Diagnostic Meter On-Container Coding for Calibration Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing diagnostic testing systems are cumbersome and prone to errors due to the need for separate calibration of electronic meters with specific test media, which can lead to incorrect results and user inconvenience, especially for elderly or infirm users, and result in unusable test media due to manufacturing variances.
Innovation Solution
A diagnostic testing system with a meter housing that can be easily transferred between test media containers, featuring a top mount attachment mechanism for secure engagement, allowing lot-specific code information to be transferred from one container to another, and accommodating additional devices for enhanced functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual coding or code chip insertion methods are used for meter calibration, then calibration data can be transferred to the meter, but the process becomes complex and difficult for elderly or infirm users to operate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operations (button pressing, code chip insertion) with optical scanning technology. The meter uses an optical scanner to automatically read the bar code on the test strip container, eliminating the need for users to manually enter codes or handle small components. This substitution of mechanical interaction with optical detection resolves the contradiction by maintaining calibration accuracy while dramatically improving ease of operation for elderly or infirm users.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service calibration by automatically reading the bar code information from the test strip container and transferring the calibration data to the meter without requiring user intervention in the data transfer process. The meter autonomously performs the calibration setup, eliminating the complexity of manual coding operations while ensuring accurate calibration.
2Adaptability or versatility
If code chips are used for calibration data storage, then calibration information can be electronically transferred, but code chips can be misplaced or lost leading to inability to use test media
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the calibration information from the removable code chip and embeds it directly into the test strip container through bar code printing. This extraction eliminates the risk of code chips being misplaced or lost, as the calibration data is now permanently associated with the test strip container itself. The bar code cannot be separated from the container, ensuring continuous availability of calibration information.
Solution Approach 2:
The calibration data is copied from the manufacturer's system onto a permanent bar code label on the test strip container. This creates a permanent, non-removable copy of the calibration information that travels with the test strips, eliminating the reliability issues associated with removable code chips while maintaining electronic data transfer capability.
3Measurement precision
If meters are calibrated for specific test media lots, then accurate results are obtained, but users may use incorrect calibration parameters leading to erroneous results
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by having the meter read the bar code on the test strip container and automatically verify that the calibration parameters match the required test media specifications. This feedback mechanism prevents users from using incorrect calibration parameters by ensuring the meter is properly calibrated for the specific test strips being used, thereby eliminating the harmful effect of erroneous results from mismatched calibration.
Solution Approach 2:
The calibration data is pre-printed on the test strip container bar code before the user receives the test strips. This preliminary action ensures that the correct calibration information is already associated with the test media, preventing any possibility of using incorrect calibration parameters. The meter simply needs to read this pre-encoded information to achieve accurate calibration.
4Device complexity
If universal coding is used to eliminate multiple calibration parameters, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the calibration system into two independent parts: the meter maintains its existing calibration parameters, and the test strip container carries its own unique bar code with lot-specific calibration information. This segmentation allows the meter to remain simple while the manufacturing precision requirements are shifted to the bar code printing and encoding process, where precision can be more easily controlled through automated manufacturing systems.
Data Source
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Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
A system (200) for diagnostic testing may include a meter (230) for performing a diagnostic test on a sample applied to a test media, the meter (230) having a housing and an interface for receiving a signal representing coding information, and a container (210) configured to contain test media compatible with the meter (230), the container (210) having a coding element associated therewith. Additionally, the system may provide a mechanism for removing the meter from an interconnected test container and reattaching it to a new container using on-container coding methods that can recalibrate the meter for the new container of test strips.