REMOTELY ADDRESSABLE PRESSURE AND/OR TEMPERATURE MEASURING DEVICE INSTALLED IN A BIOLOGICAL MEDIUM

• US 20110036173A1
• Filed: 04/28/2009
• Published: 02/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SENSeOR
• Original Assignee: SENSeOR
• Inventors: Heider, Gerhard, Chommeloux, Luc, Menage, Philippe
• Granted Patent: US 8,549,923 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/702
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0271 Thermal or temperature sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02152 specially adapted for venous pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/82 Devices providing patency to, or preventing collapsing of, tubular structures of the body, e.g. stents stent-grafts for tubular structures of the body other than blood vessels A61F2/04; stent-grafts for blood vessels A61F2/07; instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts A61F2/95; for closing wounds, or holding wounds closed A61B17/04 - A61B17/115; dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0002 for data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49005 Acoustic transducer

Abstract

A remotely interrogatable pressure and/or temperature measuring device includes at least an acoustic wave sensor including at least one resonator coupled to a first antenna element, and an interrogation system including a second antenna element for transmission and reception. The device further includes an expandable tubular structure, the structure integrating a biocompatible material, and the acoustic wave sensor is encapsulated in the biocompatible material. The second antenna element operates at frequencies above several tens of MegaHertz.

Claims

1. A remotely interrogatable pressure and/or temperature measuring device comprising at least:

an acoustic wave sensor comprising at least one resonator coupled to a first antenna element; and

an interrogation system comprising a second antenna element for transmission and reception,

wherein the measuring device further comprises an expandable tubular structure, said structure integrating a biocompatible material and said acoustic wave sensor encapsulated in the biocompatible material and in that the second antenna element operates at frequencies above several tens of MegaHertz.

2. The remotely interrogatable pressure and/or temperature measuring device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tubular structure comprises a metallic structure in the form of an expandable trellis.

3. The remotely interrogatable pressure and/or temperature measuring device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor is situated on an internal wall of the tubular structure.

4. The remotely interrogatable pressure and/or temperature measuring device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the biocompatible material is a resin.

5. The remotely interrogatable pressure and/or temperature measuring device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tubular structure comprises a non-expandable rigid part into which the sensor is integrated.

6. The remotely interrogatable pressure and/or temperature measuring device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor is a pressure sensor comprising at least two resonators, each resonator being coupled to an integrated antenna.

7. The remotely interrogatable pressure and/or temperature measuring device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor is a pressure and temperature sensor, comprising a first reference resonator, a second resonator for measuring temperature and a third resonator sensitive to pressure, each resonator being coupled to an integrated antenna.

8. The remotely interrogatable pressure and/or temperature measuring device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor is a pressure and/or temperature sensor, comprising a stack of several substrates each comprising a resonator and an integrated antenna, produced by way of peripheral walls.

9. The remotely interrogatable pressure and/or temperature measuring device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the peripheral walls are of glass paste (gp) type.

10. The remotely interrogatable pressure and/or temperature measuring device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the pressure-sensitive resonator is in the upper position in the stack and in a head-to-tail position with respect to the reference resonator.

11. The remotely interrogatable pressure and/or temperature measuring device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interrogation system operates in the ISM band at 434 MHz.

12. A method of fabricating a measuring device as claimed in claim 1, comprising the following steps:

the production of an opening on a peripheral part of an expandable tubular structure;

the placing of said expandable tubular structure on a mandrel exhibiting a groove;

the positioning of the sensor in the opening of the tubular structure positioned on the mandrel and facing said groove;

the depositing of a biocompatible shrouding resin making it possible to encapsulate said sensor; and

the removing of the tubular structure from said mandrel.

13. The remotely interrogatable pressure and/or temperature measuring device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sensor is situated on an internal wall of the tubular structure.

14. The remotely interrogatable pressure and/or temperature measuring device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the biocompatible material is a resin.

15. The remotely interrogatable pressure and/or temperature measuring device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the tubular structure comprises a non-expandable rigid part into which the sensor is integrated.

16. The remotely interrogatable pressure and/or temperature measuring device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sensor is a pressure sensor comprising at least two resonators, each resonator being coupled to an integrated antenna.

17. The remotely interrogatable pressure and/or temperature measuring device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sensor is a pressure and temperature sensor, comprising a first reference resonator, a second resonator for measuring temperature and a third resonator sensitive to pressure, each resonator being coupled to an integrated antenna.

18. The remotely interrogatable pressure and/or temperature measuring device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sensor is a pressure and/or temperature sensor, comprising a stack of several substrates each comprising a resonator and an integrated antenna, produced by way of peripheral walls.

19. The remotely interrogatable pressure and/or temperature measuring device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the pressure-sensitive resonator is in the upper position in the stack and in a head-to-tail position with respect to the reference resonator.

20. A method of fabricating a measuring device as claimed in claim 2, comprising the following steps:

the production of an opening on a peripheral part of an expandable tubular structure;

the placing of said expandable tubular structure on a mandrel exhibiting a groove;

the positioning of the sensor in the opening of the tubular structure positioned on the mandrel and facing said groove;

the depositing of a biocompatible shrouding resin making it possible to encapsulate said sensor; and

the removing of the tubular structure from said mandrel.