Insulin Pump Autonomous Program Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing insulin pump systems require a remote controller for programming and replacement, leading to therapy interruptions if the controller is unavailable, such as when it is defective, lost, or not accessible.
Innovation Solution
An insulin delivery system comprising a first and second insulin pump, where the first pump autonomously monitors its status and transfers the infusion program to the second pump upon detection, allowing for seamless replacement without user interaction or a remote controller.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a remote controller is used for programming and replacement of the insulin pump, then the pump can be controlled and replaced, but the therapy must be interrupted if the remote controller is unavailable (defective, lost, or forgotten)
Solution Approach 1:
The insulin pump performs self-service by autonomously detecting the presence of a replacement pump and automatically transferring the infusion program without requiring a remote controller. The control unit monitors pump status and initiates the transfer process independently, eliminating the need for external controller intervention and ensuring continuous therapy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an automatic detection and communication mechanism as an intermediary between the old and new pumps. This intermediary system enables direct peer-to-peer data transfer through communication interfaces, replacing the traditional remote controller-mediated process and eliminating the single point of failure.
2Reliability
If the insulin pump requires a remote controller for all user operations, then precise programming is possible, but the system complexity increases and the pump becomes vulnerable to controller unavailability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the critical replacement function from the remote controller and embeds it directly into the insulin pump's control unit. By taking out the essential program transfer capability from the external controller and placing it within the pump itself, the system reduces dependency on external devices while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulin pump gains multi-functionality by incorporating both its original insulin delivery function and the additional function of autonomous program transfer. This universal design allows the pump to serve as both the treatment device and the data management device, eliminating the need for a separate remote controller for replacement operations.
3Ease of operation
If the insulin pump is designed as a disposable patch pump with built-in reservoir and battery, then ease of use and robustness are improved, but the pump must be completely disposed after use including loss of patient-specific infusion program
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-programming the replacement pump to automatically receive and store the infusion program from the disposable pump before the disposable pump is discarded. This advance preparation ensures that patient-specific data is preserved and ready for immediate use, eliminating information loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a system where the disposable pump's information is recovered and transferred to a reusable pump. The infusion program is extracted from the disposable unit and stored in the replacement pump's memory, allowing the temporary device to be discarded while its valuable data is preserved and reused.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention is related to an insulin delivery system, the insulin delivery system comprising a first insulin pump (1) and a second insulin pump (1). The first insulin pump is configured to autonomously search for the presence of a second insulin pump and transmits an infusion program stored in the first insulin pump to the second insulin pump. The invention is further related to a method for replacing an insulin pumps and to insulin pumps which may be used in an insulin delivery system and may carry out the method according to the invention.