초록 ▼

A body fluid sampling system for use on a tissue site includes a single drive force generator. A plurality of penetrating members are operatively coupled to the force generator. The force generator moves each of the members along a path out of a housing with a penetrating member exit, into the tissu

A body fluid sampling system for use on a tissue site includes a single drive force generator. A plurality of penetrating members are operatively coupled to the force generator. The force generator moves each of the members along a path out of a housing with a penetrating member exit, into the tissue site, stops in the tissue site, and withdraws out of the tissue site. A flexible support member couples the penetrating members to define a linear array. The support member is movable and configured to move each of the penetrating members to a launch position associated with the force generator.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A body fluid sampling system for use on a tissue site, the system comprising: a single drive force generator; a housing including a plurality of analyte sensors and a plurality of sample chambers, each of an analyte sensor being associated with a sample chamber; each analyte

What is claimed is: 1. A body fluid sampling system for use on a tissue site, the system comprising: a single drive force generator; a housing including a plurality of analyte sensors and a plurality of sample chambers, each of an analyte sensor being associated with a sample chamber; each analyte sensor and associated sample chamber positioned and sized to receive body fluid from a wound in tissue created by a penetrating member; a plurality of penetrating members operatively coupled to said force generator, said force generator moving each of said members along a path out of the housing into the tissue site, stopping in the tissue site, and withdrawing out of said tissue site; a flexible support member coupling the penetrating members at the flexible support member to form an array of penetrating members and positioned to move each of said penetrating members to a launch position associated with said force generator; each of a penetrating member at least partially positioned adjacent to an analyte sensor in a sample chamber that does not exceed 1 μL, each sample chamber positioned to receive body fluid from a wound in tissue created by a penetrating member, and each analyte sensor interacting with the body fluid to determine analyte levels; and a penetrating member sensor positioned to monitor a penetrating member coupled to said force generator, the penetrating member sensor in communication with a processor providing information relative to a depth of penetration of a penetrating member through a skin surface; wherein the penetrating member sensor and the processor providing an indication of velocity of a penetrating member. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein an active penetrating member moves along a substantially linear path into the tissue site. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein an active penetrating member moves along an at least partially curved path into the tissue site. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the driver is a voice coil drive force generator. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the drive force generator is a rotary voice coil drive force generator. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the penetrating member sensor is coupled to a processor with control instructions for the drive force generator. 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor includes a memory for storage and retrieval of a set of penetrating member profiles utilized with the drive force generator. 8. A body fluid sampling system for use on a tissue site, the system comprising: a single drive force generator; a housing including a plurality of analyte sensors and a plurality of sample chambers, each of an analyte sensor being associated with a sample chamber that does not exceed 1 μL, each analyte sensor and sample chamber positioned and sized to receive body fluid from a wound in tissue created by a penetrating member; a plurality of penetrating members operatively coupled to said force generator, said force generator moving each of said members along a path out of the housing into the tissue site, stopping in the tissue site, and withdrawing out of said tissue site; a flexible support member coupling the penetrating members at the flexible support member to form an array of penetrating members and positioned to move each of said penetrating members to a launch position associated with said force generator; and each of a penetrating member at least partially positioned adjacent to an analyte sensor in a sample chamber, each sample chamber positioned to receive body fluid from a wound in tissue created by a penetrating member, and each analyte sensor interacting with the body fluid to determine analyte levels; and a penetrating member sensor positioned to monitor a penetrating member coupled to said force generator, the penetrating member sensor in communication with a processor providing information relative to a depth of penetration of a penetrating member through a skin surface, the penetrating member sensor being coupled to a processor with control instructions for the single drive force generator, the processor being utilized to monitor position and speed of a penetrating member as the penetrating member moves in a first direction. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is utilized to adjust an application of force to a penetrating member to achieve a desired speed of the penetrating member. 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is utilized to adjust an application of force to a penetrating member when the penetrating member contacts a target tissue so that the penetrating member penetrates the target tissue within a desired range of speed. 