Swallowing Device Attachment Unit Usage Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing swallowing medical devices face issues with adhesive member degradation over time, leading to impaired skin contact and electrical conductivity, which affects the appropriateness of electric stimulation and monitoring of swallowing operations.
Innovation Solution
A swallowing medical device with a replaceable attachment unit that includes a storage system to track usage information, restricting use when set conditions are not met, ensuring the device's characteristics are maintained, and preventing the use of degraded or counterfeit units.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If the adhesive member is reused multiple times, then the device can be used repeatedly without replacement, but the adhesion force and electrical conductivity of the adhesive member gradually decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary monitoring of usage information (number of uses, cumulative use time) and proactively restricts use before the adhesive member's adhesion force significantly degrades. This prevents reliability issues by stopping use at predetermined thresholds rather than waiting for failure.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit continuously monitors usage information from the storage unit and provides feedback by comparing actual usage against predetermined thresholds. When thresholds are exceeded, the system provides feedback to restrict further use, ensuring the adhesive member operates within reliable performance parameters.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If the adhesive member is reused multiple times, then the device can be used repeatedly without replacement, but the electrical conductivity of the adhesive member gradually decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system monitors cumulative use time and number of uses to predict when electrical conductivity will degrade below acceptable levels. By restricting use before significant degradation occurs, the system maintains reliable electrical conductivity for effective pharynx stimulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit monitors usage information and provides feedback by comparing actual usage against predetermined thresholds for electrical conductivity degradation. When thresholds are exceeded, the system restricts further use to maintain adequate electrical conductivity.
3Reliability
If usage monitoring and restriction systems are added, then the reliability of swallowing induction is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit performs multiple functions: it controls the adhesive member's usage, monitors usage information, compares against thresholds, and restricts use when necessary. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while maintaining reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Ensures the appropriateness of swallowing medical operations by preventing the use of degraded units, maintaining effective skin contact and electrical conductivity, and ensuring the reliability of swallowing induction and monitoring processes.
Implementation Method 1
an electrically conductive adhesive member, such as a gel sheet, is laid on the upper face of an electrode. Accordingly, the adhesive member comes into close contact with the skin of the patient
Implementation Method 2
sweat and the like due to sweating of the patient permeate the gel, thereby causing decreased adhesive force
Data Source
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AI summary
A swallowing induction device (1) executes a swallowing induction operation as a medical operation regarding swallowing. The swallowing induction device (1) includes: an electrode unit (20) configured to be attached to a target portion (pharynx part) of a human body for a swallowing induction operation; a control unit (3) configured to control the swallowing induction operation; and a storage (23) configured to store use information regarding a use state of the electrode unit (20). The control unit (3) executes a control for restricting use of the electrode unit (20) on the basis of a fact that the use information does not satisfy a set condition for ensuring characteristics of the electrode unit (20) .