Wearable Barcode Scanner Memory for Trigger Life Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wearable barcode scanners face challenges such as operational failures, wear and tear, misuse leading to premature failure, difficulty in tracking trigger device usage across multiple scanners, hygiene issues due to shared use, and limited battery life, which necessitate improved methods for predicting and preventing device failures.
Innovation Solution
Integration of a nonvolatile memory device into a wearable barcode scanner to track and store data on device usage and failure rates, allowing for predictive maintenance protocols to alert users before failures occur, including features like EEPROM, NAND flash, NOR flash, MRAM, and FeRAM for data storage, with multiplexing protocols for signal communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a mechanical trigger device is embedded in a wearable barcode scanner, then the device can be activated by simple trigger pressing, but the trigger device has limited lifespan and will fail after a predetermined number of activations
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by tracking trigger usage count and comparing it against the predetermined lifespan before failure occurs. The predictive maintenance protocol alerts the user in advance when the trigger device approaches its activation limit, allowing replacement before actual failure happens.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring the number of trigger activations and providing real-time status information to the user. The usage count is stored in non-volatile memory and read by the barcode scanner, which then compares it against the predetermined lifespan and provides alerts based on the proximity to failure.
2Productivity
If a wearable barcode scanner is shared among multiple operators, then resource utilization is improved, but hygiene issues arise due to contact with multiple hands
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by tracking and recording which operator uses the device and for how long. This usage information is stored in non-volatile memory and can be retrieved to monitor hygiene compliance, alert when maximum usage time is reached, and track individual operator patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by monitoring cumulative usage time and alerting operators before they exceed predetermined hygiene-based usage limits. This prevents excessive contact time that could lead to contamination issues.
3Measurement precision
If the barcode scanner tracks usage data continuously, then predictive maintenance accuracy is improved, but battery consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the data tracking function by placing it in a separate non-volatile memory device that operates independently from the main scanner electronics. The memory device continuously tracks usage data without requiring power from the scanner battery, eliminating the energy consumption issue while maintaining continuous tracking accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The non-volatile memory device acts as an intermediary between the physical usage events and the scanner's processing system. It passively records all trigger activations and usage data, then provides this information to the scanner only when needed for reading, avoiding continuous power consumption during data collection.
4Reliability
If the wearable device monitors trigger pressure to detect misuse, then device protection is improved, but the complexity of electrical components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces complex electrical pressure sensing components with a simpler mechanical approach. A mechanical trigger device with inherent pressure characteristics is used, and the system infers misuse from patterns in the activation data rather than directly measuring pressure forces with complex sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The trigger device itself provides the detection capability through its mechanical design. The predetermined lifespan and activation characteristics of the mechanical trigger are self-describing, allowing the system to detect misuse by monitoring whether activation patterns exceed the designed parameters without needing additional active sensing components.
Data Source
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AI summary
A hand wearable includes a flexible body, a barcode scanner attachment device, a trigger device, and a nonvolatile memory device. The nonvolatile memory device stores hand wearable, barcode scanner, or both specific information including one or more data indicative of the life of the hand wearable, the life of a scanner operatively coupled to the barcode scanner attachment device, or both. The nonvolatile memory device holds the stored hand wearable, barcode scanner, or both specific information when power to the nonvolatile memory device is turned off. The nonvolatile memory device makes the stored hand wearable, barcode scanner, or both specific information available when the power to the nonvolatile memory device is turned on. A system, method of using, and method of manufacturing the hand wearable is also disclosed.