NFC Proximity Detection for Radio-Free Physiological Data Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high cost of radios in wireless physiological sensor devices is a barrier, especially for low-cost devices, and existing technologies do not effectively address the need for efficient and cost-effective communication of physiological data without radios.
Innovation Solution
The use of near-field communication (NFC) for establishing wireless connections and transmitting physiological data between medical sensor devices and patient monitors, allowing for proximity detection and data processing without the need for radios, using methods like RSSI, BTLE, and NFC to differentiate between pairing and physiological data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a radio is used for wireless data transmission in physiological sensor devices, then wireless communication capability is achieved, but device cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The NFC device is designed to perform multiple functions: it can detect proximity, establish wireless connections for pairing, and transmit physiological data. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for a dedicated radio component, thereby reducing device cost while maintaining wireless communication capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs NFC technology, which uses inexpensive near-field communication hardware compared to traditional radio-based solutions. The NFC approach provides a cost-effective alternative for achieving wireless data transmission in low-cost physiological sensor devices.
2Ease of manufacture
If NFC is used for both pairing and data transmission, then device cost is reduced, but communication protocol complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The communication process is segmented into distinct phases: proximity detection, pairing phase (where configuration information is exchanged), and data transmission phase. This segmentation allows the system to use different NFC communication modes appropriately, simplifying the overall protocol implementation despite the multi-functional requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The NFC communication mode dynamically switches between different operational states based on the current task - using polling mode for proximity detection, card emulation mode for pairing information exchange, and data transmission mode for physiological data. This dynamic adaptation reduces protocol complexity by selecting the most appropriate communication mode for each specific function.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces costs by enabling efficient data transmission and processing of physiological data from both radio-equipped and radio-less sensor devices, improving the affordability and functionality of wireless physiological monitoring systems.
Implementation Method 1
a proximity of the medical sensor device is detected by an NFC device
Data Source
AI summary
A method for obtaining physiological data from a medical sensor device includes detecting a proximity of the medical sensor device by an electronic computing device. After the proximity is detected, a message is received from the medical sensor device. A determination is made as to whether the received message includes configuration information for a wireless communication link. When the received message includes the configuration information for the wireless communication link, the wireless communication link is used to receive physiological data from the medical sensor device and the received physiological data is processed at the electronic computing device. When the received message does not include configuration information for the wireless communication link, a determination is made as to whether the received message includes physiological data. When the received message includes the physiological data, the physiological data is processed at the electronic computing device.