Glucose Meter Time Synchronization via Mobile Reference Clock
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a challenge in accurately synchronizing the timekeeping between handheld glucose meters and portable communication devices used by individuals with diabetes, due to inherent inaccuracies between the clocks of these devices, which can affect the reliability of blood glucose measurement data transmission and analysis.
Innovation Solution
A diabetes management system that includes a handheld medical device with a real-time clock and a mobile computing device, where the diabetes management application determines a snapshot time, calculates a delta time, and associates a timestamp with glucose measurements to ensure accurate timekeeping and data synchronization between the devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple independent clocks are used in glucose meter and portable device, then each device can operate independently, but time synchronization accuracy deteriorates due to inherent clock inaccuracies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a reference device (portable communication device with accurate clock) as an intermediary time source. The glucose meter does not rely on its own independent clock but instead synchronizes with the reference device's time, eliminating clock drift issues while maintaining independent operation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously comparing the glucose meter's internal clock with the reference device's accurate time, calculating time differences, and using this feedback to correct timestamp assignments for glucose measurements, ensuring accurate time synchronization.
2Measurement precision
If time synchronization techniques are implemented to improve accuracy, then timestamp precision improves, but system complexity increases due to additional timekeeping mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex timekeeping function from the glucose meter itself and places it in the reference portable device. The glucose meter only needs to request time from the reference device and apply the provided timestamp, significantly reducing the timekeeping system complexity in the glucose meter while maintaining high timestamp accuracy.
3Ease of operation
If manual time adjustment is allowed for user convenience, then ease of operation improves, but time synchronization reliability deteriorates due to potential time mismatches
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the time relationship between devices by calculating time differences based on actual clock readings. Instead of fixed manual adjustments, the system adapts to actual clock drift and offsets, maintaining synchronization reliability while allowing operational flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A diabetes management system includes a handheld medical device, a mobile computing device, and a diabetes management application. The handheld medical device is configured to measure glucose in a sample of fluid residing in a test strip and associate a measurement time with the glucose measurement. The diabetes management application is configured to request a current device time from the RTC, determine a first device delta time by determining a difference between the current device time and an internal clock time, and associate a first timestamp with a glucose measurement, wherein the first timestamp is equal to the measurement time plus the first device delta time.