Mobile Communication Device Bandwidth Selection for Medical Image Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing mobile stroke units face challenges in efficiently transferring medical image data to a central unit due to variable and often low cellular network bandwidth, limiting their effectiveness, especially in areas with poor coverage, and increasing costs when using dedicated satellite connections or requiring on-site specialists.
Innovation Solution
A method that utilizes a mobile communication device capable of connecting to multiple cellular networks, analyzes available bandwidth, and selects the optimal network or location for data transfer, potentially rerouting the ambulance to improve data transfer speed and reliability by using parallel connections and splitting data across networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple cellular networks are used in parallel for data transfer, then the available bandwidth increases and data transfer speed improves, but the device complexity increases due to requiring multiple radio network connections
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple cellular networks into a unified communication system. The mobile communication device aggregates bandwidth from multiple radio networks (different cellular providers) to create a combined high-bandwidth connection for transferring medical image data, effectively merging multiple network resources into a single high-capacity data transfer channel.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile communication device is designed with multi-functionality to connect to and manage multiple different cellular networks simultaneously. It can selectively use any available network or combination of networks, making the communication system universal and adaptable to various network conditions and locations.
2Reliability
If the ambulance is rerouted to a location with better network coverage, then the data transfer reliability improves, but the treatment time increases due to additional travel time
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by proactively identifying optimal communication locations along the ambulance's route before data transfer is needed. Bandwidth information is determined in advance for multiple locations, and the optimal location is selected beforehand, so that when the ambulance reaches that location, data transfer can immediately begin at high speed without delays for route changes or network searching.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication system is dynamic and adaptive, continuously monitoring network conditions and adjusting the data transfer strategy. The mobile communication device can dynamically switch between different networks and locations based on real-time bandwidth availability, and the system dynamically determines optimal transfer timing to balance reliability and treatment time.
3Productivity
If dedicated satellite connection is used for data transfer, then the data transfer bandwidth is sufficient, but the operating cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using expensive dedicated satellite connections, the patent employs multiple standard cellular network connections that are cheaper and more readily available. While individual cellular connections have limited bandwidth, the system uses multiple parallel connections to achieve sufficient aggregate bandwidth at a fraction of the cost of satellite infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameters of data transfer by utilizing multiple parallel connections with different bandwidth characteristics. Rather than relying on a single high-cost connection, it aggregates multiple lower-cost connections, changing the transfer strategy from single-channel high-bandwidth to multi-channel aggregated bandwidth, achieving cost-effective high-speed transfer.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
Method for providing image data to a central unit (7), comprising the steps: - Acquiring image data using a mobile imaging device (5), especially a mobile medical imaging device (5), that comprises or is connected to a mobile communication device (8), - Determining a bandwidth information that relates to a locally available bandwidth for a radio network or multiple separate radio networks, especially cellular networks, - Selecting a communication location (13 - 15) for the mobile communication device (8) and/or selecting at least one of the radio networks based on the bandwidth information, and - Moving the mobile communication device (8) to the selected communication location (13 - 15) and/or using the selected radio network to transfer the image data to the central unit (7).