Blood Glucose Trend Indicator with Segmented Graphical Display
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing blood glucose monitoring technologies, both continuous and discontinuous, face challenges such as high costs, user discomfort, and potential for undetectable glucose fluctuations due to frequent measurements, leading to skin irritation and limited long-term wearability, as well as the inability to accurately represent time-related changes in glucose levels.
Innovation Solution
A device and method that utilize a graphical trend indicator to display time-related changes in blood glucose values, featuring multiple graphical segments with varying styles to represent increases, decreases, or stability, along with a controller to analyze and prevent improper trend representation based on measurement intervals, and an integrated sensor for accurate and user-friendly glucose monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If continuous blood glucose measurements are performed, then the completeness of glucose monitoring is improved, but the cost and user discomfort increase due to permanent sensor wearing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements structured blood glucose measurements at specific time points (e.g., before meals, after meals, at bedtime) rather than continuous monitoring. This periodic measurement approach maintains sufficient monitoring completeness while eliminating the need for permanent subcutaneous sensors, thereby reducing user discomfort and skin irritation.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If structured blood glucose measurements are performed at specific time intervals, then cost and user comfort are improved, but glucose fluctuations between measurement times remain undetectable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs trend analysis by comparing current blood glucose measurements with historical measurement data stored in memory. This preliminary comparison action enables the detection of glucose trends and fluctuations even between measurement time points, compensating for the gaps inherent in structured monitoring without requiring continuous measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides feedback to the user through visual displays showing glucose levels, trend arrows indicating direction of change, and graphical representations of glucose profiles over time. This feedback mechanism informs users about glucose fluctuations that occurred between measurements, addressing the information loss problem.
3Measurement precision
If trend analysis is performed using multiple blood glucose measurements, then the accuracy of glucose trend determination is improved, but the complexity of data processing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the trend analysis into simple, discrete steps: storing individual measurements in memory, retrieving previous measurements, comparing current with historical values, and displaying results with trend indicators. This segmentation breaks down complex data processing into manageable operations that can be performed by simple microcontroller units in blood glucose meters.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses disposable test strips with embedded sensors that perform the measurement and are then discarded. Each strip contains pre-programmed logic for basic trend calculation, transferring some processing functionality from the meter to the disposable element, thereby reducing the complexity of the reusable meter device.
4Loss of information
If graphical trend indicators with multiple segments are displayed, then the clarity of glucose trend representation is improved, but the complexity of the display system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses color-coded graphical segments in the displayed glucose profile, where different colors represent different glucose ranges (e.g., green for normal, yellow for elevated, red for critical levels). This color coding provides immediate visual feedback about glucose status and trends without requiring complex numerical analysis, enhancing clarity while using simple display technology.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms one-dimensional glucose value data into two-dimensional graphical representations showing glucose level versus time. This dimensional transformation allows users to visualize trends, patterns, and fluctuations more effectively than numerical tables alone, while the graphics are generated using standard plotting algorithms.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device for determining blood glucose characteristics, comprising a sensor input (1) capable of receiving a signal from a sensor (5), the signal being based on a sensed blood glucose value of a user, a memory (3), configured for storing measurements of the sensed blood glucose value of the user, a display (4), configured for presenting a graphical representation the measurements of the blood glucose characteristic value, and a controller (2), configured for controlling the presentation of the graphical representation on the display, wherein the graphical representation comprises a trend indicator indicating an approximate value trend in the sensed blood glucose value over a recent series of measurements, and wherein the trend indicator comprises a plurality of graphical segments, each being of different graphical style and assigned to a different range of sensed blood glucose values, thereby indicating a transition from a first range to a second range of sensed blood glucose values. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for operating a device for determining blood glucose characteristics.