Patent Application
20230116242
This application relates in general to electronics, and in particular, to a multi-part sensing electrode connector.
Electrical connectors are commonly used to connect various parts of electronics to form an integrated system, including systems used to sense data regarding an ambient environment. In some integrated systems, periodic replacement of a connector may be required, such as due to wearing out of connector parts due to exposure to the ambient environment or a need for replacement for an alternative component. A detachable connector such as zero insertion force (ZIF) connector is a type of connector for thin and flexible cable which can be detached and reconnected. With a ZIF socket, a lever on the socket is released and opens a gap so that the contact pads on the cable can be inserted with little force. The lever is then engaged, allowing the contacts to close and grip the contact pads on the flex circuit. ZIF sockets can be used for implementation of a connection in a sensor system that utilizes disposable sensors.
However, many applications in embedded electronic systems pose great challenges that traditional detachable electrical connectors are not always be able to meet. For example, frequently, for a detachable connector to be used, the connector must be thin enough to fit within the system into which the connector needs to be embedded and flexible enough to be embedded into a curved host structure. Further, as detachable connectors must often be used in areas where exposure of the ambient environment, such as an environment that includes liquids, would be harmful to the internal electronics of the system, such connectors must be sealable to prevent the exposure. This characteristic is especially important for systems used within a human body, where damage to electrical contacts could cause electrical damage to the surrounding human tissue. Finally, to make them practicable for a large number of applications, such connectors must be low cost and easy to assemble, a requirement which ZIF sockets in particular may not be able to meet.
Attempts have been made to address these challenges. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 10,141,668, issued Nov. 27, 2018, to Mei et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference, discloses a thin form of electrical connection assembly that includes two circuit elements on separate flexible substrates. The detachable connection is implemented through selective deposition of fine patterns of conductive materials and non-conductive and pressure-sensitive adhesive. However, applying such fine patterns of conductive and non-conductive materials complicates the manufacturing of such connectors, limiting their availability and elevating their cost. Likewise, as high-quality adhesives have to be used to make such connection assembly reliable and allow sufficient conductivity in combination with sufficient water-sealing properties between the two parts, the use of such a connection assembly may be prohibitively expensive for certain applications, especially where parts of the connector must be periodically discarded.
Accordingly, there is a need for an easy-to-manufacture electrical connector that can protect internal electronics of a system into which the connector is embedded from ambient environment and that is flexible enough to accommodate various shapes of the system into which the connector is embedded.
A thin form of an electrical connector for creating a detachable connection between two circuit elements is disclosed. When the connector is employed, only an outer electrode present on a portion of the connector is exposed to the ambient environment and the rest of the electronics of both the connector and of a device into which the device is integrated can be insulated from the ambient environment. The parts of the connector can create a small three-dimensional interlock structure to seal off contact area and to facilitate electrical contacts between two circuit elements. The connector structure is flexible, allowing the connector to be embedded into a curved surface of a device that can use the electrode exposed to the environment to obtain data regarding the environment.
In one embodiment, a multi-part sensing electrode connector is provided. The connector includes an electrode portion and an interconnect portion. The an electrode portion includes: a flexible substrate; one or more electrodes positioned on a side of the flexible substrate that is configured to be exposed to an ambient environment; one or more one electrode traces, one portion of each of the electrode traces connected to one of the 1 electrodes and further portion of that electrode trace positioned on a side of the flexible substrate of the flexible substrate opposite to the side on which the electrodes are positioned; one or more connectors positioned on a flexible substrate opposite side and each shaped to detachably mate to a further connector positioned on an interconnect portion; and an enclosure surrounding the further portion of the electrode traces, wherein the connectors are comprised at least one of within the enclosure and on the enclosure. The interconnect portion includes: a further flexible substrate; one or more of the further connectors positioned on a side of the further flexible substrate; one or more electrically conductive contact structures positioned on the side of the further flexible substrate, wherein the contact structures electrically interface with the further portions of the one or more of the electrode traces when the connectors mate the further connectors; one or more conductive traces, each interfaced to one of the contact structures and further positioned to interface the contact structure to an external device when the interconnect portion and the electrode portion are inserted into the external device; and a further enclosure formed on the side of the further flexible substrate and surrounding the contact structures, wherein the further connectors are comprised at least one of within the further enclosure and on the further enclosure, wherein the enclosure and the further enclosure mate to form an interlock that insulates the further portions of the electrode circuits and the contact structures from the ambient environment when the connectors are mated to the further connector, and wherein the control circuit is configured to sense data regarding the ambient environments via one or more of the electrodes when the connectors are mated to the further connectors.
