Interface device and method for a monitoring network
Contents
1. a second plurality of sensors the second plurality of sensors being capable of acquiring a second set of data from the human patient the second set of data pertain ing to additional physiological measurements from the human patient a plurality of monitors the plurality of monitors each being coupled to the communication network and each including a respective display the plurality of monitors including a first monitor the first monitor having a first plurality of input ports the first monitor being coupled to the first plurality of sensors by way of the first plurality of input ports an interface device the interface device being coupled to the communication network the interface device hav ing a second plurality of input ports the interface device being coupled to the second plurality of sensors by way of the second plurality of input ports wherein in a first mode of operation the interface device operates as a peripheral device for the first monitor such that i the interface device transmits the second set of data to the first monitor at least some of the second set of data is displayed by the first monitor and iii the second set of data is accessible by remaining ones of the plurality of monitors only through the first monitor and wherein in a second mode of operation the interface device operates as a stand alone device such that i the interface device transmits the second set of data by way of the2. 25 The operator feedback may take the form for example of a solid green LED 64 on the interface device 16 After step 116 the mode of operation of the interface device 16 is thereby changed from the stand alone mode of operation to a peripheral mode of operation The process then proceeds to step 118 waits for a predetermined amount of time e g two seconds and then returns to step 102 By virtue of regularly returning to step 102 the interface device 16 regularly confirms that it is still connected to the monitor 12 During this time the interface device 16 may transmit real time waveform data and or numeric parameter data to the monitor 12 In the preferred embodiment the cable 27 is provided which forms a communication link 25 between the interface device 16 and the monitor 12 The cable 27 provides a physical connection between the interface device 16 and the monitor 12 which is visible to the operator and therefore serves to visually identify which two devices are connected together Other types of physical connections may be used to implement a visual identification link For example a device as simple as a string with mechanical or electronic keys at both ends may be used If electronic keys are used for example the electronic keys may take the form of connec tors which each pin selectively tied high or low Each connector then represents a stored N bit number with N corresponding to the number of pins which is read by t
3. TM I PATIENT DEVICE ID ADAETER MONITOR 14 27 14a Ie eod FANS B peA 18c UROMETER 18 T rL monitor 36 Claims 8 Drawing Sheets PATIENT MONITOR PATIENT MONITOR INTERFACE DEVICE INTERFACE DEVICE INTERFACE DEVICE 28 US 6 792 396 B2 Sheet 1 of 8 Sep 14 2004 U S Patent OL 62 8l coo gaiawowun og L Sls qg cOdS e 12 8L 39I A3Q 391440 3OlAaq 3OVJH3 NI AIVAUALNI JOVJualNiI 9L 0c I YOLINOW YOLINOW l 3OI 3aa ANAILVd 92 INSILVd 9E l 39OVJ3MH3 LNI Be l 1 U S Patent Sep 14 2004 Sheet 2 of 8 US 6 792 396 B2 PATIENT MONITOR INPUT Sc COMPUTER 32 FIG 2 U S Patent Sep 14 2004 Sheet 3 of 8 US 6 792 396 B2 INTERFACE DEVICE U S Patent Sep 14 2004 Sheet 4 of 8 US 6 792 396 B2 ACQUIRE DATA PERIPHERAL STAND ALONE TRANSMIT DATA TRANSMIT TO SELECTED DATA TO MULTIPLE MONITOR MONITORS DISPLAY DATA DISPLAY DATA AT SELECTED AT MULTIPLE MONITOR MONITORS FIG 4 U S Patent Sep 14 2004 Sheet 5 of 8 US 6 792 396 B2 100 102 xo INTERFACE DEVICE REQUESTS TO ASSOCIATE COM LINK PRESENT MONITOR VALIDATES PACKET AND SENDS ACK TO INTERFACE DEVICE 108 NO SET LED TO SOLID YELLOW MONITOR ON NETWORK SET LED TO SOLID GREEN INTERFACE DEVICE SLEEPS TWO SECONDS SET LED TO FLASHING YE
4. 16 in greater detail the interface device 16 includes a plurality of input ports 60 a computer 62 a plurality of indicators 64 such as LEDs and a communica tion interface 66 The input ports 60 are connected to the sensors 18 and receive the data acquired by the sensors from the patient 29 The communication interface 66 connects the interface device to the communication network 20 to trans mit the data from the sensors 18 over the communication network 20 The computer further includes a microprocessor 68 and a memory 70 The memory 70 includes memory that stores programs executed by the microprocessor 68 for operation of the interface device such as program memory 72 and sensor interface memory 74 as well as memory that stores other information such as identification information 76 and a device list 78 The sensors 18 may be completely different or may overlap with the sensors 14 Again these connections may be made by analog or digital parallel or serial communi cation links by direct connection of the sensor to the interface device 16 or by another arrangement The sensors 18 are preferably connected to the interface device 16 by way of identical input ports 60 e g RS 232 ports disposed on the interface device 16 which provide a standard com munication interface for connecting sensors from various manufacturers to the interface device 16 The sensors 18 may include a variety of different types of sensors that acquire differe
5. Cl au n mu G06F 11 00 52 U S CI 702 188 702 19 702 32 702 121 702 188 340 539 22 340 870 06 P imary Examiner Marc S Hoff ssistant Examiner Elias Desta 373 220 600 301 4551557 74 Attorney Agent or Firm Audrus Sceales Starke amp 58 Field of Search 702 19 21 32 o Agen 702 33 121 122 182 183 186 187 188 FOR 103 104 115 119 134 135 170 57 ABSTRACT 171 340 870 06 870 27 573 3 539 22 455 657 375 220 600 305 301 128 846 An interface device receives data from a plurality of sensors and transmits the data over a communication network to one 56 References Cited or more of a plurality of monitors The interface device is capable of operating in both a peripheral mode of operation U S PATENT DOCUMENTS and a stand alone mode of operation for the plurality of 5 465082 11 1995 Chaco s 340 825 54 monitors In another embodiment a monitor is connected to 5 867 821 A 2 1999 Ballantyne et al 705 2 a plurality of interface devices by way of a communication 6 440 071 B1 8 2002 Slayton et al network A separate visible physical communication link or 2003 0003127 1 1 2003 Dalal 607 32 other identification link is used to visually identify which of 2003 0120164 A1 6 2003 Nielsen et al 600 513 the interface devices is serving as a peripheral device for the FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS WO WO 92 04806 Al 3 1992 28 20
6. communication network to more than one of the plurality of monitors and ii at least some of the second set of data is displayed by the more than one of the plurality of monitors 18 A method of operation for a patient monitoring network comprising A acquiring data from a patient using sensors connected to an interface device B operating the monitoring network with the interface device in a stand alone mode operation including 1 transmitting the data from the interface device to a plurality of monitors and 2 displaying the data at the plurality of monitors C changing the mode of operation of the interface device from the stand alone mode of operation to a peripheral mode of operation and D operating the monitoring network with the interface device in the peripheral mode operation including 1 transmitting the data from the interface device to a selected first one of the plurality of monitors the first monitor configured to receive and process data from sensors that are coupled to the first monitor and a system under test and configured to execute a moni tor program related to data acquired by the interface device from the plurality sensors and US 6 792 396 B2 15 2 displaying the data at the selected one of the plurality of monitors wherein in the peripheral mode of operation the data acquired by the interface device is available to remain ing ones of the plurality of monitors only through the selected o
