Wireless Relay Module for Remote Monitoring Systems

Abstract

A wireless relay module for networked communications between a series of medical devices and a remote monitoring device. An interface circuit coupled to each medical device communicates with the wireless relay module via a wireless relay network. The relay module communicates with the remote monitoring device over one or more internet-accessible wireless communication networks, and includes a receiver coupled to the wireless relay network, transmitter(s) for the wireless relay network or other wireless relay networks, other transmitters for the one or more Internet-accessible wireless communications networks; and a controller. The controller determines a status of the one or more internet-accessible wireless communications networks. When the status indicates that at least one of the internet-accessible wireless communications network is available, the appropriate transmitter is selected for the transmitting medical device data over the available internet-accessible wireless communications networks. When the internet-accessible wireless communications networks are not accessible, the appropriate wireless relay network transmitter is selected for transmitting the data to another wireless relay module.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A wireless relay module comprising:
 a first receiver capable of wirelessly receiving medical device data over a first wireless relay network from at least one medical device;   a first transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting data over a first internet-accessible wireless communications network;   a second transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting data over a second internet-accessible wireless communications network;   a third transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting medical device data to a second wireless relay module over the first wireless relay network; and   a controller coupled to said transmitters, said controller capable of controlling said wireless relay module to select one of said first, second or third transmitter for transmitting medical device data received by said first receiver.   
     
     
         2 . The wireless relay module of  claim 1 , wherein said third transmitter is further capable of transmitting operating instructions to said at least one medical device. 
     
     
         3 . The wireless relay module of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a second receiver capable of wirelessly receiving said operating instructions from at least one of said first or second internet-accessible wireless communications networks; and   a memory electrically connected to said controller, said memory capable of buffering said received operating instructions destined for respective ones of said medical devices, wherein said controller controls the order and/or priority for transmission of said operating instructions to said respective ones of said medical devices.   
     
     
         4 . The wireless relay module of  claim 3 , wherein the second receiver is capable of wirelessly receiving said operating instructions from said first internet-accessible wireless communications network, further comprising:
 a third receiver capable of wirelessly receiving said operating instructions from said second internet-accessible wireless communications network.   
     
     
         5 . The wireless relay module of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 a fourth transmitter capable of wirelessly transmitting medical device data;   wherein said controller is further coupled to said first receiver, is capable of determining a type of the wireless relay network according to the medical device data received from the at least one medical device, and is further capable of selecting one of the third transmitter or the fourth transmitter according to the type of the wireless relay network for transmitting operating instructions to the at least one medical device.   
     
     
         6 . The wireless relay module of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a status module coupled to the first transmitter and controller, said status module capable of determining a status of potential communications over each of said first or second wireless communications networks and providing said status to the controller for selecting said first or second transmitter based on said status.   
     
     
         7 . The wireless relay module of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 a wireless communications network indicator electrically connected to said status module for providing a status indication of a determined status of potential communications over at least one of said first or second wireless communications networks by said wireless relay module.   
     
     
         8 . The wireless relay module of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a wireless relay network indicator electrically connected to said controller for providing a status indication of a determined status of potential communications over said wireless relay network.   
     
     
         9 . The wireless relay module of  claim 1 , wherein said controller is capable of selecting one of said first, second or third transmitters based on receiving a status parameter over said wireless relay network. 
     
     
         10 . The wireless relay module of  claim 1 , further comprising a transformer circuit to enable said device to be powered by an AC power source. 
     
     
         11 . The wireless relay module of  claim 10 , further configured for being plugged into and supported by an AC wall power outlet. 
     
     
         12 . The wireless relay module of  claim 11 , further comprising a modular AC wall power plug that may be replaceable removed from the wireless relay module. 
     
     
         13 . The wireless relay module of  claim 1  wherein said wireless relay network is a ZIGBEE network. 
     
