Method and apparatus for body fluid sampling and analyte sensing

1. A body fluid sampling system for use on a tissue site, the system comprising:

a disposable;

a penetrating member driver;

a plurality of penetrating members arranged in a radial configuration in the disposable, wherein sharpened distal tips of the penetrating members point radially outward, and wherein each of the plurality of penetrating members has a packing density of about 0.1 cm 3 ;

wherein an active one of said penetrating members is operatively coupled to said penetrating member driver, said penetrating member driver moving said active one of said penetrating members along a path out of a housing having a penetrating member exit, into said tissue site, stopping in said tissue site, and withdrawing out of said tissue site;

a processor coupled to the penetrating member driver and configured to provide instructions to the penetrating member driver for a fast-into of said active one penetrating members into the tissue site and slow-out velocity out of the tissue site; and

a plurality of analyte detecting members positioned in the disposable, wherein at least one of said analyte detecting members is positioned to receive less than about 0.1 μL of body fluid from a wound created by said active one of said penetrating members, and wherein said plurality of analyte detecting members are not pierced by the active one of the penetrating members.

2. A system as in claim 1 , further comprising a penetrating member sensor positioned to monitor the active one of said penetrating members coupled to said penetrating member driver, the penetrating member sensor configured to provide information relative to a depth of penetration of the active one of said penetrating members through a skin surface of the tissue site.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the depth of penetration is about 100 to 2500 microns.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the depth of penetration is 500 to 750 microns.

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein the depth of penetration is no more than about 1000 microns beyond a stratum corneum thickness of the skin surface.

6. The system of claim 2 , wherein the depth of penetration is no more than about 500 microns beyond a stratum corneum thickness of the skin surface.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the penetrating member driver is selected from one of the following: a voice coil, a rotary voice coil, a solenoid, a motor and gear box, a nanomuscle, or a combination of any of the above.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is utilized to monitor position and speed of the active one of said penetrating members as the active one of said penetrating member moves in a first direction.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is utilized to monitor position and speed of the active one of said penetrating members as the active one of said penetrating members moves in a first direction toward the tissue site, wherein an application of a launching force to the active one of said penetrating members is controlled based on a position and a speed of the active one of said penetrating members.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of penetrating members is an elongate member without molded attachments.

11. A body fluid sampling system for use on a tissue site, the system comprising:

a disposable;

a penetrating member driver;

a plurality of penetrating members arranged in a radial configuration in the disposable, wherein sharpened distal tips of the plurality of penetrating members point radially outward, and wherein each of the plurality of penetrating members has an elongate portion and a packing density of about 0.1 cm 3 ;

wherein an active one of said penetrating members is operatively coupled to said penetrating member driver, said penetrating member driver moving said active one of said penetrating members along a path out of a housing having a penetrating member exit, into said tissue site, stopping in said tissue site, and withdrawing out of said tissue site;

a processor coupled to the penetrating member driver and configured to provide feedback and instructions to the penetrating member driver for a fast-into velocity of said active one of said penetrating members into the tissue site, a rest time of the sharpened distal tip of said active one of said penetrating members in the tissue site and a slow-out velocity of said active one of said penetrating members out of the tissue site;

a plurality of analyte detecting members positioned in the disposable, wherein at least one of said analyte detecting members is positioned to receive less than about 0.1 μL of body fluid from a wound created by said active one of said penetrating members, and wherein said plurality of analyte detecting members are not pierced by the active one of the penetrating members; and

a coupler on said penetrating member driver configured to engage at least a portion of said elongate portion of said active one of said penetrating members and to drive said active one of said penetrating members along the path into the tissue site and to withdraw it from the tissue site.