Flexible Plaster Medical Sensor Assembly with Adhesive Flap
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical sensor assemblies for continuous glucose monitoring face challenges in secure attachment to the skin, leading to erroneous measurements due to movement and increased risk of detachment, and require complex rigid base plates for fixation.
Innovation Solution
A flexible plaster with a flap attached to the sensor between the measuring and contact parts provides secure attachment, eliminating the need for a rigid base plate, allowing better conformation to the skin and reducing detachment risks, while incorporating a pressure-sensitive adhesive and optional structural adhesive for fixation, and features like a hollow inserter cannula and blood discharge channels for improved handling and measurement stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rigid base plate is used for sensor fixation, then the sensor can be securely attached to the skin, but the device complexity increases and the sensor cannot conform well to the skin surface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the rigid base plate with a flexible plaster comprising a flexible substrate and a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer. This flexible structure can conform to the skin surface while maintaining secure attachment through the adhesive, thereby reducing device complexity and improving skin conformation without sacrificing attachment reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the mechanical fixation system (rigid base plate with mechanical attachment) with an adhesive-based system (pressure-sensitive adhesive layer). This replacement eliminates the need for complex mechanical structures while providing reliable attachment through chemical adhesion to the skin surface.
2Reliability
If a rigid base plate is used for sensor fixation, then the sensor can be securely attached to the skin, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible plaster structure with adhesive layer is simpler to manufacture than a rigid base plate assembly. The flexible substrate can be produced using standard flexible circuit board or adhesive tape manufacturing processes, eliminating the need for complex mechanical assembly steps required for rigid base plate construction.
Solution Approach 2:
By replacing the mechanical fixation system with an adhesive-based system, the manufacturing process is simplified. The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer can be applied directly to the flexible substrate in a single step, eliminating multiple assembly operations required for mechanical attachment systems.
3Duration of action of moving object
If the sensor is attached to the skin with movement, then the sensor can be worn for extended periods, but measurement precision deteriorates due to movement-induced errors
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible plaster structure conforming to the skin surface minimizes relative movement between the sensor and skin. This flexible attachment allows the sensor to move with the skin's natural movements rather than creating shear forces, maintaining measurement precision during extended wear periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible plaster allows dynamic adaptation to skin movements and deformations. Rather than resisting skin movement rigidly, the flexible structure moves with the skin, maintaining consistent sensor-skin contact and measurement accuracy throughout the wearing period.
4Device complexity
If a flexible plaster is used instead of a rigid base plate, then the sensor can conform better to the skin and device complexity is reduced, but attachment security may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent compensates for the reduced mechanical strength of the flexible plaster by using a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer with optimized adhesive properties. The adhesive provides strong bonding to the skin surface, ensuring secure attachment despite the flexibility of the substrate.
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
The solution enhances the wearing time of the sensor, reduces detachment risks, simplifies production and handling, and maintains secure connections without skin irritation, while allowing for efficient blood discharge and user notification of excessive bleeding.
Implementation Method 1
the bottom side of the plaster facing the skin is coated with a pressure-sensitive adhesive coating
Data Source
AI summary
A medical sensor assembly comprises a flexible plaster adapted for adhesion on the skin of a patient and a sensor configured for transdermal measuring a physiological parameter, wherein the sensor has a measuring part insertable into the skin and a contact part for providing a signal connection to a measuring unit. It is proposed that the plaster has a flap which is adhered to an intermediate section of the sensor between the measuring part and the contact part.