Communication device for communicating with a bio-medical unit
View Patent ↗A bio-medical communication system includes a bio-medical unit and a communication device. The bio-medical unit is implantable in and/or affixable to a host body and includes a power harvesting module, a communication module, and a functional module. The communication device is operable to: set-up a communication with the bio-medical unit; wirelessly communicate the at least one of upstream data signal and downstream data signal with the bio-medical unit; convert the upstream data signal into an upstream wide area network (WAN) signal and/or a downstream WAN signal into the downstream data signal; and transmit or receive at least one of the upstream and downstream WAN signals.
1. A bio-medical communication system comprises:
a bio-medical unit implantable in, or affixable to, a host body, the bio-medical communication system comprising:
a bio-medical unit comprising:
a power harvesting module operable to produce a supply voltage from a received electromagnetic power signal generated by an electromagnetic device;
a communication module powered by the supply voltage, wherein the communication module is operable to wirelessly communicate at least one of an upstream data signal and a downstream data signal; and
a functional module operable to:
perform a bio-medical function to produce upstream data of the upstream data signal; and
process downstream data of the downstream data signal; and
a communication device operable to:
set-up a communication with the communication module of the bio-medical unit, wherein setting-up the communication includes sending a signal to the electromagnetic device to request the electromagnetic device to generate the electromagnetic power signal;
wirelessly communicate the at least one of upstream data signal and downstream data signal with the bio-medical unit;
convert at least one of:
the upstream data signal into an upstream wide area network (WAN) signal; and
a downstream WAN signal into the downstream data signal; and
transmit or receive at least one of the upstream and downstream WAN signals.
2. The bio-medical communication system of claim 1 , wherein the communication device is further operable to:
receive the downstream WAN signal;
convert the downstream WAN signal into a downstream signal;
interpret the downstream signal to determine that the communication with the biomedical unit is to be set-up; and
set-up the communication with the bio-medical unit in accordance with the downstream signal.
3. The bio-medical communication system of claim 1 , wherein the communication device is further operable to:
transmit the upstream WAN signal to a remote monitoring device, wherein the upstream data includes at least one of: a digital image, a radio frequency based radar image, an ultrasound image, tissue sample information, and measurement information.
4. The bio-medical communication system of claim 1 , wherein the communication device is further operable to:
transmit the upstream WAN signal to a remote diagnostic device, wherein the upstream data includes bio-medical diagnostic information; and
receive the downstream WAN signal from the remote diagnostic device, wherein the downstream data includes a treatment function request.
5. The bio-medical communication system of claim 1 , wherein the communication device is further operable to:
receive the downstream WAN signal from the remote control device, wherein the downstream data includes a micro electro-mechanical function request.
6. The bio-medical communication system of claim 1 , wherein the communication device is further operable to:
transmit the upstream WAN signal to a medical record storage device, wherein the upstream data includes bio-medical data; and
receive the downstream WAN signal from the medical record storage device, wherein the downstream data includes access information to the bio-medical data.
7. The bio-medical communication system of claim 1 further comprises:
a plurality of bio-medical units that includes the bio-medical unit, wherein the communication device sets up a direct communication local area network with the plurality of bio-medical units.
8. The bio-medical communication system of claim 1 further comprises:
a plurality of bio-medical units that includes the bio-medical unit, wherein the communication device sets up an indirect communication local area network with the plurality of bio-medical units, wherein at least one of the plurality of bio-medical units functions as an access point for the indirect communication local area network.
9. A communication device for use with a biomedical unit, the communication device comprising:
a wireless transceiver module operable to:
communicate at least one of upstream data signal and downstream data signal with the bio-medical unit that is implanted on, or affixed to, a host body;
communicate at least one of an upstream wide area network (WAN) signal and a downstream WAN signal; and
transmit a wireless signal containing a request for an electromagnetic device to generate an electromagnetic signal that the bio-medical unit uses to generate a supply voltage;
a processing module operable to:
set-up the communication of the at least one of the upstream and downstream data signals with the bio-medical unit;
generate the request transmitted by the wireless transceiver module;
facilitate conversion of the upstream data signal into the upstream WAN signal; and
facilitate conversion of the downstream WAN signal into the downstream data signal.
10. The communication device of claim 9 , wherein the wireless transceiver module is further operable to:
transmit the upstream WAN signal to a remote monitoring device, wherein the upstream data includes at least one of: a digital image, a radio frequency based radar image, an ultrasound image, tissue sample information, and measurement information.
11. The communication device of claim 9 , wherein the wireless transceiver module is further operable to:
transmit the upstream WAN signal to a remote diagnostic device, wherein the upstream data includes bio-medical diagnostic information; and
receive the downstream WAN signal from the remote diagnostic device, wherein the downstream data includes a treatment function request.
12. The communication device of claim 9 , wherein the wireless transceiver module is further operable to:
receive the downstream WAN signal from the remote control device, wherein the downstream data includes a micro electro-mechanical function request.
13. The communication device of claim 9 , wherein the wireless transceiver module is further operable to:
transmit the upstream WAN signal to a medical record storage device, wherein the upstream data includes bio-medical data; and
receive the downstream WAN signal from the medical record storage device, wherein the downstream data includes access information to the bio-medical data.
14. The communication device of claim 9 , wherein the wireless transceiver module comprises:
a first wireless transceiver for communicating the at least one of upstream data signal and downstream data signal with the bio-medical unit; and
a second wireless transceiver for communicating the at least one of the upstream and the downstream WAN signal.
15. A wireless communication device for use with a bio-medical unit, the wireless communication device comprising:
a wireless transceiver module operable to:
communicate wirelessly with the bio-medical unit that is implanted on, or affixed to, a host body;
communicate wirelessly with an electromagnetic device that generates an electromagnetic signal used by the bio-medical unit to generate a supply voltage;
a processing module operable to:
generate a request transmitted by the wireless transceiver module, the request including a request for the electromagnetic device to generate the electromagnetic signal used by the bio-medical unit to generate the supply voltage; and
set-up communication with the bio-medical unit.
16. The wireless communication device of claim 15 , wherein the wireless transceiver module comprises:
a first wireless transceiver for communicating at least one of an upstream data signal and a downstream data signal with the bio-medical unit; and
a second wireless transceiver for communicating at least one of an upstream and a downstream WAN signal.
17. The wireless communication device of claim 15 , wherein the wireless transceiver module is further operable to:
transmit an upstream WAN signal to a remote monitoring device, wherein upstream data included in the upstream WAN signal includes at least one of: a digital image, a radio frequency based radar image, an ultrasound image, tissue sample information, and measurement information.
18. The wireless communication device of claim 15 , wherein the wireless transceiver module is further operable to:
transmit an upstream WAN signal to a remote diagnostic device, wherein upstream data included in the upstream WAN signal includes bio-medical diagnostic information; and
receive a downstream WAN signal from the remote diagnostic device, wherein downstream data included in the downstream WAN signal includes a treatment function request.
19. The wireless communication device of claim 15 , wherein the wireless transceiver module is further operable to:
transmit an upstream WAN signal to a medical record storage device, wherein upstream data included in the upstream WAN signal includes bio-medical data; and
receive the downstream WAN signal from the medical record storage device, wherein downstream data included in the downstream WAN signal includes access information to the bio-medical data.
20. The wireless communication device of claim 15 , wherein the processing module is configured to set-up and initiate the communication with the bio-medical unit.