WEAVING METHOD FOR PRODUCING A PLURALITY OF MOISTURE SENSORS FOR A DEVICE FOR MONITORING A PATIENT ACCESS

• US 20130075018A1
• Filed: 09/20/2012
• Published: 03/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fresenius Medical Care Deutschland GmbH (Fresenius Medical Care AG)
• Original Assignee: John Heppe
• Inventors: HEPPE, John
• Granted Patent: US 9,488,610 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/148
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/029 Humidity sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/12 Manufacturing methods specially adapted for producing sensors for in-vivo measurements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02042 Determining blood loss or bleeding, e.g. during a surgical procedure
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3653 Interfaces between patient blood circulation and extra-corporal blood circuit
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3656 Monitoring patency or flow at connection sites; Detecting disconnections
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3659 Cannulae pertaining to extracorporeal circulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3661 for haemodialysis
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 1/0088 Fabrics having an electronic function
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 11/00 Double or multi-ply fabrics not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 15/00 Woven fabrics characterised by the material, structure or properties of the fibres, filaments, yarns, threads or other warp or weft elements used
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 15/275 Carbon fibres
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 15/283 synthetic polymer-based, e.g. polyamide or polyester fibres cellulose-based artificial fibres D03D15/225
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2401/16 antistatic; conductive
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2509/00 Medical; Hygiene
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/16 using electric detection means G01M3/045, G01M3/06, G01M3/12, G01M3/20, G01M3/24, G01M3/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/165 by means of cables or similar elongated devices, e.g. tapes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/048 for determining moisture content of the material

Abstract

A weaving method for producing a plurality of moisture sensors for a device for monitoring an access to a patient, in particular for monitoring the vascular access in an extracorporeal blood treatment, wherein the moisture sensors are woven. During the weaving of the moisture sensors, non-conductive warp threads, non-conductive weft threads, conductive warp threads and conductive weft threads are disposed in the textile two-dimensionally extending structure, such that spatially demarcatable structures of electrical strip conductors are created. The strip conductor structures can be produced by spatial separation or contacting of the conductive warp or weft threads. In order to be able to produce the moisture sensors cost effectively in large numbers, a plurality of individual moisture sensors are repeatedly woven each time beside one another normal to the production direction on a common woven fabric web as the web progressively advances, so that the width of the woven fabric web is occupied in the best possible way by as many moisture sensors as possible. The individual moisture sensors are separated from one another after weaving.

Claims

1. A method for producing a plurality of moisture sensors for a device for monitoring a patient access, the method comprising:

disposing non-conductive warp threads, non-conductive weft threads, conductive warp threads and conductive weft threads in a textile two-dimensionally extending structure, such that spatially demarcatable structures of electrical strip conductors are created, wherein a plurality of individual moisture sensors are woven beside one another normal to a production direction on a common woven fabric web; and

after the weaving, separating the individual moisture sensors from one another.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising weaving a compensation strip running normal to the production direction between a preceding group of moisture sensors, which are woven beside one another normal to the production direction, and a subsequent group of moisture sensors, which are woven beside one another normal to the production direction.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the moisture sensors of a group of moisture sensors, which are woven beside one another normal to the production direction, are disposed interlaced with respect to one another.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein intersecting conductive warp threads and weft threads are disposed for the formation of the strip conductor structures such that the warp and weft threads make contact at individual points of intersection.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the strip conductor structures of the individual moisture sensors are formed from groups of conductive warp threads, which each comprise a plurality of conductive warp threads running in a first direction, and groups of conductive weft threads, which each comprise a plurality of conductive weft threads running beside one another in a direction at right angles to the first direction, wherein at least one of the groups of warp threads are disposed with an equal spacing from one another and the groups of weft threads are disposed with an equal spacing from one another.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the conductive warp threads run in the production direction and the conductive weft threads run normal to the production direction.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the strip conductor structures of the moisture sensors are each formed by three groups of weft threads and two groups of warp threads.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the groups of the weft threads have the same number of weft threads.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the groups of warp threads have a different number of warp threads.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the groups of weft threads are disposed with an equal spacing.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of weaving marking elements running in the production direction and weaving cross-shaped marking elements between the moisture sensors.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the marking elements are formed by at least one of conductive warp and weft threads which are laid at the surface of the woven fabric.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein on the rear side of the woven fabric web facing a patient'"'"'s skin a two-sided adhesive film is applied, which is provided with a tear-off film that can be torn off at the rear side that lies on the patient'"'"'s skin, the tear-off film protecting an adhesive layer at the rear side of the adhesive film, wherein the adhesive film comprises at predetermined intervals at the rear side, which is to be stuck onto the patient'"'"'s skin, sections in which the adhesive film is free from adhesive.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising, after the separation of the individual moisture sensors, folding the section of the tear-off film not glued to the adhesive film.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the moisture sensors each comprise a central region with two legs which laterally surround a central cutout, wherein the moisture sensors on the woven fabric web are disposed offset with respect to one another, such that in each case a leg of a moisture sensor engages in a cutout of another moisture sensor.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the moisture sensors each comprise tabs on which the strip conductors form terminal contacts.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the non-conductive warp threads, non-conductive weft threads, conductive warp threads and conductive weft threads are provided with a spinning preparation.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the individual moisture sensors are separated from one another by means of a laser.

19. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

after the separation of the individual moisture sensors, checking the position of defined control points on the moisture sensor by means of an image processing system, wherein it is determined that there is a faulty moisture sensor when the control points do not lie within a predetermined tolerance field.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the control points are the points of intersection of intersecting conductive warp and weft threads.

21. A device for weaving comprising a device configured to implement the method according to claim 1.