Flexible Thermal Sensor for Non-Invasive Shunt Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current diagnostic tools for shunt failure in hydrocephalus, such as CT scans and radionuclide shunt patency studies, are invasive, costly, and have poor accuracy, leading to unnecessary radiation exposure and high healthcare expenditures.
Innovation Solution
A wireless, flexible thermal sensor system that uses localized thermal actuation and sensing to non-invasively monitor cerebrospinal fluid flow through shunts, enabling continuous, real-time monitoring by patients themselves.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional diagnostic tools (CT scans, radionuclide studies) are used to monitor shunt function, then diagnostic capability is provided, but invasive procedures, radiation exposure, and high costs occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical/invasive diagnostic systems (CT scans, radionuclide studies) with a thermal sensing system that uses thermal actuators and temperature sensors to detect cerebrospinal fluid flow through thermal convection patterns, eliminating radiation exposure and invasiveness while maintaining diagnostic capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces thermal actuators as intermediaries that indirectly detect fluid flow by creating controlled thermal fields and measuring convection-induced temperature changes, rather than directly contacting or exposing the patient to harmful radiation
2Measurement precision
If thermal actuators are applied to skin for thermal sensing, then fluid flow measurement capability is achieved, but excess heat may harm tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback control where temperature sensors continuously monitor the thermal field and provide signals to adjust actuator power, ensuring thermal activation remains within safe tissue temperature limits while maintaining sufficient signal strength for accurate fluid flow measurement
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses periodic or pulsed thermal activation rather than continuous heating, allowing tissue to cool between pulses and preventing heat accumulation that could cause thermal damage, while still achieving the necessary thermal convection signals for measurement
3Stability of the object's composition
If skin-mountable thermal sensors are made mechanically rigid for structural stability, then device stability is improved, but intimate contact with skin surface deteriorates due to air gaps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible substrates and thin-film thermal actuators and sensors that can conform to the skin surface, eliminating air gaps and ensuring intimate thermal contact while maintaining structural integrity through the flexibility of the substrate material
4Strength
If materials are placed between sensors/actuators and skin to provide mechanical support, then structural support is improved, but thermal resistance increases limiting measurement accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite material structures where thermally conductive materials are integrated with mechanically supportive materials, allowing the sensor assembly to maintain both structural strength and low thermal resistance for accurate measurements
5Weight of moving object
If conventional battery-powered thermal sensors are made compact, then wearability is improved, but battery shelf-life and charging reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical battery-powered systems with wireless power transfer technology, eliminating the need for physical batteries and charging mechanisms, thereby achieving compact size without compromising power supply reliability
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 system provides reliable, continuous monitoring of cerebrospinal fluid flow, reducing the need for invasive diagnostic procedures, improving accuracy, and lowering healthcare costs while minimizing radiation exposure.
Implementation Method 1
a thermal actuator supported by the substrate and configured to receive power from a power source and supply thermal energy to a portion of a skin surface of the body
Implementation Method 2
a temperature sensor supported by the substrate and configured to detect a change in a temperature related to the thermal actuator
Implementation Method 3
Different spatial locations of temperature sensors relative to the thermal actuator additionally enable measurement of convective thermal transport properties induced by the movement of fluids near to the thermal actuator
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for monitoring temperature using wireless, flexible thermal sensors are disclosed. A wireless, flexible thermal sensor mountable on a body may comprise a substrate, a power source, a thermal actuator configured to receive power from a power source and supply thermal energy to a portion of a skin surface of the body, a temperature sensor configured to detect a change in a temperature related to the thermal actuator, and a comparator configured to receive an electrical signal corresponding to the temperature of the temperature sensor, compare the received signal to a reference signal, and output a signal based on the comparison. The sensor may further comprise a power control element configured to receive a signal corresponding to the output signal of the comparator and alter the delivery of power to the thermal actuator based at least in part on the signal received from the comparator.