Medical Device Display Fallback to Mobile Slave Application

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Solution Overview

Problem

Medical devices, such as blood glucose meters, face challenges in displaying medical data effectively when their display devices malfunction, leading to unreliable patient treatment decisions due to the inability to properly display critical glucose level measurements.

Innovation Solution

A method and device configuration that monitor the display device's condition, determining if it is in a failure state, and command a connected mobile device to display blood glucose measurements, ensuring continuous data access and patient communication through a slave application, even if the primary display is malfunctioning.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the medical device uses a built-in display device to show medical data, then the patient can directly view measurements on the device, but the system reliability decreases when the display device malfunctions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedirect display capabilityVSAvoiddisplay reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a mobile device as an intermediary to display medical data when the built-in display fails. The mobile device receives data from the medical device and presents it to the patient, serving as a backup display channel that maintains system functionality despite display device malfunction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically changes the display parameter from built-in display to mobile device display based on the operational status of the built-in display. When the built-in display is determined to be malfunctioning, the system switches the display output to the mobile device, thereby maintaining display reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If the medical device monitors display device condition and switches to mobile device display, then the reliability is improved during display failure, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisplay reliabilityVSAvoidmonitoring and switching mechanism
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The medical device automatically monitors its own display device condition and autonomously determines when switching to mobile device display is necessary. This self-monitoring and self decision-making capability reduces the need for external intervention and simplifies the overall system architecture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements a feedback mechanism where the medical device continuously monitors the display device status and uses this information to control the switching between display channels. The feedback loop ensures that the system responds appropriately to display failures while maintaining simple operational logic.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Reliability

If the system commands a slave mobile device to display medical data, then continuous data access is ensured during display failure, but the loss of information increases due to communication dependency

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata access continuityVSAvoidcommunication dependency risk
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system establishes a communication link with the mobile device in advance, before any display failure occurs. By pre-configuring the slave device relationship and ensuring communication readiness, the system minimizes information loss risk when switching to alternative display is necessary.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2859342B1Medical device and method for displaying medical data by a medical device
Publication Date: 2016.04.20 ROCHE DIAGNOSTICS GMBH
  • EP2859342B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2859342B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP2859342B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

Blood glucose measurement data obtained with a blood glucose meter (410) incorporated in a medical device (400) are displayed by a display device (404), wherein the condition of the display device (404) is monitored, such that when the display device (404) is in a failure state, the slave application (420) of a mobile device (302) is commanded to display the data on its display device (422).