KR20210088979A - Sensing device - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a sensing device for inside of a body in accordance with an embodiment. The sensing device for the inside of the body comprises: an electrode comprising a reference electrode, a movement electrode, and an auxiliary electrode; and a substrate wherein a surface is circular column-shaped with a mesh structure on which the electrode is disposed on an inner surface, wherein the inner surface comprises a first region, a second region, and a third region, and the reference electrode is disposed in the first region, the movement electrode is disposed in the second region, and the auxiliary electrode is disposed in the third region. Therefore, the present invention is capable of improving a measurement accuracy of a component inside the body.

Description

In-body sensing device {SENSING DEVICE}

The embodiment relates to a sensing device for the body capable of increasing the accuracy of measuring components in the body.

With the development of medical technology, medical bioinformation measurement research for monitoring body components and physiological information in real time is being actively conducted. Among them, interest in an in-body sensing device for accurately measuring body components in real time is increasing.

As an example of a sensing device for the body, a sensor coated with a bioreactive material that reacts with a body component in the interstitial fluid penetrates the skin and is inserted into the human body, resulting from the electrochemical action between the body component and the bioreactive material It may have a structure in which an electrical signal is transmitted to a signal processing unit disposed outside the body.

In this case, as the size of the sensor inserted into the human body increases, the contact area with the body component increases, and accordingly, the sensing accuracy may be increased. However, as the size of the sensor increases, the sense of foreign body felt by the user may increase.

In addition, other foreign substances such as proteins flowing in the interstitial fluid as well as body components to be detected may be adsorbed to the sensor inserted into the human body. When foreign substances are adsorbed to the sensor, the sensing accuracy may be lowered, and the lifespan of the sensor may be shortened.

Registered Patent Publication No. 10-2031669 Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1952468

The embodiment may provide an in-body sensing device capable of increasing the accuracy of measuring in-body components.

An in-body sensing device according to an embodiment includes an electrode including a reference electrode, a working electrode, and an auxiliary electrode; and a substrate having a circular columnar surface having a mesh structure, the electrode disposed on an inner surface, the inner surface including a first region, a second region, and a third region, and the reference electrode is the first region, the working electrode may be disposed in the second region, and the auxiliary electrode may be disposed in the third region.

The first region, the second region, and the third region may be arranged side by side in a circumferential direction of the inner surface.

The first region, the second region, and the third region may have the same size.

The spacing of the mesh structure may be designed within the range of 0.05 mm to 0.1 mm, and the circumferential length of the substrate may be designed within the range of 0.5 mm to 2 mm.

An in-body sensing device according to an embodiment includes an electrode including a reference electrode, a working electrode, and an auxiliary electrode; and a plurality of substrates having a band shape and having the electrode disposed on the inner surface and wound in a spiral shape, wherein the plurality of substrates include a first substrate, a second substrate, and a third substrate, and the reference electrode is the first substrate. It may be disposed on a first substrate, the working electrode may be disposed on the second substrate, and the auxiliary electrode may be disposed on the third substrate.

A partial region of the first substrate, the second substrate, and the third substrate may overlap.

In the first substrate, the second substrate, and the third substrate, a gap between the spirals forming the spiral shape or a direction of the spiral forming the spiral shape may be different from each other.

The first substrate, the second substrate, and the third substrate may have the same size.

The in-body sensing device may further include a support for supporting one side of the spiral-shaped substrate.

According to the embodiment, by winding the mesh-shaped substrate on which three electrodes are formed in a columnar shape to form a 3D mesh, or by winding the substrate on which three electrodes are formed to form a spiral shape around a central axis, the electrode is idle. By increasing the area, the precision of the measurement can be improved.

According to the embodiment, since the electrode is disposed on the inner surface of the substrate, the adsorption of the body material may be delayed.

According to the embodiment, since it is possible to adjust the spacing between the substrates wound in a mesh or spiral form, it may be possible to change the residence time of the body fluid flowing inside the wound substrate.

1 is a view showing a general continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS).
2A to 2B are diagrams for explaining a sensor in the continuous blood glucose measurement system of FIG. 1 .
3 is a block diagram of an in-body sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4A to 4B are diagrams illustrating a sensor unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
5A to 5B are diagrams for explaining a process of forming the sensor unit shown in FIG. 4A.
6A to 6B are diagrams illustrating a sensor unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

However, the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited to some embodiments described, but may be implemented in various different forms, and within the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention, one or more of the components may be selected among the embodiments. It can be combined and substituted for use.

In addition, terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the embodiments of the present invention may be generally understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains, unless specifically defined and described explicitly. It may be interpreted as a meaning, and commonly used terms such as terms defined in advance may be interpreted in consideration of the contextual meaning of the related art.

In addition, the terms used in the embodiments of the present invention are for describing the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention.

