Circular Buffer Replay for Renal Therapy Alarms

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Solution Overview

Problem

Medical devices face challenges in storing and transmitting high-resolution data due to memory and network bandwidth constraints, leading to insufficient data resolution for fault diagnosis and event analysis.

Innovation Solution

Implementing circular buffers in medical devices to record high-resolution data at the generation rate, allowing for high-fidelity data storage and transmission only when specific alarms or events occur, with the ability to store relevant data before, during, and after the event for root-cause analysis.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If medical devices store all generated data at high rate, then data resolution and measurement precision are improved, but memory capacity requirements increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata resolutionVSAvoidmemory capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments data storage into two distinct mechanisms: a circular buffer for high-rate data capture and a traditional storage system for archived data. The circular buffer divides the data management function to allow high-resolution data to be captured temporarily without requiring permanent storage of all data, thus resolving the contradiction between data resolution and memory capacity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary action by continuously maintaining a circular buffer that captures data at the generation rate before any storage or transmission decision is made. This ensures high-resolution data is always available for immediate analysis when events occur, without requiring prior decision-making about what to store permanently.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If medical devices transmit data at high rate, then data resolution and diagnostic capability are improved, but network bandwidth consumption increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata resolutionVSAvoidnetwork bandwidth

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the necessary high-resolution data from the circular buffer when events or alarms occur, rather than transmitting all continuously generated data. This selective extraction approach maintains data resolution for diagnostic purposes while significantly reducing network bandwidth consumption by transmitting only relevant data snapshots.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies partial action by transmitting only the portion of data that is actually needed for event analysis and diagnosis, rather than transmitting all generated data. The circular buffer contains more data than what is immediately transmitted, allowing selective transmission based on event conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Quantity of substance

If medical devices reduce data storage frequency to conserve memory, then memory usage is reduced, but data resolution for fault diagnosis becomes insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvememory usageVSAvoiddata resolution

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic data storage strategies where the circular buffer operates at high rate continuously but the traditional storage system adjusts its frequency based on event conditions. The system dynamically switches between high-rate capture mode and reduced storage mode, optimizing the balance between memory usage and data resolution for fault diagnosis.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

4Loss of energy

If medical devices reduce data transmission frequency to conserve network bandwidth, then network usage is reduced, but diagnostic capability for events is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork bandwidthVSAvoidevent diagnosis capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses feedback from event detection and alarm conditions to trigger selective data transmission. When events occur, the circular buffer provides immediate high-resolution data for analysis, and the feedback mechanism determines what needs to be transmitted to support diagnostic capabilities, optimizing network usage while maintaining diagnostic effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS20230256146A1System, methods, and apparatus having a circular buffer for the replay of renal therapy machine alarms and events

Publication Date: 2023.08.17 GAMBRO LUNDIA AB

AI summary

A system, methods, and apparatus having a circular buffer for the reply of renal therapy machine alarms and events are disclosed. An example renal therapy apparatus includes a therapy operations processor configured to generate alarms, events, and high fidelity medical device data. The renal therapy apparatus also includes a memory device having a circular buffer configured to store a duration of medical device data. The renal therapy apparatus further includes a control processor configured to receive a stream of medical device data from the therapy operations processor, and write the stream to the circular buffer such that a most recent duration of the stream is stored. The control processor is also configured to detect an occurrence of an alarm or event, and create a reply record that includes an identifier of the alarm or event and the medical device data that is stored in the circular buffer.