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

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.

Description

BACKGROUND

In a conventional seven segment display such as those used on LCDs (Liquid Crystal Displays), the display wiring is routed without consideration for fault tolerance, and the icon (or pixel) selection matrix is typically generated to match the display. Such configuration allows for erroneous results to be displayed and could potentially result in patient mistreatment, for example, in the case where the seven segment display configurations are used in medical devices such as, but not limited to, glucose meters.

By way of an example, a glucose reading from a blood glucose meter used by diabetic patients that shows a value of 150 when in fact the actual measured value from the test strip using the glucose meter is 450 will inform the patient that they are in a good (clinically acceptable) range when in fact, the patient's condition requires immediate medical attention, for example. In addition, a failure of a decimal point in the displayed value may also erroneously inform the patient to take corrective actions that are either inaccurate (and thus potentially harmful), or to provide the patient with false positive values (those values are erroneous readings but are good values in the context of health treatment).

While some erroneous displayed values may be acceptable and thus not medically significant (such as, for example a glucose reading of 163 mg/dL which is erroneously displayed as 153 mg/dL), those other erroneous displayed values may potentially guide the patient to take corrective actions that are in fact therapeutically inappropriate (or alternatively, providing a false sense of accuracy, to guide the patient to take no action at all, when in fact, corrective medical action is necessary, as described above).

In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to have an approach to provide fault tolerance in the display unit of an electronic device including medical devices such that failure modes of the electronic device display unit will show output values to the patient or the user of the electronic device that are either nonsensical, or clinically insignificant. In this manner, the failed display unit of the electronic device does not erroneously impact the patient decision based on the output display of the electronic device. Moreover, when a nonsensical value is displayed, the user of the electronic device such as a medical device will be aware that the device is malfunctioning, and will likely not continue its use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, in accordance with the various embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a method and system for fault tolerant configurations of a seven segment display of an electronic device including medical devices such as the LCD display of a glucose meter. For example, in certain embodiments if an LCD failure occurs, the result displayed will not be a number, or alternatively, the erroneous number displayed are in the A or B region of the Clarke Error Grid (that is, in the acceptable range of values in the case of measured glucose values) or analogous range of an other analysis protocol, e.g., Parks Error Grid, Continuous Glucose Error Grid, MARD analysis, and the like. Therefore, fault tolerance minimizes the chance of an incorrect number being displayed and reduces the effect of a potential error on patient treatment.

More specifically, in accordance with the various embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a fault tolerant display unit which may be configured to mitigate the effects of a display failure. More specifically, in one embodiment, if a display failure occurs (by, for example, a single pixel or multiple pixel failures), the displayed results may be configured to display an invalid number. Alternatively, in the case of glucose meters, the display failure may be mitigated by displaying, in one embodiment, measured glucose values that are within the A or B region of the Clarke Error Grid or the like, and thus, the error is not clinically significant to the patient using the glucose meter.

In this manner, in one embodiment, the probability of an incorrect value being displayed can be minimized, and the effect of a potential error on the patient treatment (based on incorrect value) may be reduced if an incorrect number is displayed.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a fault tolerant display unit for an electronic device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A-2B illustrate exemplary segmented display units including icons of a blood glucose meter device;

FIG. 3A illustrates a single digit segment with icons in an LCD display unit including a decimal point segment;

FIG. 3B illustrates the single digit segment with icons in the LCD display unit including the decimal point segment of FIG. 3A with multiple common line connectors (pads) and row connections;

FIG. 4 illustrates a three digit segment of an LCD display unit with typical connections for a typical electronic device;

FIG. 5 illustrates the digits 0 to 9 of a seven-segment display used for determining fault tolerance in an LCD display unit of an electronic device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6A illustrates a three digit segment layout with icons for an electronic device LCD display unit;

FIG. 6B illustrates the three digit segment layout of FIG. 6A with multiple row and column connections;

FIG. 7 illustrates a segmented display configuration for 3×3 mapping in a fault tolerant display system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a segmented display configuration for 6×6 mapping in a fault tolerant display system in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates a segmented display configuration for 6×4 mapping in a fault tolerant display system in accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a tabular illustration of the fault tolerant display for LCD display unit in an electronic device with varying levels of fault tolerance.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a fault tolerant display unit for an electronic device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to the figure, the fault tolerant display unit 100 of a blood glucose meter 101 in one embodiment includes a strip port 102 that is configured to receive a glucose test strip. The strip port 102 is coupled to a strip interface 103 which is configured to process the analog signals received from the strip port 102 and converts the signals to corresponding digital values. Also, a controller unit such as a microprocessor 104 is operatively coupled to the strip interface 103 and is configured to process the digital data received from the strip interface 103.

