Flexible Wearable Sensor With Integrated Microfabricated Circuitry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wearable sensors for measuring body parameters like temperature, humidity, and pH are often bulky and unsightly, making them less suitable for everyday use, and existing miniaturization efforts have not adequately addressed the need for a small, flexible, and aesthetically appealing solution.
Innovation Solution
A wearable sensor with a flexible, microfabricated body that includes sensor components, processing circuitry, and an antenna, all embedded within a single, transparent plastic substrate, allowing it to bend and conform to skin surfaces while reducing manufacturing complexity and cost, and enabling wireless communication of measured data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If wearable sensors are made smaller in size for everyday use, then aesthetic appearance and comfort are improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sensor components, processing circuitry, and antenna into a single integrated flexible body structure. This consolidation reduces the overall device volume while simplifying manufacturing by eliminating the need for separate assembly steps, directly resolving the contradiction between miniaturization and manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible body serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support, houses sensor components, integrates processing circuitry, and accommodates the antenna. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed, enabling smaller device size without proportionally increasing manufacturing complexity
2Adaptability or versatility
If wearable sensors are made flexible to conform to skin surfaces, then comfort and adaptability are improved, but structural stability and manufacturing precision become more difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible body constructed from thin-film materials that can conform to skin surfaces while maintaining structural integrity. This thin-film approach enables flexibility for comfort and adaptability while preserving manufacturing precision through controlled material thickness and composition
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible body is constructed using composite materials that combine different properties: flexibility for comfort, structural stability for mechanical integrity, and electrical conductivity for antenna and circuit functionality. This material composition allows the device to be flexible while maintaining precision in manufacturing and structural stability in use
3Volume of moving object
If all components are embedded within the flexible body to reduce size, then aesthetic appearance is improved, but access to components for assembly and testing becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the flexible body into distinct functional layers: sensor component region, processing circuitry region, and antenna region. This segmentation allows each component to be independently manufactured and tested before final integration, maintaining ease of manufacture while achieving a compact embedded structure that improves aesthetic appearance
Data Source
AI summary
A wearable sensor for measuring a parameter of human skin is described and includes a flexible body comprising sensor components formed on, adjacent or within the flexible body and configured to generate a first signal indicative of the parameter of human skin; microfabricated processing circuitry formed within the flexible body, coupled to the sensor components and configured to process the first signal to produce a second signal; and an antenna, formed on, adjacent or within the flexible body, the antenna being coupled to the processing circuitry and configured to transmit the second signal to an external device.