Portable Blood Glucose Meter

Advanced Simulation and Consulting Services

Diabetic patients can test their own blood sugar without visiting a doctor's office by using a portable blood glucose monitor. The unit is powered by a standard AA-size consumer battery that snaps into a compartment in the back against metallic connecting clips.

To minimize cost, one SIMULIA customer used a flat-formed clip rather than the more common coil spring battery connector. However, when the unit was dropped, the momentum of the battery against the clip was sufficient to cause the clip to become permanently deformed, leaving the battery loose and the electrical connection intermittent.

With the help of the appropriate analysis technique, SIMULIA engineers identified a simple redesign to economically solve the deformation problem--a secondary curve in the free end of the clip:

• In normal use the secondary curve does not contact the bottom of the clip.
   
• During drop, however, the curl bottoms out and protects the entire clip from permanent damage.
   
• Upon rebound, the clip springs back and functions normally.

The cost of the new design is slightly greater than the original design, but it is much more robust and still costs less than the coil spring alternative. The customer found the design so novel that they patented it.