In this specification, the singular form may also include the plural form unless otherwise specified in the phrase, and when it is described as “at least one (or more than one) of A and (and) B, C”, it is combined with A, B, and C It may include one or more of all possible combinations.

In addition, in describing the components of the embodiment of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used.

These terms are only used to distinguish the component from other components, and are not limited to the essence, order, or order of the component by the term.

And, when it is described that a component is 'connected', 'coupled' or 'connected' to another component, the component is not only directly connected, coupled or connected to the other component, but also with the component It may also include a case of 'connected', 'coupled' or 'connected' due to another element between the other elements.

In addition, when it is described as being formed or disposed on “above (above) or under (below)” of each component, the top (above) or bottom (below) is one as well as when two components are in direct contact with each other. Also includes a case in which another component as described above is formed or disposed between two components. In addition, when expressed as “upper (upper) or lower (lower)”, the meaning of not only an upward direction but also a downward direction based on one component may be included.

In the embodiment, the reference electrode, the working electrode, and the auxiliary electrode are patterned in a 2D mesh shape and wound in a cylindrical shape to form a 3D mesh shape, or the reference electrode, the working electrode, and the auxiliary electrode are wound around a central axis to form a spiral shape. suggest a structure.

1 is a diagram illustrating a general continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS), and FIGS. 2A to 2B are diagrams for explaining a sensor in the continuous glucose monitoring system of FIG. 1 .

1 to 2b , a typical CGMS 10 includes a sensor 12 and a transmitter 14 . The sensor 12 may be in the form of a needle that penetrates the skin and is inserted into the body. The sensor 12 may include an electrode 20 , an enzyme layer 22 disposed on the electrode 20 , and a semi-permeable membrane 24 disposed on the enzyme layer 22 . The CGMS 10 is a system for measuring blood sugar, and the enzyme layer 22 may include glucose oxidase. When the sensor 12 penetrates the skin and is inserted into the body, glucose in the interstitial fluid reacts with glucose oxidase in the enzyme layer 22 to be converted into gluconic acid, and a predetermined charge is released. A predetermined electric charge reacts with the electrode 20 to form a current, and the current flowing through the electrode 20 is transmitted to the transmitter 14 outside the body along a wire (not shown). The transmitter 14 transmits data related to the current transmitted from the electrode 20 to the external terminal 200 , and accordingly, the external terminal 200 may output blood glucose information in the body.

Here, for convenience of explanation, a continuous blood glucose measurement system has been described as an example, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the embodiment of the present invention is a system for sensing body components in interstitial fluid by penetrating into the body. It can be applied to content sensors.

3 is a block diagram of an in-body sensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the in-body sensing device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a sensor unit 110 , a connection unit 120 , a signal processing unit 130 , and a transmission unit 140 , and the transmission unit 140 . ) communicates with the external terminal 200 .

The sensor unit 110 penetrates the skin and is inserted into the body, and senses body components in interstitial fluid. To this end, the sensor unit 110 may use an electrochemical reaction between a predetermined body component and a bioreactive material reacting therewith. That is, when ions and/or electrons are generated by an electrochemical reaction between a predetermined body component and a bioreactive material reacting therewith, the presence or concentration of the predetermined body component may be detected using the resulting current. A specific structure of the sensor unit 110 will be described later.

Here, the predetermined body component is not limited to blood sugar, and may be various biochemical substances or various biomarkers such as blood sugar, lactic acid, cholesterol, dopamine, coral, Na+, Ka+, urea, etc. present in blood or interstitial fluid. In addition, the bioreactive material is a material that reacts with a predetermined body component, and may be an enzyme or the like. For example, when the sensor unit 110 is to sense the sugar level in the body, the bioreactive material may be glucose oxidase.

The sensor unit 110 is connected to the signal processing unit 130 through the connection unit 120 . Here, the connection unit 120 may be a wire connected to the electrode of the sensor unit 110 , and the current of the sensor unit 110 disposed in the body may be transmitted to the signal processing unit 130 outside the body through the connection unit 120 . have. The signal processing unit 130 calculates information about a predetermined body component by using the amount of current received from the sensor unit 110 through the connection unit 120 . To this end, the signal processing unit 130 may convert the amount of current received from the sensor unit 110 to analog-to-digital, and then calculate the concentration of a predetermined body component.

Then, the signal processing unit 130 transmits the calculated information to the external terminal 200 through the transmission unit 140 . In this case, the transmitter 140 may communicate with the external terminal 200 wirelessly or by wire, and the external terminal 200 may output information received from the transmitter 140 to a display or the like.

4A to 4B are diagrams illustrating a sensor unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 5A to 5B are views for explaining a process of forming the sensor unit shown in FIG. 4A.