In a further embodiment, a smart mouth guard with a disposable electrode portion is provided. The smart mouth guard includes a mouth guard and an electrical connector. The mouth guard includes a curve-shaped housing comprising a receptacle shaped to receive an electrical connector and to electrically interface the electrical connector to a control circuit; the control circuit configured to sense electrochemical data via one or more electrochemical electrodes of the electrical connector exposed to an inside of a person's mouth; a microcontroller interfaced to the control circuit and configured to receive the measured data; a wireless transceiver interfaced to the microcontroller and configured to transmit the sensed data to an remote device. The electrical connector includes an electrode portion and interconnect portion. The electrode portion includes a flexible substrate; one or more electrochemical electrodes positioned on a side of the flexible substrate that is configured to be exposed to an ambient environment; one or more one electrode traces, one portion of each of the electrode traces connected to one of the electrochemical electrodes and further portion of that electrode trace positioned on a side of the flexible substrate opposite to the side on which the electrochemical electrodes are positioned; and one or more connectors positioned on the flexible substrate opposite side and each shaped to detachably mate to a further connector positioned on an interconnect portion; and an enclosure surrounding and the another portion of the electrode traces, wherein the connectors are comprised at least one of within the enclosure and on the enclosure. The interconnect portion includes a further flexible substrate; one or more of the further connectors positioned on a side of the further flexible substrate; one or more electrically conductive contact structures positioned on the further flexible substrate side, wherein the contact structures electrically interface with the further portions of the one or more of the electrode traces when the connectors mate the further connectors; one or more conductive traces, each interfaced to one of the contact structures and further positioned to interface the contact structure to a control circuit when the interconnect portion is integrated into the receptacle; a further enclosure formed on the further flexible substrate side and surrounding the contact structures, wherein the further connectors are comprised at least one of within the further enclosure and on the further enclosure, wherein the enclosure and the further enclosure mate to form an interlock that insulates the further portions of the electrode circuits and the contact structures from the ambient environment when the connectors are mated to the further connector.
Still other embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein is described embodiments of the invention by way of illustrating the best mode contemplated for carrying out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the spirit and the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
While the descriptions below and accompanying FIGURES include particular dimensions, in a further embodiment, the parts of the multi-part connector described below could have other dimensions.
On one side of the substrate 13 are positioned one or more electrodes 14 (also referred to as “sensor electrodes 14), though which sensing of characteristics of the ambient environment can be conducted. In one embodiment, the electrodes 14 can be electrochemical electrodes that can measure chemical concentration within the ambient environment, such as presence and concentration of particular biomarkers if inserted into the human body (such as the human mouth as described below), though other kinds of electrodes are also possible. Each of the electrodes 14 is connected to an electrode trace 15, with each electrode 14 and the electrode trace connected to that electrode 14 being electrically insulated from other electrodes 14 and the electrode traces 15 connected to those electrodes 14. The entirety of the traces 15 positioned on the top side 18 of the electrode layer 11 are covered with a protection layer 16 that insulates the traces 15 from the ambient environment. The protection layer 16 is made of a non-electrically-conductive material, such as non-electrically-conductive plastic, though other materials are also possible.
The electrode traces 15 pass through the substrate 13 and come out on the side 17 of the substrate 13 opposite to the side 18 on which the electrodes 14 are. A portion of the electrode traces on the opposite side can be adhered to the surface of the opposite side 17 with a cover layer (shown below) that helps maintain the position of the electrode trace 15; however, a portion of each of the electrode traces are also exposed on the opposite surface 17 in a position to interface (directly or indirectly) with the contact structures 21 on the interconnect portion 12. As further described below, the portions of the electrode traces 15 that are exposed on the opposite side 17 side can be positioned in a variety of ways and serve to interface the electrodes 14 to a control circuit (such as a potentiostat) that senses the data regarding the ambient environment via contact structures 21 positioned on the interconnect portion 12 the when the electrode portion 11 couples to the interconnect portion 14.
