Medical communication system and cardiac rehabilitation support system

Abstract

To provide a medical communication system suitable for dealing with biological information like a cardiac rehabilitation support system, and a cardiac rehabilitation support system.SOLUTION: A medical communication system (10) includes first and second radio apparatuses (23 and 100) which perform radio communications compliant to a communication scheme, in which retransmission is restricted to each other, and transmits at least biological information of a patient from the first radio apparatus (23) to the second radio apparatus (100) according to the communication scheme. In the medical communication system (10), the first radio apparatus (23) transmits a packet including unique identification data corresponding to transmission data in the packet, and the first and second radio apparatuses (23 and 100) perform first retransmission processing compliant to retransmission procedures of the communication scheme and perform second retransmission processing based on omission of the unique identification data detected in the second radio apparatus (100).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a medical communication system and a cardiac rehabilitation support system. [Background technology]

[0002] Cardiac rehabilitation (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "rehabilitation") is performed, for example, through exercise therapy for patients with angina pectoris, patients after PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention), and patients with heart failure, with the aim of extending their life expectancy and improving their exercise tolerance.

[0003] Cardiac rehabilitation is mainly performed in rehabilitation rooms set up exclusively for rehabilitation in hospitals and other facilities. Exercise stress devices such as medical treadmills and ergometers are installed in the rehabilitation rooms. Patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation are fitted with electrocardiograms and blood pressure monitors. Medical professionals such as doctors, physical therapists, and nurses manage the operation of cardiac rehabilitation and evaluate the performance of cardiac rehabilitation based on the patient's biological information acquired by the electrocardiogram and blood pressure monitor.

[0004] Devices for managing rehabilitation exercise results are disclosed in, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2.

[0005] Patent Document 1 proposes a rehabilitation management device that analyzes exercise information from rehabilitation exercises performed by patients and manages the overall history of the motor functions of multiple patients. Patent Document 2 proposes a rehabilitation support device that makes it easy to understand whether the evaluation values ​​of many rehabilitation evaluation items are improving overall, are unchanged, or are getting worse by going back to a desired point in time. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-352686 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2010-108430 A [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-272109 [Patent Document 4] JP 2015-119910 A [Non-patent literature]

[0007] [Non-Patent Document 1] Takahiro Yamaguchi, "Blood pressure measurement under body movement and noise environment," Japan Society of Medical Instrumentation, Vol. 80, No. 6 (2010) P. 647-658 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] In recent years, cardiac rehabilitation support systems have also been moving towards wireless communication. This increases the flexibility of the system and makes it easier for medical professionals to manage cardiac rehabilitation.

[0009] However, if the quality of wireless communication deteriorates, the reliability of the cardiac rehabilitation support system will decrease.

[0010] Conventionally, when making a cardiac rehabilitation support system wireless, not much consideration has been given to what kind of wireless system should be constructed.

[0011] In particular, cardiac rehabilitation support systems and the like handle patient ECG (electrocardiogram) data and the like, and therefore require data communication that is highly real-time and has few interruptions.

[0012] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above points, and provides a medical communication system and a cardiac rehabilitation support system that are suitable for handling temporally continuous biological information, such as a cardiac rehabilitation support system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] One aspect of the medical communication system of the present disclosure includes: A medical communication system including first and second wireless devices that perform wireless communication with each other in accordance with a communication method in which retransmission is restricted, and that transmits at least biological information of a patient from the first wireless device to the second wireless device by the communication method, the first wireless device transmitting a packet including unique identification data corresponding to transmitted data in the packet; The first and second radio devices perform a first retransmission process in accordance with a retransmission procedure of the communication method, and also perform a second retransmission process based on a loss of the unique identification data detected in the second radio device.

[0014] One aspect of the cardiac rehabilitation support system of the present disclosure includes: The medical communication system is provided. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to realize a medical communication system and a cardiac rehabilitation support system that are suitable for handling temporally continuous biological information, such as a cardiac rehabilitation support system. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a cardiac rehabilitation support system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of an input box according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of a tablet terminal according to an embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a transmission packet generated by a transmission signal generating unit; [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a payload according to an embodiment; [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a payload according to an embodiment; [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a retransmission process according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] 8A and 8B are diagrams showing a state of complementation according to an embodiment, in which FIG. 8A shows a state in which missing ECG data exists, and FIG. 8B shows a state in which the missing ECG data has been complemented. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0018] <1. System configuration> 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a cardiac rehabilitation support system 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Cardiac rehabilitation differs from musculoskeletal rehabilitation in which rehabilitation is performed for each patient in turn (performed one-on-one between a medical professional and a patient), in that a medical professional can perform rehabilitation for multiple patients simultaneously while monitoring the biological information (e.g., ECG) and exercise records of multiple patients.

