Wireless link pairing authentication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11240857-B2
Application number	US-202016889259-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2020
Priority date	Jun 4, 2019
Publication date	Feb 1, 2022
Grant date	Feb 1, 2022

Abstract

Systems and methods include a medical device that matches an identifier received over its optical channel and associated with a control device within a line-of-sight of the medical device with an identifier received over its wireless channel and that automatically pairs with the control device associated with the matching identifier over its wireless channel, as well as, a control device that matches an identifier received over its optical channel and associated with a medical device within a line-of-sight of the control device with an identifier received over its wireless channel and that automatically pairs with the medical device associated with the matching identifier over its wireless channel, as well as, a first device and a second device that automatically pair over a wireless channel based on a location identifier received over an optical channel from a transmitter within a line-of-sight of the first device and the second device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An automatically pairable medical device, comprising:
a first communication system configured to communicate via a first communication channel;
a second communication system configured to communicate via a second communication channel;
a processor; and
a memory storing program instructions, the program instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the processor to:
receive a first identifier associated with a first control device within a line-of-sight of the medical device over the first communication channel;
receive at least one identifier associated with at least one control device over the second communication channel;
determine that the first identifier received over the first communication channel matches an identifier of the at least one identifier received over the second communication channel;
automatically pair with the first control device associated with the matching identifier over the second communication channel;

receive a second identifier associated with a second control device within the line-of-sight of the medical device over the first communication channel;
automatically disassociate from the first control device if the first identifier is not detected over the first communication channel;
determine that the second identifier received over the first communication channel matches an identifier of the at least one identifier received over the second communication channel; and
automatically pair with the second control device associated with the matching second identifier over the second communication channel.

2. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the first communication channel is an optical communication channel and the second communication channel is a wireless communication channel.

3. The medical device of claim 2 , wherein the optical communication channel is an infrared (IR) communication channel and the wireless communication channel is a radio frequency (RF) communication channel.

4. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:
receive control inputs from the control device associated with the matching identifier, the control inputs for controlling a function of the medical device.

5. The medical device of claim 1 , wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:
determine that at least one of the first communication channel or the second communication channel is associated with a signal below a predetermined threshold strength; and
disassociate from the control device associated with the matching identifier.

6. An automatically pairable control device, comprising:
a first communication system configured to communicate via a first communication channel;
a second communication system configured to communicate via a second communication channel;
a processor; and
a memory storing program instructions, the program instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the processor to:
receive a first identifier associated with a first control device within a line-of-sight of the medical device over the first communication channel;
receive at least one identifier associated with at least one control device over the second communication channel;
determine that the first identifier received over the first communication channel matches an identifier of the at least one identifier received over the second communication channel;
automatically pair with the first control device associated with the matching identifier over the second communication channel;

receive a second identifier associated with a second control device within the line-of-sight of the medical device over the first communication channel;
automatically disassociate from the first control device if the first identifier is not detected over the first communication channel;
determine that the second identifier received over the first communication channel matches an identifier of the at least one identifier received over the second communication channel; and
automatically pair with the second control device associated with the matching second identifier over the second communication channel.

7. The control device of claim 6 , wherein the first communication channel is an optical communication channel and the second communication channel is a wireless communication channel.

8. The control device of claim 7 , wherein the optical communication channel is an infrared (IR) communication channel and the wireless communication channel is a radio frequency (RF) communication channel.

9. The control device of claim 6 , wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:
transmit control inputs to the medical device associated with the matching identifier, the control inputs for controlling a function of the medical device.

10. The control device of claim 6 , wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:
determine that at least one of the first communication channel or the second communication channel is associated with a signal below a predetermined threshold strength; and
disassociate from the medical device associated with the matching identifier.

11. The control device of claim 6 , further comprising a user interface system including at least one user interface control, and wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:
receive a control input via the at least one user interface control;
send an inquiry token to the medical device associated with the matching identifier over the first communication channel;
determine whether a response token has been received from the first medical device associated with the matching identifier over the first communication channel; and
transmit the control input to the medical device associated with the matching identifier if the response token has been received over the first communication channel; or
abstain from transmitting the control input to the medical device associated with the matching identifier if the response token has not been received over the first communication channel.

12. The control device of claim 6 , further comprising a visual indicator, and wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:
update the visual indicator to reflect that the medical device is not within a line-of-sight of the control device.

13. A system for automatically pairing devices, the system comprising:
a transmitter positioned within a location, the transmitter configured to transmit a location identifier over a first communication channel to devices with a line-of-sight of the transmitter;
a first device configured to:
receive the location identifier over the first communication channel; and
transmit the location identifier and an identifier associated with the first device over a second communication channel;

a second device configured to:
receive the location identifier over the first communication channel; and
transmit the location identifier and an identifier associated with the second device over the second communication channel;

wherein the first device is further configured to:
scan the second communication channel for the location identifier received over the first communication channel;
determine that the location identifier received over the first communication channel matches a location identifier on the second communication channel;
determine the second device identifier associated with the matching location ide

Assignees

• Liko Res & Dev Ab

Inventors

• Monson Gavin M
• Seim Douglas A
• Weidman Bryan
• Benz Eric
• O'Neal Todd P
• Canter Joseph T
• Shannon Gregory J
• Williams Jason M
• Corbin Scott M

Classifications

• G16H40/67 Primary

  for remote operation · CPC title

• H04W72/04

  Wireless resource allocation · CPC title

• H04W76/11

  Allocation or use of connection identifiers · CPC title

• H04W76/14 Primary

  Direct-mode setup · CPC title

• H04W12/06

  Authentication · CPC title