US 8,897,198 B2Granted

Medical device wireless network architectures

AssigneeCovidien LP

InventorsRobert B. Gaines, Joel D. Wiesner, John Holste

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Abstract

An architecture for networked communications between a series of medical devices and a remote monitoring device. An interface circuit coupled to each medical device communicates with one of a plurality of relay modules via a wireless relay network. The relay modules communicate with the remote monitoring device over an internet-accessible wireless communication network. Each relay module includes a receiver coupled to the wireless relay network, a first transmitter coupled to the wireless relay network, a second transmitter coupled to the internet-accessible wireless communications network; and a controller. The controller determines a status of the internet-accessible wireless communications network. When the status indicates that the internet-accessible wireless communications network is accessible to the wireless relay module, the second transmitter is selected for transmitting medical device data. When the internet-accessible wireless communications network is not accessible, the first transmitter is selected for transmitting the data to another wireless relay module.

Claims28

Dependent claims

A system for providing communications between one or more medical devices and a remote device connected to the internet comprising:

at least one interface circuit coupled to one or more of the one or more medical devices and capable of transmitting medical device data using a wireless data connection;
at least two relay modules, each of the at least two relay modules wirelessly coupled to form a mesh network of wireless relay modules, with each of the at least two relay modules comprising:
a first receiver capable of wirelessly receiving medical device data over the wireless data connection;
a first transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting medical device data to another of the at least two relay modules over the mesh network of wireless-relay modules;
a second transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting medical device data over an internet-accessible wireless communications network;
and
a processor coupled to the second transmitter to determine if the internet-accessible wireless communications network is accessible by the second transmitter and coupled to the first transmitter to transmit the medical device data over the mesh network of wireless-relay modules to another of the at least two relay modules if the internet-accessible wireless communications network is not accessible by the second transmitter;
wherein at least one of the at least two relay modules in the mesh network of wireless relay modules is capable of determining an access status of the mesh network of wireless relay modules and providing the access status to the processor for selecting the first or second transmitter for medical device data transmission based upon at least two of:
(1) the access status of the mesh network of wireless relay modules;
(2) a device status of the one or more medical devices;
and (3) a connection status of each of the first and second transmitters in the wireless relay modules;
wherein the connection status of the first transmitter indicates whether the internet accessible wireless communications network is accessible to the wireless relay modules and the connection status of the second transmitter indicates whether the mesh network of wireless relay modules is accessible to the wireless relay modules;
and
wherein each of the relay modules in the wireless mesh relay network is configured to determine its own current status and to communicate its own current status to each of the other relay modules in the wireless mesh network.

11 more elements

A process for communicating medical device data from one or more medical devices over a wireless network, the process comprising the steps of:

forming a wireless mesh network from a plurality of relay modules;
receiving at a first relay module via the wireless mesh network medical device data transmitted by at least one interface circuit coupled to a respective medical device;
determining a first relay module status of access by said first relay module to an internet-accessible wireless communications network;
transmitting said medical device data by said first relay module over said internet-accessible wireless communications network when said internet-accessible wireless communications network is accessible, and
transmitting said medical device data by said first relay module to a second relay module over the wireless mesh network when said internet-accessible wireless communications network is not accessible;
wherein at least one relay module in the wireless mesh network is capable of determining an access status of the mesh network of wireless relay modules and providing the access status to a processor of the first relay module for selecting a first or second transmitter for medical data transmission based upon at least two of:
(1) the access status of the mesh network of wireless relay modules;
(2) a device status of the one or more medical devices;
and (3) a connection status of each of the first and second transmitters in the wireless relay modules;
the connection status of the first transmitter indicates whether the internet accessible wireless communications network is accessible to the first wireless relay module and the connection status of the second transmitter indicates whether the wireless mesh network is accessible to the first wireless relay module;
and
each of the relay modules in the wireless mesh network is configured to determine its own current status and to communicate its own current status to each of the other relay modules in the wireless mesh network.

9 more elements

A system comprising:

at least one medical device, each of said at least one medical devices having at least one interface circuit coupled thereto, with each of said at least one interface circuits configured to receive medical device data from at least one of said at least one medical devices and configured to transmit medical device data provided thereto using a wireless data connection;
and
at least two relay modules, each of the at least two relay modules wirelessly coupled to each of said at least one medical devices via respective interface circuits such that each of said at least two relay modules and at least some of said at least one medical device form a wireless mesh relay network over which each of said at least two relay modules are capable of wirelessly receiving medical device data transmitted by one or more of said interface circuit and wherein at least one relay module is capable of determining an access status of the wireless mesh relay network and selecting a wireless communication path for medical device data transmission and wherein at least one of the at least two relay modules is capable of transmitting medical device data provided thereto over an internet accessible wireless communications network and wherein each of the at least two relay modules selects the wireless communication path based upon at least two of:
(1) the access status of the wireless mesh relay network;
(2) a device status for each of the at least one medical devices;
and
(3) a connection status of the at least one relay module to the internet accessible wireless communications network;
wherein the connection status comprises:
a first connection status which indicates whether the internet accessible wireless communications network is accessible by the wireless relay modules;
and a second connection status indicates whether the wireless mesh relay network is accessible by the wireless relay module;
and
wherein each of the relay modules in the wireless mesh relay network is configured to determine its own current status and to communicate its own current status to each of the other relay modules in the wireless mesh relay network.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.