7. from an operator s perspective as if the interface device is directly connected to the monitoring device or in some other manner which results in the operator perceiving the monitoring device as being more closely associated with the particular interface device than with other interface devices on the communication network Additionally such interface devices and monitoring device are often connected to a communication network along with other interface devices and monitoring devices When establishing a network connection between a particu lar patient monitoring device and a particular interface device a need exists for a way to ensure that the correct two devices are connected together and to make connecting the two devices together as easy for the operator as possible monitoring system and method that meets one or more of these needs would be highly desirable BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to a first preferred embodiment an interface device for a monitoring system comprises a communication 10 15 20 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 2 interface a microprocessor and a memory The communi cation interface is adapted to connect the interface device to a communication network to transmit data acquired by the interface device using a plurality of sensors over the com munication network The memory is programmed to provide the interface device with a peripheral mode of operation and a stand alon
8. peripheral mode of operation 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 60 65 16 D operating the monitoring network with the interface device in the peripheral mode operation including 1 transmitting the data from the interface device to a selected first one of the plurality of monitors the interface device and the selected one of the plurality of monitors being connected by a dedicated commu nication link and 2 displaying the data at the selected one of the plurality of monitors and E exchanging identification information between the interface device and the selected one of the plurality of monitors over the dedicated communication link wherein in the peripheral mode of operation the data acquired by the interface device is available to remain ing ones of the plurality of monitors only through the selected one of the plurality of monitors 24 A monitoring system comprising first means for acquiring a first set of data from a system under test second means for acquiring a second set of data from the system under test means for displaying the first set of data and the second set of data and means for receiving the first set of data and transmitting the first set of data on a communication network wherein in a first mode of operation the means for receiving transmits the first set of data exclusively to the means for displaying and in a second mode of operation the means for receiving
9. the monitors 12 26 maintains a list of interface devices 16 28 which are present on the com munication network 20 and which are available to operate in the peripheral mode of operation When the interface device 16 is in the stand alone mode of operation the interface device 16 appears on this list for each of the monitors 12 26 In response to suitable operator inputs any subset of the monitors 12 26 may be configured to display data from the interface device 16 and to silence alarms adjust alarm threshold values initiate graph generating functions change patient demographic and identification information and others It may be noted that although the interface device is available to transmit data to multiple ones of the monitors 12 in the stand alone mode of operation 26 the subset of monitors which are configured to receive the data may some times actually consist of zero monitors Referring again to FIG 4 FIG 4 shows operation of the interface device 16 in the case where multiple monitors 12 26 are configured to receive the data from the interface device 16 Thus in FIG 4 in the stand alone mode of operation the data from the interface device 16 is transmit ted to multiple ones of the monitors 12 26 at step 94 At step 95 the data is displayed by the multiple ones of the monitors 12 26 Referring now to FIG 5 an embodiment of an association process 100 in which the interface device 16 enters a peripheral mode of opera
10. 12 test and the interface device being coupled to the communication network and a plurality of monitors each of the plurality of monitors being coupled to the communication network wherein the interface device has a peripheral mode of operation and a stand alone mode of operation the interface device operating as a peripheral device for a selected one of the plurality of monitors in the periph eral mode of operation and the interface device oper ating as a stand alone device available to transmit the data to each of the plurality of monitors in the stand alone mode of operation and wherein the identification link comprises a dedicated communication link wherein the system further com prises a plurality of additional interface devices and wherein the interface device and the selected one of the plurality of monitors communicate by way of the dedicated communication link to verify an identity of the interface device operating as the peripheral device for the selected one of the plurality of monitors 8 A system according to claim 4 wherein the interface device switches from the stand alone mode of operation to the peripheral mode of operation in response to receiving a request from the selected one of the plurality of monitors to enter the peripheral mode of operation 9 A system according to claim 4 wherein the interface device switches from the stand alone mode of operation to the peripheral mode of operation in response to an
11. G 1 in which the monitor displays data from an interface device alongside the monitor s own data FIG 7 is a screen display of a monitor in the system of FIG 1 in which the monitor displays data from an interface device merged along with its own data and US 6 792 396 B2 3 FIG 8 is a screen display of a monitor in the system of FIG 1 in which the monitor displays its own data alongside data from another monitor and with the data from the other monitor being merged with data from an interface device DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now initially to FIGS 1 3 an overview of a monitoring system 10 according to a preferred embodiment is shown The monitoring system 10 comprises a monitor 12 a first plurality of sensors 14 an interface device 16 a second plurality of sensors 18 a communication network 20 an identification adapter 22 a central monitor 24 a plurality of additional monitors 26 and a plurality of additional interface devices 28 As shown in FIG 2 which shows the monitor 12 in greater detail the monitor 12 includes a plurality of input ports 30 a computer 32 a display 34 an input device 36 and a communication interface 38 The computer further includes a microprocessor 40 and a memory 42 The memory 42 is programmed and stores such things as one or more monitor programs 44 one or more interface programs 46 identification information 48 and a device list 50 The monitor 12 is co
