Bioelectric Sensor Array Segmentation for Patient-Specific Sizing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bioelectric sensor devices for human body applications lack flexibility in sizing and placement, which can lead to inaccurate data collection and inefficient use, particularly in determining cardiac resynchronization therapy candidates and monitoring cardiac activity.
Innovation Solution
A bioelectric sensor device with a flexible dielectric substrate featuring a sensor array and reference electrodes, along with an electrically conductive network and lines of weakness for easy sensor removal and reconfiguration, allowing for precise sizing and placement on the body.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed-size sensor device is used, then manufacturing and inventory management are simplified, but the device cannot be accurately sized for different patient body types
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor device is divided into multiple individual sensors arranged in an array on a substrate. Each sensor can be independently removed by separating along lines of weakness, allowing the device to be customized in size and sensor count for different patient body types while maintaining a standardized manufacturing process for the complete array
2Measurement precision
If multiple sensor sizes are manufactured, then patient fit is improved, but manufacturing complexity and inventory requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
All possible sensors are pre-positioned on the substrate in a complete array during manufacturing. The lines of weakness are pre-formed to enable easy removal of unnecessary sensors. This preliminary configuration allows a single manufacturing process to produce a device that can be later customized for different patient sizes without requiring multiple manufacturing runs
3Ease of operation
If sensors are permanently fixed on the substrate, then device structural integrity is maintained, but sensor removal and reconfiguration is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate incorporates lines of weakness that segment the structure into removable sections. These lines of weakness are designed to break under controlled stress, allowing individual sensors or groups of sensors to be removed while the remaining substrate maintains its structural integrity for continued use
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate is designed as a thin, flexible structure that can be easily manipulated and separated along the lines of weakness. This flexibility enables simple sensor removal without requiring complex tools or damaging the overall device structure
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
Various embodiments of a bioelectric sensor device for sensing bioelectric data from a human body are disclosed. The device can include a flexible substrate, a plurality of sensors arranged in a sensor array on a sensor array portion of the substrate, an electrically conductive network located on the substrate, and a plurality of lines of weakness formed in the sensor array portion of the substrate. In one or more embodiments, each line of weakness is configured to enhance separation of the sensor array portion of the substrate along a separation line that extends between at least two sensors of the plurality of sensors. The device can also include a left reference electrode proximate a distal end of a left reference electrode arm of the substrate and a right reference electrode proximate a distal end of a right reference electrode arm of the substrate.