4A to 4B , the sensor unit 110 according to the embodiment includes a substrate 300 and a reference electrode 310, a working electrode 320 and a reference electrode disposed on the substrate 300. A counter electrode 330 may be included.

The sensor unit 110 according to the embodiment may form a 3D mesh shape by patterning the substrate on which the reference electrode, the working electrode, and the auxiliary electrode are formed in a 2D mesh shape and then winding the substrate in a cylindrical shape.

Here, the substrate 300 is flexible and may include a first surface 302 and a second surface 304 opposite to the first surface 302 . The substrate 300 may be made of, for example, liquid crystal polymer (LCP), poly ether ether ketone (PEEK), polyimde (PI), or the like. According to this, the substrate 300 is biocompatible and can be flexibly bent according to the flow of interstitial fluid in the body, thereby minimizing the user's sense of foreign body, and thermoforming is possible. In addition, the substrate 300 may have a thickness of 10 to 150 μm, preferably 30 to 130 μm, and more preferably 50 to 100 μm. Accordingly, it is possible to flexibly follow the flow of body fluid while minimizing the user's sense of foreign body when inserted into the body.

The working electrode 320 is an electrode where an electrochemical reaction occurs, and a bioreactive material reacting with a predetermined body component may be coated on the working electrode 320 . Here, the predetermined body component is a component to be sensed by the sensor unit 110, and various biochemical substances or various biochemical substances such as blood sugar, lactic acid, cholesterol, dopamine, coral, Na+, Ka+, urea, etc. present in blood or interstitial fluid. It may be a marker. In addition, the bioreactive material is a material that reacts with a predetermined body component, and may be an enzyme or the like. Although not shown, a semi-permeable membrane may be further disposed on the bioreactive material. Accordingly, only a predetermined body component to be sensed can be selectively transmitted, and the problem that the bioreactive material coated on the working electrode 320 is separated from the working electrode 320 can be prevented.

The reference electrode 310 is an electrode that forms a potential difference with the working electrode 320 , and the auxiliary electrode 330 is an electrode for measuring a current signal of the working electrode 320 . That is, a voltage may be constantly maintained in the auxiliary electrode 330 , and a current may flow in the operation electrode 320 due to a reaction between a bioreactive material and a predetermined body component. The reference electrode 310 may serve to apply a constant voltage to the auxiliary electrode 330 . The working electrode 320 may be mixed with a working electrode, and the auxiliary electrode 330 may be mixed with a counter electrode.

Meanwhile, each of the reference electrode 310, the working electrode 320, and the auxiliary electrode 330 may include at least one of gold (Au) and platinum (Pt) nanoparticles, and the reference electrode 310 may include silver chloride ( AgCl) may be further included, which may be disposed on the substrate 300 by deposition, sputtering, plating, evaporation, coating, or the like. The particle size of nanoparticles forming the electrodes 310 , 320 , and 330 may vary according to processing conditions such as deposition, sputtering, plating, evaporation, and coating. According to an embodiment of the present invention, each of the reference electrode 310 , the working electrode 320 , and the auxiliary electrode 330 may include at least one of gold (Au) and platinum (Pt). In this case, each of the reference electrode 310 , the working electrode 320 , and the auxiliary electrode 330 may be formed of a wrinkled metal or a porous metal. According to this, the precision of sensing can be improved.

Referring to FIG. 4B , an AA′ cross-section of the sensor unit formed in a cylindrical shape is shown. The reference electrode 310 , the working electrode 320 , and the auxiliary electrode 330 are the first surface that is the inner surface of the substrate 300 . may be disposed on 302 .

At this time, as for the reference electrode 310, three electrodes 310a, 310b, and 310c are arranged at regular intervals, and in the working electrode 320, three electrodes 320a, 320b, 320c are arranged at regular intervals, and an auxiliary electrode. At 330, three electrodes 330a, 330b, and 330c are arranged at regular intervals.

As described above, when the reference electrode 310 , the working electrode 320 , and the auxiliary electrode 330 are disposed on the first surface 302 of the substrate 300 , adsorption of foreign substances in the body may be delayed. Here, the foreign material means a material other than a body component to be detected, such as proteins, platelets, cells, fibroblasts, immune materials, blood cells, etc. present in blood or interstitial fluid, and the foreign material is on the surface of the electrodes 310 , 320 , 330 . If it is adsorbed to , the sensing function is deteriorated, and the lifespan of the sensor may be shortened.

Here, the reference electrode 310 , the working electrode 320 , and the auxiliary electrode 330 are described as being disposed on the first surface 302 of the substrate 300 as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various arrangements are possible. Do. For example, some of the reference electrode 310 , the working electrode 320 , and the auxiliary electrode 330 are disposed on the first surface 302 of the substrate 300 , and the reference electrode 310 is disposed on the second surface 304 . ), the operation electrode 320 , and other portions of the auxiliary electrode 330 may be disposed.

