Vehicle Computing System for Continuous Medical Data Tracking

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Solution Overview

Problem

Patients face challenges in accurately and consistently tracking medical data due to inconvenience and limitations in time, leading to incomplete or forgotten records, especially when away from home or without access to a network for wireless medical sensors.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle computing system (VCS) determines a user account associated with a vehicle occupant, detects active monitoring devices, and periodically downloads device information to store it with the user account, allowing for remote access and updates to a medical profile, enabling continuous data tracking and alerts for potential health issues.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If patients use wireless medical sensors to track medical data, then measurement precision is improved, but reliability deteriorates when users are away from home or without network access

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemedical data tracking accuracyVSAvoiddata continuity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The vehicle computing system acts as an intermediary between wireless medical sensors and remote medical services. It receives data from sensors when the vehicle is stationary or moving slowly, stores it locally, and automatically transmits it when connectivity is available, ensuring continuous data collection regardless of network availability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary data collection and storage in the vehicle's computing system before transmission to remote servers. This allows medical data to be captured and preserved even when the vehicle is in areas without network coverage, ensuring data is not lost and can be transmitted later when connectivity is restored.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Ease of operation

If patients manually track medical data, then ease of operation is improved, but loss of information increases due to forgetting or inconvenience

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata tracking convenienceVSAvoidmedical record completeness
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables self-service data collection by automatically receiving medical data from wireless sensors without requiring patient intervention. The vehicle computing system autonomously manages data reception, storage, and transmission, eliminating the need for patients to manually record or transfer information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces manual mechanical data recording with automated electronic data collection. Instead of patients physically writing down or typing medical data, the system uses electronic communication between sensors and the vehicle computing system to automatically capture and store health information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Productivity

If medical data is transmitted continuously to remote servers, then productivity is improved, but use of energy increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata transmission efficiencyVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements periodic data transmission instead of continuous transmission. Medical data is collected and stored in the vehicle computing system, then transmitted to remote servers at periodic intervals or when specific conditions are met (such as vehicle stopping or network availability), reducing energy consumption while maintaining data productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentUS9122775B2Medical data acquisition and provision
Publication Date: 2015.09.01 FORD GLOBAL TECH LLC
  • US9122775B2 patent drawing
  • US9122775B2 patent drawing
  • US9122775B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A computer-implemented method includes determining a user account associated with a vehicle occupant. The method also includes detecting the presence of at least one active monitoring device. The method further includes determining an association between the active monitoring device and the user account and periodically downloading device information from the active monitoring device to a vehicle computing system. Finally, the method includes storing downloaded device information in association with the user account.