B 5/02055: {Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature}
- A61B 5/0022: {Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet}
- A61B 5/318: Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
- A61B 8/565: {involving data transmission via a network}
- A61M 16/00: Devices for influencing the respiratory system of patients by gas treatment, e.g. ventilators (iron lungs A61H31/02); Tracheal tubes
- A61M 16/021: {operated by electrical means (A61M16/202 – A61M16/205 take precedence)}
- A61N 1/3925: {Monitoring; Protecting}
- G16H 40/40: for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
- G16H 40/60: for the operation of medical equipment or devices
- G16H 40/67: for remote operation
- H04J 3/0667: {Bidirectional timestamps, e.g. NTP or PTP for compensation of clock drift and for compensation of propagation delays (arrangements for monitoring round trip delays in packet switching networks H04L43/0864)}
- A61B 5/021: Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels
- A61B 5/024: Measuring pulse rate or heart rate
- A61B 5/0836: {Measuring rate of CO2 production}
- A61B 5/14542: {for measuring blood gases (A61B5/14551 takes precedence)}
- A61M 2205/3375: Acoustical, e.g. ultrasonic, measuring means
- A61M 2205/3553: remote, e.g. between patient's home and doctor's office
- A61M 2205/3584: using modem, internet or Bluetooth®
- A61M 2205/502: User interfaces, e.g. screens or keyboards
- A61M 2205/52: with memories providing a history of measured variating parameters of apparatus or patient
- A61M 2230/04: Heartbeat characteristics, e.g. ECG, blood pressure modulation
- A61M 2230/06: Heartbeat rate only
- A61M 2230/30: Blood pressure (A61M2230/04 takes precedence)
- A61M 2230/42: Rate
- A61M 2230/432: partial CO2 pressure (P-CO2)
- A61M 2230/63: Motion, e.g. physical activity
- A61N 1/025: {Digital circuitry features of electrotherapy devices, e.g. memory, clocks, processors}
- A61N 1/3904: {External heart defibrillators [EHD]}
- H04J 3/0697: {Synchronisation in a packet node}
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- A61M: DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY (introducing media into or onto the bodies of animals A61D7/00; means for inserting tampons A61F13/26; devices for administering food or medicines orally A61J; containers for collecting, storing or administering blood or medical fluids A61J1/05); DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY (surgery A61B; chemical aspects of surgical articles A61L); DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR {(Electrotherapy, e.g. producing anaesthesia by the use of alternating or intermittent currents A61N1/36021)}
- A61N: ELECTROTHERAPY; MAGNETOTHERAPY; RADIATION THERAPY; ULTRASOUND THERAPY (measurement of bioelectric currents A61B; surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body A61B18/00; anaesthetic apparatus in general A61M; incandescent lamps H01K; infrared radiators for heating H05B)
- G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
- H04J: MULTIPLEX COMMUNICATION (transmission in general H04B; peculiar to transmission of digital information H04L5/00; systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal H04N7/08; in exchanges H04Q11/00; stereophonic systems H04S)

## Abstract

Medical devices can perform a plurality of functions, such as sensing, monitoring, deriving and/or calculating various physiological statuses of a patient (e.g., blood pressure, temperature, respiration rate, etc.). Medical devices can also be used to image part or all of a patient's body, to deliver a treatment, or to manage information related to a patient's care. The present disclosure is directed at one or more devices that perform these functions using a plurality of processing circuits, wherein each processing circuit has a timing circuit with a local clock. These processing circuits can be connected via a network, and each timing circuit can communicate with at least one other timing circuit in order to detect and correct time-differences between their local clocks. In this way, multiple processing circuits can be synchronized with each other to facilitate diagnosis or treatment of a patient's condition, or other aspects of a patient's care.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A medical system comprising:
a plurality of processing circuits in communication with one another, each processing circuit configured to provide medical-related data;
a plurality of timing circuits, each timing circuit having a clock, wherein at least some of the timing circuits are each associated with a different processing circuit of the plurality of processing circuits, and wherein each timing circuit is configured to:
communicate with at least one other corresponding timing circuit,
produce at least one time stamped signal for the timing circuit, and
transmit the at least one time stamped signal to the at least one other corresponding timing circuit; and
a processor configured to generate a data file containing latency data associated with each of the at least one time stamped signals transmitted between corresponding timing circuits of the plurality of timing circuits, the latency data comprising at least one offset value or delay value between two corresponding timing circuits of the plurality of timing circuits, each of the two corresponding timing circuits being associated with a different processing circuit configured to provide physiological data regarding a patient.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The medical system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine time differences between the clocks of the timing circuits during communication of the processing circuits and correct for the time differences between the clocks.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The medical system of claim 1, wherein the latency data associated with each of the at least one time stamped signals comprises one or more time stamps generated by any of the timing circuits.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The medical system of claim 1, wherein the latency data associated with each of the at least one time stamped signals comprises an average communication latency over a period of time.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The medical system of claim 1, wherein the latency data associated with each of the at least one time stamped signals comprises an indication of variation in a communication latency between timing circuits.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The medical system of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of timing circuits is configured to act as a master timing circuit and another of the plurality of timing circuits is configured to act as a slave timing circuit.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The medical system of claim 1, wherein each timing circuit is further configured to correct for a time difference between the clock of the timing circuit and another timing circuit.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The medical system of claim 1, wherein each of the timing circuits is further configured to determine a communication latency between timing circuits at least in part based on the at least one time stamped signals.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The medical system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of processing circuits include at least one sensor configured to monitor a physiological status of a patient and to generate a set of sensor data based on the physiological status.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The medical system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the plurality of processing circuits is configured to deliver at least one of an electric shock to the patient, a drug to the patient, or ventilation assistance to the patient.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The medical system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of processing circuits comprises at least one of a breathing sensor, a blood pressure sensor, an ECG sensor, or an accelerometer.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The medical system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of processing circuits comprises at least one of a heartbeat sensor, a blood oxygen sensor, a carbon dioxide sensor, an ultrasound sensor, a spectral muscle-chemistry sensor, a temperature sensor, a video-camera, or a microphone.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The medical system of claim 1, wherein each timing circuit is configured to communicate with at least one other timing circuit via a wired or optical serial communications network.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The medical system of claim 1, wherein each timing circuit is configured to communicate with at least one other timing circuit via a wireless network.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The medical system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of processing circuits, the plurality of timing circuits, and the processor are integrated into a single device.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The medical system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of processing circuits, the plurality of timing circuits, and the processor are dispersed across two or more devices connected via a network.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The medical system of claim 1, wherein a processing circuit of the plurality of processing circuits is configured to be dynamically connected to and disconnected from the processor, and wherein the processing circuit is configured to communicate with the processor only when the processing circuit is dynamically connected.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The medical system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of processing circuits are configured to form a secure communications network and to dynamically join or leave the secure communications network.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The medical system of claim 18, wherein a given processing circuit of the plurality of processing circuits is configured to dynamically join or leave the secure communications network via proximity detection.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

The medical system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of processing circuits includes a corresponding treatment timing circuit.