A crystal 105 may be provided and operatively coupled to the microprocessor 104, and configured to set timing for the microprocessor 104 such that the information or data received from the strip interface 103 has a predetermined and known timing and an accurate glucose value may be determined. Additionally, a non-volatile memory 106 may be operatively coupled to the microprocessor 104 and configured for storing program processes such as algorithms, setup and/or calibration parameters as well as glucose readings received from the strip port 102. A temporary storage device such as SRAM 107 or the like may be provided and operatively coupled to the microprocessor 104, for temporary data storage and program execution.

Also shown is a display unit 108 which may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) for output, displaying data and information. An LCD lens 109 is also provided and includes the clear section of the display unit housing that permits the LCD display unit 108 to be viewed. Input devices 110 and 111 are also provided and operatively coupled to the microprocessor 104, and configured to allow the user of the glucose meter 101 to input information and/or control the glucose meter 101 by operating as the user interface providing a user menu navigation. A control button 110 and mode button 111 may be provided to allow the user to toggle between various operational modes for the glucose meter 101 including, for example, calibration, data, recall, storage, and the like.

Referring still to FIG. 1, an audio output unit such as a buzzer 112 may be provided to provide audible alert and/or alarms, indicating a condition of the functional properties of the glucose meter 101 or, provide an audible indication of a data received by the glucose meter 101, for example. A communication module 113 is operatively coupled to the microprocessor 104, and configured to download glucose readings from a data storage log stored in the non-volatile memory 106. Moreover, a set of test points 114 may be made available within the blood glucose meter 101 housing for manufacturing processes. Additionally, a power supply 115 is provided to provide power to the blood glucose meter 101, and may include a battery 116 for example, such as, for example CR30232 Lithium Ion Coin Cell battery or the like configured as the primary power source for the power supply 115. In further detail, the battery 116 may be connected to the blood glucose meter 101 ground terminal 117, and the battery 116 may be configured to provide power to the power supply 115 positive voltage input terminal (V+) 118.

Additional features such as an LCD backlight or test light to illuminate the strip port may be provided to the blood glucose meter 101. The controller unit 104 may be a microcontroller (μC) such as the MSP430FG439 that may incorporate the strip interface 103, non-volatile memory 106, memory (SRAM) 107, controller for the LCD 108, and interface for the communications module 113. Moreover, the controller unit 104 may be configured to control the operations of the various components of the blood glucose meter 101 as shown in FIG. 1, under the control of, for example, the patient using the blood glucose meter 101 providing commands or instructions using the input units 110 or 111. In one embodiment, the blood glucose meter 101 may be configured to display glucose values in the range of about 20 mg/dL to about 500 mg/dL (or about 600 mg/dL for hospital use), or about 1.1 mmol/L to about 27.8 mmol/L (or about 33.3 mmol/L for hospital use).

FIGS. 2A-2B illustrate exemplary segmented display units including icons of a blood glucose meter device. Referring to FIG. 2A, for an electronic device, e.g., a medical device such as a blood glucose meter as shown in FIG. 1, the minimum LCD requirement includes the glucose value display (three 7-segment digits), a “mmol/L” icon (with the decimal point active), a “mg/dL” icon (with the decimal point inactive), a temperature out-of-range indicator, a low-battery indicator, and an “apply blood to test strip” set of symbols as respectively shown by the corresponding icons in FIG. 2A. Referring to FIG. 2B, additional features and or configurations of a blood glucose meter LCD display unit may include the ability to set the date and time information, and further, to display stored memory log entries (prior glucose readings) with associated date and time. Additional features may include the ability to set a strip calibration code, to display a multiple day (e.g., 14-day) average glucose reading based on log entries, set configuration options such as alarm audible or silent, and identify a glucose log entry as a control reading.