[0019] The cardiac rehabilitation support system 10 includes a tablet terminal 100. A plurality of individual units 20-1, 20-2 are connected to the tablet terminal 100. In the example of Fig. 1, two individual units 20-1, 20-2 are connected to the tablet terminal 100, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the number of individual units connected to the tablet terminal 100 may be one, or three or more.

[0020] In the example of Fig. 1, only one tablet terminal 100 is shown for the sake of simplicity, but the cardiac rehabilitation support system 10 may have a plurality (n) of tablet terminals 100. In the following description, a group consisting of one tablet terminal 100 and its subordinate individual units 20-1 and 20-2 will be referred to as a unit 101. Thus, the cardiac rehabilitation support system 10 generally has n unit units 101-1 to 101-n.

[0021] The cardiac rehabilitation support system 10 of this embodiment is assumed to have n=4, that is, four basic units 101. Therefore, the cardiac rehabilitation support system 10 has 2×4=8 individual units and can simultaneously perform cardiac rehabilitation for eight patients.

[0022] Each of the individual units 20-1 and 20-2 has a load device 21, a load controller 22, an input box 23, and a blood pressure monitor 24 as components.

[0023] As shown in the figure, the load device 21 is, for example, an ergometer. Alternatively, the load device 21 may be another device, such as a treadmill. The load device 21 operates based on a control signal from a load controller 22. Furthermore, information on the operating state of the load device 21, for example information on the number of revolutions of the pedals of the ergometer, is sent from the load device 21 to the load controller 22.

[0024] The input box 23 is a device that inputs biological information of a patient undergoing cardiac rehabilitation and transmits the biological information wirelessly. The input box 23 is housed, for example, in a dedicated bag accompanying the patient. The input box 23 inputs the ECG and SpO2 of the patient during or after rehabilitation.

[0025] Specifically, the input box 23 is connected to a lead wire connected to an electrode for ECG measurement worn by the patient. The input box 23 is also connected to a lead wire connected to a probe for SpO2 measurement worn by the patient. In this way, the input box 23 inputs an ECG signal and an SpO2 signal via a wire. The input box 23 converts the ECG signal and the SpO2 signal input via a wire into a digital signal and transmits it wirelessly to the tablet terminal 100. The tablet terminal 100 has a function of analyzing an ECG, and for example performs an arrhythmia analysis and displays the analysis result.

[0026] In this embodiment, the tablet terminal 100 and the input box 23 wirelessly communicate with each other using a communication method that complies with the BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) standard. The tablet terminal 100 and the input box 23 are in a relationship in which the tablet terminal 100 is a central (parent device) and the input box 23 is a peripheral (child device).

[0027] It should be noted that the input box 23 differs from a medical telemeter in terms of the frequency band and communication method used. In this embodiment, by using the input box 23 that uses the Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication method, it is possible to easily connect to the tablet terminal 100 without the user having to perform a connection setting operation as in the case of a medical telemeter. In this embodiment, biological information such as ECG data, which has conventionally been sent to a management terminal by wire, is wirelessly transmitted to the tablet terminal 100 using the input box 23 that uses Bluetooth communication.

[0028] The sphygmomanometer 24 is a so-called automatic sphygmomanometer, and measures the blood pressure of a patient during or after cardiac rehabilitation. The sphygmomanometer 24 operates based on a control signal from the load controller 22. In addition, the blood pressure measurement result is sent from the sphygmomanometer 24 to the load controller 22. The sphygmomanometer 24 is placed on, for example, a cart.

[0029] In this embodiment, the blood pressure monitor 24 is a so-called R-wave synchronous automatic blood pressure monitor. A more detailed description will be given. The electrocardiograph 24 measures blood pressure by the Liberaloch-Korotkoff method. The electrocardiograph 24 inflates a cuff wrapped around the upper arm of the patient to a target pressure, and then depressurizes the cuff at a constant speed. The Korotkoff sounds generated during the depressurization process are detected by a microphone attached to the cuff. The cuff pressure when the Korotkoff sounds begin to be heard is detected as the systolic blood pressure, and the cuff pressure when the Korotkoff sounds disappear is detected as the diastolic blood pressure.

