Medical Device Controller Frame Rate Adjustment for Alarm Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network congestion and intermittent wireless connectivity hinder timely and efficient remote monitoring of medical device controllers, leading to delayed or missed alarms and high costs from frequent optical character recognition (OCR) requests.
Innovation Solution
A server dynamically adjusts the frame rate at which it requests images from medical device controllers based on various factors, including device status, network conditions, server workload, and user input, to optimize image fetching and reduce network load.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If the server requests images frequently to ensure timely alarm reporting, then information reporting latency is reduced, but network congestion increases and OCR costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic frame rate adjustment where the server modifies image request frequencies based on real-time conditions. When alarms are detected or critical events occur, the frame rate increases to capture timely information. During normal operation, the frame rate decreases to reduce network load and OCR processing costs. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by making the system responsive to actual needs rather than operating at fixed high frequency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of frame rate (images per second) based on operational conditions. The server adjusts this parameter upward when detecting alarms, critical device states, or high-priority events, and downward during stable operation. This parameter modulation allows the system to maintain low latency when necessary while minimizing network and processing load during routine monitoring.
2Loss of energy
If the server requests images infrequently to reduce costs, then network load and OCR costs decrease, but alarm detection reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the server monitors device controller responses, alarm states, and operational parameters. When feedback indicates critical conditions (such as device alarms, error states, or unusual operational patterns), the server automatically increases image request frequency to ensure reliable detection. This feedback-driven adjustment maintains reliability during critical events while allowing cost reduction during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary analysis of device controller data to identify potential alarm conditions before they become critical. By monitoring operational parameters and detecting early signs of problems, the server can proactively increase frame rate to capture developing issues, thereby maintaining detection reliability while avoiding continuous high-frequency imaging during stable operation.
3Speed
If the server uses fixed high frame rate, then information reporting timeliness is improved, but system adaptability to varying conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the fixed frame rate system into a dynamic one that adapts to varying operational conditions. The server continuously adjusts image request frequencies based on device state, network conditions, and priority levels. This allows the system to achieve high reporting speed when critical events occur while reducing activity during routine monitoring, thereby adapting to different operational contexts rather than maintaining a rigid fixed rate.
4Measurement precision
If the server requests images at high frequency, then measurement precision of device operation is improved, but network congestion worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic image requests with variable intervals rather than continuous high-frequency requests. The frame rate is adjusted periodically based on device stability, with longer intervals during normal operation and shorter intervals when alarms or critical events are detected. This periodic action with adaptive timing maintains measurement precision when needed while significantly reducing overall network congestion compared to sustained high-frequency requests.
Data Source
AI summary
A medical device monitoring system and method extract information from screen images from medical device controllers, and intelligently vary rates at which the screen images are fetched from the respective medical device controllers, so as to reduce computer network load, timely report high-priority information, such as alarms, and provide information at intervals requested by users. The rates at which the screen images are fetched are automatically varied based on information available to a server, such as available network bandwidth, level of network congestion, number of medical device controllers co-located at a single medical institution or on a given local area network (LAN), alarm status of a medical device controller and/or historical timing information regarding use of medical devices connected to the medical device controllers.