Gateway Data Package Distribution for Analytical Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complexity and scale of software updates and data distribution for analytical devices in hospital or laboratory networks create resource-intensive and inefficient network traffic, making centralized management challenging, especially when dealing with tens of thousands of devices.
Innovation Solution
A network configuration with a gateway that sends requests to a remote service platform for available data packages, determines the necessary packages, and downloads them locally to update analytical devices, reducing traffic and resource requirements by implementing an on-demand selection and distribution process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If centralized management of data packages is implemented for a large fleet of analytical devices, then device control and software updates can be achieved, but network traffic and resource consumption increase substantially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized management system into a hierarchical structure with a central server and multiple regional servers. The central server handles high-level coordination while regional servers manage local device groups, distributing the data package delivery load and reducing network traffic between the central server and individual devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a spatial dimension to the data distribution architecture by deploying regional servers in different geographic locations. This allows devices in the same region to receive data packages from a nearby regional server rather than all devices communicating directly with the central server, reducing overall network traffic.
2Adaptability or versatility
If data packages are distributed to all analytical devices in the network, then devices can be updated and controlled, but the complexity and resource requirements for managing the distribution increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the device fleet into multiple device groups, each managed by a regional server. This segmentation allows the distribution management system to handle smaller, more manageable subsets of devices independently, reducing the overall complexity of tracking and managing updates across the entire fleet.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces regional servers as intermediary components between the central server and device groups. These regional servers act as mediators that handle the complexity of local device management, including tracking which devices have received updates and coordinating local distribution, thereby simplifying the central server's workload.
3Reliability
If security patches and functional updates are deployed frequently to maintain device security and functionality, then device reliability improves, but the frequency of data package distribution increases resource consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a mechanism where the central server proactively identifies and prepares data packages for distribution before they are actually needed by devices. By anticipating update requirements and pre-positioning data packages at regional servers, the system can respond quickly to security needs without the overhead of real-time distribution for every update event.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a temporal dimension to the distribution strategy by implementing caching at regional servers. This allows frequently needed security patches to be pre-loaded and stored at regional locations, enabling rapid local distribution without repeated transmissions from the central server, thus reducing overall distribution resource consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
A hospital or laboratory network including analytical devices for performing in-vitro diagnosis and a gateway is proposed. The network is configured to send a data package request including information regarding the analytical devices from the gateway to a remote service platform, receive from the remote service platform information regarding available data packages, determine a selection of the available data packages to be downloaded from the remote service platform specific to the analytical devices in the network, request the selection of the available data packages from the remote service platform, download the requested selection of the available data packages from the remote service platform, and provide the requested selection of the available data packages to the analytical devices.