[0030] In cardiac rehabilitation, since the patient exercises, noise is superimposed on the Korotkoff sounds, which may make it difficult to measure blood pressure. Therefore, the electrocardiograph 24 sets an effective range for the Korotkoff sounds based on the position of the R waves, and removes Korotkoff sounds generated outside the effective range as noise. The electrocardiograph 24 uses the Korotkoff sounds after noise removal to determine the blood pressure value from their appearance and disappearance patterns. Such an R-wave synchronized electrocardiograph is described in, for example, Patent Document 3 and Non-Patent Document 1.

[0031] Timing information of the R waves detected by the input box 23 or the tablet terminal 100 is input to the electrocardiograph 24 via the AP 30 and the load controller 22, and the electrocardiograph 24 uses this timing information of the R waves to remove noise from the Korotkoff sounds and measure blood pressure.

[0032] Here, the load device 21 and the sphygmomanometer 24 are wired to the load controller 22 using an input / output interface conforming to the RS232C standard. The load device 21 and the sphygmomanometer 24 may be connected to the load controller 22 using an input / output interface conforming to another standard.

[0033] The cardiac rehabilitation support system 10 has an access point (AP) 30 of a wireless LAN (Local Area Network). The load controllers 22 of the individual units 20-1 and 20-2 and the tablet terminal 100 are wirelessly connected to the AP 30. In the embodiment, four individual units 101, that is, four tablet terminals 100 and eight load controllers 22 are wirelessly connected to the AP 30. Note that the wireless LAN in this specification may be read as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Here, Wi-Fi is a communication technology conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard, as is well known.

[0034] The AP 30 is also connected by wire to a monitoring terminal 200 and a management database terminal 300 via a hub 40 .

[0035] The tablet terminal 100 is used during cardiac rehabilitation by medical professionals such as doctors, physical therapists, and nurses who manage cardiac rehabilitation. The tablet terminal 100 has a display unit, an operation input unit, a calculation unit, and a wireless communication unit. The tablet terminal 100 is wirelessly connected to the input box 23 using Bluetooth wireless technology, and biological information from the input box 23 is sent to the tablet terminal 100 wirelessly using Bluetooth.

[0036] The monitoring terminal 200 is realized, for example, by installing dedicated software on a personal computer, and collectively displays information acquired by multiple (e.g., n=4) tablet terminals 100. This allows the monitoring terminal 200 to collectively display biological information of multiple (e.g., 8) patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation. The monitoring terminal 200 can also send commands to the load device 21 and blood pressure monitor 24, etc., and can also send these commands to the tablet terminal 100.

[0037] The management database terminal 300 is realized, for example, by installing dedicated software on a personal computer, and stores and analyzes the biometric information from the tablet terminal 100. The management database terminal 300 also has a function for editing the biometric data, and can also provide comprehensive information.

[0038] For example, rehabilitation data for today can be compared with rehabilitation data from one month ago on the management database terminal 300. In addition, a printer (not shown) is connected to the management database terminal 300, making it possible to print reports using the printer.

[0039] Here, an outline of the operation of the cardiac rehabilitation support system 10 will be described.

[0040] When the medical staff operates the tablet terminal 100, a control signal corresponding to the operation is sent to the load controller 22, and the load of the load device 21 and the operation of the sphygmomanometer 24 are controlled.

[0041] The load controller 22 functions as a relay that converts data so that the format of data exchanged between the tablet terminal 100 and the load device 21 and the sphygmomanometer 24 is suitable for each interface. For example, the load controller 22 converts a control signal from the tablet terminal 100 into control data suitable for the interface (i.e., RS232C) of each of the load device 21 and the sphygmomanometer 24, and transmits it to each of the load device 21 and the sphygmomanometer 23. The load controller 22 also converts data input from the load device 21 and the sphygmomanometer 24 into data suitable for wireless LAN, and outputs the data to the AP 30.

[0042] Biometric information of the patient input into the input box 23 during or after the operation of the load device 21 is transmitted to the tablet terminal 100 and displayed on the tablet terminal 100. In addition, the measurement results of the sphygmomanometer 24 are also transmitted to the tablet terminal 100 via the load controller 22 and the AP 30 and displayed on the tablet terminal 100.

[0043] As a result, the biological information obtained by the subordinate individual units 20-1 and 20-2 is displayed on the tablet terminal 100. The medical staff can change the load of the load device 21 or stop the operation of the load device 21 by operating the tablet terminal 100 while looking at the displayed biological information.

[0044] Moreover, the biological information obtained by the plurality of unit units 101-1 to 101-n is collected and displayed on the monitoring terminal 200. This allows the user of the monitoring terminal 200 to view the biological information obtained by the plurality of unit units 101-1 to 101-n all at once. Moreover, the management database terminal 300 stores the biological information obtained by the plurality of unit units 101-1 to 101-n.

