• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
  • 引用文献
  • 法律状态
  • 优先权
    • 专利摘要:
    12 m The present invention relates to an elongated male connector (1), for a medical device, anda method of producing the male connector (1). The male connector (1) has a longitudinalaxis (2) and comprises a plurality of conductive members (3), each having an outer contactsurface (4) and being separated from each other by insulating members (5). Theconductive and insulating members (3, 5) are disposed along the male connector (1), suchthat the outer contact surfaces (4) are arranged essentially at the same surface level, andthat each of the conductive members (3) has an elongated extension along the longitudinalaxis (2) of the male connector (1). Each conductive member (3) is provided With aninsulated microrod (6) extending at least partially along the length of the male connector(1), and the conductive members (3) are holloW and have an essentially cylindrical cross-section and form, together With the insulating members (5), a self-supporting male connector (1) having no core Wire. (Figure 1)
    公开号:SE1050429A1
    申请号:SE1050429
    申请日:2010-04-30
    公开日:2011-10-31
    发明作者:Fredrik Mahlin
    申请人:St Jude Medical Systems Ab；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    Title Male connector and a method of producing the male connector Field of the inventionThe present invention relates to an inj ection-mouldable male connector for a medicaldevice and a method of producing the male connector, according to the preambles of the independent claims.
    Background of the invention In many medical procedures, various physiological conditions present Within a bodycavity need to be monitored. These physiological conditions are typically physical innature - such as pressure, temperature, rate-of-fluid flow, and provide the physician or medical technician With critical information as to the status of a patient°s condition.
    For example, one medical device that is Widely used to monitor conditions is aintravascular pressure sensor. The pressure sensor senses the magnitude of a patient°sblood pressure, and converts it into a representative electrical signal that is transmitted tothe exterior of the patient. For most applications it is also required that the sensor iselectrically energized. Some means of signal and energy transmission for such a medical device is thus required.
    For the blood pressure sensor, most commonly, extremely thin electrical cables,sometimes called microcables, are provided inside a guide Wire, Which itself preferably isprovided in the form of a tube, Which often has an outer diameter in the order of 0.35 mm,and oftentimes is made of steel. In order to increase the bending strength of the tubularguide Wire and improve pushability and torque response, a core Wire may be positionedinside the tube. The mentioned electrical cables are then e. g. positioned in the space between the inner lumen Wall and the core Wire.
    In a guide Wire mounted sensor, the signals from the sensor, arranged at the distal end ofthe guide Wire, are lead through the electrical leads to a male connector at the proximal end of the guide Wire. In use, the male connector is connected to a corresponding female connector and the signals from the pressure sensor are transferred to an interface, Which converts the signals and presents them in a desired forrn for an operator.
    A conventional male connector for a medical device, basically comprises a core Wire, aplurality of conductors, a plurality of conductive members, and insulating materialtherebetween. When the male connector is connected to the female connector, theconductive members transfer the signals from the conductors of the male connector to similar conductive members inside the female connector.
    Several different designs of male connectors are known in the prior art, and examples ofsuch male connectors are disclosed in US 6196980 Bl, US 6090052 A, and US 6908442 B2, Which are assigned to the same assignee as in the present application.
    For example, the male connector used today for guide Wires is made by individuallyattaching each conductor (an electrical lead placed alongside a core Wire) to a conductivemember (a contact ring Which is Wrapped around the core Wire). Each of the conductivemembers are connected, by bonding or soldering, respectively, to a conductor. The coreWire is used to prevent kinks and to provide strength to the male connector. EspeciallyWhen the male connector is inserted into the female connector, there is a substantial risk of over-bending the male connector or damaging the thin conductors inside the connector.
    Soldering or bonding the conductive members to the conductors is a time-consumingprocess and may be a source of manufacturing mistakes, leading to loss of time andmaterial in the manufacturing process. For example, there may be a risk that theconductive members and the conductors are not properly connected or that they disconnectdue to over-bending of the male connector and this in its tum involves a risk for short circuit in the male connector.
    Consequently, there remains a need for a male connector Which is less expensive, easy andstraightforWard to manufacture and Which reduces the risk of short circuit. In addition,there is a need for a male connector Which is possible to test before assembling With the medical device.
    There is also a need for a male connector Which makes it possible to bond or solder all theelectrical cables at one end of the finished module, Whereby the male connector may be mounted in one piece to electrical cable(s) for e. g. a sensor guide Wire.
    Summarv of the invention The above-mentioned objects are achieved by the present invention according to the independent claim.
    Preferred embodiments are set forth in the dependent claims.
