Segmented Sensor Housing with Flexible Joints for Motion Artifact Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Wearable electrocardiogram sensors face challenges in reducing motion artifacts during out-of-hospital measurements, which interfere with the collection of accurate electrocardiogram signals due to user movement.

Innovation Solution

The sensor assembly features a housing design with multiple accommodation cavities and connection portions, including a buffer groove, to allow flexibility and maintain the positional relationship with muscle groups during motion, reducing skin deformation and artifact influence. The silica gel material provides flexibility and waterproofing, and the circuit board arrangement ensures stability and comfort.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If the sensor assembly is made rigid to maintain stable signal collection, then measurement precision is improved, but motion artifacts increase due to inability to follow skin movement

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveelectrocardiogram signal collection accuracyVSAvoidmotion artifacts
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The housing is designed with a flexible connection portion that allows dynamic adaptation to skin movement. The first and second accommodation cavities are connected via a connection portion with reduced width, enabling the cavities to move independently relative to each other, allowing the sensor assembly to follow skin contours during motion while maintaining stable electrode-skin contact for accurate signal collection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The housing is segmented into multiple accommodation cavities (first, second, and third) that can move independently. The connection portion between cavities acts as a flexible joint, dividing the rigid structure into movable segments that can adapt to skin deformation without compromising the positional stability of individual sensor components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the sensor assembly is made flexible to reduce motion artifacts, then motion artifact reduction is improved, but structural stability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemotion artifactsVSAvoidsensor assembly structural stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The housing is divided into multiple rigid accommodation cavities connected by flexible portions. Each cavity maintains its structural integrity to house and stabilize individual circuit boards, while the connection portions between cavities provide flexibility to accommodate skin movement, thus achieving both local stability and global flexibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The connection portion of the housing acts as a flexible element that allows relative movement between accommodation cavities. This flexible connection enables the sensor assembly to adapt to skin deformation while the individual cavities maintain their structural stability to protect and position the electronic components securely.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

3Measurement precision

If multiple accommodation cavities are added to improve signal collection stability, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvephysiological signal monitoring accuracyVSAvoidhousing structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The housing is segmented into multiple accommodation cavities, each independently housing circuit boards or sensor components. This segmentation allows each cavity to move independently via flexible connection portions, improving signal stability by maintaining consistent electrode-skin contact during motion, while the modular design keeps each individual cavity relatively simple in structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The connection portion serves multiple functions: it mechanically connects accommodation cavities, provides flexibility for skin movement accommodation, and enables independent movement of each cavity. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional complex mechanisms while achieving improved signal collection stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP3430995B1Sensor assembly
Publication Date: 2023.11.15 SHENZHEN MINDRAY BIO MEDICAL ELECTRONICS CO LTD
  • EP3430995B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3430995B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP3430995B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

A sensor assembly (600) includes a housing (81) and a circuit board assembly (82). The housing (81) includes a first accommodation cavity (813), a second accommodation cavity (814), a first connection portion (815), a second connection portion (818), and a third accommodation cavity (816). The first connection portion (815) is connected to the first accommodation cavity (813) and one end of the third accommodation cavity (816), and the second connection portion (818) is connected to the second accommodation cavity (814) and the other end of the third accommodation cavity (816). The circuit board assembly is accommodated within the first accommodation cavity, the second accommodation cavity (814), the first connection portion, the second connection portion and the third accommodation cavity. The width of the first connection portion and the second connection portion is less than the width of the first accommodation cavity, the second accommodation cavity and the third accommodation cavity. The first connection portion and the second connection portion are each provided with a buffer groove along the width direction. The sensor assembly may reduce motion artifacts when the user is moving, reduce the influence of the motion artifacts on the monitoring, and improve the accuracy of physiological signal monitoring.