Patent ID: 6115622
Filing Date: 2000-09-05
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
A method of conserving battery charge in a battery-powered ambulatory medical data recorder, the ambulatory data recorder comprising a plurality of data channels connected to a plurality of corresponding medical sensors, including a first medical data sensor connected to a first data channel and a second medical data sensor connected to a second data channel, the ambulatory data recorder further comprising a battery-powered processor, the processor being programmable and comprising means for sampling the first and second data channels at respective first and second sample rates, the first sample rate being greater than the second sample rate, the processor further comprising means for calculating and implementing first and second durations of first and second wake-up sessions, respectively, of the processor, the first duration of the first wake-up session being sufficient to permit the processor to sample data from the first channel only, the second duration being sufficient to permit the processor to sample data from the first and second channels, the processor further comprising means for powering up the processor for at least the first and second wake-up mode sessions and means for powering down the processor for at least first and second sleep mode sessions interposed, respectively, between the first and second wake-up mode sessions, and between the second and first wake-up sessions, comprising:waking up the processor for the first wake-up mode session;sampling data from the first channel only;powering down the processor for the first sleep mode session;waking up the processor for the second wake-up mode session;sampling data from the first and second channels, andpowering down the processor for the second sleep mode session.