Wearable Device Time Synchronization via Coordination Mediator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wearable devices, such as patches and smartwatches, face challenges in time synchronization due to the lack of cable connections, which is crucial for accurate alignment of bio-signals like ECG and pulse data across different body locations.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a coordination device that sends application time information to wearable devices via wireless networks, allowing them to synchronize their internal counters, with a calibration phase to detect and adjust time offsets, ensuring precise synchronization without constant interaction with the coordination device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If wearable devices are not interconnected by cables, then device portability and comfort are improved, but time synchronization precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a coordination device as an intermediary that receives time information from a time source and distributes it to multiple wearable devices. This mediator enables precise time synchronization across wireless devices without requiring direct cable connections between them, thus maintaining portability while achieving synchronization precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where wearable devices send their local time information to the coordination device, which then calculates time offsets and sends correction information back to the devices. This closed-loop feedback system continuously maintains time synchronization accuracy despite wireless connection variations.
2Reliability
If multiple wearable devices are used to measure body signals at different locations, then measurement reliability is improved, but time synchronization difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The coordination device serves as a central intermediary that manages time synchronization for all wearable devices in the network. Instead of requiring complex peer-to-peer synchronization between multiple devices, the coordinator centralizes the synchronization management, simplifying the overall system complexity while maintaining measurement reliability across multiple devices.
3Volume of moving object
If wireless communication is used instead of cable connections, then device miniaturization is improved, but time synchronization accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback mechanisms where the coordination device receives time information from wearable devices, calculates offsets, and sends correction data back. This continuous feedback loop compensates for timing variations introduced by wireless communication, maintaining synchronization accuracy despite the absence of cable connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary calibration phases where devices exchange time information and establish baseline synchronization before actual measurement begins. This preliminary action pre-adjusts timing parameters, ensuring accurate synchronization is established before data collection starts.
Data Source
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AI summary
In a method for synchronization of a multitude of wearable devices (1.1, 1.2), wherein each wearable device (1.1, 1.2) is attached to a body (B) of a living organism, a software application running on a coordination device (7) sends an application time information to each wearable device (1.1, 1.2) such as to allow the wearable devices (1.1, 1.2) to synchronize.