Glucose Sensor Temperature Compensation Using Multi-Signal Feedback

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Solution Overview

Problem

Temperature variations significantly affect the accuracy of analyte sensors, particularly glucose sensors, leading to inaccuracies in glucose level measurements, which can have severe health implications for diabetes management.

Innovation Solution

A processor-implemented method that compensates for temperature effects by integrating additional sensor signals, such as heart rate, pressure, and activity levels, to determine a temperature-compensated glucose concentration level, using models and algorithms to adjust glucose readings based on detected temperature changes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If temperature compensation using additional sensors is implemented, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveglucose measurement accuracyVSAvoidsensor system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple sensor types (glucose sensor, temperature sensor, heart rate sensor, pressure sensor, activity sensor) into a single integrated sensor system. This merging approach allows the system to collect multiple physiological parameters simultaneously, which are then processed together to compensate for temperature effects on glucose measurements, thereby improving measurement precision while managing device complexity through integration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces temperature as an intermediary parameter that mediates the relationship between physiological conditions and glucose sensor readings. By measuring temperature separately and using it as a compensating variable in the measurement model, the system can correct for temperature-induced measurement errors without directly altering the glucose sensing mechanism, thus improving accuracy while maintaining relatively simple sensor operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If multiple sensor signals are integrated for temperature compensation, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveglucose level estimation reliabilityVSAvoidsignal processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where temperature and other physiological parameters are continuously monitored and fed back into the measurement model to adjust glucose concentration estimates in real-time. This feedback loop allows the system to dynamically compensate for changing environmental and physiological conditions, improving the reliability of glucose level estimates while managing processing complexity through efficient algorithm design.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the parameters used in glucose measurement by incorporating temperature, heart rate, pressure, and activity level parameters into the measurement model. By adjusting the measurement model to account for these additional parameters, the system can more reliably estimate glucose levels under varying physiological conditions while managing the complexity of multi-parameter processing through integrated sensor operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Measurement precision

If temperature compensation algorithms are applied, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time increases due to additional processing

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetemperature-compensated glucose value accuracyVSAvoiddata processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary actions by continuously monitoring and storing temperature and other physiological parameters as they occur, rather than waiting for glucose measurements to be taken. This preliminary data collection allows the compensation algorithms to process already-available data when glucose measurements are made, reducing the additional processing time required while improving measurement precision through temperature compensation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4485096B1Systems, devices, and methods to compensate for temperature effects on sensors
Publication Date: 2026.04.22 DEXCOM INC
  • EP4485096B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2A
  • EP4485096B1 patent drawingFigure 2B~2C
  • EP4485096B1 patent drawingFigure 2D

AI summary

This document discusses, among other things, systems and methods to compensate for the effects of temperature on sensors, such as analyte sensor. An example method may include determining a temperature-compensated glucose concentration level by receiving a temperature signal indicative of a temperature parameter of an external component, receiving a glucose signal indicative of an in vivo glucose concentration level, and determining a compensated glucose concentration level based on the glucose signal, the temperature signal, and a delay parameter.