1. A patient interface for a reusable optical sensor, the patient interface comprising:
a conformal placement element comprising a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, wherein the conformal placement element has a compliant structure which conforms to a patient’s body upon placement of the first surface thereon; and
a shoe fixed with the second surface of the conformal placement element and which removably receives a reusable optical sensor, the shoe comprising a heel portion, a toe portion, a medial portion therebetween, a base positioned against the second surface of the conformal placement element from the heel portion to the toe portion, and a barrier extending around a perimeter of the base, the barrier comprising a first wall portion and a second wall portion opposite to the first wall portion, the first wall portion and the second wall portion each comprising at least one aperture which removably locks with at least one protrusion on the reusable optical sensor,
wherein the barrier frames the reusable optical sensor when the reusable optical sensor is removably mounted in the shoe when the at least one aperture is removably locked with the at least one protrusion.
2. The interface of claim 1, wherein the compliant structure comprises a material selected from the group consisting of open celled foam, closed cell foam, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, black polyurethane foam, and thermoplastic elastomer.
3. The interface of claim 1, wherein the compliant structure conforms to a part of patient’s body selected from the group consisting of a deltoid, an upper arm, a calf, a thigh, a forearm, an upper back, and a lower back.
4. The interface of claim 1, wherein the compliant structure comprises a plurality of wings which collectively cause optical elements of the sensor to rest flush against the patient’s body when the compliant structure conforms to the patient’s body without permitting ambient air or light to pass between the optical elements and the patient’s body.
5. The interface of claim 4, wherein at least one of the plurality of wings comprises an instructional diagram illustrating proper placement and location of the patient interface against the patient’s body.
6. The interface of claim 5, wherein the instructional diagram is disposed within the field of view of a user as they place the patient interface against the patient’s body, enabling a user to properly place the patient interface against the patient’s body while simultaneously looking at the patient’s body until the patient interface is properly placed.
7. The interface of claim 4, wherein the plurality of wings comprises:
a first wing proximal the toe portion,
a second wing positioned proximal the medial portion on a first side of the shoe;
a third wing positioned proximal the medial portion on a second side of the shoe opposite the second wing,
a fourth wing positioned proximal the heel portion on the first side of the shoe; and
a fifth wing positioned proximal the heel portion on the second side of the shoe opposite the fourth wing.
8. The interface of claim 7, wherein the first wing secures the toe portion of the shoe in place when the first wing conforms to muscle underlying skin on the patient’s body and adheres to skin on the patient’s body without causing wrinkles to form in the plurality of wings.
9. The interface of claim 7, wherein the second wing and the third wing comprise a first pair of wings which are sized and dimensioned to conform to muscle underlying skin on the patient’s body and adhere to skin on the patient’s body without causing wrinkles to form in the plurality of wings.
10. The interface of claim 7, wherein the fourth wing and the fifth wing comprise a second pair of wings which are sized and dimensioned to secure the heel portion of the shoe in place when the second pair of wings conform to muscle underlying skin on the patient’s body and adhere to skin on the patient’s body without causing wrinkles to form in the plurality of wings.
11. The interface of claim 1, wherein the shoe further comprises at least one actuator projecting from the barrier proximal the heel portion, wherein when pressed the at least one actuator causes a flexing motion of the shoe, which in turn causes the at least one protrusion proximal either the first wall portion or the second wall portion to unlock from the at least one aperture removably locked with the at least one protrusion proximal either the first wall portion or the second wall portion, which in turn causes at least a portion of the reusable optical sensor proximal the heel portion to dismount from the shoe.
12. The interface of claim 11, wherein the shoe further comprises at least one elastic spring energy storage element disposed on the base proximal the heel portion,
wherein the at least one elastic spring energy storing element stores elastic spring energy when elastically deformed into a first position co-planar with the base when the reusable optical sensor is removably mounted in the shoe, and
wherein the at least one elastic spring energy storage element transfers elastic energy stored therein to the reusable optical sensor when the at least one elastic spring energy storage element springs to a second position angled away from the plane of the base and toward the reusable optical sensor, pushing the reusable optical sensor to be dismounted from the shoe.
13. The interface of claim 1, wherein the shoe further comprises an opening passing completely through the base proximal the medial portion of the shoe, wherein the opening comprises a perimeter that frames optical elements proud from the reusable optical sensor.
