Catheter Sensor Assembly with Carrier Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of pressure sensors in catheters is challenging due to their fragility and the complexity of attaching and re-attaching wires, leading to potential damage and unreliable sensor performance.
Innovation Solution
A sensor assembly with a carrier having a base wall and side walls, where the sensor is mounted between the side walls with strategically designed gaps to prevent contact and a pulling device for secure placement, along with an adhesive for secure attachment, ensuring accurate positioning and minimizing damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the sensor is carefully placed in the catheter to avoid damage, then the sensor reliability is improved, but the installation time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor is pre-mounted on a carrier assembly with positioning features (side steps, base steps) that guide its placement into the catheter. This preliminary preparation allows the sensor to be positioned accurately in a single insertion action, eliminating the need for careful manual placement and reducing installation time while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
A carrier assembly is introduced as an intermediary device that holds the sensor during insertion. The carrier includes features like side walls with side steps and a base wall with base steps that guide the sensor into the correct position within the catheter, simplifying the installation process while protecting the sensor from damage.
2Manufacturing precision
If the wires are re-attached after sensor placement, then the sensor can be positioned accurately, but the electrical connection reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor mounting and wire connection operations are merged into a single integrated process. The carrier assembly includes integrated features that simultaneously position the sensor and maintain electrical connections during insertion, eliminating the need to separate these operations and re-attach wires afterward, thus preserving both positioning accuracy and connection reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical connections are established on the carrier assembly before sensor insertion into the catheter. This preliminary connection allows the sensor to be positioned accurately without requiring subsequent wire re-attachment, maintaining both positioning precision and electrical connection integrity.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the sensor is adhesively attached to the catheter, then the sensor is securely fixed, but the positioning accuracy and orientation control are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor is pre-positioned on the carrier assembly with precise location features (side steps, base steps) that define its orientation and position before attachment to the catheter. This preliminary positioning ensures accurate placement, and the subsequent adhesive attachment simply secures the pre-positioned sensor without requiring repositioning, maintaining both accuracy and stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The carrier assembly acts as an intermediary that provides precise positioning features (side walls with side steps, base wall with base steps) to guide the sensor into the correct location and orientation before final attachment to the catheter, combining the benefits of mechanical positioning accuracy with adhesive fixation stability.
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor assembly includes a carrier having a base wall and a pair of side walls extending from the base wall, and a sensor mounted on the base wall between the side walls. Each of the side walls has a side step between a first side section and a second side section extending from the first side section along a longitudinal direction of the carrier. A sensor die of the sensor is spaced in a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction by a first lateral gap distance from the first side section and by a second lateral gap distance from the second side section. The second lateral gap distance is greater than the first lateral gap distance.