Medical Device Status Tracking via Incremental Change Reports
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing complexity of computer-controlled medical devices generates a large volume of status information, making it difficult to predict and transmit only the necessary data, which may not always be sufficient for identifying issues in distributed medical device systems.
Innovation Solution
A method where the control unit of each medical device determines its operational status, computes a digital representation, and stores it locally, comparing it to a previous state to create incremental change reports, which are then transmitted to a status repository server, allowing for complete status reproduction without predefined data selection and reducing data volume.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If all status information is transmitted to the centralized server, then complete status data is available for analysis, but the volume of status messages increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential changes from the complete status information by computing digital representations and comparing them to identify differences. Instead of transmitting all status data, only the changed elements are extracted and transmitted as change reports, resolving the contradiction between information completeness and data volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the status information into digital representations (parameters) that can be efficiently compared and differentiated. By changing the form of status data into computable digital representations, the system can identify and transmit only the changed parameters rather than the entire status dataset.
2Quantity of substance
If predetermined status information is selected for transmission, then the volume of status messages is reduced, but the status information may be insufficient for identifying issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary computation of digital representations of status information at the source device before transmission. This preliminary action enables the system to identify and prepare only the changed status elements for transmission, ensuring that sufficient information is captured without transmitting unnecessary data volume.
3Loss of information
If the complete status of the medical device is tracked, then all status information is available for analysis, but the complexity of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates digital representations (copies) of the status information that can be stored and transmitted efficiently. Instead of managing complex raw status data, the system works with simplified digital representations that capture the essential state information, reducing system complexity while maintaining complete status tracking capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for tracking the status of at least one medical device in a distributed medical device system includes a) determining an operational status of the at least one medical device, b) computing a digital representation of the operational status of the at least one medical device, and c) storing the digital representation in an electronic storage medium of the at least one medical device; wherein the method further d) comparing the digital representation of the operational status with a previously stored digital representation of a previously determined operational status of the at least one medical device, e) preparing a change report identifying any differences between the digital representation of the current status and the previously stored digital representation of the previously determined operational status, f) transmitting the change report to a status repository server, and g) storing of the change report in a database.