Infusion Station Data Communication via Driver and Virtual Device Modules
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Solution Overview
Problem
In healthcare environments, managing data communication between infusion stations and front-end computing devices is cumbersome due to the variety of infusion pumps with different types, families, and communication protocols, requiring frequent software updates on front-end devices to accommodate new infusion stations.
Innovation Solution
A method and system utilizing a driver module and virtual device module as an intermediate layer to translate and abstract data communication between infusion stations and front-end computing devices, allowing data to be organized in a common data model independent of specific protocols, enabling seamless communication without requiring software updates on front-end devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If direct data communication is established between front-end computing devices and infusion stations using defined protocols, then data transfer capability is achieved, but device complexity and administration difficulty increase due to the need to support multiple communication protocols for different infusion station types
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a communication server as an intermediary component between front-end computing devices and infusion stations. The server includes protocol-specific driver modules that handle communication with different infusion station types, and a virtual device module that provides a unified interface to clients. This intermediary layer translates between various communication protocols and a standardized internal representation, eliminating the need for clients to directly support multiple protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual device module provides a universal interface that can communicate with different types of infusion stations through standardized protocols, regardless of the specific infusion station type. The driver modules handle protocol-specific details while the virtual device module maintains a consistent, unified interface for all clients, enabling one interface to serve multiple device types.
2Adaptability or versatility
If front-end computing devices are updated to support new infusion stations with different protocols, then communication capability with new devices is achieved, but time consumption and administration burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The communication server is segmented into separate driver modules, each responsible for a specific communication protocol or device type. When a new infusion station type is introduced, only the relevant driver module needs to be updated or installed on the server, while the virtual device module and client interfaces remain unchanged. This segmentation isolates changes to specific components rather than requiring system-wide updates.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication server acts as a stable intermediary that absorbs changes in infusion station protocols. Clients continue using the same standardized interface while the server's driver modules adapt to new protocols. This mediator pattern allows the system to evolve infrastructure layers without propagating changes to client applications.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple communication protocols are implemented in front-end computing devices to accommodate different infusion stations, then communication versatility is improved, but ease of operation decreases due to cumbersome administration tasks
Solution Approach 1:
The communication server serves as a centralized intermediary that manages protocol diversity. Clients interact with infusion stations through a unified standardized interface without needing to know about or configure different protocols. The server's driver modules handle protocol translation and compatibility, simplifying client operation and administration.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual device module provides a universal, standardized interface that works with all infusion station types through the driver modules. This unified interface simplifies client design and operation, as clients need to implement only one communication protocol instead of multiple protocol handlers for different device types.
Data Source
AI summary
In a method for data communication between an infusion station (1) and a front-end computing device (2) in a healthcare environment data is in an upstream direction (A1) and received in a downstream direction (A2), by at least one infusion station (1) for carrying out an infusion operation. In addition, data is in the upstream direction (A1) received and in the downstream direction (A2) transmitted by at least one front-end computing device (2). Herein, data in the upstream direction (A1) is received from and in the downstream direction (A2) is transmitted to the at least one infusion station (1) by a driver module (DP1-DP4), and data in the upstream direction (A1) is transmitted to and in the downstream direction (A2) is received from the at least one front-end computing device (2) by a virtual device module (VD1, VD2).