Method and system for providing a fault tolerant display unit in an electronic device

• US 8,344,966 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2006
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Abbott Diabetes Care Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Abbott Diabetes Care Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Reggiardo, Christopher V., Zeiger, Christopher L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Quan-Zhen
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAVIS, TONY O
• Application Number:
  US11/345,044
• Publication Number:
  US 20070176867A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,527 Days
• Field of Search: 604/890.1, 604/131, 600/345, 600/310, 436/95, 345 33- 34, 345/87
• US Class Current: 345/34
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/48785 Electrical and electronic details of measuring devices for physical analysis of liquid biological material not specific to a particular test method, e.g. user interface or power supply
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/10 Dealing with defective pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/006 Electronic inspection or testing of displays and display drivers, e.g. of LED or LCD displays testing individual LED's G01R31/2635; testing lamps G01R31/44; testing of optical features of LCD displays G02F1/1309
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/18 using liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

Method and apparatus for providing a fault tolerant display unit for an electronic device such as a glucose meter, including display unit, and a controller unit operatively coupled to the display unit, the controller unit configured to control the display unit to display an information, where when a failure mode of the display unit occurs, the display unit is configured to display a modified information, where the modified information is different from the information for display under the control of the controller unit, is provided.

Claims

1. A method of providing display fault tolerance in an electronic device, comprising:

receiving one or more commands to display an information on a display unit, the display unit comprising a first display portion including a first plurality of display segments and a first plurality of connectors, a second display portion including a second plurality of display segments and a second plurality of connectors, and a third display portion including a third plurality of display segments and a third plurality of connectors, wherein each connector is connected to a different combination of two or more display segments in one or more of the first display portion, the second display portion, and the third display portion;

detecting a failure mode of the display unit, the failure mode resulting from failure of at least one connector;

determining if the failure is related to one or more of the first display portion, the second display portion, and the third display portion; and

displaying a modified information on the display unit indicating the detected failure mode of the display unit if it is determined that the failure is related to at least one of the first display portion and the second display portion, the modified information represented by a first predetermined number of display segments in each of the first display portion, the second display portion, and the third display portion, the step of displaying including disabling one or more segments represented by a second predetermined number of display segments in each of the first display portion, the second display portion, and the third display portion;

wherein the first predetermined number of display segments is a subset of the second predetermined number of display segments;

wherein each display segment that is connected to the failed at least one connector is disabled; and

wherein if it is determined that the failure is only related to the third display segment, a modified information is not displayed by the display unit.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the information for display includes one or more health related values.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the one or more health related values includes one or more of a measured glucose value, a cholesterol level, and a blood alcohol level.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the detected failure mode includes one or more of a display unit connector failure, a display unit driver failure, or a display unit connector short.

5. The method of claim 1 further including the step of coupling the display unit to one of an RF receiver unit, an infusion device, or a glucose meter.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first predetermined number of segments representing the displayed modified information associated with the detected failure mode is a subset of a combination of display segments representing a numerical value for each of the first display portion, the second display portion, and the third display portion.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the second predetermined number of display segments represents a numerical value in each of the first display portion, the second display portion, and the third display portion.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the second predetermined number of display segments in each of the first display portion, the second display portion, and the third display portion represents a glucose value.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving one or more commands to display the information on the display unit includes detecting insertion of an in vitro test strip in a strip port.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the in vitro test strip includes a blood glucose test strip.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the display unit includes a seven segment display unit.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the second predetermined number of display segments includes seven display segments or less in each of the first display portion, the second display portion, and the third display portion, and further, wherein the first predetermined number of display segments includes less than seven display segments in each of the first display portion, the second display portion, and the third display portion.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the modified information represented by the first predetermined number of display segments includes only a subset of the display segments that represent a numerical value in each of the first display portion, the second display portion, and the third display portion.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein each display segment is connected to a combination of two connectors.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the combination of two connectors for each display segment is different.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

a display unit;

one or more processors operatively coupled to the display unit, the display unit comprising a first display portion including a first plurality of display segments and a first plurality of connectors, a second display portion including a second plurality of display segments and a second plurality of connectors, and a third display portion including a third plurality of display segments and a third plurality of connectors, wherein each connector is connected to a different combination of two or more display segments in one or more of the first display portion, the second display portion, and the third display portion; and

a memory for storing instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to display an information on the display unit, to detect a failure mode of the display unit, the failure mode resulting from failure of at least one connector, to determine if the failure is related to one or more of the first display portion, the second display portion, and the third display portion, to disable one or more segments in each of the first display portion, the second display portion, and the third display portion of the information for display represented by a second predetermined number of display segments if it is determined that the failure is related to at least one of the first display portion and the second display portion, and to display a modified information on the display unit indicating the detected failure mode of the display unit, the modified information represented by a first predetermined number of display segments in one or more of the first display portion, the second display portion, and the third display portion, wherein the first predetermined number of display segments is a subset of the second predetermined number of display segments, wherein each display segment that is connected to the failed at least one connector is disabled, and wherein if it is determined that the failure is only related to the third display segment, a modified information is not displayed by the display unit.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the information for display includes one or more health related values.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the one or more health related values includes one or more of a measured glucose value, a cholesterol level, and a blood alcohol level.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the detected failure mode includes one or more of a display unit connector failure, a display unit driver failure, or a display unit connector short.

20. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the first predetermined number of segments representing the displayed modified information associated with the detected failure mode is a subset of a combination of display segments representing a numerical value in each of the first display portion, the second display portion, and the third display portion.

21. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the second predetermined number of display segments represents a numerical value in each of the first display portion, the second display portion, and the third display portion.

22. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the second predetermined number of display segments in each of the first display portion, the second display portion, and the third display portion represents a glucose value.

23. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising a strip port operatively coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the information for display on the display unit includes information determined from an in vitro test strip in the strip port.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the in vitro test strip includes a blood glucose test strip.

25. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the display unit includes a seven segment display unit.

26. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the second predetermined number of display segments includes seven display segments or less in each of the first display portion, the second display portion, and the third display portion, and further, wherein the first predetermined number of display segments includes less than seven display segments in each of the first display portion, the second display portion, and the third display portion.

27. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the modified information represented by the first predetermined number of display segments includes only a subset of the display segments that represent a numerical value in each of the first display portion, the second display portion, and the third display portion.