[0045] In this embodiment, a tablet terminal 100 with a small screen size is capable of displaying biometric information of a small number of people and controlling the load devices 21 of a small number of people, while a stationary monitoring terminal 200 with a large screen size is capable of displaying aggregated biometric information of a large number of people and controlling the load devices 21 of a large number of people.

[0046] In addition, in this embodiment, the tablet terminal 100 and the input box 23 are wirelessly connected, so medical staff can move around and manage cardiac rehabilitation while monitoring the condition of multiple patients without having to worry about wires. In addition, because Bluetooth communication is used for the wireless connection, the wireless connection is easy to operate, and the number of patients to be managed can also be easily changed.

[0047] <2. Considerations regarding retransmission> As described above, in this embodiment, the tablet terminal 100 and the input box 23 perform wireless communication using a communication method that complies with the BLE standard.

[0048] However, BLE communication is a low-energy, low-speed communication compared to, for example, Wi-Fi communication, and therefore the error rate tends to be high depending on the communication environment. Therefore, when using BLE communication, the number of retransmissions tends to be large in order to obtain data with fewer missing bits in the tablet terminal 100.

[0049] On the other hand, the BLE communication standard limits retransmissions to prevent increases in delays caused by an increase in the number of retransmissions. Specifically, the BLE communication standard limits the retransmission time to, for example, 4 seconds, and packets that have been retransmitted for 4 seconds are not retransmitted thereafter, and the system moves on to transmitting the next packet. While this retransmission limit in the BLE communication standard has the advantage of ensuring real-time performance, it also has the risk of data loss on the receiving side.

[0050] Since biological information such as ECG requires real-time information, the BLE communication standard's retransmission limit ensures real-time communication of biological information. However, if part of the ECG is lost, arrhythmia analysis may not be possible, which is very inconvenient. In other words, retransmission in the BLE communication standard is insufficient as a method of transmitting data that requires continuity, such as ECG data.

[0051] On the other hand, Patent Document 4 describes a method of sacrificing real-time performance by collectively retransmitting data for an inspection time (about 10 seconds) after the inspection is completed.

[0052] However, this method of sending is not suitable for sending data to a cardiac rehabilitation management terminal (tablet terminal 100) that must immediately stop the loading device 21 depending on changes in the vital signs. In other words, the method described in Patent Document 4 is acceptable as a method of sending data for storage, but is insufficient as a transmission method that requires real-time performance.

[0053] Also, if the test time is about 10 seconds, there is no big problem, but in cases where the test time is several minutes or more, such as cardiac rehabilitation, the method of sending vital signs after the test is extremely inconvenient because the vital signs cannot be reflected in the test currently being performed. Incidentally, an ECG during exercise in cardiac rehabilitation requires several tens of minutes, and the test time is also several tens of minutes.

[0054] The inventors of the present disclosure considered the advantages and disadvantages of such retransmission in BLE communication and arrived at the present disclosure.

[0055] <3. Retransmission Processing in the Embodiment> Next, a retransmission process according to this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, missing data is appropriately retransmitted while maintaining real-time performance.

[0056] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of the input box 23 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of the tablet terminal 100 according to the present embodiment.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 2, the input box 23 includes a biometric information input unit 231, a transmission signal generation unit 232, a Bluetooth wireless transmission unit 233, a Bluetooth wireless reception unit 234, a demodulation unit 235, a retransmission control unit 236, and the like.

[0058] The biological information input unit 231 inputs biological information of a patient from electrodes for ECG measurement and a probe for SpO2 measurement attached to the patient, and outputs ECG data and SpO2 data.

[0059] The transmission signal generation unit 232 generates a transmission packet that includes ECG data and SpO2 data and complies with the BLE communication standard.

[0060] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a transmission packet generated by the transmission signal generating unit 232. In the transmission packet, a preamble, an access address, a protocol data unit, and a CRC are arranged in this order from the beginning. The protocol data unit is configured by arranging, in this order from the beginning, a header, a payload, and a MIC. Note that the data size is shown in parentheses in Fig. 4, but the size is not limited to the example shown in the figure. For example, the size of the payload is not limited to 251 bytes.

[0061] In the BLE communication standard, a CRC for detecting errors in the protocol data unit is placed at the end of the packet. The BLE communication standard also stipulates that data communication must be performed sequentially, not in parallel. The BLE communication standard also stipulates that after a request is issued, the next request must not be issued until a response is received.