14. The interface of claim 13, further comprising an optically clear window aligned with the opening.
15. The interface of claim 1, further comprising a removable liner, wherein at least a portion of the removable liner is sufficiently opaque to prevent a user from using the reusable optical sensor without first removing the removable liner.
16. The interface of claim 1, wherein the reusable optical sensor comprises a security sensor which prevents the reusable optical sensor from operating when the reusable optical sensor is not removably mounted in the shoe.
17. The interface of claim 16, wherein the security sensor comprises a hall sensor comprising the security sensor and a magnet coupled to the base, wherein the magnet generates a magnetic field that can only be detected by the reusable optical sensor when the reusable optical sensor is removably mounted in the shoe.
18. The interface of claim 1, wherein the barrier is opaque.
19. The interface of claim 1, wherein the barrier has a minimal height dimension that is equal to or greater than a minimum thickness dimension of the reusable optical sensor.
20. The interface of claim 1, wherein the reusable optical sensor comprises at least a portion that receives a magnet coupled to the base.
21. A method of removably mounting a reusable optical sensor in a disposable patient interface, comprising:
providing a reusable optical sensor comprising a first end proximal a cable or case extension of the sensor and a second end opposite the first end;
providing a patient interface comprising:
a conformal placement element that has a compliant structure which conforms to a patient’s body upon placement thereon,
a shoe fixed with the conformal placement element and which removably receives a reusable optical sensor, the shoe comprising a heel portion, a toe portion, a medial portion therebetween, a base positioned against the second surface of the conformal placement element from the heel portion to the toe portion, and a barrier extending around a perimeter of the base, the barrier comprising a first wall portion and a second wall portion opposite to the first wall portion, the first wall portion and the second wall portion each comprising at least one aperture which removably locks with at least one protrusion on the reusable optical sensor, and
at least one actuator projecting from the barrier proximal the heel portion;
sliding the second end of the sensor toward the barrier proximal the toe portion of the shoe so that the at least one protrusion proximal the second end of the reusable optical sensor removably locks with at least one aperture proximal the toe portion of the shoe; and
pushing the first end of the reusable optical sensor toward the base proximal the heel portion of the shoe so that the at least one protrusion proximal the first end of the reusable optical sensor removably locks with the at least one aperture proximal the heel portion of the shoe, thereby removably mounting the reusable optical sensor in the disposable patient interface.
22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising dismounting the reusable optical sensor, wherein dismounting the reusable optical sensor comprises:
pressing the at least one actuator to cause a flexing motion of the shoe, which in turn causes the at least one protrusion proximal either the first wall portion or the second wall portion to unlock from the at least one aperture removably locked with the at least one protrusion proximal either the first wall portion or the second wall portion, which in turn causes at least a portion of the reusable optical sensor proximal the heel portion to dismount from the shoe; and optionally
lifting a cable or end of a case extension disposed proximal the first end of the sensor away from the shoe, wherein the pressing and lifting are optionally performed using a same hand of the user, thereby dismounting the sensor from the patient interface.
23. A method of placing a patient interface on a patient’s body, the method comprising:
providing a patient interface comprising:
a conformal placement element that has a compliant structure which conforms to a patient’s body upon placement thereon, wherein the compliant structure comprises a plurality of wings, at least one of which comprises an instructional diagram disposed within the field of view of a user illustrating proper placement and location of the patient interface against the patient’s body,
a shoe fixed with the conformal placement element, and
a reusable optical sensor removably mounted in the shoe; and
placing the patient interface against the patient’s body while simultaneously looking at the patient interface and the patient’s body until the patient interface is properly placed.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An apparatus for processing a radio frequency (RF) received signal, comprising:
an RF device for processing the RF received signal to generate a downconverted signal;
an energy estimator for providing a signal related to an energy estimate of the received RF signal;
an automatic gain control (AGC) module for controlling the gain of the RF device based on the energy estimate signal;
a fine DC compensation module for performing fine adjustment of a DC component in the downconverted received signal; and
a coarse DC compensation module for performing coarse adjustment of the DC component in the downconverted received signal.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RF device comprises a low noise amplifier (LNA).
