Low power radiofrequency (RF) communication systems for secure wireless patch initialization and methods of use

Inventors

Sattiraju, Venkateswara Rao • Niknejad, Ali • Yun, Louis

Assignees

Lifesignals Inc

Abstract

Provided herein is a wireless healthcare system comprising at least one sensor and a base unit adaptable to be in communication with the sensor. The sensor can be is adaptable to communicate with the base unit at a first power during formation of a communication link and is further adaptable to communicate with the base unit at a second power after the communication link has been formed, and wherein the sensor and base unit are components of a wireless healthcare system. The sensor can be a patch adaptable to be positioned on the surface of a patient. Further provided herein is a method of using the wireless healthcare system and kit.

Core Innovation

A wireless healthcare system includes at least one sensor configured to be positioned on a surface of a user, where the sensor comprises a first power amplifier and a first set of one or more attenuators. The sensor is adaptable to select a first power mode for the first power amplifier, and the first set of one or more attenuators is adaptable to further attenuate an output signal at a first power level from the first power amplifier to generate a signal at a second power level lower than the first power level. A base unit is adaptable to be in direct wireless communication with the sensor via a communication link, where the base unit comprises a second power amplifier and a second set of one or more attenuators adaptable to further attenuate an output signal.

The sensor is adaptable to operate at the first power level to form the communication link between the sensor and the base unit, operate at the second power level to form the communication link, and operate at a third power level different from the first power level and the second power level to communicate with the base unit via the communication link after the communication link has been formed and established as an encrypted link. The sensor and base unit are components of a wireless healthcare system, enabling a sequence where a lower power link formation phase transitions into an encrypted link and then to a different power level for subsequent communication.

In an encryption method, at least one sensor of the wireless healthcare system is brought to a predetermined distance threshold of the base unit, and direct wireless communication is initiated when the base unit and the sensor operate at the first power level or the second power level. The communication link is then established as an encrypted link, and afterward the power level of the sensor is increased from the first power level or the second power level to a higher power level greater than the first power level and the second level.

The system is also framed for transmitting sensitive physiological data from a patient to a host device. The sensor is adaptable to transmit physiological data to a network server, and the established encrypted link supports continued communication at a third power level after encryption. The disclosed approach additionally supports error-free verification such as cyclic redundancy check (CRC) and includes a beacon/key/notification exchange concept for switching the communication link to the encrypted link.

Claims Coverage

The independent claims cover four core aspects: wireless healthcare system architecture with sensor/base-unit power amplification and attenuator switching; direct wireless link formation at first and second power levels and encrypted-link operation at a third power level; an encryption method using a predetermined distance threshold and power-level switching before and after encrypted-link establishment; and transmitting sensitive physiological data from a patient to a host device using the same encrypted-link formation and power-level switching concept.

Across the independent claims, the core inventive coverage is the use of sensor and base-unit power amplifiers with selectable attenuator stages to operate at first and second power levels for direct communication link formation, establish the link as an encrypted link, and then operate at a third, different power level for continued communication. The method claim further ties encrypted-link establishment to a predetermined distance threshold, and the data-transmission claim frames the approach for sensitive physiological data from a patient to a host device.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications