Bluetooth Virtual Proxy Network for Wearable Data Connectivity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing healthcare systems lack the infrastructure to integrate patient wearables with hospital information systems and workflows, preventing the seamless transmission of health data from wearables to medical records within facilities.
Innovation Solution
A Bluetooth virtual proxy network utilizing multiple computing devices as virtual intelligent routers, dynamically switching wearable devices among them to ensure continuous and reliable data transmission, even when the patient roams within or outside a facility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If wearables communicate only to personal smartphones via Bluetooth, then device complexity is minimized, but adaptability to hospital information systems is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gateway device as an intermediary between Bluetooth wearables and hospital information systems. The gateway receives data from wearables via Bluetooth and forwards it to the hospital's network infrastructure, enabling communication without modifying the wearable devices themselves. This resolves the contradiction by providing adaptability through an external mediator while keeping the wearables simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway device is designed to work with multiple types of wearables and integrate with various hospital information systems simultaneously. It provides universal connectivity by supporting different Bluetooth protocols and interfacing with multiple data reception systems, thereby enhancing adaptability without requiring each wearable to be customized for different systems.
2Reliability
If wearables are stationary near data infrastructure, then data transmission reliability is ensured, but patient mobility is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the hospital facility into multiple zones, each equipped with gateway devices or data reception points. As patients move between zones, their wearables automatically connect to the nearest gateway, ensuring continuous reliable data transmission throughout the facility without restricting patient mobility. This segmentation approach maintains reliability while enabling freedom of movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a single fixed data reception point to a distributed three-dimensional network of gateways throughout the facility. This spatial distribution creates multiple connection points at different locations and heights, allowing wearables to maintain reliable connections as patients move through three-dimensional space, thereby preserving both reliability and mobility.
3Duration of action of moving object
If multiple computing devices act as Bluetooth hotspots, then data transmission continuity is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where gateway devices continuously monitor signal strength and connection quality. When a wearable moves away from one gateway's optimal range, the system receives feedback about deteriorating connection quality and automatically redirects the connection to a nearby gateway with stronger signal, ensuring continuous data transmission without manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The network dynamically adjusts connections between wearables and gateways based on real-time conditions such as patient location, signal strength, and gateway availability. This dynamic routing automatically optimizes data transmission continuity by shifting connections to the most suitable gateway at any given moment, maintaining reliability without requiring static fixed connections.
Data Source
AI summary
The inventive system enables wearables to function as portable, always transmitting medical devices within hospital settings, integrating the data therefrom seamlessly into electronic medical records. The dynamic switching of wearables among virtual Bluetooth hotspots ensures and enhances both the reliability of data transmission and the potential for wearables to contribute meaningfully to the electronic medical record infrastructure within healthcare facilities.