Proximity Tracking System for Contact Tracing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for controlling the spread of infectious diseases in hospitals and other environments are inefficient, as they rely on time-consuming blood sample testing, indirect temperature measurements, and blanket quarantines, which fail to accurately identify and isolate individuals or objects in close proximity to infected persons or hazardous materials.
Innovation Solution
A proximity tracking system using contact-sensing devices with unique identifiers that record and store proximity data, generating a contact network map with timestamps, which is then synchronized across a distributed network to quickly identify individuals or objects that have come into contact with infected persons or hazardous materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If blood sample testing is used to identify infected individuals, then measurement accuracy is improved, but loss of time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary tracking of all individuals' locations and contacts continuously before an outbreak occurs. When an infection is detected, the pre-collected proximity data immediately identifies exposed individuals without requiring time-consuming blood tests for each person, thus resolving the contradiction between accurate identification and time consumption
2Loss of information
If surveillance cameras are deployed throughout the hospital, then monitoring capability is improved, but device complexity and data processing burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical surveillance camera systems with electronic RFID proximity sensors that automatically track and record individuals' locations and contacts. This substitution maintains comprehensive monitoring capability while significantly reducing system complexity and eliminating the need for manual video review, as the electronic system automatically generates contact traces
3Reliability
If blanket quarantine is applied to all staff in the infected area, then reliability of containment is improved, but loss of time and operational efficiency worsen due to unnecessary quarantines
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies quarantine measures selectively based on individual proximity exposure data rather than uniformly to all staff. By identifying exactly which individuals were in close contact with infected persons, the system enables targeted quarantine of only those at risk, maintaining containment reliability while preserving hospital operations for unexposed staff
Data Source
AI summary
A contact or proximity network map defines who and what objects have come in contact of each other including location and time. This map selects the list people who have come in contact with known infected people based on contagious disease epidemiology criteria for the purpose of control its spread, or to prevent radiation poisoning, limit bio-chemicals exposure, etc. This selected list of people then undergoes testing and quarantine procedures. It can monitor hygiene practices and reduce nosocomial infections in hospitals and mitigate the pandemic flu threat by controlling spread and control contamination. It controls people interaction, information flow in a high security environment, control crime or gang activities. Each person or object has a proximity-sensing device with unique ID, which is recorded by the encountered units during contact. This information is stored with time stamp in a relational database. It generates contact maps with real time replication of its database via a central web database for retrieval and analysis at any site.