Modular defibrillator architecture
Defibrillators, defibrillator architectures, defibrillator interface units and methods of operating defibrillators are described. In one aspect, a modular defibrillator architecture is described. A base unit provides a fully functional defibrillator. The functionality of the base unit can be supplemented by attaching an interface unit to the base unit. The defibrillator interface unit includes a housing, a communications module, a processing unit and a power storage unit. The housing is configured to be mounted on the base defibrillator unit to form at least a part of a unitary portable modular AED system. The communications module facilitates wireless communication between the AED and one or more remote servers. The processing unit includes at least one processor and is configured to receive communications from the base defibrillator unit. The power storage unit powers the interface unit including the communications module and the processing unit.
1. A defibrillator interface unit adapted to be mounted on a base defibrillator unit that is capable of operating independently as an automated external defibrillator (AED) both (i) with the defibrillator interface unit attached, and (ii) without the defibrillator interface unit, the defibrillator interface unit comprising:
a housing configured to be mounted on the base defibrillator unit to form at least a part of a unitary portable modular defibrillator system that combines the base defibrillator unit and the defibrillator interface unit;
a communications module configured to facilitate wireless communication between the defibrillator interface unit and one or more remote servers;
a processing unit that includes at least one processor, the processing unit being configured to receive communications from the base defibrillator unit; and
a power storage unit that powers the defibrillator interface unit including the communications module and the processing unit.
2. A defibrillator interface unit as recited in claim 1 further comprising a display screen controlled by the processing unit and powered by the power storage unit.
3. The defibrillator interface unit as recited in claim 1 further comprising a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) sensor, wherein the defibrillator interface unit is configured to determine a location of the defibrillator interface unit using the GNSS sensor.
4. The defibrillator interface unit as recited in claim 3 , wherein the defibrillator interface unit is configured to determine the location of the defibrillator interface unit using the GNSS sensor during emergency use of the portable modular defibrillator system and to report the location of the defibrillator interface unit to at least a selected one of the one or more remote servers during the emergency use of the of the portable modular defibrillator system.
5. A defibrillator interface unit as recited in claim 1 wherein the defibrillator interface unit is further configured to receive status messages from the base defibrillator unit and to transmit at least some status information contained in the received status messages to a selected one of the one or more remote servers.
6. A defibrillator interface unit as recited in claim 1 wherein the processing unit is further configured to receive status messages from the base defibrillator unit during emergency use of the portable modular defibrillator system and to transmit the at least some status information contained in the received status messages to a selected one of the one or more remote servers during emergency use of the portable modular defibrillator system.
7. The defibrillator interface unit as recited in claim 1 wherein the processing unit is configured to act upon at least some of the communications received from the base defibrillator unit during emergency use of the portable modular defibrillator system by:
causing first information to be transmitted to at least a selected one of the one or more remote servers via the communications module during the emergency use of the portable modular defibrillator system; and
causing second information to be presented to an operator on the display screen during the emergency use of the portable modular defibrillator system.
8. A defibrillator interface unit as recited in claim 1 wherein the communications module facilitates at least one of cellular and WiFi communications.
9. The defibrillator interface unit as recited in claim 1 wherein the processing unit, and at least portions of the communications module and the power storage unit are contained within the housing.
10. A defibrillator interface unit as recited in claim 2 , wherein during emergency use of the portable modular defibrillator system, the processing unit is arranged to:
(i) receive an instruction state identifier from the base defibrillator unit indicative of an audio instruction generated by the base defibrillator unit;
(ii) retrieve a visual instruction corresponding to the instruction state identifier from memory of the defibrillator interface unit, the visual instruction being an operator instruction; and
(iii) cause the retrieved visual instruction to be displayed on the display screen to facilitate the synchronized display of the visual instruction on the display screen with the audio instruction generated by the base defibrillator unit; and
(iv) repeat (i)-(iii) for a plurality of different instruction state identifiers.
11. A defibrillator interface unit as recited in claim 10 wherein the processing unit is further arranged to (v) in response to the reception of each defibrillator instruction state identifier, determine whether a currently displayed graphic corresponds to the received defibrillator instruction state identifier, (vi) when it is determined that the received defibrillator instruction state identifier corresponds to the currently displayed graphic instruction, maintain the currently displayed graphic instruction, and (vii) when it is determined that the received defibrillator instruction state identifier does not correspond to the currently displayed graphic instruction such that the received defibrillator instruction state identifier is a new defibrillator instruction state identifier, perform steps (ii) and (iii) with respect to the new defibrillator instruction state identifier.
12. A defibrillator interface unit as recited in claim 10 wherein at least one of the visual instructions is or includes at least one of a GIF, a short animation or a sequence of images.
13. A defibrillator interface unit as recited in claim 1 wherein the power storage unit is a rechargeable interface unit battery.
14. A defibrillator interface unit as recited in claim 1 further comprising a first connector externally exposed on a face of the defibrillator interface unit and adapted to engage a complementary connector exposed on a face of the base defibrillator unit when the defibrillator interface unit is mounted on and attached to the base defibrillator unit to electrically connect the defibrillator interface unit to the base defibrillator unit.
