Conductive Adhesive Border Design for Isolated TTFields Transducers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tumor treating field transducers face issues with short circuits due to exposure of conductive material layers when the adhesive bandage is cut, leading to unintended electrical contact between transducers.
Innovation Solution
The development of transducers with a conductive adhesive layer featuring non-conductive edge portions that prevent exposure of conductive materials, creating a physical barrier to avoid electrical connection between adjacent transducers, even if they have been cut.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the adhesive bandage is cut to fit the transducer, then the transducer can be customized to fit the patient's body, but the conductive material layers become exposed leading to short circuits
Solution Approach 1:
A non-conductive adhesive layer is applied to the back surface of the transducer before the conductive adhesive layer. This preliminary protective layer prevents exposure of conductive materials when the transducer is cut to fit the patient's body, eliminating the need for post-cutting protection while maintaining electrical isolation.
2Reliability
If a protective layer is added to prevent exposure of conductive materials, then electrical isolation is maintained, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The protective non-conductive adhesive layer is integrated with the conductive adhesive layer into a single multi-functional adhesive assembly. This merging eliminates the need for separate protective components while maintaining both electrical isolation and skin adhesion functions, thus preventing short circuits without significantly increasing device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design effectively prevents short circuits between transducers, ensuring safe and effective application of tumor treating fields by maintaining electrical isolation through the use of non-conductive edges in the adhesive layer.
Implementation Method 1
a conductive adhesive layer featuring non-conductive edge portions that prevent exposure of conductive materials, creating a physical barrier to avoid electrical connection between adjacent transducers
Data Source
AI summary
An adhesive layer for use in a transducer apparatus, the adhesive layer extending in an x-y plane and having an adhesive layer outer edge, the adhesive layer including: an adhesive matrix material; a plurality of electrically conductive particles embedded at least partially within the adhesive matrix material forming a conductive adhesive region of the adhesive layer; and at least one non-conductive edge portion comprising an adhesive devoid of electrically conductive particles, the at least one non-conductive edge portion being electrically non-conductive; wherein, when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the x-y plane, a first non-conductive edge portion is located adjacent to and extends along an outer edge of the conductive adhesive region and forms at least a portion of an outer perimeter of the adhesive layer.