[0062] Figures 5 and 6 are diagrams showing examples of payloads in this embodiment. The examples in Figures 5 and 6 are examples of payloads including ECG data. ECG data 1 to m indicate ECG data that is continuous in time, for example, ECG data of 20 [msec] length divided into 10 parts and numbered. Similarly, ECG data m+1 to 2m indicate ECG data that is continuous in time following ECG data 1 to m, for example, ECG data of 20 [msec] length divided into 10 parts and numbered.

[0063] The number assigned to the ECG data is a unique number for each ECG data. In other words, the number and the ECG data correspond one-to-one. In this embodiment, a serial number is assigned to each piece of ECG data that is continuous in time.

[0064] The transmission signal generating unit 232 of this embodiment generates a packet including ECG identification data corresponding to the ECG data in the packet. For example, in the case of Fig. 5, the packet includes ECG data 1 to m, so the ECG identification data is "1 to m". In the case of Fig. 6, the packet includes ECG data m+1 to 2m, so the ECG identification data is "m+1 to 2m". In this way, the transmission signal generating unit 232 generates a packet including unique identification data (ECG identification data) corresponding to the transmission data (ECG data) in the packet.

[0065] The Bluetooth wireless transmission unit 233 transmits the transmission packets generated by the transmission signal generation unit 232 to the tablet terminal 100 using a wireless communication method that complies with the BLE communication standard.

[0066] The Bluetooth wireless receiving unit 234 receives signals from the tablet terminal 100 using a wireless communication method that complies with the BLE communication standard. Of the signals demodulated by the demodulating unit 235, a retransmission request signal and information on the identification data for which retransmission is requested are output to a retransmission control unit 236.

[0067] The retransmission control unit 236 controls the generation of transmission packets in the transmission signal generation unit 232 and the output of packets based on the retransmission request signal and the identification data for which retransmission is requested.

[0068] 3, the tablet terminal 100 has a Bluetooth wireless receiving unit 1001, a demodulating unit 1002, a decoding unit 1003, a retransmission determining unit 1004, a retransmission request signal generating unit 1005, a Bluetooth wireless transmitting unit 1006, an analyzing unit 1007, a display unit 1008, and a wireless LAN transmitting unit 1009. In addition to this configuration, the tablet terminal 100 has a missing data identifying unit 1010 and a complementing unit 1011.

[0069] The Bluetooth wireless receiving unit 1001 receives a signal from the input box 23 by a wireless communication method conforming to the BLE communication standard. The signal demodulated by the demodulating unit 1002 is output to the decoding unit 1003 and the retransmission determining unit 1004.

[0070] The retransmission determination unit 1005 determines whether or not a packet needs to be retransmitted based on the CRC included in the received packet, and outputs the determination result to the retransmission request signal generation unit 1005. The retransmission request signal generation unit 1005 generates an ACK or NACK signal according to the determination result. The generated ACK or NACK signal is transmitted to the input box 23 via the Bluetooth wireless transmission unit 1006.

[0071] The input box 23 performs a first retransmission process in accordance with the retransmission procedure of the BLE communication standard, based on the received ACK or NACK signal.

[0072] The decoded data obtained by decoding by the decoding unit 1003 is output to a missing data identifying unit 1010 and a complementing unit 1011 .

[0073] The missing data identifying unit 1010 identifies missing ECG data (or may be called missing packets) based on the decoded ECG identification data. For example, if ECG identification data 1 to m does not exist in the decoded data, it identifies that ECG data 1 to ECG data m shown in FIG. 5 are missing. Information on the missing ECG identification data identified by the missing data identifying unit 1010 is transmitted to the input box 23 via the retransmission request signal generating unit 1005 and the Bluetooth wireless transmitting unit 1006.

[0074] The input box 23 performs a second retransmission process based on the missing ECG identification data transmitted from the tablet terminal 100. Specifically, the input box 23 retransmits a packet including ECG data corresponding to the missing ECG identification data by adding the ECG identification data as shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. When retransmitting this packet, the input box 23 includes in the packet information indicating that the packet is a packet for retransmitting missing data.

[0075] The first retransmission process and the second retransmission process differ in that the first retransmission process determines the CRC before decoding the data in accordance with the Bluetooth communication standard, whereas the second retransmission process determines the ECG identification data after decoding.

[0076] The complementing unit 1011 fits the ECG data transmitted by the second retransmission process into a predetermined position based on the ECG identification data. This allows the ECG data transmitted by the second retransmission process to be placed in a correct position in time to obtain complemented ECG data.

