Physiological Sensor Refurbishment With Replaceable Sensor Assembly

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Solution Overview

Problem

The reprocessing of physiological sensors often results in reduced reliability due to wear and damage of sensing components, and strict testing procedures lead to unnecessary disposal of functional parts, increasing costs and reducing the number of eligible sensors for refurbishment.

Innovation Solution

A process that replaces the entire sensor assembly, including pre-tested and calibrated components, while reusing the sensor cable and monitor attachments, allowing for cost-effective refurbishment by eliminating the need for disassembly and component testing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the entire sensor assembly is replaced with pre-tested and calibrated components, then reliability of refurbished sensors is improved, but cost of reprocessing increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereliability of refurbished sensorsVSAvoidcost of reprocessing

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The sensor system is divided into two distinct segments: a reusable cable assembly and a replaceable sensor portion. The cable assembly contains durable components (connector, cable, adhesive) that can be reused, while the sensor portion contains sensitive components (emitters, detector, circuit board) that are replaced with pre-tested units. This segmentation allows the reliable sensor portion to be swapped without disposing of the functional cable assembly, improving overall reliability while controlling costs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The sensor portions are pre-tested and calibrated before being packaged in sterile containers. This preliminary action ensures that when the sensor portion is replaced on the cable assembly, reliability is guaranteed without requiring time-consuming testing and calibration steps during the reprocessing procedure itself.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If strict testing procedures are applied to sensing components, then reliability of refurbished sensors is improved, but productivity decreases due to unnecessary disposal of functional parts

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereliability of refurbished sensorsVSAvoidnumber of eligible sensors for refurbishment

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The sensor portions undergo comprehensive testing and calibration before being packaged and shipped to facilities. This preliminary quality assurance means that when sensor portions are replaced during reprocessing, their functionality is already verified, eliminating the need for additional testing that would otherwise cause functional parts to be unnecessarily disposed of.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The sensor portion is designed as a disposable component that is replaced rather than tested and refurbished. This approach is more efficient because manufacturing new sensor portions with pre-integrated testing is more reliable and scalable than attempting to test and refurbish used sensor portions, thereby maintaining high productivity while ensuring reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

3Ease of manufacture

If only adhesive portions are replaced while keeping sensing components unchanged, then cost of reprocessing is reduced, but reliability deteriorates due to wear and damage of sensing components

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecost of reprocessingVSAvoidreliability of refurbished sensors

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The sensor system is divided into a reusable cable assembly and a replaceable sensor portion. The sensor portion contains the sensitive sensing components (emitters, detector, circuit board) that are replaced with pre-tested units, while the cable assembly with adhesive is reused. This segmentation ensures that worn sensing components are replaced without wasting the functional cable assembly, optimizing both reliability and cost.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The sensor portion is designed as a disposable component containing the sensitive sensing elements. Rather than attempting to refurbish worn sensing components, the entire sensor portion is replaced with a new pre-tested unit. This approach is more reliable and cost-effective than trying to restore worn components, while the expensive cable assembly is reused to offset costs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Data Source

PatentUS11484231B2Reprocessing of a physiological sensor

Publication Date: 2022.11.01 MASIMO CORP

AI summary

Because reprocessing or refurbishing of physiological sensors reuses large portions of an existing sensor, the material costs for refurbishing sensors is significantly lower than the material costs for making an entirely new sensor. Typically, existing reprocessors replace only the adhesive portion of an adhesive physiological sensor and reuse the sensing components. However, re-using the sensing components can reduce the reliability of the refurbished sensor and/or reduce the number of sensors eligible for refurbishing due to out-of-specification sensor components. It is therefore desirable to provide a process for refurbishing physiological sensors that replaces the sensing components of the sensor. While sensing components are replaced, generally, sensor cable and/or patient monitor attachments are retained, resulting in cost savings over producing new sensors.