Patent · US Expired

Medical diagnostic apparatus with sleep mode

US5924979A · kind A · utility

454Cited by
4References
17Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 28, 1997
Grant dateJul 20, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 28, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02D30/50
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A method and apparatus for conserving power in a medical diagnostic apparatus by using a sleep mode during a monitoring state. The sleep mode allows not only the processor to be put to sleep, but other detection circuitry as well. This is accomplished by not relying on detecting events to awaken the sleeping circuitry, but rather establishing the stability of a physiological parameter before going to sleep. The invention monitors a physiological parameter of the patient and enters a sleep mode only after it has been stable for a predetermined period of time. The apparatus is periodically awakened from the sleep mode to take additional measurements and to ascertain that the stability of the physiological parameter has not changed. In one embodiment, the sleep period is chosen to be consistent with the period in which an alarm condition would need to be generated if a patient's condition started to quickly change.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.