[0077] The complemented ECG data is analyzed by the analysis unit 1008 and displayed on the display unit 1008. The analysis unit 1008 performs an analysis of arrhythmia and the like based on the ECG data. The complemented ECG data is transmitted via the wireless LAN transmission unit 1008 to the monitoring terminal 200, the management database terminal 300, and the like.

[0078] FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a retransmission process according to the embodiment.

[0079] The input box 23 transmits temporally continuous ECG data in successive packets in a communication method conforming to the BLE communication standard. As shown in the figure, when a retransmission request for packet 3 is transmitted from the tablet terminal 100, the input box 23 retransmits packet 3.

[0080] This retransmission continues until an ACK is transmitted from the tablet terminal 100. However, as can be seen from the diagram, in the BLE communication standard, after a predetermined time (for example, 4 seconds) has elapsed, the retransmission of packet 3 is given up and the transmission of the subsequent packet 4, etc. is started.

[0081] In this embodiment, the tablet terminal 100 requests retransmission of the missing data (that is, retransmission of packet 3) at a predetermined timing, and the input box 23 transmits a packet including the missing data in response.

[0082] In practice, the second retransmission process based on this missing data is performed after the first retransmission process conforming to the BLE communication standard.

[0083] By performing the second retransmission process in this way, it becomes possible to send data that could not be sent even if the first retransmission process was performed. Of course, performing the second retransmission process does not necessarily mean that the data can be sent. However, the possibility of being able to send the data is higher than when only the first retransmission process is performed.

[0084] In particular, it is preferable to perform the second retransmission process after a certain amount of time has elapsed since the end of the first retransmission process, rather than immediately after the first retransmission process, as shown in Fig. 7. The reason for this is that the first retransmission process failed because the radio wave propagation environment was poor, and the radio wave propagation environment is more likely to improve and the second retransmission process is more likely to succeed if a certain amount of time has elapsed since the end of the first retransmission process, rather than immediately after the end of the first retransmission process.

[0085] However, in terms of improving real-time display, it is better to perform the second retransmission process as early as possible. For example, if it is desired to display an ECG without any gaps on the display unit 1008, it is better to set the timing of the second retransmission process taking into consideration the length of the ECG displayed on the display unit 1008. For example, if the length of the ECG displayed on the display unit 1008 is 10 seconds, it is better to perform the second retransmission process at least within 10 seconds after giving up the first retransmission process.

[0086] In this embodiment, the period for performing the second retransmission process is changed according to the length of the ECG displayed on one screen. This makes it possible to suppress unnecessary retransmission. Specifically, even if the second retransmission process is performed in such a way that it is not in time for the display of the real-time waveform on the display unit 1008 of the tablet terminal 100, it is not reflected in the display, so the second retransmission process that is not in time for the display is not performed. In other words, the tablet terminal 100 requests retransmission within the period displayed on one screen, and does not perform the second retransmission process at intervals that exceed the display period. However, even if it is useless for real-time display, it is not useless as recorded data, so when recording is taken into consideration, the second retransmission process may be performed in such a way that it is not in time for the display of the real-time waveform.

[0087] The length of the ECG displayed on one screen of the display unit 1008 of the tablet terminal 100 changes depending on the sweep speed and display layout of the ECG on the display unit 1008. Therefore, the period during which the second retransmission process is performed may be changed depending on the sweep speed and / or display layout of the ECG on the display unit 1008.

[0088] Furthermore, the second retransmission process may be performed only when a predetermined number of consecutive packets are continuously missing (when the first retransmission process has failed). In other words, considering that the loss of a small number of ECG data packets, such as one or two packets, does not have a significant effect on display or analysis, the second retransmission process may be performed only when, for example, ten or more consecutive packets are continuously missing (when the first retransmission process has failed).

[0089] Here, the retransmission timing and the number of retransmissions of the second retransmission process can be set appropriately. The second retransmission process and complementation adopted in this embodiment are performed based on the identification data, so that the retransmission data can be arranged at the correct position in time and complemented regardless of the timing of retransmission.

[0090] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing the state of complementation according to this embodiment. Fig. 8A is a diagram showing a state in which packet 3 cannot be transmitted correctly even after the first retransmission process, and ECG data corresponding to packet 3 is missing. In contrast, Fig. 8B is a diagram showing a state in which ECG data 21 to ECG data 30 corresponding to packet 3 are complemented by performing the second retransmission process.

[0091] <4. Summary> The above-described embodiment is merely an example of the embodiment of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited by the embodiment. In other words, the present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the gist or main characteristics of the present invention.

