Backhaul link assisted indoor spectrum use enforcement solution for MBAN services

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9232352-B2
Application number	US-201214001683-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 24, 2012
Priority date	Mar 1, 2011
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

A medical system includes one or more MBAN devices which acquire and communicate patient data. One or more medical body area network (MBAN) systems include the one or more MBAN devices communicating the patient data with a hub device via short-range wireless communication. The communication of the patient data via the short-range wireless communication being within a predefined spectrum. The hub device receives patient data communicated from the one or more MBAN devices, communicates with a central monitoring station via a longer range communication and one or more access points (AP), and determines the location of the MBAN system in reference to a healthcare facility. The one or more MBAN devices are inhibited from transmitting within the predefined spectrum when the MBAN hub device is located outside the healthcare facility.

First claim

Having thus described the preferred embodiments, the invention is now claimed to be:

1. A medical system comprising:
one or more medical body area network (MBAN) devices which acquire and communicate patient data;
one or more MBAN systems, each MBAN system including:
the one or more MBAN devices communicating the patient data with a hub device via short-range wireless communication, the communication of the patient data via the short-range wireless communication being within a predefined spectrum;
the hub device which receives patient data communicated from the one or more MBAN devices, communicates with a central monitoring station via a longer range communication and one or more access points (AP), and determines the location of the MBAN system in reference to a healthcare facility;

wherein signal strength of the AP is used to determine in-facility status of the MBAN system;
wherein the one or more MEAN devices are inhibited from transmitting within the predefined spectrum when the MBAN hub device is located outside the healthcare facility; and

wherein:
in response to the hub device being connected to an Entrance AP, the in-facility status is either set to Indoor if the AP signal strength is greater than or equal to a predefined threshold or set to Outdoor if the AP signal strength is less than the predefined threshold; and
in response to the hub device being connected to an Exterior AP, the in-facility status is either set to Indoor if the AP signal strength is greater than or equal to a predefined threshold or keeps unchanged if the AP signal strength is less than the predefined threshold.

2. A method comprising:
collecting patient data by one or more medical body area network (MBAN) devices;
determining whether an MBAN system is entering or leaving a healthcare facility from one or more Entrance Access Points (APs) of a healthcare facility network, including determining whether a hub device is connected to one of the one or more Entrance APs;
in response to the hub device connecting to one of the one or more Entrance APs and the AP signal strength exceeding a threshold determining that the hub device has entered into the healthcare facility and communicating the collected patient data from the one or more MBAN devices to the hub device via short-range wireless communication within a predetermined spectrum; and
in response to the hub device connecting to one of the one or more entrance devices and the AP signal strength being less than the threshold, determining that the hub device is exterior to the healthcare facility and inhibiting the MBAN device and the hub device from communicating with each other within the predefined spectrum and communicating the collected patient data from the hub device to the central monitoring station via longer range wireless communication through the one or more Entrance APs.

3. A medical system comprising:
one or more processors programmed to perform the method according to claim 2 .

4. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing software which when loaded into a processor programs the processor to perform the method according to claim 2 .

Assignees

• Wang Dong
• Ghosh Monisha
• Smith Delroy
• Koninkl Philips Nv

Inventors

• Wang Dong
• Ghosh Monisha
• Smith Delroy

Classifications

• G16H40/63

  for local operation · CPC title

• A61B5/0816

  Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency (measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00) · CPC title

• H04W4/021 Primary

  Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences · CPC title

• A61B5/0024

  for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network · CPC title

• H04W48/04

  based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed · CPC title