12. LLOW ii FIG 5 US 6 792 396 B2 Sheet 6 of 8 Sep 14 2004 U S Patent 9 SIs 09 Y E 002 os 09 923 VSVOV 19V 3SN 1N3liVd HOF LON 1N3lVd GAM3IA 350 J913 se J18V9 LOANNOO da39uvHosld 190V 9V 1 60 1002 030 F1 US 6 792 396 B2 Sheet 7 of 8 Sep 14 2004 U S Patent 2 Sls VSVOWIOY 3SN LNALWd 803 LON 0 1 0 1008 9309 US 6 792 396 B2 Sheet 8 of 8 Sep 14 2004 U S Patent TV3SQv3 Q3983VHOSIQ VWYENOIA 01100V 1 100v INIILVd GSMAIlA PHSVO NOIA 060 4002 040 F1 US 6 792 396 B2 1 INTERFACE DEVICE AND METHOD FOR A MONITORING NETWORK FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to monitoring systems and in particular relates to interface devices and methods used in a monitoring network to acquire data from a system under test BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Monitoring networks and devices are known for moni toring systems under test For example in medical applications patient monitors are known for monitoring patients A typical patient monitor includes a display one or more operator input devices one or more input ports for connecting the monitor to sensors that acquire data from the patient and a microprocessor or other signal processor for processing the data acquired from the patient A large variety of sensors exist that may be used for data acquisition For example in medical applications it m
13. a United States Patent US006792396B2 10 Patent No US 6 792 396 B2 Inda et al 45 Date of Patent Sep 14 2004 54 INTERFACE DEVICE AND METHOD FOR A WO WO 00 25284 2 5 2000 MONITORING NETWORK WO WO 00 42911 7 2000 WO WO 01 43631 A1 6 2001 75 Inventors Allan G Inda Milwaukee WI US Wo WO 02 064032 A2 8 2002 Daniel J Nowicki Cedarburg WI US Michael J Horvath Port OTHER PUBLICATIONS Washington WI US Patrick A Van Dn Ryzin Pewaukee WI US Vargas Home Based Monitoring of Cardiac Patents Jun 1998 IEEE Article vol 4793 pp 133 136 73 Assignee GE Medical Systems Information Sukuvaara et al Intelligent Patient Monitor Its Function Technologies Inc Milwaukee WI and User Interface Jul 1992 IEEE Article vol 2485 pag US s 373 376 Notice Subject to any disclaimer the term of this Octanet Connectivity Device Service I Manual patent is extended or adjusted under 35 81 page product manual 418264 003 Revision B GE U S C 154 b by 69 days Marquette Medical Systems Inc Jan 14 2000 Octacomm Connectivity Device Operator Service 21 Appl No 10 109 542 Manual 155 page product manual Software Versions 1 and 2 418264 001 Revision C GE Marquette Medical Q2 Filed Mar 28 2002 Systems Inc Jan 8 1999 65 Prior Publication Data Search Report GB 0306477 1 Jul 10 2003 US 2003 0187618 A1 Oct 2 2003 5 cited by examiner 51 Ants
14. ality of input ports the second plurality of input ports being coupled to respective ones of the second plurality of sensors to receive data at the selected one of the plurality of monitors from the second plurality of sensors and wherein in the peripheral mode of operation the data acquired by the first plurality of sensors is displayed at the selected one of the plurality of monitors in a manner that is substantially indistinguishable from a manner in which the data acquired by the second plurality of sensors is displayed and wherein in the stand alone mode of operation the data acquired by the first plurality of sensors is displayed at the selected one of the plurality of monitors in a manner that is readily distinguishable from a manner in which the data acquired by the second plurality of sensors is displayed 16 An interface device for a patient monitoring system comprising a plurality of input ports the plurality of input ports being capable of being connected to a respective plurality of sensors to receive data acquired by the sensors from a patient a communication interface the communication interface being adapted to connect the interface device to a communication network to transmit the data from the plurality of sensors over the communication network a microprocessor and a programmed memory coupled to the microprocessor the memory being programmed to provide the interface device with first and second modes of op
15. ar interface device 16 28 to serve as a peripheral The interface device 16 changes from the stand alone mode of operation to the peripheral mode of operation in response to receiving a request from the monitor 12 to enter the peripheral mode of operation To provide safe assurance that the correct two devices are associated a device name may be made visible on the housing of the interface device 16 which the operator may then read and compare to the number of the interface device presented on the display of the monitor 12 Referring now to FIGS 6 8 a plurality of exemplary screen displays are shown In FIG 6 the interface device 16 is in the stand alone mode of operation The data is dis 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 10 played at the monitor 12 in a split view mode such that the right hand side of the screen shows the data acquired using the sensors 14 and the left hand side of the screen shows data acquired using the sensors 18 The left and right are potentially two different patients but they could be the same patient In FIG 7 the interface device 16 is in a peripheral mode of operation The data from the interface device 16 in FIG 6 is displayed by the monitor 12 except that the monitor 12 has merged this data in with its own local data It appears that data from the interface device 16 is local to the monitor 12 In FIG 8 one of the patient monitors 26 is displaying data in a sp
16. ay be desirable to receive data from sensors such as a carbon dioxide CO2 sensor a ventilator sensor a urometer sensor a pulse oximetry SPO2 sensor an ECG sensor a respira tion sensor an invasive or non invasive blood pressure sensor and so on Within each of these different sensor types a wide range of specific sensors exist that are avail able from different manufacturers and it is desirable to be able to provide health care facilities with the option of connecting patient monitors to a variety of different sensors available from different sensor manufacturers Interface devices are sometimes used to increase the number and or variety of sensors that can be used to acquire data for a monitoring device Often one or more such interface devices are connected to a communication network along with one or more monitoring devices A need exists for an interface device that can operate in a variety of modes of operation For example in some situations it is desirable to have an interface device that operates in a stand alone mode of operation e g by transmitting data over a communica tion network to a variety of monitoring devices This allows the data from the sensors to be made available at any monitoring device that wishes to view the data In other instances it is desirable to have an interface device that serves as a peripheral device for a monitoring device For example it may be desirable for the interface device to operate
17. broadcasts the first set of data on the communication network for reception by a plurality of devices capable of displaying the first set of data 25 A monitoring system comprising a communication network a plurality of sensors the plurality of sensors being capable of acquiring data from a plurality of systems under test a monitor the monitor having a display and the monitor being coupled to the communication network a plurality of interface devices the plurality of interface devices being coupled to respective ones of the plural ity of sensors to receive the data from the systems under test the plurality of interface devices being coupled to the communication network and a selected one of the plurality of interface devices operating as a peripheral device for the monitor and an identification link the identification link providing a separate physical connection between the monitor and the selected one of the plurality of interface devices to thereby provide a visual indication which one of the plurality of interface devices is operating as the periph eral device for the monitor 26 A system according to claim 25 wherein the identi fication link comprises a communication link 27 Asystem according to claim 26 wherein the interface device and the monitor communicate by way of the dedi cated communication link to verify an identity of the selected one of the interface devices 28 A system according to claim 26 wh
