Medical device having an intelligent alerting scheme, and related operating methods
View Patent ↗A portable medical device and related operating methods are provided. One operating method involves a portable medical device that includes a situational awareness sensor. The method begins by detecting an alert condition associated with operation of the portable medical device. In response to the alert condition, the situational awareness sensor performs a scanning operation to obtain sensor data indicative of a current environmental status of the portable medical device. The device can then select a preferred alerting scheme from a plurality of different available alerting schemes, where the preferred alerting scheme is influenced by the sensor data. The device then generates an alert for the alert condition in accordance with the preferred alerting scheme.
1. A method of operating a portable medical device that includes at least one onboard situational awareness sensor, the method comprising:
maintaining a decision algorithm that selects alerting schemes for a hand-held portable insulin infusion device, wherein the decision algorithm processes sensor data obtained by the at least one onboard situational awareness sensor to select preferred alerting schemes for alert conditions of the hand-held portable insulin infusion device, the alert conditions including an indication of a blood glucose level and the at least one onboard situational awareness sensor obtains sensor data indicative of a load on an exterior housing of the hand-held portable insulin infusion device and obtains sensor data indicative of a wavelength for ambient light near an exterior housing of the portable insulin infusion device;
generating alerts in accordance with preferred alerting schemes selected by the decision algorithm;
obtaining information associated with user reactions to the alerts, resulting in obtained user reaction information; and
dynamically adapting the decision algorithm in response to the obtained user reaction information,
wherein:
the preferred alerting scheme calls for a first alert notification type when the load data indicates higher loading on the exterior housing of the hand-held portable insulin infusion device or the wavelength data indicates artificial ambient light near the exterior housing of the electronic device; and
the preferred alerting scheme calls for a second alert notification type when the load data indicates lower loading on the exterior housing of the hand-held portable insulin infusion device or the wavelength data indicates natural ambient light near the exterior housing of the electronic device.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating alerts comprises annunciating an audible alert having audible characteristics determined by the preferred alerting scheme.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating alerts comprises displaying an alert message having content determined by the preferred alerting scheme.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating alerts comprises generating a visible alert having visual characteristics determined by the preferred alerting scheme.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein generating alerts comprises generating a physical feedback alert having haptic characteristics determined by the preferred alerting scheme.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein generating alerts comprises generating a combined alert having at least two of the following characteristics: audible, visual, textual, and haptic.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein using the at least one onboard situational awareness sensor to obtain the sensor data occurs after detecting the alert condition.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein generating alerts comprises escalating an alert notification in a manner defined by the preferred alerting scheme.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the at least one onboard situational awareness sensor comprises a sound sensor that obtains ambient sound data indicative of sound level near the electronic device;
the preferred alerting scheme calls for the first alert notification type when the ambient sound data indicates higher sound levels near the electronic device; and
the preferred alerting scheme calls for the second alert notification type when the ambient sound data indicates lower sound levels near the electronic device.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the at least one onboard situational awareness sensor comprises a physical proximity sensor that obtains proximity data indicative of the proximity of objects near the electronic device;
the preferred alerting scheme calls for the first alert notification type when the proximity data indicates longer distances relative to the electronic device; and
the preferred alerting scheme calls for the second alert notification type when the proximity data indicates shorter distances relative to the electronic device.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the at least one onboard situational awareness sensor comprises a light intensity sensor that obtains intensity data indicative of ambient light intensity near the electronic device;
the preferred alerting scheme calls for the first alert notification type when the intensity data indicates higher ambient light intensity near the electronic device; and
the preferred alerting scheme calls for the second alert notification type when the intensity data indicates lower ambient light intensity near the electronic device.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the at least one onboard situational awareness sensor comprises a geographic positioning sensor that obtains position data indicative of present geographic position of the electronic device; and
the preferred alerting scheme calls for different alert notification types based upon the position data.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the at least one onboard situational awareness sensor comprises a clock that obtains time data for the electronic device; and
the preferred alerting scheme calls for different alert notification types based upon the time data.
14. The method of claim 1 wherein:
the at least one onboard situational awareness sensor comprises a calendar that obtains calendar data for the electronic device; and
the preferred alerting scheme calls for different alert notification types based upon the calendar data.
15. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting the alerting schemes comprises:
traversing a decision tree using the collected sensor data; and
identifying the preferred alerting scheme after traversing the decision tree.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the preferred alerting scheme calls for a sequence of different alert notification types; and
generating the alert generates the sequence of different alert notification types until the alert is disabled by a user.
17. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the preferred alerting scheme calls for escalation of the alert; and
generating the alert escalates at least one characteristic of the first alert notification type or second alert notification type until the alert is disabled by a user.