15. A defibrillator interface unit as recited in claim 14 wherein the power storage unit is a rechargeable battery that is configured to be recharged at selected times via power received through the first connector while the defibrillator interface unit is mounted on and attached to the base defibrillator unit without drawing any power from any power storage unit on the base defibrillator unit.
16. A defibrillator interface unit as recited in claim 14 wherein the defibrillator interface unit is configured to supply power from the power storage unit to the base defibrillator unit via the first connector.
17. A defibrillator interface unit as recited in claim 1 wherein the defibrillator interface unit is further configured to periodically receive status messages from the base defibrillator unit when the base defibrillator unit is in a standby mode and to cause the communications module to periodically transmit the defibrillator status information to one or more of the remote servers when the base defibrillator unit is in the standby mode.
18. The defibrillator interface unit as recited in claim 1 wherein the defibrillator interface unit is configured to not draw any power from any power storage unit on the base defibrillator unit when the defibrillator interface unit is attached to the base defibrillator unit.
19. A portable modular defibrillator system comprising a defibrillator interface unit as recited in claim 1 and the base defibrillator unit.
20. A portable modular defibrillator system as recited in claim 19 wherein the base defibrillator unit includes a capacitor unit suitable for delivering the defibrillation shock, and a battery capable of storing sufficient energy to independently facilitate charging the capacitor unit to a level suitable for delivering the defibrillation shock, and the base defibrillator unit is independently capable of determining when a defibrillation shock is advisable and delivering the defibrillation shock.
21. A portable modular defibrillator system as recited in claim 19 wherein:
the base defibrillator unit is configured to transmit information to the defibrillator interface unit during emergency use of the base defibrillator unit, and the base defibrillator unit does not require or utilize any control instructions from the attached defibrillator interface unit during the emergency use of the base defibrillator unit, and
the defibrillator interface unit has no substantial function other than to operate in conjunction with the base defibrillator unit but is not required for the base defibrillator unit to operate properly during the emergency use of the base defibrillator unit.
22. A portable modular defibrillator system as recited in claim 19 wherein:
the base defibrillator unit further includes a defibrillator controller configured to cause the transmission of incident information to the defibrillator interface unit during emergency use of the base defibrillator unit; and
the defibrillator interface unit includes a display screen and is configured to both (a) transmit at least a portion of the incident information to the remote server and (b) display at least a portion of the incident information to a user in response to a user request.
23. A portable modular defibrillator system as recited in claim 19 wherein the incident information includes, for each defibrillation shock delivered during the emergency use of the base defibrillator unit:
(i) a timestamp indicating a time at which the defibrillation shock was delivered;
(ii) an energy level delivered for the defibrillation shock; and
(iii) an indication of a waveform associated with the defibrillation shock.
24. A portable modular defibrillator system as recited in claim 19 wherein the base defibrillator unit is configured to periodically transmit self-test information to the defibrillator interface unit and the defibrillator interface unit is configured to forward the self-test information to a first one of the one or more remote servers.
25. A defibrillator interface unit adapted to be mounted on a base defibrillator unit that is capable of operating independently as an automated external defibrillator (AED) both (i) with the defibrillator interface unit attached, and (ii) without the defibrillator interface unit, the defibrillator interface unit comprising:
a housing configured to be mounted on the base defibrillator unit to form at least a part of a unitary portable modular defibrillator system that combines the base defibrillator unit and the defibrillator interface unit;
a communications module configured to facilitate wireless communication between the defibrillator interface unit and one or more remote servers;
a processing unit that includes at least one processor, the processing unit being configured to receive communications from the base defibrillator unit;
a touch sensitive display screen controlled by the processing unit; and
a power storage unit that powers the defibrillator interface unit including the communications module, the display screen and the processing unit.
26. The defibrillator interface unit as recited in claim 25 further comprising a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) sensor, wherein the defibrillator interface unit is configured to determine a location of the defibrillator interface unit using the GNSS sensor.
27. A defibrillator interface unit adapted to be mounted on a base defibrillator unit that is capable of operating independently as an automated external defibrillator (AED) both (i) with the defibrillator interface unit attached, and (ii) without the defibrillator interface unit, the defibrillator interface unit comprising:
a processing unit that includes at least one processor;
memory having a multiplicity of visual instructions stored therein;
a power storage unit that powers the defibrillator interface unit including the communications module and the processing unit; and
a housing configured to be mounted on the base defibrillator unit to form at least a part of a unitary portable modular defibrillator system that combines the base defibrillator unit and the defibrillator interface unit, wherein the processing unit, the memory and the power storage unit are at least partially contained within the housing; and
wherein the processing unit is arranged to, during emergency use of the portable modular defibrillator system,
(i) receive an instruction state identifier from the base defibrillator unit indicative of an audio instruction generated by the base defibrillator unit,
(ii) retrieve a selected one of the visual instructions corresponding to the instruction state identifier from the memory of the defibrillator interface unit; and
(iii) cause the retrieved selected visual instruction to be displayed on the display screen to facilitate the synchronized display of the visual instruction on the display screen with the audio instruction generated by the base defibrillator unit; and
(iv) repeat (i)-(iii) for a plurality of different instruction state identifiers.