WHAT'S NEW: SHOWSTOPPERS
The prognosis for sensors in medical applications couldn’t be better, reports EMDM associate editor Yvonne Klöpping, who attended Sensor + Test 2008, which was held May 6 to 8 in Nuremberg, Germany.
Medical technology is a healthy industry, noted Florian Solzbacher, PhD, during a panel discussion on sensor technology and market trends. “On the one hand, we are facing a problem with an aging society and increasing chronic diseases,” said Solzbacher, who teaches at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, “but this is also a chance for [the sensor technology industry].” Indeed, exhibitors jumped at the opportunity to showcase innovations in sensor technology involving, among other things, miniaturization and nonintrusive sensing.
Miniature Sensor Enables Precision Pressure Measurement
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HCE miniature pressure sensors for OEM applications feature digital SPI bus and high accuracy. |
“Our new miniature pressure sensors use digital signal conditioning to achieve high accuracy,” says Andrea Gebhard, marketing communications. “They are ideal for use in respirators, anaesthesia apparatus, oxygen concentrators, spirometers, and sleep apnea monitors, and they can be designed according to customer specifications.”
Complying with the digital serial peripheral interface bus, HCE sensors communicate directly with microcontrollers and microprocessors, but also offer analogue output. OEMs have the option of choosing a 3-V supply or a special low-power version for efficient use in portable devices.
At the trade show, Sensortechnics also presented its new HDO series, with proven pressure sensor technology, and new SMT housings, which permit easy PCB mounting and expand OEM design flexibility. The HDO sensors comprise a selection of absolute, differential, and gauge pressure ranges from 10 mbar to 10 bar.
Peel-and-Stick Technology Allows Simple, Non-Intrusive Installation
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The ExOsense liquid level sensors were developed specifically for the in vitro diagnostics market. |
By simply peeling the adhesive cover off the sensor and sticking it to the outside surface of plastic containers, tanks, or bottles, the sensor instantly detects the fluid level through the bottle wall. And since the sensor never touches the fluid, contamination can be eliminated, bottle volume is maximized, and material compatibility issues are moot.
The company developed ExOsense specifically to solve a problem encountered by IVD OEMs, says Jessica Light, medical market manager. “Our focus is to eliminate fluid contamination while improving instrument uptime and maximizing container volume,” says Light. “The ExOsense product design and technology allows for maximum configurability to fulfill a broad range of product specifications presented by medical OEMs.”
The ExOsense can be used in clinical chemistry, haematology, immuno-chemistry, histology, medical laser systems, haemodialysis, and cytology.
Gems has been designing and manufacturing level, flow, and pressure sensors, miniature solenoid valves, and associated assemblies for more than 50 years. It offers complete fluidic systems and subassemblies to medical OEMs.
Low Profile Sensors Expand Medical Instrumentation Possibilities
A firm that supplies a wide range of thin-film sensors introduced its newest and leanest medical-grade model at Sensor + Test 2008. According to Strain Measurement Devices Ltd. (Bury St. Edmunds, UK; www.smdsensors.co.uk), thin-film sensors are revolutionizing many areas of medical instrumentation. Hence, the company’s new ultra-low profile single-point load cell. The S215 is intended for limited space applications that require accurate measurement of full-scale 0.9, 1.8, and 5.5 kg forces.
The load cell is suited for weighing IV bottles or bags, and it can be used with a rigidly mounted platform or to measure tensile or compressive forces. In order to extend battery life in portable products, a 10,000-Ω bridge provides very low power. Key specifications of the <6-mm-high product include 0.01 % repeatability, 200% safe overload and <0.08% per year drift. Further special features include long-term stability and cost effectiveness.
The company also presented a single-point miniature platform load cell that can be used in medical instruments and medical scales. A 3000-Ω thin film strain gauge bridge provides low power consumption.
Strain Measurement Devices specializes in device design and the manufacture of custom and standard thin-film strain gauge sensors for OEMs.
