Electrochemical Sensor Interface Circuit With Single-Battery Biasing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrochemical sensor systems have high power consumption, limiting the lifetime of portable glucose monitoring systems used for continuous diabetes monitoring.
Innovation Solution
A low-power amperometric sensor interface circuit design that uses a single battery and a negative voltage converter to reduce power consumption, system size, and manufacturing costs, while maintaining accurate glucose level measurements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If existing amperometric sensor interface circuits are used, then accurate current measurement is achieved, but power consumption is high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the operating parameters of the interface circuit by using a single battery with a negative voltage converter instead of dual batteries, optimizing the voltage and current parameters to achieve lower power consumption while maintaining measurement accuracy through precise trans-impedance conversion
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates one battery from the traditional dual-battery configuration, removing the high-side battery and its associated voltage converter, thereby reducing power consumption while maintaining the essential measurement function through the remaining low-side battery and optimized circuit architecture
2Stability of the object's composition
If dual battery system is used, then voltage stability is improved, but system size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes one battery from the dual-battery system, extracting only the essential power source (low-side battery) needed for accurate current measurement, thereby reducing system size while maintaining voltage stability through the optimized single-battery architecture and negative voltage converter
Solution Approach 2:
The single battery in the patent serves multiple functions that were previously distributed between two batteries: it provides both the reference voltage for accurate measurement and the power for the trans-impedance amplifier, with the negative voltage converter enabling the circuit to operate with a single polarized power source
3Adaptability or versatility
If dual battery system with high-side and low-side batteries is used, then power supply flexibility is improved, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the high-side battery and its associated voltage converter from the dual-battery system, reducing the number of components that need to be manufactured, assembled, and tested, thereby lowering manufacturing costs while maintaining power supply flexibility through the optimized single-battery configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the functions of two separate power supplies into a single battery system, combining the reference voltage generation and amplifier power supply into one battery with a negative voltage converter, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing component count while maintaining the flexibility needed for accurate glucose monitoring
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor interface circuit (5) for an amperometric electrochemical sensor (3). The circuit includes: a current-to-voltage converter (9, Rf) connected to a first terminal (WRK) of the sensor (3) for converting an electric current through the sensor (3) to a voltage at an output terminal (10) of the current-to-voltage converter (9, Rf); a first amplifier (7) connected between a second terminal (REF) and a third terminal (CNTR) of the sensor (3) for maintaining a substantially fixed voltage difference between the first and second terminals (WRK, REF) of the sensor (3); a power supply (11) for powering the voltage converter (9, Rf) and for powering a first portion (31) of the first amplifier (7); and a negative voltage converter (17) configured to power a second portion of the first amplifier (7) through its low-side supply terminal (41), while a high-side supply terminal (39) of the second portion of the first amplifier (7) is configured to be connected to the power supply (11).