Analyte Sensor Applicator with Rotating Base
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing blood glucose sensors are bulky and cumbersome due to the arrangement of sensor assemblies and needle insertion components, making them difficult to carry and resulting in excessive waste, as the base portion typically has openings for needle insertion that occupy valuable space and hinder compact design.
Innovation Solution
The sensor applicator features a side-by-side arrangement of the sensor assembly and needle carrier, eliminating the need for a needle opening in the base portion, allowing for a slimmer design with a rotating base that moves from an upright insertion position to a laid-flat configuration after insertion, and using a flexible extension to decouple the base from the needle, enabling smaller components and easier handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the base portion has openings for needle insertion, then the needle can be inserted into the sensor assembly, but the openings occupy valuable space and make the design bulkier
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate functional components: a sensor assembly with base and sensing portion, and a separate needle carrier. The needle carrier holds the needle independently and delivers it to the sensor assembly during insertion, eliminating the need for openings in the base portion.
Solution Approach 2:
A needle carrier acts as an intermediary component between the needle and the sensor assembly. The carrier holds the needle during storage and transport, then delivers it to the sensor assembly during the insertion process, allowing the base to remain solid without openings.
2Ease of operation
If the sensor assembly and needle carrier are arranged vertically, then the needle can pass through the base, but the applicator becomes larger and more cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The needle carrier is positioned laterally adjacent to the sensor assembly rather than vertically above or below it. This lateral arrangement in a different spatial dimension allows both components to coexist in a compact configuration without requiring the needle to pass through the base, reducing overall applicator size.
3Volume of moving object
If the base is fixed in position during insertion, then the needle alignment is easier, but the applicator cannot achieve a slimmer design
Solution Approach 1:
The base is designed to rotate from an upright insertion position to a laid-flat configuration after insertion. During the insertion process, the base remains in the upright position providing stable alignment, then dynamically transitions to the laid-flat position to achieve a slimmer profile, combining both requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
Analyte sensors and associated insertion devices are disclosed herein. According to some embodiments, the present technology includes a sensor applicator comprising a housing having an insertion end configured to be positioned at or adjacent a user's skin at an insertion site, a needle carried by the housing and configured for insertion into the user's skin at the insertion site, and a sensor assembly comprising a base and a sensing portion extending from the base. The base is supported by the housing in a first position during insertion of the needle and configured to rotate into a second, laid-flat position on the user's skin after removal of the housing from the insertion site.