Medical Instrument Storage Container Sensor Triggered Data Readout
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current storage and transport containers for medical instruments require inefficient and energy-intensive data readout processes, as they are often activated manually or by external signals, leading to unnecessary data transmission and infrastructure load, even when medical instrument properties have not changed.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a sensor unit that measures specific variables on medical instruments, triggering data exchange only when these variables change, thereby activating the readout process, and using a control unit to process and store data efficiently, reducing energy consumption and data traffic.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual activation or external signal activation is used for data readout, then data can be transmitted, but energy consumption increases and unnecessary data transmission occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The readout device autonomously determines whether data transmission is necessary by evaluating current conditions against stored reference data, eliminating the need for manual activation or external signals. The device serves itself by making intelligent decisions about when to activate data reading based on whether actual conditions have changed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system monitors changes in measured parameters (such as weight, temperature, or other physical quantities) and only triggers data transmission when these parameters change beyond a threshold. This parameter-based triggering mechanism ensures that data is transmitted only when necessary, reducing unnecessary energy consumption while maintaining reliable data transmission when actual changes occur.
2Loss of information
If continuous data reading is performed, then data is always available, but data infrastructure load increases unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuously reading all data, the system performs partial reading only when necessary. It selectively activates data transmission based on whether measured parameters have changed, performing exactly the amount of data reading needed rather than excessive continuous reading, thus reducing infrastructure load while maintaining data availability when changes occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses periodic monitoring of measured parameters with comparison to reference values stored in memory. Data transmission is triggered periodically only when changes are detected, rather than continuous transmission, reducing the load on data infrastructure while ensuring data is available when actual changes occur.
3Ease of repair
If identification elements are made replaceable, then maintenance is easier, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The identification element is separated from the main container structure as an independent, replaceable component. This segmentation allows the identification element to be easily removed and replaced without affecting the container itself, simplifying maintenance while adding minimal complexity through a standardized interface between the component parts.
Data Source
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AI summary
A storage and/or transport container (10) for medical instruments has a container (11) for receiving medical instruments and a device (14) for detecting and transferring data of medical instruments (12), said device having a control unit (16), a reading unit (20) and at least one first identification element (38) arranged on at least one medical instrument (12). The control unit (16) is connected to the reading unit (20) and exchanges data with the reading unit (20) triggered by signals (34) and further processes, stores and/or forwards said data to a second identification element (30) arranged on the container (11). The reading unit (20) exchanges data with the at least one first identification element (38) and forwards said data to the control unit (16). The device (14) has a sensor unit (24) which detects the at least one medical instrument (12) by means of a measurement of at least one measurement variable (36) performed thereon and exchanges signals (34) with the control unit (16), the exchanged signals (34) initiate the exchange of data between the reading unit (20) and the at least one identification element (38), and the reading unit (20) transfers the exchanged data to the control unit (16).