Stretchable Circuitry for Conformal Medical Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical sensing and therapeutic devices face limitations due to their rigid nature, which prevents them from achieving direct or conformal contact with body tissues, compromising measurement accuracy and treatment effectiveness, especially in areas like the heart and brain where tissues are soft, pliable, and irregularly shaped.
Innovation Solution
The development of stretchable and flexible electronics integrated into expandable substrates allows for conformal contact with body tissues, enabling improved sensing and therapeutic functions through flexible circuitry that remains functional even when stretched or inflated.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If rigid medical sensing and therapeutic devices are used, then device structural stability is maintained, but conformal contact with body tissues cannot be achieved, compromising measurement accuracy and treatment effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible substrates and thin film structures to create medical devices that can conform to irregular body tissue surfaces. The flexible circuit boards and substrate materials allow the device to adapt to curved anatomical surfaces while maintaining structural integrity and electrical functionality, enabling direct contact sensing and therapy delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates expandable balloon structures that can transition from a compressed delivery state to an expanded treatment state. This dynamic transformation allows the device to navigate through narrow catheter pathways during delivery, then expand at the target site to achieve full surface contact with the tissue for accurate sensing and effective therapy delivery.
2Ease of manufacture
If rigid devices are used, then manufacturing and assembly are simplified, but the devices cannot conform to irregular body surfaces, reducing treatment effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes flexible circuit boards and thin film substrates that can be manufactured using standard flexible PCB fabrication processes. These components maintain electrical connectivity while providing the necessary flexibility to conform to body surfaces, combining manufacturing simplicity with adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs curved and expandable balloon structures that naturally conform to the spherical or curved geometry of many body cavities and surfaces. The pre-formed curved geometry of the balloon catheter allows it to adapt to irregular surfaces upon expansion without complex active actuation mechanisms.
3Measurement precision
If expandable substrates with stretchable circuitry are used, then conformal contact and measurement accuracy are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses flexible circuit boards with standard flex PCB interconnect technologies to achieve stretchability without requiring entirely new circuit architectures. The flexible substrates allow the circuitry to bend and expand while maintaining electrical connectivity through proven flexible trace and via technologies.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a balloon expansion mechanism that provides passive structural support to the circuitry during the sensing and therapy phases. The inflated balloon maintains the circuit board in a taut, stable configuration, reducing mechanical stress on interconnects and simplifying the overall structural design compared to actively compliant mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
System, devices and methods are presented that integrate stretchable or flexible circuitry, including arrays of active devices for enhanced sensing, diagnostic, and therapeutic capabilities. The invention enables conformal sensing contact with tissues of interest, such as the inner wall of a lumen, a the brain, or the surface of the heart. Such direct, conformal contact increases accuracy of measurement and delivery of therapy. Further, the invention enables the incorporation of both sensing and therapeutic devices on the same substrate allowing for faster treatment of diseased tissue and fewer devices to perform the same procedure.