    Thus, the object ofthe present invention is to achieve an improved male connector that iseasier to manufacture and assemble than presently used male connectors, and Whichmechanically is more stable and Which not tend to kink When inserted into a female connector.
    Further, the object ofthe present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a male connector by inj ection-moulding.
    The elongated male connector, for a medical device, in accordance With the presentinvention, has a longitudinal axis and comprises a plurality of conductive members, eachhaving an outer contact surface and being separated from each other by insulatingmembers. The conductive and insulating members are disposed along the male connector,such that the outer contact surfaces are arranged essentially at the same surface level, andthat each of the conductive members has an elongated extension along the longitudinalaxis of the male connector. Each conductive member is provided With an insulatedmicrorod extending at least partially along the length of the male connector, and saidconductive members are holloW and have an essentially cylindrical cross-section andform, together With said insulating members, a self-supporting male connector having nocore Wire. The male connector is adapted to any medical device adapted to be inserted into the body.
    The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
    Short description of the appended drawings Figure 1 shows the male connector according to the present invention.
    Figure 2 shows a close-up view of the male connector according a first preferredembodiment of the present invention.
    Figure 3 shows a single conductive member provided with a microrod.
    Figure 4 shows the male connector, according to a second preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, in which figure, the insulating members have been omitted.
    Figure 5 shows the distal end of the male connector, according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which figure, the insulating members have been omitted.
    Throughout the figures the same reference signs designate the same, or essentially the same features.
    Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the inventionThroughout the application the word distal refers to the part located furthest away inrespect of the operator, and the word proximal refers to the part located closest in respect of the operator, In Figure 1, an elongated male connector 1, for a medical device, according to the presentinvention, is disclosed. The male connector 1 has a longitudinal axis 2 and comprises aplurality of conductive members 3, each having an outer contact surface 4 and beingseparated from each other by insulating members 5, the conductive and insulatingmembers 3, 5 being disposed along the male connector 1, such that the outer contactsurfaces 4 are arranged essentially at the same surface level, and that each of theconductive members 3 has an elongated extension along the longitudinal axis 2 of the male connector 1.
    As illustrated in figure 2, each conductive member 3 is provided with an insulatedmicrorod 6 extending at least partially along the length of the male connector 1. The conductive members 3 are hollow and have an essentially cylindrical cross-section and 5 form, together with the insulating members 5, a self-supporting male connector 1 havingno core wire. Thus, the male connector 1 consists merely of the conductive and insulating members 3, 5 and the insulated microrods 6.
    The male connector is adapted to any medical device adapted to be inserted into the body.The medical device may be e.g a sensor guide wire for intravascular measurements ofphysiological variables in a living body. The sensor may be designed to measuretemperature and/or flow e. g. within the vascular system. Miniature sensors may also bedesigned to measure other variables, such as magnetic flux, other electromagneticvariables, conductance, or inductance, e.g. generated from outside the body and used inter alia for positioning purposes.
    As discussed above, and as shown in figures 1-2, the outer contact surfaces 4 are arrangedessentially at the same surface level. However, as an obvious constructive variation, thesurface level of the conductive members 3 may be arranged slightly elevated in respect tothe surface level of the insulating members 5, i.e. the radius of the conductive members 3is larger than the radius of the insulating members 5. As an example, the conductive members have a cross-sectional diameter of 0,2 - 0,4 mm.
    According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the microrods 6 arearranged to extend through more distally arranged conductive and insulating members 3,5, as illustrated in figures 1 and 2. The insulating members 5 are preferably made of LCP(Liquid Crystal Polymer), and the LCP is preferably inj ection-moulded onto the assembledmale connector 1. However, other suitable materials, such as PEI (polyetherimide) orPEEK (polyetheretherketone), may also be used to insulate between the conductive members 3.
    Figure 3, shows a single conductive member 3, of a male connector 1 according to a firstpreferred embodiment of the present invention. In this preferred embodiment, theconductive members 3 have a circular cross-section, and the microrods 6 are adapted to bearranged to extend through more distally and more proximally arranged conductive and insulating members 3, 5. The microrods 6, connected to the conductive members 3, are preferably insulated With polyimide, or other suitable insulating material, such as oxidecoating or acrylic insulation. The conductive members 3 provided With the microrods 6 areaccording to this preferred embodiment manufactured by cutting out separate units ofconductive members 3 provided With microrods 6, preferably by laser, from an elongated tube (not shown).
    In another embodiment, the conductive members 3 provided With microrods 6 may beproduced by laser cutting a flat sheet of conductive material, e.g. sheet metal, and bent or rolled into a cylindrical shape.
