Self-Guided Handheld Diagnostics Device for Medical Examinations

Solution Overview

Problem

The increasing demand for medical examinations, coupled with a rising number of patients and a declining number of medically trained personnel, leads to a need for a system that reduces the load and increases availability by enabling automatic and self-guided medical examinations.

Innovation Solution

A handheld diagnostics device equipped with sensors and a processor that provides reference data for spatial disposition, acquires navigation data, calculates movement corrections, and transmits medical data to remote trained personnel, ensuring data quality and analysis by trained professionals.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If automatic and self-guided medical examinations are implemented, then the service load is reduced and availability increases, but the complexity of the examination system increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice load reductionVSAvoidexamination system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables patients to perform medical examinations themselves through a handheld device with automated guidance. The device provides self-guided navigation to anatomical landmarks, automatic positioning, and hands-free operation, allowing patients to conduct examinations independently without requiring trained personnel for each examination step.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces manual mechanical positioning and guidance by trained personnel with an automated electronic navigation system. The handheld device uses sensors, processors, and display interfaces to automatically guide the user through the examination process, substituting mechanical guidance with electronic automation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Reliability

If trained personnel are used for medical examinations, then examination accuracy is maintained, but the number of available examinations decreases due to personnel limitations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveexamination accuracyVSAvoidnumber of available examinations

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables patients to perform medical examinations themselves through a handheld device with automated guidance. The device provides self-guided navigation to anatomical landmarks, automatic positioning, and hands-free operation, allowing patients to conduct examinations independently without requiring trained personnel for each examination step.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The handheld device provides real-time feedback to users during the examination process. The display shows the current position relative to target anatomical landmarks, and the system provides guidance instructions based on sensor data, ensuring accurate positioning and execution of examination procedures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Ease of operation

If manual guidance and positioning are used for examinations, then operational simplicity is maintained, but examination precision and positioning accuracy deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoperational simplicityVSAvoidpositioning accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual mechanical positioning and guidance by trained personnel with an automated electronic navigation system. The handheld device uses sensors, processors, and display interfaces to automatically guide the user through the examination process, substituting mechanical guidance with electronic automation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The handheld device provides real-time feedback to users during the examination process. The display shows the current position relative to target anatomical landmarks, and the system provides guidance instructions based on sensor data, ensuring accurate positioning and execution of examination procedures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP2675345B1System and method for performing an automatic and self-guided medical examination

Publication Date: 2019.03.27 TYTO CARE LTD

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3

AI summary

A method for performing one or more medical examinations of a patient using a diagnostics device, wherein for at least one medical examination of the medical examinations, the method comprising: providing reference data indicative of a desired spatial disposition of the device with respect to the patient's body for performing the medical examination; operating the device for acquiring navigation enabling data; determining a spatial disposition of the device with respect to the desired spatial disposition, utilizing the acquired navigation enabling data and the reference data; calculating a required movement correction from the determined spatial disposition to the desired spatial disposition, for acquiring medical data of the patient in accordance with the at least one medical examination; providing a user with maneuvering instructions to navigate the device to the desired spatial disposition in accordance with the calculated route; and acquiring the medical data upon arrival to the desired spatial disposition.