Guidewire Assembly with Printed Conductive Traces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Guidewires with integrated sensors face challenges due to limited space and mechanical stresses in tortuous pathways, making it difficult to effectively construct and use sensors and electrodes within the guidewire, particularly in vascular applications.
Innovation Solution
The guidewire assembly incorporates a pressure sensor with electrodes, utilizing a core wire and conductive traces printed directly on an insulative polymer layer, with a sensor casing that exposes the pressure sensor to the fluid environment and connects to a flex circuit for electrical coupling, allowing for efficient signal transmission without the need for separate conducting wires.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If sensors and electrodes are integrated directly into the guidewire body, then measurement precision and device simplicity are improved, but the guidewire structure becomes more complex and harder to manufacture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the pressure sensor diaphragm, conductive traces, and insulative coating directly into the guidewire body structure. The sensor assembly is merged with the guidewire core wire, eliminating separate sensor housing and wiring components. This combining approach maintains measurement precision while reducing overall device complexity and manufacturing steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The guidewire core wire serves multiple functions: it provides structural support for navigation, acts as a substrate for the pressure sensor diaphragm, and incorporates conductive traces for electrical signaling. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, simplifying construction while enabling precise physiological parameter measurement.
2Reliability
If multiple conductive wires are passed through the guidewire for sensor coupling, then electrical connection reliability is improved, but the guidewire diameter increases and flexibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the electrical connection function from separate conductive wires and integrates it directly into the guidewire body through conductive traces deposited on the core wire surface. This eliminates the need for discrete wires passing through the guidewire, maintaining reliable electrical coupling while preserving the guidewire's small diameter and flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical wire-based electrical connection system with a printed conductive trace system directly on the guidewire body. This substitution eliminates the need for separate conductive wires, maintaining electrical reliability while reducing the guidewire cross-sectional dimensions and improving flexibility for navigating tortuous vasculature.
3Reliability
If a sensor housing is used to protect the pressure sensor, then sensor reliability is improved, but the guidewire profile increases and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sensor protective housing function with the guidewire body itself. The insulative coating and core wire structure serve as the protective housing, eliminating the need for a separate sensor housing component. This integration maintains pressure sensor reliability while minimizing the guidewire profile and simplifying manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The guidewire core wire and insulative coating serve multiple functions: structural support, electrical insulation, and sensor protection. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for a separate protective housing, maintaining sensor reliability while reducing the overall sensor assembly size and guidewire volume for better vascular navigation.
Data Source
AI summary
Guidewires having conductive elements are described where in one variation, the guidewire may be formed by disposing an insulative layer upon a surface of the guidewire core, and printing one or more conductive traces directly upon a surface of the insulative layer.