Multipart Housing for Medical Sensor Stabilization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing medical devices with insertable sensors face challenges in minimizing pain during insertion, maintaining hygiene, and reducing mechanical influences that affect signal quality and sensor performance, particularly due to bleeding and external pressures on the wound site.

Innovation Solution

A medical device with a multipart housing design that includes a functional component connected to an insertable element and a protective component, allowing for mechanical protection while maintaining accessibility for cleaning and reducing mechanical influences, using a flexible and deformable protective component that can be connected after insertion to enclose the functional component and provide stabilization.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a protective component is added to enclose the functional component, then mechanical protection and stabilization are improved, but accessibility to the insertion site for cleaning is worsened

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemechanical protectionVSAvoidaccessibility for cleaning

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The housing is divided into a functional component and a separate protective component that can be independently applied. This segmentation allows the protective component to be added after insertion without compromising access to the insertion site, as it can be positioned to cover the functional component while leaving the insertion site accessible for cleaning.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The protective component is designed to be applied after the insertable element is inserted into the body tissue. This preliminary sequencing ensures that the insertion site remains accessible for cleaning during the application of the protective component, while still providing mechanical protection once applied.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the protective component is made flexible and deformable, then mechanical influences on the sensor are reduced, but structural stability is worsened

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemechanical influencesVSAvoidstructural stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The protective component's material properties are specifically selected to be flexible and deformable, allowing it to accommodate mechanical movements and external pressures without transmitting harmful forces to the sensor. This parameter change in material flexibility enables the component to absorb mechanical influences while maintaining sufficient structural stability through its deformable nature.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS9872642B2Medical device comprising a multipart housing

Publication Date: 2018.01.23 ROCHE DIABETES CARE INC

AI summary

A medical device for carrying out at least one medical function, comprising at least one element that can be at least partially inserted into a body tissue of a user and further comprising at least one housing that can be placed on a skin surface of the user. The housing has a multipart design and comprises at least one functional component. The functional component can be connected to the insertable element. The housing further comprises at least one protective component. The protective component is designed to at least partially enclose the functional component. The protective component can be connected to the functional component, particularly after insertion of the insertable element.