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the RF device comprises a mixer.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the AGC module controls the gain of the RF device in a predetermined set of discrete gains.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fine DC compensation module performs fine adjustment of the DC component in the downconverted received signal controlled by the AGC module.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fine DC compensation module performs fine adjustment of the DC component in the downconverted received signal in a fast tracking mode (FTM) or slow tracking mode (STM).
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coarse DC compensation module performs coarse adjustment of the DC component in the downconverted received signal controlled by the AGC module.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for converting the downconverted received signal from an analog domain to a digital domain.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the fine DC compensation module performs fine adjustment of the DC component in the downconverted received signal in the digital domain.
10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the coarse DC compensation module performs coarse adjustment of the DC component in the downconverted received signal in the analog domain.
11. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a digital gain module adapted to adjust the level of the downconverted received signal in the digital domain.
12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the AGC module is adapted to control the digital gain module based on the energy estimate signal.
13. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a controller adapted to configure the coarse DC compensation module based on a series of measurements of DC level downstream of the mixer corresponding to a series of gain states, when the RF received signal is not present.
14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a signal processing module for detecting timing information in the downconverted received signal.
15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a controller, wherein in response to the signal processing module not detecting the timing information in the downconverted received signal, the controller is adapted to perform one or more iterations of the following sequential operations:
instruct the fine DC compensation module to perform a fine adjustment in a fast tracking mode (FTM) of the DC component in the downconverted received signal;
instruct the energy estimator to generate an energy estimate of the received RF signal; and
instruct the AGC module to control the gain of the RF device based on the energy estimate signal.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein in response to the signal processing module detecting the timing information in the downconverted received signal, the controller is adapted to perform a predetermined number of one or more iterations of the following sequential operations:
instruct the fine DC compensation module to perform a fine adjustment in the FTM of the DC component in the downconverted received signal;
instruct the energy estimator to generate an energy estimate of the received RF signal; and
instruct the AGC module to control the gain of the RF device based on the energy estimate signal.
17. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a controller adapted to perform the following sequential operations:
instruct the energy estimator to generate an energy estimate of the received RF signal in a timing relationship with the downconverted received signal; and
instruct the AGC module to control the gain of the RF device based on the energy estimate signal in the timing relationship with the downconverted received signal.
18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a controller adapted to perform the following operations:
instruct the fine DC compensation module to perform a fine adjustment in a slow tracking mode (STM) of the DC component in the downconverted received signal in the timing relationship with the downconverted received signal; and
instruct the coarse DC compensation module to perform a coarse adjustment of the DC component in the downconverted received signal in the timing relationship with the downconverted received signal.
19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the timing relationship comprises a time interval for the signal processing module to process at least a portion of a superframe preamble of the downconverted received signal.
20. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a controller adapted to perform the following operations if the DC component of the downconverted received signal exceeds a predetermined threshold:
instruct the fine DC compensation module to perform a fine adjustment in a slow tracking mode (STM) of the DC component in the downconverted received signal in a timing relationship with the downconverted received signal; and
instruct the coarse DC compensation module to perform a coarse adjustment of the DC component in the downconverted received signal in the timing relationship with the downconverted received signal.
21. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a controller adapted to perform a predetermined one or more iterations of the following sequential operations:
instruct the fine DC compensation module to perform a fine adjustment in a fast tracking mode (FTM) of the DC component in the downconverted received signal in a timing relationship with the downconverted received signal;
instruct the energy estimator to generate an energy estimate of the received RF signal in the timing relationship with the downconverted received signal; and
instruct the AGC module to control the gain of the RF device based on the energy estimate signal in the timing relationship with the downconverted received signal.
22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the timing relationship comprises a time interval for the signal processing module to process at least a portion of a superframe preamble of the downconverted received signal.
23. A method of processing a radio frequency (RF) received signal, comprising:
applying a programmable power gain to the received RF signal;
generating a signal related to an energy estimate of the received RF signal;
controlling the programmable power gain based on the energy estimate signal;
downconverting the received RF signal;
adjusting a DC component of the downconverted signal in a relatively fine manner; and
adjusting the DC component of the downconverted signal in a relatively coarse manner.