18. ce device 16 the central monitor 24 the patient monitors 26 and the interface devices 28 The communication network 20 may be a hardwired or wireless network and may be a local area network metropolitan area network or wide area network such as the Internet In the embodiment of FIG 1 the communication network is a hospital monitoring network or other patient monitoring network The patient monitors 12 26 and interface devices 16 28 may be located throughout different rooms of the healthcare facility The monitors 26 may be the same or similar in construction and operation to the monitor 12 and the interface devices 28 may be the same or similar in construction and operation to the interface device 16 The patient monitors 26 and the interface devices 28 are con nected to additional sensors that acquire physiological data from other patients For simplicity the additional sensors and additional patients are not shown in FIG 1 Other types of monitors or interface devices may also be used For example one of the monitors 26 may be a clinical informa tion system which is in essence a device that monitors and stores data transmitted on the communication network 20 Other non monitoring non data acquiring devices may also be connected to the network 20 although these devices are not shown in FIG 1 The identification adapter 22 is disposed between the monitor 12 and the interface device 16 Preferably the identification adapter 22 is
19. de of operation the inter face device operates as a stand alone device available to transmit the data from the sensors to multiple ones of the plurality of monitors by way of the communication network 2 An interface device according to claim 1 wherein in the peripheral mode of operation i the interface device transmits the data acquired by the sensor to the one of the plurality of monitors ii the data is accessible by remaining ones of the plurality of monitors only through the one of the plurality of monitors and wherein in the stand alone mode of operation i the data is accessible by remaining ones of the plurality of monitors only through the one of the plurality of monitors and ii the data is displayed by the respective displays of the more than one of the plurality of monitors 3 An interface device according to claim 1 wherein the data transmitted by the interface device is physiological data pertaining to a physiological condition of a human patient 4 A monitoring system comprising a communication network US 6 792 396 B2 11 a sensor the sensor being capable of acquiring data from a system under test an interface device the interface device being coupled to the sensor to receive the data from the system under test and the interface device being coupled to the communication network and a plurality of monitors each of the plurality of monitors being coupled to the communication network and wh
20. e mode of operation In the peripheral mode of operation the interface device operates as a peripheral device for one of a plurality of monitors In the stand alone mode of operation the interface device operates as a stand alone device for multiple ones of the plurality of monitors In particular in the stand alone mode of operation the interface device operates as a stand alone device available to transmit the data from the sensors to multiple ones of the plurality of monitors by way of the communication network According to another preferred aspect a monitoring sys tem comprises a communication network a sensor an interface device and a plurality of monitors The sensor is capable of acquiring data from a system under test The interface device is coupled to the sensor to receive the data from the system under test The interface device and each of the plurality of monitors is coupled to the communication network The interface device has a peripheral mode of operation and a stand alone mode of operation The interface device operates as a peripheral device for a selected one of the plurality of monitors in the peripheral mode of operation and operates as a stand alone device available to transmit the data to each of the plurality of monitors in the stand alone mode of operation According to another preferred aspect a monitoring sys tem comprises a communication network a plurality of sensors a monitor a plurality of interface d
21. embedded in an electrical cable 27 which forms a dedicated communication link 25 between the monitor 12 and the interface device 16 The dedicated communication link 25 is separate from the communication network 20 and provides a direct connection between the monitor 12 and the interface device 16 In the preferred embodiment the cable 27 connects to the monitor 12 by way of an open one of the input ports 30 used to connect the monitor 12 to the sensors 14 and connects to the interface device 16 by way of an open one of the input ports 60 used to connect the interface device 16 to the sensors 18 The cable 27 is preferably bi directional so that either end may be coupled to either the monitor 12 or the interface device 16 In one embodiment data acquired by the interface device 16 using the sensors 18 is transmitted to the monitor 12 by way of the communication network 20 and not the dedicated communication link 25 Alternatively if the communication link 25 has sufficient bandwidth data may be transmitted by way of the communication link 25 In this embodiment the purpose of the cable 27 is limited to providing a reliable way of determining which two devices i e which interface device and which patient monitor are connected together Because the operator can see a physical hardwired connec tion between the monitor 12 and the interface device 16 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 65 6 there is little opp
22. eration wherein in the first mode of operation of the interface device the interface device operates as a peripheral device for a selected first one of a plurality of monitors such that the interface device transmits the data from the patient to the first monitor the first monitor con figured to receive and process data from sensors that are coupled to the first monitor and a system under test and configured to execute a monitor program related to data acquired by the interface device from the plurality sensors and wherein in the second mode of operation of the interface device the interface device is available to transmit the data from the sensors to multiple ones of the plurality of monitors by way of the communication network for utilization by the multiple ones of the plurality of 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 14 monitors the utilization by the multiple ones of the plurality of monitors comprising for each monitor at least one of a displaying the data from the sensors and b storing the data from the sensors in an electronic patient chart 17 A patient monitoring system for a healthcare facility the patient monitoring system comprising a communication network a first plurality of sensors the first plurality of sensors being capable of acquiring a first set of data from a human patient the first set of data pertaining to physi ological measurements from the human patient
