Wireless MEMS Capacitive Sensor for Aneurysm Pressure Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for monitoring pressure within an aneurysm sac post-endograft implantation are invasive, expensive, and prone to errors due to inadequate sealing and sensor drift, requiring complex procedures and exposing patients to additional risks.
Innovation Solution
A wireless, unpowered micromechanical sensor fabricated using MEMS technology, which is hermetically sealed and biocompatible, allowing for accurate and reliable pressure measurement without the need for external power or wires, enabling immediate assessment during endograft insertion and outpatient monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a mechanical sensing element is used for pressure measurement, then the sensor can measure pressure, but the device cannot be practically manufactured in dimensions that would allow for endovascular introduction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical sensing element with a capacitive sensing mechanism. The capacitive sensor uses electrical fields rather than mechanical components to detect pressure changes, enabling miniaturization while maintaining measurement capability. This substitution allows the sensor to be manufactured at micro-scale dimensions suitable for endovascular delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental operating parameter from mechanical deformation to capacitive electrical field interaction. By measuring changes in capacitance rather than mechanical displacement, the system achieves both miniaturization and accurate pressure measurement. The capacitive element can be fabricated using standard semiconductor manufacturing techniques, enabling micro-scale dimensions.
2Measurement precision
If the sensor system relies on mechanical sensing elements, then pressure can be measured, but the interconnection being exposed to body fluids disrupts function and impacts accuracy over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical interconnections with wireless capacitive sensing. The capacitive element detects pressure changes through electrical field interaction without requiring physical connections exposed to body fluids. This eliminates the problem of fluid exposure disrupting mechanical interconnections and maintains measurement accuracy over time.
Solution Approach 2:
The capacitive sensing mechanism is inherently self-contained and does not require external mechanical connections to function. The sensor self-measures pressure changes through capacitive field interaction, eliminating dependency on exposed interconnections that would be vulnerable to body fluid exposure and degradation.
3Reliability
If the sensor fails to seal the pressure sensing circuit from the external environment, then the sensor drifts over time, but improving sealing would require complex hermetic structures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical sealing structures with a capacitive sensing system that inherently resists fluid exposure. The capacitive element operates through electrical field interaction and does not require hermetic sealing to protect mechanical components. This eliminates the need for complex sealing structures while maintaining sensor stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes from mechanical pressure sensing requiring sealed environments to capacitive sensing that operates through electrical fields. This parameter change eliminates the fundamental need for hermetic sealing, as the capacitive element can detect pressure changes without being physically exposed to body fluids, thereby avoiding drift while simplifying the device structure.
4Ease of operation
If an external device is used to display pressure measurements, then immediate assessment during procedure is possible, but the device requires complex data acquisition systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical data acquisition systems with wireless capacitive sensing and electromagnetic communication. The capacitive sensor communicates pressure data wirelessly through electromagnetic fields, eliminating the need for complex wired data acquisition systems while enabling immediate real-time assessment during the procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The capacitive sensing system is self-contained and wirelessly communicates pressure data without requiring external power or complex data acquisition hardware. The sensor self-poweres through capacitive coupling and transmits data electromagnetically, simplifying the overall system while enabling immediate immediate assessment during endograft insertion.
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 sensor provides stable and accurate long-term pressure measurements, reducing patient risk and procedural complexity while allowing for simple and non-invasive monitoring of endograft success.
Implementation Method 1
The sensor contains a capacitive element whose capacitance varies with applied pressure
Implementation Method 2
The sensor contains an inductive element whose inductance varies with applied pressure
Data Source
AI summary
A wireless sensor for indicating a physical state within an environment includes a housing defining a hermetically sealed cavity. A structure located within the cavity of the housing has elements providing capacitance, the elements being arranged such that the distance and thereby the capacitance of the structure changes when a physical state of the environment changes. The structure has a resonant frequency based at least in part on the capacitance of the structure when in the presence of a fluctuating electromagnetic field. When the sensor is positioned within an environment and is subjected to a fluctuating electromagnetic field, the resonant frequency indicates the physical state of the environment.