FIG. 3A illustrates a labeled or numbered single digit segment with icons in an LCD display unit including a decimal point segment, and FIG. 3B illustrates the single digit segment with icons in the LCD display unit including the decimal point segment of FIG. 3A with control signals in the form of multiple common line connectors and row connections, where each common line or row connections is known as a “pad”. Referring to FIG. 3A, each of the seven segments A, B, C, D, E, F, and G are separately provided and none are electrically connected to any of the other segments (and where each may be individually controlled).

In FIG. 3B, it can be seen that several segments are connected by one of the three row connectors and/or one of the two common (column) connectors. For example, row 1 connector as shown in FIG. 3B is connected to segments A and B, the row 2 connector is connected to segments F and G, and the row 3 connector is connected to segments C and E, while row 4 is connected to segment D and the decimal point DP. Moreover, common 1 connector as shown in FIG. 3B are connected to segments A, D, E, and F, while common 2 connector is connected to segments B, C, G and the decimal point DP segment. In this manner, in FIG. 3B, if the connection (pad) for comm 1 fails, then segments A, D, E and F will not activate and, for example, a “7” will be displayed as a “1”.

FIG. 4 illustrates a three digit segment of an LCD display unit with typical connections for an electronic device. Referring to FIG. 4, there is provided a mapping of which segments of the display are used to display each number. More specifically, it can be seen that the row and column connections only cross other rows or columns where pixels (segments) are formed. The row signals (lines) are located on one plane of the display and the common lines are located on another such that a segment (or pixel) is formed inside the LCD at the crossing point.

There are several different types of common LCD failures. A connector failure occurs when the connection between the printed circuit board (PCB) and LCD connector fails to make contact. Some examples include, but is not limited to, heat-seal failures, zebra strip failures and pad failures. A driver failure occurs when the LCD driver fails to operate properly. Some examples include ESD and other types of LCD driver failures. Finally, a connector short failure occurs when foreign material is introduced onto the connector causing two or more signals or pads to short together. When this type of failure occurs, most errors that result in a number will tend towards an eight (“8”). Since the blood glucose meter 101 does not have an eight in the first digit of its display, this type of error, though it must be checked for each individual design, tends to result in A or B region errors on the Clarke Error Grid even if they occur in the second digit, or numbers that are beyond the glucose meter range, or nonsensical numbers.

Failure modes for the blood glucose meter 101 includes (1) failure of a row or common, (2) a first digit error, (3) missing decimal point or first digit, or (4) other digit errors. When a row or common line fails, all segments connected to that row or common line fail and is commonly caused by connector failure. For example, referring for example to FIG. 4, if common 1 connector fails, all segments in the display fails to function as all seven segments of all three digits are connected to the common 1 connector.

When a first digit error occurs due to a poor connection, for example, a first digit “4” or “3” becomes a “1”, such that, for example, a “4xx” value is displayed as “1xx”, and “3xx” is displayed as “1xx”, respectively. When there is a missing decimal point or a first digit, a failure of this type generally results in a critical error and is also commonly found with a connector failure. This error results in the entire first digit not being displayed or the decimal point missing, and may result in an error as great as an entire order of magnitude. An error on this scale may result in patient mistreatment, and tends to fall in the D or E regions of the Clarke Error Grid.

When digit errors occur, a given digit of a seven segment display is erroneously displayed because of a segment failure within the seven segment display for the particular digit. Examples of digit errors are further illustrated by the Table A shown below which illustrates the original display (or the proper or accurate display) in the first column, and the actual display with the digit error in the second column, and the missing segment causing the digit error in the third column. For example, with reference to FIG. 3A and Table A below, when the seven segment digit is missing the E segment, an original display of the value “6” which comprises segments A, C, D, E, F, and G, will actually be displayed as a “5” (comprised of segments A, C, D, F, and G). For a three digit display, the first digit is the most critical (as it is the most significant value), the second digit can result in A or B region errors on the Clarke Error Grid and the third digit can only result in the A region errors making it the least critical digit.