23. erein the interface device and the monitor each have an IP address on the communication network and wherein the interface device and the monitor exchange IP address information by way of the dedicated communication link 29 Asystem according to claim 25 wherein the interface device has a peripheral mode of operation and a stand alone US 6 792 396 B2 17 mode of operation the interface device operating as a peripheral device for the monitor in the peripheral mode of operation and the interface device operating as a stand alone device available to transmit the data to the monitor and a plurality of additional monitors in the stand alone mode of operation 30 A system according to claim 25 wherein the moni toring system is a patient monitoring system wherein the system under test is a human patient and wherein the data acquired from the human patient is physiological data 31 A system according to claim 25 wherein one of the plurality of sensors is one of an electrocardiograph sensor a pulse oximetry sensor a blood pressure sensor and a carbon dioxide sensor cardiac output sensor impedance cardiog raphy sensor electroencephalograph sensor 32 A system according to claim 25 wherein the patient monitoring system is located in a healthcare facility 33 Asystem according to claim 25 wherein the selected one of the plurality of interface devices stores information identifying at least one of a unit name and a bed number wi
24. erein the interface device has a peripheral mode of operation and a stand alone mode of operation the interface device operating as a peripheral device for a selected first one of the plurality of monitors in the peripheral mode of operation and the interface device operating as a stand alone device available to transmit the data to each of the plurality of monitors in the stand alone mode of operation and wherein the first monitor is configured to receive and process data from sensors that are coupled to the first monitor and a system under test and configured to execute a monitor program related to data acquired by the interface device from the plurality sensors 5 A system according to claim 4 wherein in the peripheral mode of operation i the interface device transmits the data acquired by the sensor to the selected one of the plurality of monitors ii the data is displayed by the selected one of the plurality of monitors and iii the data is accessible by remaining ones of the plurality of monitors only through the selected one of the plurality of monitors and wherein in the stand alone mode of operation the inter face device is available to transmit the data individually to each of the plurality of monitors and the plurality of monitors are each configurable to receive the data acquired by the sensor directly from the interface device by way of the communication network 6 A monitoring system comprising a communica
25. eripheral device for one of the monitors 12 26 By way of example it is assumed herein that the interface device 16 is configured to operate as a peripheral for the monitor 12 although the interface device 16 could just as easily be configured at other times to operate as a peripheral for one of the other patient monitors 26 In FIG 4 at step 91 data is acquired from the patient 29 using the sensors 18 connected to the interface device 16 Assuming the interface device 16 is operating as a peripheral device for the monitor 12 then the data is transmitted from the inter face device 16 to the monitor 12 at step 92 At step 93 the data is displayed by the monitor 12 In one embodiment in the peripheral mode of operation the data acquired by the interface device 16 is available to remaining ones of the plurality of monitors 26 only through the monitor 12 Thus the system 10 may be configured such that data acquired by any of the monitors 12 and 26 may be displayed at any of the other monitors 12 and 26 This allows data acquired from one patient to be viewed by a physician without the physician necessarily having to be at the patient s bedside In the peripheral mode of operation the data acquired by the interface device 16 is available to the monitors 26 along with the data from the monitor 12 However the monitors 26 are not permitted to directly access the data acquired by the interface device 16 rather access to the data acquired b
26. eshold In the preferred embodiment when the interface device 16 is in the peripheral mode of operation and when an operator of one of the monitors 26 displays a list of the interface devices on the communication network 20 the interface device 16 is not included among the list of interface devices displayed to the operator It may also be noted that in the peripheral mode of operation some of the data transmitted to the monitor 12 by the interface device 16 may not be displayed by the monitor 12 but may instead be passed through the monitor 12 to one of the monitors 26 such as a clinical information system For example intravenous IV pump data may be passed through the monitor 12 to a clinical information system for charting Other parameters unknown to the monitor 12 may be passed through as well For example if a particular sensor 18 is not supported by the monitor 12 but is supported by the interface device 16 the data from the particular sensor 18 may simply be passed through the monitor 12 to the other monitors 26 on the rest of the communication network 20 In the stand alone mode of operation the interface device 16 operates as a stand alone device for the monitors 12 26 The interface device 16 is available to transmit data directly to any or all of the monitors 12 26 by way of the commu nication network 20 depending on which monitors 12 26 are configured to receive such data As previously noted in one embodiment each of
27. evices and an identification link The plurality of sensors are capable of acquiring data from a plurality of systems under test The monitor has a display and is coupled to the communication network The plurality of interface devices are coupled to respective ones of the plurality of sensors to receive the data from the systems under test The plurality of interface devices are also coupled to the communication network A selected one of the plurality of interface devices operates as a peripheral device for the monitor The identification link provides a separate physical connection between the monitor and the selected one of the plurality of interface devices to thereby provide a visual indication which one of the plural ity of interface devices is operating as the peripheral device for the monitor BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG 1 is a block diagram of a patient monitoring system according to a preferred embodiment FIG 2 is a block diagram showing a patient monitor of the system of FIG 1 in greater detail FIG 3 is a block diagram showing an interface device of the system of FIG 1 in greater detail FIG 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the system of FIG 1 in either a stand alone mode of operation or a peripheral mode of operation FIG 5 is another flowchart showing operation of an interface device to associate with a monitor in the system of FIG 1 FIG 6 is a screen display of a monitor in the system of FI
28. he monitor 12 at one end and the interface device 16 at the other end The monitor 12 and interface device 16 then locate each other on the communication network 20 by locating the device with the matching key Other arrangements are also possible It may also be noted that the use of a visual identification link may be employed not only with interface devices that are capable of both a peripheral and stand alone mode of operation but also with interface devices that are only capable of a peripheral mode of operation In alternative embodiments no visible communication link is used e g no identification adapter 22 no commu nication link 25 and so on and the interface device 16 enters the peripheral mode of operation entirely in response to requests transmitted by way of the communication net work 20 For example an operator input may be received at the monitor 12 which indicates that the operator wishes to have the interface device 16 configured to operate as periph eral for the monitor 12 Each interface device 16 28 broadcasts its presence on the communication network 20 and each monitor 12 26 maintains a list of interface devices available on the communication network 20 When the operator wishes to select an interface device to be configured as a peripheral a list of available interface devices is displayed to the operator at the monitor 12 Operator inputs are then received which indicate the operator s selection of a particul
