Ring Buffer Memory for Medical Device Data Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical devices, particularly dialysis machines, face challenges in ensuring the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of real-time data during treatments due to the risk of data loss from power outages and voltage fluctuations, which can lead to incomplete or incorrect storage of critical patient information.
Innovation Solution
A method that temporarily stores real-time data in a ring buffer memory and only transfers it to a storage medium when the operating voltage is within a predetermined reference range, using a preallocated set of storage units and a file system, thereby preventing data loss and ensuring data integrity and confidentiality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If real-time data is continuously written to storage medium during medical treatment, then data availability is improved, but data integrity deteriorates due to power outages and voltage fluctuations causing incomplete or incorrect storage
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-allocates a set of storage units on the storage medium before data writing begins. This preliminary preparation ensures that when data needs to be stored, ready-to-use storage space is immediately available, eliminating the risk of incomplete writes due to storage allocation delays during power fluctuations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a ring buffer memory as a cushioning layer between the data source and storage medium. This buffer temporarily holds data during voltage fluctuations or power outages, protecting against data loss by decoupling the continuous data generation from the intermittent storage operations.
Solution Approach 3:
The system continuously monitors the operating voltage of the storage medium and uses this feedback to control data transfer operations. When voltage falls outside the reference range, the system automatically suspends writing operations, and when voltage returns to the acceptable range, it resumes operations, ensuring data is only written under stable power conditions.
2Reliability
If data transfer is suspended during voltage fluctuations, then data integrity is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to treatment monitoring delays
Solution Approach 1:
Storage units are pre-allocated on the storage medium before data transfer begins. This eliminates the need for dynamic storage allocation during data writing, allowing faster resumption of operations after voltage stabilization without productivity loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The ring buffer memory continuously receives and buffers data even when voltage is unstable, maintaining the data flow without interruption. When voltage stabilizes, the buffered data is rapidly transferred to storage, minimizing the impact on treatment monitoring efficiency.
3Reliability
If voltage monitoring and conditional writing is implemented, then data integrity is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional monitoring components and control logic
Solution Approach 1:
The ring buffer memory acts as an intermediary between the data source and storage medium, simplifying the control logic. Instead of complex real-time voltage-dependent writing control, the buffer absorbs voltage variability, allowing simpler batch transfer operations when voltage is stable.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameter from continuous writing to conditional batch writing based on voltage parameters. This simplifies the control mechanism by using clear threshold-based decision making rather than complex continuous control algorithms.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
The invention relates to a method, a medical device, a computer program and a computer-readable data carrier for storing real-time medical data relating to a medical treatment, such that in case of error the integrity, authenticity and availability of the stored real-time data is ensured.