    According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, shoWn in figure 4, inWhich figure the insulating members have been omitted, the microrods 6 are arranged toextend through more distally, or both through more distally and more proximally, arrangedconductive and insulating members 3, 5. Since the male connector 1 has no core Wire, themicrorods 6 instead support the conductive and insulating members 3, 5, to achieve amechanically stable male connector 1 Which does not kink. Thus, the microrods 6 supportthe conductive and insulating members 3, 5 and gives the male connector 1 the necessary stability and stiffness.
    In other embodiments the microrods 6 instead are produced separately, and thereafterfastened to the conductive members 3. This may be achieved e.g. by means of spot-Welding, or soldering, according to the embodiment shown in figures 4 and 5. HoWever,other suitable techniques, such as Welding or gluing, may also be used to attach themicrorods 6 to the conductive members 3. At least one of the microrods 6 are, according to this embodiment, fastened to the inner space 10 of the holloW conductive members 3.
    According to one embodiment of the present invention, the microrods 6 are provided Withcontact surfaces 8 at a distal end 9 of the male connector 1, as shoWn in detail in figure 5.When the male connector 1 is in use, the contact surfaces 8 are connected, preferably byWelding, to electrical leads provided in the medical device, e. g. a sensor guide Wire.Contact surfaces 8 at one end of the male connector 1 is advantageous since it makes it possible to test the male connector 1 before assembling With the medical device. Thereby, the risk for short circuit in the male connector module 1 is reduced. Also, having all thecontact surfaces adjacent to each other at one end simplif1es connecting several electrical leads to the male connector.
    In the embodiment illustrated in figure 5, the microrods 6, have a semilunar cross-section.The dimensions of the semilunar microrods 6 are adapted to the diameter of the innerspace 10 of the hollow conductive members 3, so that one or more microrods 6 may bearranged to extend through the conductive member 3 supported by the inner space 10 ofthe conductive members 3 to make the male connector 1 mechanically stable. As shown infigures 4 and 5, the most distal arranged conductive member 11 may be provided with adistal microrod 12 having less dimensions than the other microrods 6 attached to the moreproximal arranged conductive members 3. The distal microrod 12 is preferably attached to the distal edge 13 of the most distal arranged conductive member 11.
    The present invention also relates to a method of producing the male connector 1, for amedical device. The method includes: a) providing a plurality of hollow elongated conductive members 3 having a cylindricalcross-section and an outer contact surface 4, where each conductive member 3 is providedwith an elongated insulated microrod 6; b) arranging, spaced apart, a plurality of the conductive members 3 next to each other andcentred along a longitudinal axis 2 with the microrods 6 extending through more distallyarranged conductive members 3, and c) providing insulating members 5 between adj acent conductive members 3, therebyforrning a self-supporting male connector 1 having no core wire.
    According to the method for producing a male connector 1, step b) may further include thesub step of: bl) arranging at least one of the microrods 6 to extend through at least one proximally arranged conductive member 3.
    As a preferred method, and according to the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention shown in figures 1-3, the hollow elongated conductive members 3 provided with the microrods 6, are manufactured at the same time, by cutting out separate units, preferably by laser, from an elongated tube, made of any commonly used conductivematerial, such as stainless steel, platinum or titanium. Each cut out conductive member 3and microcable 6 are then insulated With a suitable insulating material, such as polyimide, oxide coating or acrylic insulation as is common in the art.
    As also discussed above, and according to another embodiment, the conductive members 3provided With microrods 6 may be produced by laser cutting a flat sheet of conductive material, e.g. sheet metal, and bent or rolled into a cylindrical shape.
    However, in the embodiment illustrated in figures 4-5, as discussed above, the microrods 6 are fastened to the conductive members 3 by means of spot-Welding.
    According to the method, the insulating members 5 may be provided by means of inj ection-moulding. In detail, the conductive members 3 provided With the microrods 6 arethen arranged spaced apart, and next to each other, and adj acent conductive member 3 arethreaded on to adj acent microrods 6, so that the microrods 6 extends through more distallyand/or proximally arranged conductive members 3, as shown in figures 4-5. Subsequently,the insulation is inj ection-moulded onto the microrods 6, between adj acent conductive members 3, in order to form the insulating members 5.
    Furthermore, and according to the method, the microrods 6 are bonded or soldered at adistal end 9 of the male connector l to form a plurality of contact surfaces 8.Advantageously, all cable connector contact surfaces 8 to be connected to the desired medical device are then arranged at one end of the male connector l.
    The present invention is not limited to the above-described preferred embodiments.Various altematives, modifications and equivalents may be used. Therefore, the aboveembodiments should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention, Which is defined by the appending claims.