29. lit view mode The right side of the display is locally acquired data for the monitor 26 The left side of the display is aremote view of the data acquired by the monitor 12 The data from the monitor 12 contains a combination of data that is locally acquired by the monitor 12 and data acquired by the interface device 16 Many changes and modifications may also be made to the invention without departing from the spirit thereof The scope of these changes will become apparent from the appended claims What is claimed is 1 An interface device for a monitoring system compris ing a communication interface the communication interface being adapted to connect the interface device to a communication network to transmit data acquired by the interface device using a plurality of sensors over the communication network and a microprocessor and a programmed memory coupled to the microprocessor the memory being programmed to provide the interface device with a peripheral mode of operation and a stand alone mode of operation wherein in the peripheral mode of operation the interface device operates as a peripheral device for a first one of a plurality of monitors the first monitor configured to receive and process data from sensors that are coupled to the first monitor and a system under test and configured to execute a monitor program related to data acquired by the interface device from the plurality sensors wherein in the stand alone mo
30. lo graph EEG sensor and so on In FIG 1 the sensors 14 are shown as including an NBP sensor 14a and ECG sensor 14b a respiration sensor 14c and a CO2 sensor 14d The monitor 12 is programmed to support each of the different types of sensors 14 to which it is connected To this end the monitor 12 includes the interface programs 46 which are useable to interpret and process the data acquired the dif ferent sensors which are supported by the monitor 12 The display 34 and the input device 36 of the monitor 12 provide an operator interface by which operator inputs are acquired and data acquired by the sensors 14 and 18 is displayed to the operator The communication interface 38 connects the monitor 12 to the communication network 20 allowing the monitor 12 to transmit information to and receive information from other devices on the communica tion network 20 The monitor program 44 is one or more programs executed by the microprocessor 40 to control 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 4 operation of the monitor 12 The identification information 48 includes an identifier by which the monitor 12 is iden tified for communication on the communication network 20 The device list 50 is a list of devices monitors interface devices active on the communication network 20 The interface device 16 is connected to the second plu rality of sensors 18 With reference to FIG 3 which shows the interface device
31. ne of the plurality of monitors 19 A method according to claim 18 further comprising repetitively broadcasting a message from the interface device indicating that the interface device is available to enter the peripheral mode of operation 20 Amethod according to claim 18 wherein the changing step further comprises 1 transmitting a request from the selected one of the plurality monitors to the interface device to enter a peripheral mode of operation and 2 receiving and responding to the request at the interface device 21 Amethod according to claim 18 wherein the interface device is one of a plurality of interface devices and wherein the method further comprises maintaining a list of the plurality of interface device that are available to operate in the peripheral mode of operation the list being maintained in memory devices of at least some of the plurality of monitors 22 A method of operation for a patient monitoring network comprising A acquiring data from a patient using sensors connected to an interface device the interface device being one of a plurality of interface devices B operating the monitoring network with the interface device in a stand alone mode operation including 1 transmitting the data from the interface device to a plurality of monitors and 2 displaying the data at the plurality of monitors C changing the mode of operation of the interface device from the stand alone mode of operati
32. nnected to the first plurality of sensors 14 These connections may be made by analog or digital parallel or serial communication links by direct hardwired or wireless connection of the sensor to the moni tor 12 or by another arrangement In the preferred embodiment the sensors 14 are connected to the monitor 12 by way of input ports 30 In one embodiment the input ports 30 are each uniquely configured for a particular type of sensor such that a given input port 30 may only be used with a particular type of sensor Alternatively the input ports may be identical ports such as RS 232 ports to provide a standard communication interface for connecting sensors from various manufacturers to the monitor 12 A combina tion of these two approaches may also be used The sensors 14 may include a variety of different types of sensors that acquire different types of data In the preferred embodiment the monitor 12 is a portable patient monitor and is used to continuously monitor parameters from a patient 29 In this embodiment the sensors 14 are used by the monitor 12 to acquire physiological data from the patient 29 and may include for example a ventilator sensor a urometer sensor a pulse oximetry SPO2 sensor a carbon dioxide CO2 sensor an electrocardiograph ECG sensor a respiration sensor an invasive blood pressure sensor a non invasive blood pressure NBP sensor cardiac output sensor impedance cardiography sensor electroencepha
33. nt types of data as described above in con junction with the sensors 14 In the patient monitoring embodiment the sensors 18 are used by the interface device 16 to acquire physiological data from the patient 29 In FIG 1 the sensors 18 are shown as including an SPO2 sensor 18a a ventilator sensor 185 and a urometer sensor 18c The interface device 16 is programmed to support each of the different types of sensors 18 to which it is connected To this end the interface device includes the interface programs 74 which are useable to interpret and process the data acquired by the sensors 18 The sensors 18 each include memory not shown that stores identification information e g device type for the sensor 18 When one of the sensors 18 is initially connected to the interface device 16 this information is transmitted to the interface device 16 so that the interface device 16 can determine the type of sensor to which it is connected Based on this information the inter face device 16 uses a particular interface program 74 to interpret and process the data from the particular sensor 18 In this regard it may be noted that the interface device 16 may be used to serve as a universal interface device for a variety of different types of sensors In other words when a decision is made to support a new type of sensor interface software for the new type of sensor is developed and programmed into the interface device 16 Any type of monitor or othe