Referring to FIG. 5A , the reference electrode 310 , the working electrode 320 , and the auxiliary electrode 330 are formed on the first surface 302 of the substrate 300 , and a plurality of electrodes are patterned to be disposed at regular intervals. can do.

At this time, the first surface 302 of the substrate 300 is divided into a plurality of regions 302a, 302b, and 302c, and a reference electrode 310 and a working electrode are respectively formed in the divided regions 302a, 302b, and 302c. 320 , an auxiliary electrode 330 may be formed.

In addition, the reference electrode 310, the working electrode 320, and the auxiliary electrode 330 are described as an example in which three electrodes are respectively disposed at regular intervals in the plurality of regions 302a, 302b, and 302c. It is not necessarily limited thereto and may be formed in various shapes and numbers.

After the substrate 300 is cut into a mesh shape, it is heated through thermoforming and wound and cooled in a cylindrical shape to form a cylindrical sensor unit.

Referring to FIG. 5B , when the substrate is wound in a cylindrical shape, the circumferential length of the substrate may be designed within the range of 0.5 mm to 2 mm, and the spacing of the mesh structure may be designed within the range of 0.05 mm to 0.1 mm. By forming the substrate in a columnar shape, the idle area of the electrode can be increased to increase the measurement precision, and the residence time of the body fluid can be changed by adjusting the spacing of the mesh structure.

Here, the design parameters are merely an example and are not necessarily limited thereto and may be changed.

6A to 6B are diagrams illustrating a sensor unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

6A to 6B , the sensor unit according to the second embodiment winds three substrates each having a reference electrode 310 ′, an operation electrode 320 ′, and an auxiliary electrode 330 ′ around a central axis. It can be formed in a spiral shape.

For example, the three substrates include a first substrate 300a on which a reference electrode 310' is formed, a second substrate 300b on which a working electrode 320' is formed, and a third substrate 300c on which an auxiliary electrode 330' is formed. may include.

The first substrate 300a , the second substrate 300b , and the third substrate 300c may partially overlap each other.

Here, the spiral shape may refer to a three-dimensional shape extending while repeatedly rotating with a predetermined curvature in a predetermined direction (eg, Z direction), and a shape in which a predetermined line or film surrounds the outer circumferential surface of an imaginary circular column and continues can mean Such a spiral shape may be mixed with a spiral shape, a helical shape, or the like.

In this case, the substrate formed by the reference electrode, the working electrode, and the auxiliary electrode, respectively, is wound around one central axis, and the direction of the spiral forming the spiral or the gap between the spirals forming the spiral shape may be different.

In addition, it may further include a support (not shown) for supporting one side of the spiral-shaped substrate.

Here, a case in which the spiral direction forming the spiral shape and the gap between the spirals is different is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various design parameters may vary.

Although the above has been described with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art can variously modify and change the present invention within the scope without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below. You will understand that it can be done.

100: sensing device
110: sensor unit
120: connection part
130: signal processing unit
140: transmitter
200: external terminal
300: substrate
310: reference electrode
320: working electrode
330: auxiliary electrode

Claims (10)

an electrode comprising a reference electrode, a working electrode and an auxiliary electrode; and
A surface having a circular columnar shape with a mesh structure, comprising a substrate on which the electrode is disposed on the inner surface,
The inner surface includes a first region, a second region, and a third region,
The reference electrode is disposed in the first region, the working electrode is disposed in the second region, and the auxiliary electrode is disposed in the third region. According to claim 1,
and the first region, the second region, and the third region are arranged side by side in a circumferential direction of the inner surface. According to claim 1,
and the first region, the second region, and the third region have the same size. According to claim 1,
The spacing of the mesh structure is designed to be within the range of 0.05mm to 0.1mm, a sensing device for the body. According to claim 1,
The circumferential length of the substrate is designed to be within the range of 0.5mm to 2mm, a sensing device for the body. an electrode comprising a reference electrode, a working electrode and an auxiliary electrode; and
It has a strip shape, and the electrode is disposed on the inner surface and includes a plurality of substrates wound in a spiral shape,
The plurality of substrates include a first substrate, a second substrate, and a third substrate,
The reference electrode is disposed on the first substrate, the working electrode is disposed on the second substrate, and the auxiliary electrode is disposed on the third substrate. 7. The method of claim 6,
wherein the first substrate, the second substrate, and the third substrate partially overlap each other. 8. The method of claim 7,
The first substrate, the second substrate, and the third substrate have a gap between the spirals forming the spiral shape or a direction of the spiral shape forming the spiral. 7. The method of claim 6,
and the first substrate, the second substrate, and the third substrate have the same size. 7. The method of claim 6,
The body sensing device further comprising a support for supporting one side of the spiral-shaped substrate.

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