Patent #6,112,224
Inventor(s)
Peifer; John W. , Atlanta, GA
Hopper; Andrew , Atlanta, GA
Burrow; Michael , Lawrenceville, GA
Sudduth; Barry , Lawrenceville, GA
Panchal; Samir , Norcross, GA
Quay; Andy , Kennesaw, GA
Price; W. Edward , Smyrna, GA
Applicant(s)
Georgia Tech Research
Corporation, Atlanta, GA
Issued/Filed Dates
Aug. 29, 2000 / Sept.19, 1997
Abstract
A patient monitoring system for use in a telemedicine system that
allows multiple medical devices to communicate with a control unit
via an interface that uses a single interrupt. In architecture,
the system can be implemented in hardware, or a combination of
hardware and software, and is more particularly implemented
as follows: A plurality of medical devices are connected
to a control unit via a device interface that uses a single
interrupt in the transmission of data from the medical devices
to the control unit. When a medical device has data to transmit
to the control unit,the medical device transmits data to
the device interface, and the device interface uses its single
interrupt line in the transmission of data to the control
unit.
What is claimed is:
1. A patient monitoring system for use in
a telemedicine system, comprising:
- a plurality of medical devices;
- a control unit;
- a device interface connecting each of said
medical devices to said control unit;
- a first data bus connecting
said control unit and said device interface;
- an address bus connecting
said control unit and said device interface;
- a single interrupt
connection connecting said control unit and said device interface;
- a plurality of second data buses, each of which connects said
device interface and a respective one of said medical devices;
- wherein said device interface is designed to communicate data
from said control unit to any one of said medical devices,
said device interface being designed to communicate particular
data from said control unit to a particular medical device by
decoding an address corresponding to said particular medical device
on said address bus in order to identify said particular medical
device and by communicating said particular data received
from said first data bus to a respective one of said second
data buses that corresponds to said particular medical device;
- wherein said device interface is designed to use a single interrupt
in the transfer of data from said medical devices to said control
unit, said device interface being designed to communicate
data from any one of said medical devices to said control
unit, said device interface designed to communicate certain data
from a certain medical device to said control unit by receiving said
certain data on a respective one of said second buses that is
connected to said certain medical device, temporarily storing
said certain data, communicating a single interrupt on said single
interrupt
connection to said control unit, and communicating said
certain data received from said respective second data
bus to said control unit via said first data bus.
2. The system of claim 1,
wherein said medical devices are freely interchangeable with said
device interface.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein said medical
devices possess plug and play compatibility with said device interface.
4.
The system of claim 1, wherein said interface is a single serial
communications card having multiple serial ports for handling
data transfer from a plurality of said medical devices and having
a single interrupt interface with said control unit.
5. The system
of claim 1, wherein said medical devices connect to said device
interface via an RS232 interface.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein
said control unit is a personal computer.
7. A patient monitoring
system for use in a telemedicine system, comprising:
- means for
acquiring information about a patient's condition, said acquiring means
comprising a plurality of medical devices;
- means for controlling
the acquisition of said information; and
- means for transferring
said information from said acquiring means to said controlling
means using a single interrupt, said transferring means comprising:
- a first data bus means for connecting said controlling
means and said acquiring means;
- an address bus means for connecting
said controlling means and said acquiring means;
- a single
interrupt connection means for connecting said controlling
means and
said acquiring means;
- a plurality of second data bus means,
each of which connects said transferring means and
a respective one of said medical devices;
- means for communicating data from
any one of said medical devices to said controlling means by receiving said data on a respective
one of said second bus means that is connected to said any
medical device, communicating an interrupt on said single interrupt
connection to said controlling means, and communicating said
data received from said respective second data bus means to said controlling
means via said first data bus means.
8. The system of claim 7,
wherein said controlling means comprises a programmable control
unit, said control unit being programmed to perform the following
functions:
- initiate the transmission of data from said acquiring
means;
- receive an interrupt on said control unit;
- process data resulting
from an interrupt service routine for said interrupt; and
- transmit
data to said acquiring means.
9. The system of claim
7, wherein said transferring means is a deviceinterface.
10.
A method of communication between a plurality of medical
devices and a control unit using a single interrupt, comprising
the steps of:
- transmitting data from one of said medical devices
to a device interface;
- invoking an interrupt on said control
unit with said device interface when any data is to be transferred
from any one of
said medical
devices to said control unit by using a single interrupt request
line for each and every one of said medical devices;
- starting
an interrupt service routine at said control unit for said interrupt;
and
- transmitting said data through said device interface to
said control unit.
11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the
step of converting said data from said medical devices into
a format comprehensible by said control unit.
12. The method
of claim 10, wherein said medical devices use a plurality of communication
protocols for transmitting data
and further comprising the step of translating between one
of said communication protocols used by said medical devices and
a communication protocol used by said control unit.
13. A programmable patient monitoring system for use in a telemedicine
system, comprising:
- a plurality of medical devices;
- a programmable control unit;
- a device interface connecting
each of said medical devices to said control unit, said device
interface using a single
interrupt
in the transfer of data from said medical devices to said control
unit;
- said control unit being programmed to perform the following
functions:
- initiate the transmission of data from one of said
medical devices to said device interface;
- receive an interrupt
on said
control
unit;
- process data resulting from an interrupt service routine
for said interrupt; and
- transmit data to said medical devices
through said device interface.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein
said interface is a single serial communications card having
multiple serial ports for handling data transfer from a plurality
of said medical devices
and having a single interrupt interface with said control unit.
15. The system of claim 13, wherein said medical devices
connect to said device interface via an RS232 interface.
16.
The system of claim 7, wherein said transferring means
further comprises a means for communicating data from said
controlling means to any one of said medical devices, for
communicating particular data from said controlling means to
a particular medical device by decoding an address corresponding
to said particular medical device on said address bus means
in order to identify said particular medical device and
by communicating said particular data received from said
first data bus means to a respective one of said second data
bus means that
corresponds to said particular medical device.
17. The
system of claim 7, wherein said medical devices are freely interchangeable
with said device interface.
18. The system of claim 7,
wherein said medical devices possess plug and play compatibility
with said device interface.
19. The system of claim 7,
wherein said acquiring means is a single serial communications
card having multiple serial ports
for handling data transfer from a plurality of said medical devices
and having a single interrupt interface with said controlling
means.
20. The system of claim 7, wherein said medical devices
connect to said transferring means via an RS232 interface.
21.
The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:
- communicating
data from said control unit to any one of said medical devices;
- communicating particular data from said control unit to a particular
medical device by decoding an address corresponding to said
particular medical device at said device interface in order
to identify
said particular medical device and by communicating said
particular data to said particular medical device through said
device
interface.
22. The method of claim 10, wherein said medical devices are
freely
interchangeable with said device interface.
23. The method
of claim 10, wherein said medical devices possess plug and play
compatibility with said device interface.
24. The method of claim
10, wherein said acquiring means is a single serial communications
card having multiple serial ports for handling data transfer from a
plurality of said medical devices and having a single interrupt
interface with said controlling means.
25. The method of claim
10, wherein said medical devices connect to said transferring
means via an RS232 interface.
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