34. of sensors to receive data at the interface device from the first plurality of sensors and wherein the selected one of the plurality of monitors includes a second plurality of input ports the second plurality of input ports being coupled to respective ones of the second plurality of sensors to receive data at the selected one of the plurality of monitors from the second plurality of sensors 15 A monitoring system comprising a communication network US 6 792 396 B2 13 a sensor the sensor being capable of acquiring data from a system under test an interface device the interface device being coupled to the sensor to receive the data from the system under test and the interface device being coupled to the communication network a plurality of monitors each of the plurality of monitors being coupled to the communication network and wherein the sensor is one of a first plurality of sensors capable of acquiring data from the system under test wherein the system further comprises a second plurality of sensors the second plurality of sensors being capable of acquiring data from the system under test wherein the interface device includes a first plurality of input ports the first plurality of input ports being coupled to respective ones of the first plurality of sensors to receive data at the interface device from the first plurality of sensors wherein the selected one of the plurality of monitors includes a second plur
35. on to a peripheral mode of operation D operating the monitoring network with the interface device in the peripheral mode operation including 1 transmitting the data from the interface device to a selected first one of the plurality of monitors and 2 displaying the data at the selected one of the plurality of monitors E maintaining a list of the plurality of interface device that are available to operate in the peripheral mode of operation the list being maintained in memory devices of at least some of the plurality of monitors and F displaying the list to a human operator and receiving an operator selection indicating which of the plurality of interface devices is available to serve in the periph eral mode of operation wherein in the peripheral mode of operation the data acquired by the interface device is available to remain ing ones of the plurality of monitors only through the selected one of the plurality of monitors 23 A method of operation for a patient monitoring network comprising A acquiring data from a patient using sensors connected to an interface device B operating the monitoring network with the interface device in a stand alone mode operation including 1 transmitting the data from the interface device to a plurality of monitors and 2 displaying the data at the plurality of monitors C changing the mode of operation of the interface device from the stand alone mode of operation to a
36. operating mode and a second operating mode wherein the system handles the interface device as if it were a portion of the monitor if the interface device is in the first operating mode and handles data acquired by the interface device as if it is an independent device if the interface device is in the second operating mode
37. operator input received at the selected one of the plurality of moni tors 10 A system according to claim 4 wherein the monitor ing system is a patient monitoring system wherein the system under test is a human patient and wherein the data acquired from the human patient is physiological data 11 Asystem according to claim 10 wherein the sensor is one of an electrocardiograph sensor a pulse oximetry sensor a blood pressure sensor and a carbon dioxide sensor cardiac output sensor impedance cardiography sensor elec troencephalograph sensor 12 A system according to claim 10 wherein the patient monitoring system is located in a healthcare facility 13 A system according to claim 10 wherein the interface device stores information identifying at least one of a unit name and a bed number with which the interface device is associated and wherein the interface device transmits the at least one of the unit name and bed number to the selected one of the plurality of monitors 14 A system according to claim 4 wherein the sensor is one of a first plurality of sensors capable of acquiring data from the system under test wherein the system further comprises a second plurality of sensors the second plurality of sensors being capable of acquiring data from the system under test wherein the interface device includes a first plurality of input ports the first plurality of input ports being coupled to respective ones of the first plurality
38. ortunity for confusion on the operator s part as to which two devices are connected together This avoids a situation in which the operator is under a mistaken impression that the monitor 12 is configured to receive data for one patient from one interface device when in fact the monitor 12 is actually configured to receive data for a different patient from a different interface device Of course it would also be possible to transmit the data acquired by the sensors 18 by way of the dedicated communication link 25 instead of by way of the communication network 20 The identification adapter 22 includes memory not shown that stores device type information that is transmit ted to the interface device 16 and that is used by the interface device 16 to distinguish the identification adapter 22 from some other type of device such as a sensor This is akin to the device type information stored and transmitted by the sensors 18 This allows the interface device 16 to recognize that it is connected to an identification adapter and thus by way of the identification adapter to a patient monitor as opposed to some other type of device such as a sensor Referring now also to FIG 4 an overview of the opera tion of the system 10 is illustrated The interface device 16 has two modes of operation namely a peripheral mode of operation and a stand alone mode of operation In the peripheral mode of operation the interface device 16 operates as a p
39. r device that is connected to the communi cation network 20 then has access to the data acquired by the new type of sensor by way of the interface device 16 There is no need to develop interface software for each of these different types of monitors individually It may be noted that in some cases sensors may be connected to a monitor or interface device only indirectly and a certain amount of preprocessing may occur before data from a particular sensor is transmitted to the monitor or the US 6 792 396 B2 5 interface device For example in connection with the ven tilator sensor 18b this sensor is likely to be provided as part of or attached to a ventilator system having its own computer system and an output port The output port of the ventilator system may be connected to an input port 60 of the interface device 16 and data may be transferred to the interface device 16 via the connection made between these two ports The interface device 16 is therefore connected to the sensor 18b by way of the ventilator computer system and the data from the ventilator sensor 185 is made available to the interface device 16 by the ventilator computer system as opposed to by the sensor 18b itself directly Similar arrange ments may be used for other devices such as respirators In other cases particular sensors may be directly connected to the monitors and interface devices The communication network 20 connects the patient monitor 12 the interfa
40. roceeds to step 106 At step 106 monitor 12 validates the identification infor mation and sends an acknowledgment to the interface device 16 by way of the communication link 25 The acknowledg ment transmitted by the monitor 12 includes identification information e g IP address for the monitor 12 At step 108 the interface device 16 performs a checksum operation to confirm that the identification information from the moni tor 12 is valid If the checksum operation is not successful this indicates a faulty connection between the interface device 16 and the monitor 12 Accordingly at step 110 operator feedback is provided indicating the faulty connec tion on the dedicated communication link 25 e g a flashing yellow LED 64 on the interface device 16 and the process 100 returns to step 102 Conversely at step 112 if the checksum operation is successful then operator feedback is provided indicating an association pending condition e g a solid yellow LED 64 on the interface device 16 and the process 100 proceeds to step 114 At step 114 the interface device 16 attempts to establish a connection with the monitor 12 on the commu nication network 20 If no connection can be established then the process returns to step 102 US 6 792 396 B2 9 If connection is established at step 114 then at step 116 operator feedback is provided indicating successful associa tion communication on both the network 20 and the link
