Wearable Medical Device Activity Data Packet Transmission

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Solution Overview

Problem

Wearable medical devices often fail to reliably transmit activity information to patient monitoring systems, especially in environments where wireless connections are unreliable, leading to loss of important health status data.

Innovation Solution

The method involves generating and transmitting activity data packets with both a first field indicative of recent activity and a second field indicative of past activity, using a header to specify time ranges and number of fields, and employing acknowledge-free transmission to reduce channel congestion, along with interleaving activity fields based on reasoning to enhance data accuracy and reliability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If activity data is transmitted only when currently recognized, then data transmission is simple, but important past activity information may be lost due to unreliable wireless connections

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveactivity information transmission reliabilityVSAvoidactivity data loss

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The wearable medical device stores activity data locally in memory before transmission. The device proactively prepares and buffers activity information from multiple sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer) so that even if wireless transmission fails at any moment, the data remains preserved and can be transmitted later when connection is available.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements redundant data storage and buffering mechanisms to cushion against potential transmission failures. By maintaining local copies of activity data and using acknowledge-free transmission with periodic updates, the system protects against information loss despite unreliable wireless environments.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

2Reliability

If frequent activity data packets are transmitted to ensure continuous monitoring, then monitoring reliability improves, but energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepatient monitoring continuityVSAvoidwearable device energy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system transmits activity data packets periodically at optimized intervals rather than continuously. The transmission frequency is adjusted based on activity changes and battery status, balancing the need for continuous monitoring with energy conservation. Acknowledge-free transmission further reduces energy overhead by eliminating confirmation handshakes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

3Measurement precision

If multiple sensor data fields are included in each transmission packet, then data accuracy improves, but transmission channel congestion worsens

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveactivity recognition accuracyVSAvoidwireless channel congestion

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The activity data is segmented into multiple packets transmitted over time, with each packet containing activity information from multiple sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer) for a specific time window. This segmentation reduces instantaneous bandwidth requirements while maintaining comprehensive data accuracy through distributed transmission.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3232925B1Activity classification and communication system for wearable medical device

Publication Date: 2019.09.04 KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS NV

Figure 1

AI summary

A method for transmitting activity information from a wearable medical device (101) to a patient monitoring system (105), wherein the method comprises generating an activity data packet, wherein the activity data packet comprises at least a first activity field indicative of a recent activity and a second activity field indicative of a past activity, and transmitting the activity data packet from the wearable medical device (101) to the patient monitoring system (105).