11. A body fluid sampling system for use on a tissue site, the system comprising: a single drive force generator; a housing including a plurality of analyte sensors and a plurality of sample chambers, each of an analyte sensor being associated with a sample chamber that does not exceed 1 μL; each analyte sensor and sample chamber positioned and sized to receive body fluid from a wound in tissue created by a penetrating member; a plurality of penetrating members operatively coupled to said force generator, said force generator moving each of said members along a path out of the housing into the tissue site, stopping in the tissue site, and withdrawing out of said tissue site; a flexible support member coupling the penetrating members at the flexible support member o form an array of penetrating members and positioned to move each of said penetrating members to a launch position associated with said force generator; and each of a penetrating member at least partially positioned adjacent to an analyte sensor in a sample chamber, each sample chamber positioned to receive body fluid from a wound in tissue created by a penetrating member, and each analyte sensor interacting with the body fluid to determine analyte levels; and a penetrating member sensor positioned to monitor a penetrating member coupled to said force generator, the penetrating member sensor and a processor providing information relative to a depth of penetration of a penetrating member through a skin surface, the penetrating member sensor being coupled to a processor with control instructions for the single drive force generator, the processor being utilized to monitor position and speed of a penetrating member as the penetrating member moves in a first direction toward a target tissue, wherein the application of a launching force to the penetrating member is controlled based on position and speed of the penetrating member. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is utilized to control a withdraw force to the penetrating member so that the penetrating member moves in a second direction away from the target tissue. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein in the first direction the penetrating member moves toward the target tissue at a speed that is different than a speed at which the penetrating member moves away from the target tissue. 14. The system of claim 12, wherein in the first direction the penetrating member moves toward the target tissue at a speed that is greater than a speed at which the penetrating member moves away from the target tissue. 15. The system of claim 11, wherein a speed of a penetrating member in the first direction is the range of about 2.0 to 10.0 m/sec. 16. The system of claim 11, wherein a speed of a penetrating member in the first direction is the range of 0.05 to 60 m/sec. 17. The system of claim 11, wherein a speed of a penetrating member in the first direction is the range of 0.1 to 20.0 m/sec. 18. The system of claim 11, wherein a speed of a penetrating member in the first direction is the range of 1.0 to 10.0 m/sec. 19. The system of claim 11, wherein a speed of a penetrating member in the first direction is the range of 3.0 to 8.0 m/sec. 20. The system of claim 11, wherein a dwell time of the penetrating member in the target tissue below a skin surface is in the range of 1 microsecond to 2 seconds. 21. The system of claim 11, wherein a dwell time of the penetrating member in the target tissue below a skin surface is in the range of 500 milliseconds to 1.5 second. 22. The system of claim 11, wherein a dwell time of the penetrating member in the target tissue below a skin surface is in the range of 100 milliseconds to 1 second. 23. A body fluid sampling system for use on a tissue site, the system comprising: a single drive force generator; a housing including a plurality of analyte sensors and a plurality of sample chambers, each of an analyte sensor being associated with a sample chamber that does not exceed 1 μL; each analyte sensor and associated sample chamber positioned and sized to receive body fluid from a wound in tissue created by a penetrating member; a plurality of penetrating members operatively coupled to said force generator, said force generator moving each of said members along a path out of the housing into the tissue site, stopping in the tissue site, and withdrawing out of said tissue site; a flexible support member coupling the penetrating members at the flexible support member to form an array of penetrating members and positioned to move each of said penetrating members to a launch position associated with said force generator; and each of a penetrating member at least partially positioned adjacent to an analyte sensor in a sample chamber, each sample chamber positioned to receive body fluid from a wound in tissue created by a penetrating member, and each analyte sensor interacting with the body fluid to determining analyte levels; and a penetrating member sensor positioned to monitor a penetrating member coupled to said force generator, the penetrating member sensor in communication with a processor providing information relative to a depth of penetration of a penetrating member through a skin surface, the penetrating member sensor being coupled to a processor with control instructions for the single drive force generator, the processor being utilized to monitor position and speed of a penetrating member as the penetrating member moves in the first direction toward a target tissue and control a withdraw force to the penetrating member so that the penetrating member moves in a second direction away from the target tissue, wherein the application of a launching force to the penetrating member is controlled based on position and speed of the penetrating member; and wherein the average velocity of the penetrating member during a tissue penetration stroke in a first direction is about 100 to about 1000 times greater than the average velocity of the penetrating member during a withdrawal stroke in a second direction.