[0092] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the input box 23 and the tablet terminal 100 perform wireless communication conforming to the BLE communication standard has been described, but the present disclosure is not limited to the BLE communication standard and can be applied to a case where the input box 23 and the tablet terminal 100 perform wireless communication conforming to the Bluetooth communication standard. Furthermore, the present disclosure can be widely applied to a case where a communication method in which retransmission is limited (the period or number of retransmissions is limited) is used between the first and second wireless devices (the input box 23 and the tablet terminal 100) other than the Bluetooth communication standard. For example, the present disclosure can be applied to a case where communication is performed between the first and second wireless devices (the input box 23 and the tablet terminal 100) using a communication method such as z-Wave or wireless LAN, and the same effects as those of the above-mentioned embodiment can be obtained.

[0093] In the above embodiment, the wireless devices to which the retransmission according to the present disclosure is applied are the input box 23 and the tablet terminal 100 in the cardiac rehabilitation support system 10, but the medical communication system according to the present disclosure can be widely applied to medical communication systems using a communication method in which the retransmission time or the number of retransmissions is limited, such as the Bluetooth communication standard. For example, it can be applied to a medical communication system that transmits ECG data to an electrocardiograph, a vital sign monitor, or the like, using the Bluetooth communication standard.

[0094] For example, the tablet terminal 100 may be a vital sign monitor. Also, the input box 23 may be a Bluetooth transmitter that transmits ECG data via Bluetooth, and the tablet terminal 100 may be an electrocardiograph having a Bluetooth receiver. In short, the technology disclosed herein can be widely applied to a medical communication system including a first and a second wireless device that perform wireless communication with each other in compliance with the Bluetooth communication standard, and the first wireless device is not limited to the input box 23, and the second wireless device is not limited to the tablet terminal 100.

[0095] The tablet terminal 100 of the present disclosure means a portable information terminal capable of wireless communication that has a display unit, an operation unit, and a signal processing unit. For example, a smartphone having a screen large enough to display biological information such as ECG of multiple patients is included in the portable information terminal capable of wireless communication of the present disclosure.

[0096] 1 is merely an example, and may be modified as appropriate. For example, in the example of FIG. 1, the load controller 22 is connected to the AP 30 via wireless LAN, but the load controller 22 may be connected to the hub 40 via a wired connection.

[0097] One aspect of the medical communication system disclosed herein is a medical communication system that includes first and second wireless devices that perform wireless communication with each other in accordance with a communication method in which retransmission is restricted, and transmits at least a patient's biometric information from the first wireless device to the second wireless device via the communication method, wherein the first wireless device transmits a packet including unique identification data corresponding to the transmission data in the packet, and the first and second wireless devices perform a first retransmission process in accordance with a retransmission procedure of the communication method, and also perform a second retransmission process based on the loss of the unique identification data detected by the second wireless device.

[0098] In this way, the transmission data that could not be sent by the first retransmission process that takes real-time characteristics into consideration is retransmitted by the second retransmission process that uses the identification data, so that the transmission data that could not be sent by the first retransmission process can be complemented by arranging it in the correct position, thereby improving the reliability of data transmission while maintaining real-time characteristics. As a result, a medical communication system suitable for handling biological information such as a cardiac rehabilitation support system, and a cardiac rehabilitation support system can be realized.

[0099] Furthermore, by performing the second retransmission process in addition to the first retransmission process, data loss on the second wireless device (tablet terminal 100) side can be reduced compared to when only the first retransmission process is performed, thereby increasing the possibility of arrhythmia analysis.

[0100] In one aspect of the medical communication system of the present disclosure, the identification data is data capable of identifying at least the order of transmitted packets.

[0101] This allows the second wireless device to complement the missing data transmitted by the second retransmission process in the correct order based on the identification data.

[0102] In one aspect of the medical communication system of the present disclosure, the first retransmission process is based on a CRC included in the packet.

[0103] In one embodiment of the medical communication system disclosed herein, the second wireless device (tablet terminal 100) has a missing data identification unit 1010 that identifies unique identification data that is missing in the decoded transmission data, and transmits information on the identification data identified by the missing data identification unit 1010 to the first wireless device (input box 23) as a retransmission request for the second retransmission process.

[0104] In one embodiment of the medical communication system disclosed herein, the identification data is data capable of identifying at least the order of transmitted packets, and the second wireless device (tablet terminal 100) comprises a missing data identification unit 1010 that identifies unique identification data missing in the transmitted data after decoded, a wireless transmission unit (Bluetooth wireless transmission unit 1006) that transmits information on the identification data identified by the missing data identification unit 1010 to the first wireless device (input box 23) as a retransmission request for a second retransmission process, and a completion unit 1011 that completes the transmitted data sent from the first wireless device (input box 23) in response to the retransmission request for the second retransmission process based on the identification data.

