IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,440,162
Granted Patent B2
US 12,440,162 · App. 16/579,022 · Granted Oct 14, 2025

Sensor connections

Inventors: David C. Antonio (Pasadena, CA); Eric Allan Larson (Simi Valley, CA); Jose J. Ruelas (San Fernando, CA); Akhil Srinivasan (Sherman Oaks, CA)
Assignee: Medtronic MiniMed, Inc.
A61B5/6833A61B5/0002A61B5/0022A61B5/14503A61B5/14532A61B5/1486A61B5/150236A61B5/150633A61B5/150732A61B5/6832A61M5/158A61M5/1723A61B5/145A61B5/1473A61B5/14865A61B5/150022A61B5/150969A61B2560/0214A61B2560/045A61B2560/063A61B2562/04A61B2562/16A61B2562/227A61M2005/1585A61M2005/1586A61M2005/1726A61M2205/3569
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,440,162
App. No.
16/579,022
Granted
Oct 14, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

This disclosure generally relates to medical devices that include a sensor transmitter assembly that includes a sensor assembly including a sensor module where a first sensor including a first sensor head having at least one first sensor contact pad is combined with a second sensor including a second sensor head having at least one second sensor contact pad. The sensor transmitter assembly also includes a transmitter assembly positioned on a top of the sensor assembly to form a single unit, the transmitter assembly having at least one transmitter contact disposed on a base of the transmitter assembly, where the first sensor contact pad(s) and the second sensor form a connection path with the transmitter contact(s).

Claims (20)

1. A sensor transmitter assembly, comprising:

a sensor assembly comprising a first sensor head connected to a first plurality of electrodes and a second sensor head connected to a second plurality of electrodes, an upper elastomeric connector, and a lower elastomeric connector, the first sensor head having a first contact pad and the second sensor head having a second contact pad, wherein the first sensor head and the second sensor head are sandwiched between the upper elastomeric connector and the lower elastomeric connector such that the upper elastomeric connector is positioned on the second sensor head and in electrical contact with the second contact pad, the second sensor head is positioned on the first sensor head, and the first sensor head is positioned on the lower elastomeric connector such that the first contact pad is positioned on the lower elastomeric connector and thereby in electrical contact with the second contact pad, wherein the lower elastomeric connector makes electrical contact with the upper elastomeric connector via a first window cut in the first sensor head and a second window cut in the second sensor head; and

a transmitter assembly configured to be coupled to the sensor assembly to form a single unit, the transmitter assembly having a transmitter contact, wherein, when the transmitter assembly is coupled to the sensor assembly, the first contact pad and the second contact pad form a connection path with the transmitter contact.

2. The sensor transmitter assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the first sensor head and the second sensor head includes 1 RE, 1 CE and 2 pairs of independent WEs that correspond to six contacts disposed on the transmitter assembly.

3. The sensor transmitter assembly of claim 2 , wherein each RE of the first sensor head and the second sensor head are shorted together and connected to a shared RE transmitter contact.

4. The sensor transmitter assembly of claim 2 , wherein each CE of the first sensor head and the second sensor head are shorted together and connected to a shared CE transmitter contact.

5. The sensor transmitter assembly of claim 2 , wherein each of the first contact pad and the second contact pad comprise a window cut therethrough.

6. The sensor transmitter assembly of claim 5 , wherein the first sensor head and the second sensor head each have staggered windows cut through respective contact pads wherein at least one contact pad for each WE remains active.

7. The sensor transmitter assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the first contact pad and the second contact pad comprises at least one trace leading to a respective electrode.

8. The sensor transmitter assembly of claim 7 , wherein the at least one trace of the first contact pad runs to a first side of the first contact pad, and wherein the first contact pad is deactivated as a result of cutting a window on the first side of the first contact pad.

9. The sensor transmitter assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sensor assembly is assembled together before installation into a sensor base of the sensor assembly.

10. The sensor transmitter assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second sensor head is positioned on the first sensor head by placing the first sensor head back-to-back with the second sensor head by turning the second sensor head into the first sensor head.

11. The sensor transmitter assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sensor assembly comprises a first discrete single-sided sensor and a second discrete single-sided sensor, wherein the first discrete single-sided sensor comprises the first sensor head, wherein the second discrete single-sided sensor comprises the second sensor head, and wherein the first discrete single-sided sensor and the second discrete single-sided sensor have mirrored window cut patterns so that windows of the first discrete single-sided sensor and the second discrete single-sided sensor align when the first discrete single-sided sensor is placed back-to-back with the second discrete single-sided sensor.

12. The sensor transmitter assembly of claim 11 , wherein the first discrete single-sided sensor and the second discrete single-sided sensor comprise a back-to-back sensor.

13. The sensor transmitter assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second contact pad is an inactive contact pad that is located directly above the first contact pad and wherein the transmitter contact is in contact with the upper elastomeric connector such that the connection path with the transmitter contact includes the upper elastomeric connector and the lower elastomeric connector.

14. A sensor transmitter assembly, comprising:

a sensor assembly comprising a first sensor head having a first contact pad, a second sensor head having a second contact pad, a lower elastomeric connector, and an upper elastomeric connector, wherein the first sensor head is positioned on top of the lower elastomeric connector, the second sensor head is positioned on top of the first sensor head, and the upper elastomeric connector is placed on top of the second sensor head so that the first contact pad and the second contact pad form a connection path with the lower elastomeric connector and the upper elastomeric connector, wherein the lower elastomeric connector makes electrical contact with the upper elastomeric connector via a first window cut in the first sensor head and a second window cut in the second sensor head; and

a transmitter assembly configured to be coupled to the sensor assembly, the transmitter assembly having a transmitter contact, wherein, when the transmitter assembly is coupled to the sensor assembly, the connection path includes the transmitter contact.

15. The sensor transmitter assembly of claim 14 , wherein the first sensor head and the second sensor head are back-to-back such that the first sensor head faces away from the second sensor head and towards the lower elastomeric connector and the second sensor head faces away from the first sensor head and towards the upper elastomeric connector.

16. The sensor transmitter assembly of claim 14 , wherein the second contact pad is an inactive contact pad that is located directly above the first contact pad.

Assignments (2)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jan 16, 2026
From: MEDTRONIC MINIMED, INC.; COMPANION MEDICAL, INC.
To: CITIBANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 074394/0237 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 11, 2025
From: ANTONIO, DAVID C.; LARSON, ERIC ALLAN; RUELAS, JOSE J.; SRINIVASAN, AKHIL
To: MEDTRONIC MINIMED, INC.
Reel/Frame 071379/0941 →
Continuity (7)
Continuation 15357925 · Nov 21, 2016
Provisional Application 62402676 · Sep 30, 2016
Provisional Application 62344847 · Jun 2, 2016
Provisional Application 62344852 · Jun 2, 2016
Provisional Application 62320290 · Apr 8, 2016
Related Publication 20200015749A1 · Jan 16, 2020
Related Publication 20240023894A9 · Jan 25, 2024
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