    权利要求:
    Claims (18)
    [1] 1. An elongated male connector (1) for a medical device, the male connector(1) having a longitudinal axis (2) and comprises: - a plurality of conductive members (3), each having an outer contact surface (4) and beingseparated from each other by insulating members (5), the conductive and insulatingmembers (3, 5) being disposed along the male connector (1), such that the outer contactsurfaces (4) are arranged essentially at the same surface level, and that each of theconductive members (3) has an elongated extension along the longitudinal axis (2) of themale connector (1), c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that each conductive member (3) isprovided With an insulated microrod (6) extending at least partially along the length of themale connector (1), and that said conductive members (3) are holloW and have anessentially cylindrical cross-section and form, together With said insulating members (5), a self-supporting male connector (1) having no core Wire.
    [2] 2. An elongated male connector (1) according to claim 1, Wherein saidmicrorods (6) are arranged to extend through more distally arranged conductive and insulating members (3, 5).
    [3] 3. An elongated male connector (1) according to any of claims 1-2, Wherein said conductive members (3) have a circular cross-section.
    [4] 4. An elongated male connector (1) according to any of claims 1-3, Whereinsaid conductive members (3) is made of a flat sheet of conductive material, e.g. a sheet metal, Which is bent or rolled into a cylindrical shape.
    [5] 5. An elongated male connector (1) according to any of claims 1-4, Wherein atleast one of said microrods (6) is arranged to extend through more proximally arranged conductive and insulating members (3, 5).
    [6] 6. An elongated male connector (1) according to any of claims 1-5, Wherein said insulating members (5) are made of LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer).
    [7] 7. An elongated male connector (1) according to any of claims 1-6, Whereinsaid microrods (6) are provided With contact surfaces (8) at a distal end (9) of said male connector (1).
    [8] 8. An elongated male connector (1) according to any of claims 1-7, Wherein said microrods (6) are fastened to said conductive members (3) by means of spot-Welding.
    [9] 9. An elongated male connector (1) according to any of claims 1-7, Wherein said microrods (6) are fastened to said conductive members (3) by means of soldering.
    [10] 10. An elongated male connector (1) according to any of claims 1-9, Wherein said microrods (6) have a semilunar cross-section.
    [11] 11. Method of producing a male connector (1), for a medical device, the methodincludes: a) providing a plurality of holloW elongated conductive members (3) having a cylindricalcross-section and an outer contact surface (4), Where each conductive member (3) isprovided With an elongated insulated microrod (6); b) arranging, spaced apart, a plurality of said conductive members (3) next to each otherand centred along a longitudinal axis (2) With said microrods (6) extending through moredistally arranged conductive members (3), and c) providing insulating members (5) between adj acent conductive members (3) thereby forrning a self-supporting male connector (1) having no core Wire.
    [12] 12. Method for producing a male connector (1) according to claim 11, Wherestep b) further includes the sub step of:bl) arranging at least one of said microrods (6) to extend through at least one proximally arranged conductive member (3).
    [13] 13. Method according to any of claims 11-12, Wherein said insulating members (5) are provided by means of inj ection-moulding. ll
    [14] 14. Method according to any of c1aims 11-13, Wherein said microrods (6) is fastened to said conductive members (3) by means of spot-Welding.
    [15] 15. Method according to any of c1aims 11-13, Wherein said microrods (6) is fastened to said conductive members (3) by means of so1dering.
    [16] 16. Method according to any of c1aims 11-13, Wherein said conductive members(3) provided With said microrods (6) are provided by cutting out separate units ofconductive members (3) provided With microrods 6, preferab1y by 1aser, from an e1ongated tube.
    [17] 17. Method according to any of c1aims 11-13, Wherein said conductive members(3) are provided by 1aser cutting a flat sheet of conductive material, e.g. a sheet metal, Which subsequently is bent or ro11ed into a cy1indrica1 shape.
    [18] 18. Method according to any of c1aims 11-17, Wherein said microrods (6) arebonded or so1dered at a dista1 end (9) of said ma1e connector (1) to form a p1ura1ity of contact surfaces (8).
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    法律状态:
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    SE1050429A|SE534960C2|2010-04-30|2010-04-30|An elongated male contact for a medical device as well as a method for making said male contact|SE1050429A| SE534960C2|2010-04-30|2010-04-30|An elongated male contact for a medical device as well as a method for making said male contact|
    PCT/EP2011/055920| WO2011134801A1|2010-04-30|2011-04-14|Male connector and a method of producing the male connector|
    EP11714766.0A| EP2564476B1|2010-04-30|2011-04-14|Male connector and a method of producing the male connector|
    US13/695,130| US9077132B2|2010-04-30|2011-04-14|Male connector and a method of producing the male connector|
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