TABLE A
Original	Number	Segments
Display	Displayed in Error	Missing
6	5	E
7	1	A
8	0	G
3	7	D, G
4	1	F, G
8	2	F, C
8	5	B, E
8	9	D, E
9	7	F, G
3	1	A, D, G
9	1	A, F, G
8	7	D, E, F, G

In the manner shown above, it can be seen that even with a single segment failure, a significant or critical error may be displayed if the failed segment is associated with the most significant digit in, for example, a three digit display unit. That is, referring to the Table A above, a failed segment G will result in the number 8” to be displayed as “0”, which error may be significant in the context of values or measurements of a patient parameter upon which medical treatment is based (note that an value of 180 displayed as a 100 is in the B region of the Clarke Error Grid in the case of glucose measurements).

FIG. 5 illustrates the digits “0” to “9” and is the basis for the method of checking for fault tolerance in an LCD display unit of an electronic device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 5, for a seven-segment digit display unit as described, it is possible to determine or check for fault tolerance based on the connection of the various segments on each row or column connector. That is, in one embodiment, for each row or column connector that connects a predetermined set of segments together, a layout similar to that shown in FIG. 5 may be generated which illustrates, for example, a row connector based on a single pad failure in which segments A and F are not functioning.

Referring again to FIG. 5, with the segments A and F in failure mode, the only number or value whose displayed accuracy is maintained is value “1”, while the value for the original number “7” is erroneously shown as a “1”. All other remaining values are provided as nonsensical number. For example, the original number “2” is now displayed with the top A segment disabled which has no representative value. In this manner, it is possible to determine the impact of row or common connector failures on a seven segment display.

FIG. 6A illustrates a three digit segment layout with icons for an electronic device LCD display unit, and FIG. 6B illustrates the three digit segment layout of FIG. 6A with multiple row and column connectors. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6B, each of the three row connectors (row 1, row 2 and row 3) and each of the six common connectors (comm 1, comm 2, comm 3, comm 4, comm 5, and comm 6), are respectively connected to a corresponding segment(s) in one or more of the three 7-digit display. For example, it can be seen from FIG. 6B that row 1 connector or pad is connected to segments 1A and 1B of the most significant digit, segments 2A and 2B of the less significant digit, and to segments 3A and 3B of the least significant digit (to the right of the decimal point DP).

A common failure in a seven-segment LCD display unit is having a pad or connector loose contact, resulting in a loss of the respective segment(s). This failure generally occurs near the outer edges of the LCD connector for heat seal connectors. To reduce the impact of this type of failure, in one embodiment, with reference to FIG. 6B, the critical segments of the display (for example, segments whose failures have substantial impact upon the displayed readout) may be located near the middle of the connector. When this type of failure occurs, often there are two adjacent pads that fail simultaneously. In order to avoid losing two critical segments at the same time, a pad or connector that is not as critical, such as that connected to a non critical icon, may be positioned between the two critical segments.

Moreover, this approach in one embodiment may be applied to the display unit configuration as shown in FIG. 4 that includes a single common connector (comm1) with multiple pad connectors. Furthermore, the decimal point for such displays as shown in FIG. 4 may be controlled by a pad such that it is between the pads controlling segments C and D of a relevant digit. This approach in one embodiment may not prevent all errors from occurring, but will mitigate the effect and frequency of these errors as either segments C or D are used in each number displayed.

FIG. 7 illustrates a segmented display configuration for 3×3 mapping in a fault tolerant display system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 7, the seven segments and the decimal point DP are each correspondingly connected to a plurality of the row or common pad connectors (row 1, row 2, row 3, and comm 1, comm 2, and comm 3), and arranged as shown in Table B below.

	TABLE B
		Comm 1	Comm 2	Comm 3
		Row 1	F	B	DP
		Row 2	D	A	C
		Row 3	**	G	E

The row 3/comm 1 location indicated with “**” may be used for another icon or other symbols on the display but which is not needed for the primary display segments.

