Relay Device for Seamless Medical Sensor Communication

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Solution Overview

Problem

Individuals with diabetes often fail to monitor their glucose levels frequently due to convenience, pain, and cost-related issues, leading to inadequate glycemic control.

Innovation Solution

A system that uses a relay device to facilitate communication between an analyte sensor control device and a reader device, such as a smartphone, allowing for continuous or on-demand monitoring through near field communication (NFC) and Bluetooth protocols, enabling synchronized data transfer during idle times of the medical device.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If glucose monitoring frequency is increased to improve glycemic control, then health outcomes improve, but user burden and inconvenience increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveglycemic controlVSAvoidmonitoring convenience

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a relay device as an intermediary between the analyte sensor control device and the reader device. This relay device facilitates automated communication and data transfer, eliminating the need for users to manually initiate each monitoring operation. The relay device receives data from the sensor control device and automatically transmits it to the reader device, thereby increasing monitoring frequency without increasing user burden.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If continuous monitoring mode is used to improve data collection frequency, then glycemic control improves, but energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata collection frequencyVSAvoiddevice energy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements periodic data transmission rather than continuous transmission. The analyte sensor control device operates in continuous monitoring mode to ensure accurate glycemic control, but data is transmitted to the reader device at predetermined periodic time intervals through the relay device. This approach maintains high data collection frequency for clinical accuracy while reducing energy consumption by keeping communication channels idle between transmission intervals.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple communication protocols are implemented to enable device compatibility, then system versatility improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice compatibilityVSAvoidcommunication system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The relay device serves as a communication intermediary that handles protocol conversion between different devices. The analyte sensor control device uses NFC for initial connection, while the relay device translates and forwards communications to the reader device using Bluetooth or other protocols. This intermediary approach enables multi-protocol support and broad device compatibility without requiring each individual device to implement all communication protocols, thereby managing system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS9949642B2Systems, devices, and methods for monitoring medical devices

Publication Date: 2018.04.24 ABBOTT DIABETES CARE INC

AI summary

Systems, devices, and methods are provided that allow the monitoring of analyte levels within analyte monitoring systems. The analyte monitoring systems can be in vivo systems and can include a sensor control device with a sensor and accompanying circuitry, as well as a relay device for communicating with the sensor control device and a reader device.