41. ter the peripheral mode of operation The identification information may include the unit name bed number and IP address of the interface device 16 Sending the unit name and bed number is advantageous if the monitor 12 is a portable monitor which is susceptible to being moved from location to location within a facility The monitor 12 may then further prompt the operator to confirm the unit name of the interface device 16 to provide further assurance that the correct two devices are connected together The monitor 12 may also change its own unit name and bed number to be similar to that of the unit name and bed number of the interface device 16 This is advantageous in that the unit name and bed number of the monitor 12 can be automatically configured to match that of a location within the facility by way of the data sent from the interface device 16 via the dedicated communication link 25 In this example the unit name and bed number of the interface device 16 pre configured such that it matches the physical location of the interface device 16 with the facility such as a room number and bed location At step 104 if the dedicated communication link 25 is not present then the process 100 returns to step 102 On the other hand if the dedicated communication link 25 is present at step 104 then the identification information is successfully transmitted by way of the dedicated commu nication link 25 to the monitor 12 The process 100 then p
42. th which the selected one of the plurality of interface devices is associated and wherein selected one of the plurality of interface devices transmits the at least one of the unit name and bed number to the monitor 34 A monitoring system comprising a monitor and an interface device coupled to the monitor and configured to operate in a first operating mode and a second operating mode wherein the monitor handles data acquired by the inter face device as if it had been acquired by the monitor if 10 15 20 25 18 the interface device is in the first operating mode and handles data acquired by the interface device as if it had been acquired by an independent device if the interface device is in the second operating mode 35 A monitoring system comprising a network a monitor coupled to the network and an interface device coupled to the network and configured to operate in a first operating mode and a second operating mode wherein the system handles data acquired by the interface device as if it had been acquired by the monitor if the interface device is in the first operating mode and handles data acquired by the interface device as if it had been acquired independently of the monitor if the interface device is in the second operating mode 36 A monitoring system comprising a network a monitor coupled to the network and an interface device coupled to the network and configured to operate in a first
43. tion is illustrated By default the interface device 16 is in the stand alone mode of operation unless action is taken by an operator to which causes the system 10 to configure the interface device 16 in the peripheral mode of operation Upon detecting that the inter face adapter 22 has been connected to one of the input ports 60 of the interface device 16 the interface device 16 and the 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 8 monitor 12 initiate an auto association process in which the interface device 16 and the monitor 12 establish communi cation with each other and the interface device 16 becomes a peripheral of the monitor 12 From the standpoint of a human operator the operator connects the interface device 16 and the monitor 12 with the cable 27 and this initiates an auto detect sequence wherein the interface device 16 and the monitor 12 detect the presence of the cable 27 and the interface device 16 enters the peripheral mode of operation More specifically by way of example at step 102 the interface device 16 requests to associate with a monitor 12 or 26 Preferably step 102 is implemented by the interface device 16 which attempts to transmit identification informa tion or a packet on the dedicated communication link 25 at periodic intervals This transmission provides an indica tion to any listening device particularly the monitor 12 that the interface device 16 is available to en
44. tion network a sensor the sensor being capable of acquiring data from a system under test an interface device the interface device being coupled to the sensor to receive the data from the system under test and the interface device being coupled to the communication network a plurality of monitors each of the plurality of monitors being coupled to the communication network and an identification link the identification link providing a separate physical connection between the interface device and the selected one of the plurality of monitors to thereby provide a visual indication that the interface device is operating as operating as the peripheral device for the selected one of the plurality of monitors wherein the interface device has a peripheral mode of operation and a stand alone mode of operation the interface device operating as a peripheral device for a selected one of the plurality of monitors in the periph eral mode of operation and the interface device oper ating as a stand alone device available to transmit the data to each of the plurality of monitors in the stand alone mode of operation 7 A monitoring system comprising a communication network a sensor the sensor being capable of acquiring data from a system under test an interface device the interface device being coupled to the sensor to receive the data from the system under Un 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65
45. y the interface device 16 is granted through the monitor 12 Thus when the interface device 16 is in the peripheral mode of operation access to the data acquired by the interface device 16 is obtained in a manner which is substantially the same as the manner in which access is obtained to the data acquired by the monitor 12 Data acquired by the interface device 16 using the sensors 18 is merged with data acquired by the monitor 12 using the sensors 14 From an operator interface perspective data from the interface device 16 is viewed at one of the monitors 26 by viewing the data acquired by the monitor 12 and little or no differentiation exists between data acquired by the interface device 16 and data acquired by the monitor 12 Of course other configurations are also possible Additionally the monitors 26 each maintain a list 50 of interface devices 28 on the communication network 20 The US 6 792 396 B2 7 monitors 26 can then be configured to display this list to an operator in response to the reception of appropriate operator inputs such that an operator may select one of the interface devices 28 For example an operator at one of the operator monitors 26 may wish to select a particular one of the interface devices 28 adjust alarm thresholds for a particular one of the parameters monitored by the selected interface device 28 and then monitor the selected parameter to thereby be alerted when the parameter exceeds the alarm thr
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