In this manner, it can be seen that the possibility of an erroneous number or value displayed is substantially minimized. More specifically, for example as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 7, when one of the pad connectors (row 1, row 2, row 3, and comm 1, comm 2, and comm 3) fails, then the resulting display will not be a number, but rather, a nonsensical display output. Moreover, the configuration shown in FIG. 7 in one embodiment provides for the decimal point DP to be missing (when the corresponding pad fails) concurrent with a substantially noticeably error in the output value of one of the digits.

For example, if row 2 connector fails, then segments A, C and D fail, resulting in a display of nonsensical number. Moreover, if comm 3 connector fails, then the decimal point DP fails in addition to segments C and E, again, rendering the output display to be nonsensical, and with the disabled decimal point DP. In this manner, in one embodiment of the present invention, a substantially fault tolerant seven segment LCD display configuration is provided which substantially minimizes the possibility of erroneously displaying a value to the patient and which may be the basis of inaccurate and/or inappropriate patient treatment.

FIG. 8 illustrates a segmented display configuration for 6×6 mapping in a fault tolerant display system in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 8, it can be seen that the output display for the 6×6 mapping provides a three digit seven-segment display suitable for a blood glucose meter 101 (FIG. 1) for example, for displaying a range of measured glucose values. More specifically, compared with the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 for a single digit 3×3 mapping of the three row connectors and three common connectors, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, there are provided six row connectors (row 1, row 2, row 3, row 4, row 5, and row 6) and six common connectors (comm 1, comm 2, comm 3, comm 4, comm 5, and comm 6) using similar mapping configuration as the single digit configuration of FIG. 7. This configuration provides additional or further fault tolerance against a missing first digit as compared to three 3×3 mapping in sequence.

FIG. 9 illustrates a segmented display configuration for 6×4 mapping in a fault tolerant display system in accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 9, provided with four row connectors (row 1, row 2, row 3, and row 4) and six common pads or connectors (comm 1, comm 2, comm 3, comm 4, comm 5, and comm 6), the layout shown in Table C may be used.

TABLE C
	Row 4	Row 3	Row 2	Row 1
Comm 1	3C	**	1D	1F
Comm 2	3B	1G	1A	1B
Comm 3	3D	1E	1C	*
Comm 4	3G	3E	2D	2F
Comm 5	3F	2G	2A	2B
Comm 6	3A	2E	2C	DP

The location indicated with a “*” may be used for a second decimal point (DP) if needed or alternatively, for an icon displayed on the display unit, and the location indicated with a “**” may be used for icons or other symbols on the display but is not needed for the segments.

In one embodiment, the layout shown in FIG. 9 is configured to prevent the first and second digits, including the decimal point, from resulting in a numerical error. The third digit, however, may result in a missing digit or a numerical error. In glucose meters, the errors that result from the third digit will be are sufficiently insignificant (clinically) that they are contained in the A or B region of the Clarke Error Grid, and thus erroneous reading or display will likely not result in substantial misdiagnosis or significant improper treatment of the patient.

FIG. 10 is a tabular illustration of the fault tolerant display for LCD display unit in an electronic device with varying levels of fault tolerance for illustrating the various embodiments of the present invention described herein. For example, a correct reading of a glucose meter at 140 shown by the first entry in the first column in Table C, will result in a bad reading if the most significant digit “1” is missing. Accordingly, in one embodiment, the display unit may be configured such that the bad reading of “40” is instead configured to be output as a good reading as shown in the corresponding row of Table C in the third column. Indeed, the good reading is displayed as a nonsensical value which is not likely to mislead the patient that the 10 measured glucose level is 40 rather than 140 which is the actual accurate value.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a fault tolerant three digit LCD display unit which does not display any cross point pixels (pixels that are always displayed caused by a row connector and a common connector crossing). In this case, a 4×12 mapping may be used in accordance with the layout 15 shown in Table D below which includes twelve row connectors and four common connectors.

