Lateral Sensor Head for In-Vivo Plug Connection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing in-vivo sensors for electrochemical measurements in the human or animal body face challenges in reliability, ease of use, and patient comfort due to the need for forceful connections that can cause pain and psychological discomfort.
Innovation Solution
A sensor design where the sensor head protrudes laterally from the shaft with contact fields arranged transverse to the shaft's longitudinal direction, allowing a plug connection to be made perpendicular to the puncturing channel, eliminating the need for longitudinal force and enabling a more comfortable and reliable connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the sensor head is arranged at the distal end of the sensor shaft, then the connection structure is simplified, but a force in longitudinal direction must be applied to close the plug connection, which risks pressing the cannula deeper into the body and causes pain
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor head is arranged laterally at the proximal end of the sensor shaft, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, changing the connection dimension from longitudinal to transverse. This allows the plug connection to be closed by moving the coupling part laterally across the skin surface, eliminating the need for longitudinal force and preventing deeper insertion of the cannula.
2Ease of operation
If the plug connection is closed by applying force in longitudinal direction, then the connection can be made, but this causes psychological discomfort and reluctance in patients
Solution Approach 1:
By arranging the sensor head laterally and defining the plugging direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the sensor shaft, the connection action is shifted to a lateral motion that is perceptible as comfortable across the skin surface, eliminating the instinctive threat response associated with longitudinal pressing forces.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the sensor head protrudes laterally from the sensor shaft, then the plugging direction is transverse to the puncturing channel, eliminating the need for longitudinal force, but the structure of the sensor becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor is segmented into a sensor shaft and a separate sensor head that protrudes laterally. This segmentation allows the connection function to be separated from the insertion function, enabling the plug connection to be made transversely without affecting the cannula insertion depth.
4Ease of operation
If bending forces are applied to the substrate during connection, then the plug connection can be made, but the reliability of the connection decreases and the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
By orienting the contact fields and plugging direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the sensor shaft, the connection is made in a dimension that does not induce bending moments on the substrate, eliminating bending forces and improving connection reliability while simplifying the coupling part structure.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a sensor for in vivo measurements comprising a planar substrate, and a sensor shaft bearing several electrodes, and a sensor head for connecting the sensor, wherein the sensor head has metal surfaces as contact fields for contact making, which are connected to the electrodes by way of conductor paths. The sensor head protrudes laterally to the sensor shaft so that the contact fields are arranged laterally from the sensor shaft, whereas the conductor paths extend in parallel on the sensor head transversely to the longitudinal direction of the sensor shaft. Also disclosed is a system having a sensor as just described and a suitable plug connector therefor.