Multi-Element Analyte Sensor for Wide-Range Glucose Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional continuous analyte sensors face challenges in achieving accurate measurements across a physiologically relevant range, often sacrificing accuracy in low-analyte-concentration environments to maintain accuracy in high-analyte-concentration environments, and struggle with non-analyte-related signals caused by interfering species.
Innovation Solution
A sensor system comprising multiple sensor elements, each designed to measure analyte concentrations over different ranges with distinct characteristics, such as sensitivity and current density, and membrane properties, to provide accurate measurements across a wide physiological range, including both low and high glucose concentrations, while minimizing interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If sensor sensitivity is increased to detect low analyte concentrations, then measurement accuracy in low-concentration environments is improved, but susceptibility to interfering species and noise increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the measurement function across multiple sensor elements with different sensitivity characteristics. The first sensor element operates with higher sensitivity for low-concentration detection, while the second sensor element operates with lower sensitivity, reducing its susceptibility to interfering species and noise, thus allowing accurate low-concentration measurement without excessive vulnerability to interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor elements are configured with different operational parameters including sensitivity, current density, and membrane properties. By changing these parameters between sensor elements, the system achieves high sensitivity for low-concentration detection in the first element while the second element uses adjusted parameters to minimize interference susceptibility.
2Device complexity
If conventional single-sensor design is used, then device complexity is low, but measurement accuracy across the full physiological range deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system is segmented into multiple sensor elements, each responsible for specific concentration ranges. This segmentation improves measurement precision across the full physiological range, with each element contributing accurate measurements in its optimized range, while the overall system complexity remains manageable through modular architecture.
3Adaptability or versatility
If sensor elements operate over overlapping concentration ranges, then measurement coverage is improved, but signal processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement function is segmented across sensor elements with partially overlapping ranges, improving adaptability and coverage. The first sensor element covers a first range and the second sensor element covers a second range with partial overlap, ensuring continuous accurate measurement across the full physiological spectrum while maintaining manageable signal processing through defined range assignments.
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 system achieves high accuracy in glucose concentration measurements across a physiologically relevant range, with measurements within +/-20% of true values 80% of the time for over 7 days, effectively addressing the limitations of conventional sensors by utilizing multiple sensor elements with different configurations to handle varying analyte levels and interference.
Implementation Method 1
Electrochemical sensors are useful in chemistry and medicine to determine the presence or concentration of a biological analyte
Data Source
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AI summary
Devices and methods are provided for continuous measurement of an analyte concentration. The device can include a sensor having a plurality of sensor elements, each having at least one characteristic that is different from other sensor(s) of the device. In some embodiments, the plurality of sensor elements are each tuned to measure a different range of analyte concentration, thereby providing the device with the capability of achieving a substantially consistent level of measurement accuracy across a physiologically relevant range. In other embodiments, the device includes a plurality of sensor elements each tuned to measure during different time periods after insertion or implantation, thereby providing the sensor with the capability to continuously and accurately measure analyte concentrations across a wide range of time periods. For example, a sensor system 180 is provided having a first working electrode 150 comprising a first sensor element 102 and a second working electrode 160 comprising a second sensor element 104, and a reference electrode 108 for providing a reference value for measuring the working electrode potential of the sensor elements 102, 104.