	TABLE D
		Comm 1	Comm 2	Comm 3	Comm 4
		Row 1	—	—	—	1D
		Row 2	—	—	1E	1C
		Row 3	1A	1F	—	—
		Row 4	—	1B	1G	—
		Row 5	—	—	2E	2C
		Row 6	2A	2F	—	—
		Row 7	—	2B	2G	DP
		Row 8	3A	3F	—	—
		Row 9	—	3B	3G	—
		Row 10	—	—	3E	3C
		Row 11	—	—	—	3D
		Row 12	—	—	—	2D

In this manner, inadvertent display errors may be mitigated while also minimizing the number of cross point pixels on an LCD. The third digit for this method can also be located in other locations in the truth table without sacrificing fault tolerance as it is not a critical digit. The open spaces in Table E shown with the “-” may be used for icons or other symbols, provided that they do not create cross points between the rows and commons (columns). This approach in one embodiment eliminates critical errors, such as missing decimal point and missing first digit, but may not eliminate all errors. However, the errors that occur will fall into either the A or B region of the Clarke Error Grid, that is, within the acceptable tolerance range, and thus prove to be clinically acceptable.

In this manner, in accordance with the various embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a method and system for fault tolerant configuration of a seven segment display of an electronic device including medical devices such as the LCD display of a glucose meter. That is, if an LCD failure occurs, the result displayed will not be a number, or alternatively, the erroneous number displayed are in the A or B region of the Clarke Error Grid (that is, in the acceptable/tolerance range of values in the case of measured glucose values). Therefore, the fault tolerance approach in accordance with the present invention minimizes the chance of an incorrect number being displayed and reduces the effect of a potential error on patient treatment.

In accordance with the various embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a fault tolerant display unit which may be configured to mitigate the effects of display failure. More specifically, in one embodiment, if a display failure occurs (by, for example, a single pixel or multiple pixels failures and/or pad or connector failures), the displayed results may be configured to display an invalid number. Alternatively, in the case of glucose meters, the display failure may be mitigated by displaying, in one embodiment, measured glucose values that are within the A or B region of the Clarke Error Grid.

In this manner, in one embodiment, the probability of an incorrect value being displayed can be minimized, and the effect of a potential error on the patient treatment (based on incorrect value) may be reduced if an incorrect number is displayed.

Indeed, an apparatus including a fault tolerant display unit for an electronic device in one embodiment of the present invention includes a display unit, a controller unit operatively coupled to the display unit, the controller unit configured to control the display unit to display information, where when a failure mode of the display unit occurs, the display unit is configured to display modified information, where the modified information is different from the information for display under the control of the controller unit.

The display unit in one embodiment may include a seven segment Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) unit with one or more digits.

Additionally, the display unit may be configured to display one or more health related values, where the one or more health related values may include one or more of a measured glucose value, a cholesterol level, and a blood alcohol level.

The failure mode of the display unit in one embodiment includes one or more of a connector failure, a display unit driver failure, or a connector short.

Moreover, one of an RF receiver unit, wherein the display unit may be coupled to a housing of the RF receiver unit.

In an another embodiment, an infusion device may also be provided, where the display unit may be coupled to a housing of the infusion device. The infusion device may include an external insulin pump, an implantable insulin pump, or an on-body patch pump.

Moreover, in a further embodiment, a glucose meter may be provided, where the display unit is coupled to a housing of the glucose meter.

The displayed modified information associated with the detected failure mode in one embodiment is non-informative.

A method of providing display fault tolerance in an electronic device in another embodiment includes the steps of receiving one or more commands to display information on a display unit, detecting a failure mode associated with the display unit, and displaying modified information on the display unit associated with the detected failure mode.

In one embodiment, the step of displaying may include the step of disabling a predetermined segment of the information for display such that the displayed information is a subset of the information for display, and further, where the subset of the information for display may be non-informative.

A display unit of an electronic device in yet another embodiment of the present invention includes a display portion, and a controller coupled to the display portion, the display portion configured to display a predetermined information based on one or more commands received from the controller, where, when a failure mode is detected in the display portion, the one or more commands received from the controller to display the predetermined information does not change.

Various other modifications and alterations in the structure and method of operation of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Although the invention has been described in connection with specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments. It is intended that the following claims define the scope of the present invention and that structures and methods within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby.

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; anddisplaying 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; andwherein 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; anda 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.