[0105] In one embodiment of the medical communication system of the present disclosure, the transmitted data includes ECG data.

[0106] In one aspect of the medical communication system of the present disclosure, the second retransmission process is performed after the first retransmission process.

[0107] In one aspect of the medical communication system of the present disclosure, the first retransmission process is repeatedly performed within a predetermined period, and the second retransmission process is performed when no ACK is obtained within the predetermined period.

[0108] In one aspect of the medical communication system of the present disclosure, the second wireless device has an analysis unit that analyzes the biological information received from the first wireless device and a display unit that displays the biological information.

[0109] In one aspect of the medical communication system of the present disclosure, a first wireless device is provided in an input box for inputting a patient's biometric information, and a second wireless device is provided in a tablet terminal used by a medical professional.

[0110] One aspect of the medical communication system of the present disclosure includes: The communication method is a communication method that complies with the Bluetooth communication standard.

[0111] One aspect of the medical communication system of the present disclosure includes: The communication method is a communication method that complies with the BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) communication standard.

[0112] One aspect of a cardiac rehabilitation support system of the present disclosure includes a medical communication system according to any one of the above aspects. [Industrial Applicability]

[0113] The present disclosure is widely applicable to medical communication systems and cardiac rehabilitation support systems that perform communication with limited retransmission, such as the Bluetooth communication method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0114] 10 Rehabilitation Support System 20-1, 20-2 Individual units 21 Load device 22 Load Controller 23 Input Box 24 Blood Pressure Monitor 30 Access Points (AP) 40 Hub 100 tablet devices 101-1~101-n Unit 200 Monitoring terminals 231 Biometric information input unit 232 Transmission signal generator 233, 1006 Bluetooth wireless transmitter 234, 1001 Bluetooth wireless receiver 235, 1002 Demodulation section 236 Retransmission Control Section 300 Management database terminal 1003 Decoding section 1004 Retransmission determination unit 1005 Retransmission request signal generation unit 1008 Analysis Department 1008 Display section 1009 Wireless LAN transmitter 1010 Missing Data Identification Unit 1011 Complementary Department

Claims

1. A medical communication system including first and second wireless devices that perform wireless communication conforming to a communication method in which retransmission is restricted between the first and second wireless devices, and that transmits at least biological information of a patient from the first wireless device to the second wireless device by the communication method, the first wireless device transmitting a packet including unique identification data corresponding to transmitted data within the packet; the first and second radio devices perform a first retransmission process conforming to a retransmission procedure of the communication method, and perform a second retransmission process based on a lack of the unique identification data detected by the second radio device; Medical communication systems.

2. The identification data is data that can identify at least the order of transmitted packets. The medical communication system according to claim 1 .

3. The first retransmission process is based on a CRC included in the packet. The medical communication system according to claim 1 .

4. the second radio device has a missing data identifying unit that identifies unique identification data missing in the decoded transmission data, and transmits information on the identification data identified by the missing data identifying unit to the first radio device as a retransmission request for the second retransmission process. The medical communication system according to claim 1 .

5. The identification data is data that can identify at least the order of transmitted packets, The second wireless device is a missing data identifying unit that identifies unique identification data missing in the decoded transmission data; a wireless transmission unit that transmits information on the identification data identified by the missing data identification unit to the first wireless device as a retransmission request for the second retransmission process; a complementing unit that complements transmission data transmitted from the first wireless device in response to the retransmission request for the second retransmission process based on the identification data; Equipped with The medical communication system according to claim 1 .

6. The transmission data includes ECG data. The medical communication system according to claim 1 .

7. The second retransmission process is performed after the first retransmission process. The medical communication system according to claim 1 .

8. the first retransmission process is repeatedly performed within a predetermined period of time; The second retransmission process is performed when no ACK is received within the predetermined period of time. The medical communication system according to claim 1 .

9. the second wireless device has an analysis unit that analyzes the biological information received from the first wireless device and a display unit that displays the biological information; The medical communication system according to claim 1 .

10. the first wireless device is provided in an input box for inputting biological information of a patient; The second wireless device is provided in a tablet terminal used by a medical professional. The medical communication system according to claim 1 .

11. The communication method is a communication method that complies with the Bluetooth communication standard. A medical communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. The communication method is a communication method that complies with the BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) communication standard. The medical communication system of claim 11.

13. A cardiac rehabilitation support system comprising the medical communication system according to claim 11.

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