24. The method of claim 23, further comprising detecting timing information in the downconverted signal.
25. The method of claim 23, further comprising performing one or more iterations of the following sequential operations prior to detecting the timing information in the downconverted signal:
adjusting the DC component of the downconverted signal in the relatively fine manner and in a fast tracking mode (FTM);
generating the signal related to the energy estimate of the received RF signal; and
controlling the programmable power gain based on the energy estimate signal.
26. The method of claim 25, further comprising performing a predetermined number of one or more iterations of the following sequential operations after detecting the timing information in the downconverted signal:
adjusting the DC component of the downconverted signal in the relatively fine manner and in the FTM;
generating the signal related to the energy estimate of the received RF signal; and
controlling the programmable power gain based on the energy estimate signal.
27. The method of claim 24, further comprising:
generating the signal related to the energy estimate of the received RF signal in a timing relationship with the downconverted signal; and
controlling the programmable power gain based on the energy estimate signal in the timing relationship with the downconverted signal.
28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:
adjusting the DC component of the downconverted signal in the relatively fine manner and in a slow tracking mode (STM) in a timing relationship with the downconverted signal; and
adjusting the DC component of the downconverted signal in the relatively coarse manner in the timing relationship with the downconverted signal.
29. The method of claim 28, wherein the timing relationship comprises a time interval for processing at least a portion of a superframe preamble of the downconverted signal.
30. The method of claim 24, further comprising performing a predetermined number of one or more iterations of the following sequential operations:
adjusting the DC component of the downconverted signal in the relatively fine manner and in a fast tracking mode (FTM) in a timing relationship with the downconverted signal;
generating the signal related to the energy estimate of the received RF signal in the timing relationship with the downconverted signal; and
controlling the programmable power gain based on the energy estimate signal in the timing relationship with the downconverted signal.
31. The method of claim 30, wherein the timing relationship comprises a time interval for processing at least a portion of a superframe preamble of the downconverted signal.
32. An apparatus for processing a received radio frequency (RF) signal, comprising:
means for applying a programmable power gain to the received RF signal;
means for generating a signal related to an energy estimate of the received RF signal;
means for controlling the programmable power gain based on the energy estimate signal;
means for downconverting the received RF signal;
means for adjusting a DC component of the downconverted signal in a relatively fine manner; and
means for adjusting the DC component of the downconverted signal in a relatively coarse manner.
33. The apparatus of claim 32, further comprising means for detecting timing information in the downconverted signal.
34. The apparatus of claim 33, further comprising means for controlling the following in a sequential order prior to detecting the timing information in the downconverted signal:
means for adjusting the DC component of the downconverted signal in the relatively fine manner and in a fast tracking mode (FTM);
means for generating the signal related to the energy estimate of the received RF signal; and
means for controlling the programmable power gain based on the energy estimate signal.
35. The apparatus of claim 33, further comprising means for controlling the following in a timing relationship with the downconverted signal after the timing information in the downconverted signal is detected:
means for generating the signal related to the energy estimate of the received RF signal in the timing relationship with the downconverted signal; and
controlling the programmable power gain based on the energy estimate signal in the timing relationship with the downconverted signal.
36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the controlling means additionally controls the following in the timing relationship with the downconverted signal after the timing information in the downconverted signal is detected:
means for adjusting the DC component of the downconverted signal in the relatively fine manner and in a slow tracking mode (STM); and
means for adjusting the DC component of the downconverted signal in the relatively coarse manner.
37. The apparatus of claim 33, further comprising means for controlling a predetermined one or more iterations of the following in a timing relationship with the downconverted signal:
means for adjusting the DC component of the downconverted signal in the relatively fine manner and in a fast tracking mode (FTM);
means for generating the signal related to the energy estimate of the received RF signal; and
means for controlling the programmable power gain based on the energy estimate signal.
38. A computer readable product, comprising:
a computer-readable medium comprising:
code for causing a computer to apply a programmable power gain to the received RF signal;
code for causing a computer to generate a signal related to an energy estimate of the received RF signal;
code for causing a computer to control the programmable power gain based on the energy estimate signal;
code for causing a computer to downconvert the received RF signal;
code for causing a computer to adjust a DC component of the downconverted signal in a relatively fine manner; and
code for causing a computer to adjust the DC component of the downconverted signal in a relatively coarse manner.