Drug Delivery Status Indicator With Breathing LED Power Saving
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drug delivery devices face challenges in providing a user-appealing status indication while minimizing power consumption, as traditional LED indicators consume significant energy and are not practical for extended use due to brightness saturation and daylight limitations.
Innovation Solution
An electronic module with a status indicator controller that generates a user-perceivable signal with a monotonically varying amplitude between minimum and maximum values in defined intervals, reducing mean current consumption and energy usage, and incorporating an ambient light sensor to adjust the indicator control signal for optimal power management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If traditional LED indicators are used for status indication, then visibility and user perception are improved, but power consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic LED activation where the status indicator is turned on only during specific intervals (e.g., when a button is pressed or at scheduled times) rather than remaining continuously illuminated. This periodic action maintains visibility when needed while dramatically reducing overall power consumption during idle periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts LED illumination parameters including intensity, duration, and frequency based on operational context. The controller modulates these parameters to provide sufficient visibility during active states while minimizing energy consumption during standby or idle states, resolving the contradiction between visibility and power usage.
2Illumination intensity
If LED brightness is increased for better visibility in bright conditions, then status indication clarity is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates an ambient light sensor that continuously monitors environmental lighting conditions and provides feedback to the controller. Based on this feedback, the controller automatically adjusts LED intensity and activation timing - using higher intensity only when ambient light levels indicate bright conditions require it, and reducing or eliminating LED activation in dark environments, thus optimizing the balance between visibility and energy consumption.
3Loss of information
If continuous status indication is provided, then user awareness of device state is improved, but battery life is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic status indication where the LED provides status information at regular intervals or upon specific user interactions rather than continuously. This approach maintains adequate user awareness of device state while allowing the battery to conserve energy during extended idle periods, directly addressing the contradiction between information availability and battery duration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides status information on-demand based on user initiation (e.g., button presses) or predetermined intervals, allowing the device to serve its information function only when necessary rather than continuously, thereby extending battery life while maintaining useful status communication.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a user-appealing breathing-type signal with reduced power consumption, extending the battery life of drug delivery devices by minimizing energy usage without compromising visibility, even in bright conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a status indicator with a Light Emitting Diode (LED) as an indicator element
Data Source
AI summary
Electronic modules for attachment to a drug delivery device include delivery status sensing means (21, 22) for monitoring a delivery status of the device, a status indicator (25) with an indicator element controllable to indicate a delivery or module status, and a status indicator controller (23), which generates an indicator control signal on behalf of the status indicator element, which in turn produces a status signal. The indicator control signal has an amplitude varying monotonically in time between a minimum value and a maximum value in a first interval of a base cycle, and between the maximum value and the minimum value in a second interval of the base cycle. In at least one of the first and the second interval, the mean value of the indicator control signal is below the average of the maximum and the minimum values of the indicator control signal to realize increased energy savings.