Sensor holder to be applied on an appendage of a subject

• US 8,792,952 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2012
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Kall, Magnus
• Primary Examiner(s): Winakur, Eric
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fardanesh, Marjan
• Application Number:
  US13/528,503
• Publication Number:
  US 20130345528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 600309-344
• US Class Current: 600/344
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0406 specially shaped apparatus housings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/12 Manufacturing methods specially adapted for producing sensors for in-vivo measurements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6826 Finger

Abstract

A sensor holder to be applied on an appendage of a subject is disclosed herein. The sensor holder includes a substrate with at least a first location for a first sensor component, the substrate surrounding a hollow for receiving the appendage along a longitudinal axis of the hollow. The substrate is gradually thickening when drawing away at least a predetermined distance from the at least first location for the first sensor component along a perpendicular direction of the substrate in relation to the longitudinal axis of the hollow.

Claims

1. A sensor holder to be applied on an appendage of a subject, said sensor holder comprising:

a substrate comprising a first concave substrate portion, the first concave substrate portion comprising a first location configured to receive a first sensor component, the substrate surrounding a hollow for receiving the appendage along a longitudinal axis of said hollow;

wherein the first concave substrate portion comprises a stepwise or continuous increase in thickness when drawing away from the first location along a direction of the substrate that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the hollow.

2. The sensor holder according to claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a closed loop cross section, the substrate comprising a second concave substrate portion opposite the first concave substrate portion, the second concave substrate portion comprising a second location configured to receive a second sensor component, one of the first sensor component and the second sensor component comprising at least one emitter configured to emit radiation through the appendage and another of the first sensor component and the second sensor component comprising at least one detector for receiving the radiation.

3. The sensor holder according to claim 1, wherein the substrate further comprises a second concave substrate portion opposite the first concave substrate portion, the second concave substrate portion having a second location configured to receive a second sensor component, and

wherein the second concave substrate portion is configured to stepwise or continually increase in thickness when drawing away from the second location along the direction of the substrate that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the hollow.

4. The sensor holder according to claim 3, wherein the substrate further comprises a third substrate portion and a fourth substrate portion between the first concave substrate portion and the second concave substrate portion, the third substrate portion and the fourth substrate portion being opposite each other.

5. The sensor holder according to claim 4, wherein the thickness of the third substrate portion and the fourth substrate portion is uniform.

6. The sensor holder according to claim 4, wherein the third substrate portion and the fourth substrate portion are convex in shape.

7. The sensor holder according to claim 1, wherein the first location is encapsulated to form a lens.

8. The sensor holder according to claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a bottom layer surrounding the hollow, the first location being on one side of the bottom layer.

9. The sensor holder according to claim 1, wherein the first location is inside the substrate.

10. A sensor holder to be applied on an appendage of a subject, said sensor holder comprising:

a substrate comprising a first concave substrate portion, a second concave substrate portion, a third substrate portion, and a fourth substrate portion,

wherein the first concave substrate portion is disposed opposite to the second concave substrate portion, the third substrate portion disposed opposite to the fourth substrate portion, and the third substrate portion and fourth substrate portion connecting the first concave substrate portion with the second concave substrate portion,

wherein the first concave substrate portion comprises a first location configured to receive a first sensor component configured to emit radiation, the second concave substrate portion comprising a second location configured to receive a second sensor component, the second sensor component configured to receive the radiation emitted by said first sensor component,

wherein the substrate surrounds a hollow for receiving the appendage along a longitudinal axis of said hollow,

wherein the first concave substrate portion comprises a stepwise or continuous increase in thickness when drawing away from the first location toward the third substrate portion and toward the fourth substrate portion, such that the increase in thickness is configured to occur along a direction of the substrate that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the hollow, and

wherein the second concave substrate portion is configured to stepwise or continuously increase in thickness when drawing away from the second location toward the third substrate portion and toward the fourth substrate portion, such that the increase in thickness is configured to occur along the direction of the substrate that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the hollow.

11. The sensor holder according to claim 10, wherein a thickness of the third substrate portion and fourth substrate portion is uniform.

12. The sensor holder according to claim 10, wherein the third substrate portion and the fourth substrate portion are convex in shape.

13. The sensor holder according to claim 10, wherein the substrate is configured to form a closed loop.

14. The sensor holder according to claim 10, wherein:

the first concave substrate portion comprises a first layer on top of a bottom layer, and a second layer on top of the first layer,

wherein the first layer is disposed a predetermined distance from and extends away from the first location toward the third substrate portion and toward the fourth substrate portion, and

wherein the second layer is disposed a predetermined distance from and extends away from the first location, the predetermined distance of the second layer being further toward the third substrate portion and further toward the fourth substrate portion than the first layer,

wherein the second layer disposed on top of the first layer is configured to form the stepwise increasing thickness of the substrate.

15. The sensor holder according to claim 14, wherein:

the second concave substrate portion comprises a bottom layer bordering the hollow, a first layer on top of the bottom layer, and a second layer on top of the first layer,

wherein the first layer is disposed a predetermined distance from and extends away from the second location toward the third substrate portion and toward the fourth substrate portion, and

wherein the second layer is disposed a predetermined distance from and extends away from the second location, the predetermined distance of the second layer being further toward the third substrate portion and further toward the fourth substrate portion than the first layer,

wherein the second layer disposed on top of the first layer is configured to form the stepwise increasing thickness of the substrate.

16. The sensor holder according to claim 14, wherein the substrate further comprises a bottom layer below the first layer and extending along the hollow.

17. The sensor holder according to claim 16, wherein the first location is on one side of the bottom layer.

18. The sensor holder according to claim 16, wherein the first location comprising the first sensor component is on an upper surface of the bottom layer and is between the bottom layer and the first layer.

19. The sensor holder according to claim 10, wherein the first location is encapsulated to form a lens.

20. The sensor holder according to claim 10, wherein said the first location comprising the first sensor component is inside the substrate.