The coupling between the electrode portion 11 and the interconnect portion 12 is accomplished by a mating between an electrode portion enclosure 19 located on the opposite side 17 of the substrate 13 to an interconnect portion enclosure 20 located on the interconnect portion 12. The mating is accomplished by mating of connectors 25 located within the electrode portion enclosure 19 and further connectors 26 located within interconnect portion enclosure 20, shown below beginning with reference to
In addition to mating with the enclosure 19, the further enclosure 20 positioned on the interconnect portion 12 further surrounds electrically conductive contact structures 21 mentioned above, with each contact structure 21 electrically interfacing with the exposed portion of one electrode trace 15 on the opposite side 17 of the electrode portion 11 when the enclosure 19 mates to the enclosure 20. As seen with reference to
The interconnect portion 12 further includes electrically conductive traces 23, with each trace 13 connecting to one of the contact structures 21 (either directly or through another object, such as through electrically conductive portions of the contact protrusion 22). Each conductive trace 23 and the contact structure 21 connected to that trace 23 are electrically insulated from other contact structures 21 and the conductive traces 23 connected to those contact structures. The conductive traces 23 pass through the walls of the further enclosure 20, and run along the surface of the interconnect portion 12. In one embodiment, the conductive traces 23 reach the end of the interconnect portion 12, where they wrap around the edge of the interconnect portion 12 and interface with contacts 39 (shown below with reference to
As mentioned above, the exposed portions of electrode traces 15 can be surrounded by the enclosure 19 and the contact structures can be within the further enclosure 20—when the enclosure 19 and the further enclosure 20 mate, they form an interlock structure that protects the exposed portions of the traces 15 and the contact structures from exposure to the ambient environment. Further, the only electrical components of the connector exposed to the environment are the electrodes 15, thus protecting the electronics of the connector and of any host system from the ambient environment.
In the embodiment shown with reference to
The interfacing of the exposed portion of an electrode trace 15 and a contact surface 21 does not have to the interface between a connector 25 and a further connector 26.
An exposed portion of an electrode trace 15 does not have to physically touch a contact surface 21 in order to be electrically interfaced to that contact surface, as can be seen with reference to
An exposed portion of an electrode trace 15 or the contact surface 21 can be located on surfaces other than a connector 25 or a further connector 26 and still interface with each other, as can be seen with reference to
An exposed portion of an electrode trace 15 and the contact surface 21 can also be positioned on outer edges of a connector 25 and a further connector 26 respectively and not on the parts of the connector and the further connector 26 that participate in the mating, as can be seen with reference to
As mentioned above, the contact structures 21 could be grouped together on a contact protrusion 22. In a further embodiment, each contact structure 21 could be a standalone structure 21 and the exposed portion of a circuit trace could likewise be connected to a standalone structure 28 that could interface with the contact structure 21. Both the contact structure 21 and the standalone structure 28 could be made of an elastic, electrically-conductive material, such as electrically conductive polymer (such as plastic) or electrically conductive rubber, though other materials are also possible.
When the connectors 25 mate to the further connectors 26, the contact structure 21 comes into contact with the standalone structure 28, interfacing the electrode trace 15 to the contact surface 21.
While the interlock portion prevents the exposed portion of the electrode traces 15 and the contact structures 21 from being exposed to liquid, the strength of the seal formed by the interlock and isolation from the ambient environment could be increased by removing gases from the interlock formed by the enclosure 19 and the further enclosure 20. Such removal can be accomplished by introducing a one-way valve through which air and any other gases could be removed from the interlock.
As mentioned above, the connector 10 can be integrated into an embedded a system 10 that would utilize the sensor electrodes 14 to collect data regarding the ambient environment. An example, of such an environment can be a human body, with the connector being integrated into a physiological monitor, with one example of such monitor being a smart mouth guard.
The connector 10 within the mouth guard allows to interface the electrodes 14 to a control circuit within the mouth guard, as shown with reference to
While the invention has been particularly shown and described as referenced to the embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will understand that the foregoing and other changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
