Sensor-Integrated Wound Dressings With Electrical Isolation Layout

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing medical treatments lack real-time sensor data collection for tissue monitoring, particularly in wound care, orthopedic treatments, and internal tissue repair, leading to inadequate understanding of underlying tissue conditions.

Innovation Solution

Integration of sensor-enabled substrates with flexible power sources and electronic components, ensuring a minimum distance separation to prevent electric current leakage and provide electrical isolation, enabling real-time monitoring and treatment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If sensor integrated substrates are incorporated into existing treatment regimes for real-time monitoring, then measurement precision and information quality improve, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetissue condition monitoring accuracyVSAvoidsensor system integration complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines sensors, power sources, and treatment functionality into integrated substrates that can be incorporated into existing treatment regimes. This merging approach enables real-time tissue monitoring without requiring separate complex systems, thus improving measurement precision while managing device complexity through consolidation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The sensor integrated substrates are designed to perform multiple functions including monitoring, powering, and treatment delivery. This multi-functionality allows a single component to provide real-time tissue condition data while also supporting treatment operations, reducing the need for additional separate devices and simplifying overall system integration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Device complexity

If power sources are integrated close to electrically conductive parts for compact design, then device complexity reduces, but patient safety deteriorates due to electric current leakage risk

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem component integrationVSAvoidelectric current leakage to patient

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces insulating material as an intermediary substance positioned between the power source and electrically conductive parts. This mediator prevents direct electrical contact and potential current leakage to the patient while still allowing the power source to be integrated into the compact substrate design, thus maintaining both safety and device simplicity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts the electrical isolation function by separating the power source from direct contact with conductive parts through insulating material. This extraction of the harmful electrical connection pathway maintains compact integration while eliminating the leakage risk, allowing the system to achieve both low complexity and high safety.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Device complexity

If visual inspection methods are used for wound monitoring, then device complexity remains low, but measurement precision and information quality deteriorate due to obscured tissue view

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemonitoring system simplicityVSAvoidunderlying tissue condition assessment

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces mechanical visual inspection with optical sensors that can detect tissue conditions through the dressing material. This substitution enables precise measurement of underlying tissue state without requiring direct visual access, maintaining simple device operation while dramatically improving information quality about hidden tissue conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS20260033781A1Patient protection from unsafe electric current in sensor integrated dressings and systems

Publication Date: 2026.02.05 T J SMITH & NEPHEW

AI summary

In some cases, a wearable wound monitoring and/or treatment system can include a substantially flexible substrate configured to be positioned in a wound of a patient, the substantially flexible substrate supporting at least one of a sensor configured to monitor a physiological parameter of the wound or a transducer configured to treat the wound. The system can include a power source configured to provide power to the at least one of the sensor or transducer. The power source can be separated from a nearest electrically conductive part of a plurality of electrically conductive parts at least by a first minimum distance measured along a surface of insulating material at least partially supporting the power source and the plurality of electrically conductive parts, and the power source separated from the nearest electrically conductive part by a second minimum distance measured through air.