General Electric Company

Ge Medical Systems Information Technologies Gmbh

Ge Marquette Medical Systems, Inc.

David L Schieble

James M Gray

Alan E Clapp

Michael John Palmer

Richard J Frangesch

Brian Bayer

Paul Daniel Lindquist

Roy Donald Koski

Andreas Schulz

Wilfried Loehning

Karen S Delvecchio

Bart J Finnel

Horst Schlosser

The present invention is a method and system for powering a patient monitoring system. The present invention is a modular patient monitoring system utilizing a bi-directional power bus to efficiently couple a multi-parameter acquisition device, a display and any number of expansion modules. Each coupled device includes a battery, enabling each device to send or receive power through the bi-directional bus. The method and system of the present invention utilizes power from any single battery or from any number of the batteries in the system, as charge is not transferred from one battery to another. The present invention allows for the batteries to charge when it is operated from AC mains derived power.

Method and system for powering a patient monitoring system

A method and an apparatus for informing a system user that the full charge capacity of the battery is less than the design capacity. One horizontal fuel gauge icon for each battery is displayed on the host system display panel. The fuel gauge is displayed as three overlapping rectangles which are left justified. The first layer is a dashed outline, always the same width, representing the design capacity of the battery. The second layer is a solid outline representing the full capacity as a percentage of the design capacity. As a battery wears, this level will become a smaller percentage of the full rated capacity indicated by the dashed line. The third layer is a filled rectangle representing the present (actual) capacity as a percentage of the full capacity.

Battery fuel gauge for display in battery-powered equipment

A docking station for a portable electronic device, such as a portable patient monitor of the type used in health care facilities. In particular, the docking station can be installed at a bedside location in a health care facility. The docking station is designed to provide electrical and mechanical connection of AC power and communication devices to the portable electronic device. An intuitive, top-down mounting mechanism locks the electronic device in place without user input. A front facing security lever on the docking station, which can be operated with one hand, provides engagement of electrical connectors and positive locking of the electronic device to the docking station. The docking station combines and provides AC power to the electronic device's AC mains connector, Ethernet signals to communicate with a local area network (LAN), DC power, and asynchronous communication signals to communicate with ancillary devices. A reverse action of the front facing security lever will disconnect the electronic device from these connections and indicate that the electronic device can be safely separated from the docking station. Once the electronic device has been separated from the docking station, the status of the docking station is set to accept the next electronic device.

Docking station for patient monitor or other electronic device

A method and apparatus are provided for distributing power within a cardiac treatment and monitoring system which includes a defibrillator releasably coupled to a patient monitoring unit. The method includes the steps of determining a battery reserve capacity within the patient monitoring unit and distributing power from the patient monitoring system to a defibrillator when the determined battery reserve capacity exceeds a threshold value.

Portable patient monitor with defibrillator/pacemaker interface and battery power management

A method and an apparatus for informing a system user of the remaining battery terminal voltage as the battery approaches the fully discharged condition. One horizontal fuel gauge icon for each battery is displayed on the host system display panel. The fuel gauge is displayed as two overlapping rectangles which are left justified. The first layer is a solid outline, always the same width, representing the full charge capacity of the battery. The second layer is a filled-in rectangle representing the present (actual) charge capacity as a percentage of the full charge capacity in a charge depletion mode and representing the battery terminal voltage in a voltage mode. The fuel gauging switches from the charge depletion mode to the voltage mode is response to detection of a battery terminal voltage threshold greater than a shutdown voltage threshold.

Dual-mode fuel gauge for display in battery-powered equipment

Growing community of inventors

Oconomowoc, WI, United States of America

David L Schieble