Biosensor Test Strip Encoding via Conductive Links
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing biosensor test strips lack an efficient method to encode information necessary for proper identification and calibration, leading to potential inaccuracies and user errors in analyte concentration measurements.
Innovation Solution
The integration of conductive contact pads and potential conductive links on the test strip allows for encoding information that can be read by the test meter, enabling identification and calibration verification without the need for external ROM keys, thereby enhancing the accuracy and reliability of analyte concentration measurements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If information is encoded on the test strip using existing methods, then identification capability is improved, but the amount of information that can be coded is severely limited and requires relatively large amounts of test strip surface area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the encoding parameters by using the presence or absence of conductive links between contact pads to represent binary data (0 or 1). This allows multiple bits of information to be encoded in a compact arrangement of contact pads and conductive links, dramatically increasing information density per unit area of the test strip.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact pads serve multiple functions: they are used for both measurement purposes and for information encoding. The same physical structures (contact pads and conductive links) that facilitate electrical measurement also carry the encoded identification and calibration information, eliminating the need for separate encoding components and maximizing space utilization.
2Measurement precision
If information is encoded on the test strip, then calibration accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional conductive links and contact pads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the calibration information storage function with the existing test strip structure by using conductive links between contact pads to encode calibration parameters. This integration allows calibration data to be stored directly on the test strip without requiring external ROM keys or separate memory devices, thereby improving calibration accuracy while minimizing additional structural complexity.
3Loss of information
If external ROM keys are used for calibration, then calibration information can be stored, but ease of operation deteriorates due to the need to insert and manage separate calibration devices
Solution Approach 1:
The test strip becomes self-sufficient by encoding its own calibration and identification information directly on its structure through conductive links and contact pads. The test strip automatically provides this information to the test meter upon insertion, eliminating the need for users to manually insert, remove, or manage external ROM keys, thereby significantly improving ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a test strip for measuring a concentration of an analyte of interest in a biological fluid, wherein the test strip may be encoded with information that can be read by a test meter into which the test strip is inserted.