     
         14 . The wireless relay module of  claim 1  wherein said wireless relay network is a relay-enable Bluetooth network. 
     
     
         15 . The wireless relay module of  claim 1 , wherein one of said first or second internet-accessible wireless communications networks is a mobile communications network. 
     
     
         16 . The wireless relay module of  claim 15  wherein one or more of said first or second mobile communications networks is a CDMA-based, GSM-based or WiMax-based network. 
     
     
         17 . The wireless relay module of  claim 15 , wherein the second internet-accessible wireless communications networks is selected from the group consisting of metropolitan area networks (MANs), campus area Networks (CANs), local area networks (LANs), home area networks (HANs), personal area networks (PANs) and body area networks (BANs). 
     
     
         18 . The wireless relay module of  claim 1  wherein said medical device data is encrypted medical device data. 
     
     
         19 . The wireless relay module of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a second receiver coupled to the controller and capable of wirelessly receiving medical device data over a second wireless relay network; and 
 a fourth transmitter coupled to the controller and capable of wirelessly transmitting medical device data to a second wireless relay module over the second wireless relay network. 
 
     
     
         20 . A process for operating a relay module in a medical device wireless network, comprising the steps of:
 a. receiving data from at least one medical devices over a wireless relay network;   b. determining the status of first and second internet-accessible wireless communications networks in respective communication with first and second transmitters of said relay module;   c. transmitting said data from said at least one medical devices over said first or second communications network by said first or second transmitter if said determined status satisfies a particular criteria; and   d. transmitting said data from said at least one medical devices by a third transmitter in communication with the wireless relay network to a second relay module over the wireless relay network if said determined status fails to satisfy the particular criteria.   
     
     
         21 . The process of  claim 20  further comprising the steps of:
 receiving operating instructions over the first or second internet-accessible wireless communications network intended for said at least one medical devices; and 
 transmitting said received operating instructions to said intended ones of said at least one medical device. 
 
     
     
         22 . The process of  claim 20  further comprising the steps of
 buffering said received operating instructions destined for respective ones of said medical devices; and 
 controlling at least one of an order or priority for transmission of said operating instructions to said respective ones of said medical devices. 
 
     
     
         23 . The process of  claim 20  further comprising the steps of:
 providing an indication of potential communications over at least one of said first or second wireless communications networks during a power-up sequence of said relay module. 
 
     
     
         24 . The process of  claim 20  further comprising the steps of:
 providing an indication of potential communications over said wireless relay network during a power-up sequence of said relay module. 
 
     
     
         25 . The process of  claim 24 , wherein the step of providing an indication of potential communications over said wireless relay network further comprises the step of:
 providing an indication of a signal strength of said wireless relay network by selectively illuminating none or one or more LED indicators.   
     
     
         26 . The process of  claim 20 , wherein said wireless relay network is a ZIGBEE network. 
     
     
         27 . The process of  claim 20 , wherein said wireless relay network is a relay enabled Bluetooth network. 
     
     
         28 . The process of  claim 20 , wherein at least one of said first or second wireless communications networks is a communications channel of a mobile communications network 
     
     
         29 . The process of  claim 28 , wherein said mobile communications network is a CDMA, GSM or WiMax-based network. 
     
     
         30 . The process of  claim 20 , wherein the determining step further comprises the steps of:
 measuring a state of each of said first and second wireless communications networks; and   determining said status of said first and second wireless communications networks as a function of said measured states of said first and second wireless communications networks.   
     
     
         31 . The process of  claim 30 , wherein the measured state is related to a signal strength of the measured wireless communication network. 
     
     
         32 . The process of  claim 30 , wherein the measured state is related to a latency of communications in the measured wireless communication network. 
     
     
         33 . The process of  claim 20 , wherein the particular criteria includes the identification of a user selection of one of the first or second wireless communications networks. 
     
     
         34 . The process of  claim 20 , wherein the said status is determined as a function of a value of a data element stored by a storage element of said relay module.