Optical and Electrical Hybrid Connector

• US 20080304793A1
• Filed: 08/22/2008
• Published: 12/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: JB IP Acquisitions LLC
• Original Assignee: JB IP Acquisitions LLC
• Inventors: Fierro, Michael R., Benaron, David A., Parachikov, Ilian H., Hutt, Marvin K.
• Application Number:
  US12/197,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20080304793A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/75
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3817 containing optical and electrical conductors cables including electrical and optical conductors H01B11/22; G02B6/3816 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3897 Connectors fixed to housings, casing, frames or circuit boards G02B6/44528 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/24 resilient; resiliently-mounted
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/625 Casing or ring with bayonet engagement
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2107/00 Four or more poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/58 Contacts spaced along longitudinal axis of engagement

Abstract

An improved hybrid connector for rapidly, reliably, and reversibly making mixed optical and electrical connections has a male plug with one or more centrally located optical fibers centrally located inside an elongated shaft of a male plug, and one or more electrical contact elements are located on the peripheral surface of the shaft, and a socket with electrical contacts, and a floating optical connector. Insertion of the elongated shaft into the socket connects the electrical contacts of the shaft and socket and couples the fibers of the shaft with optical fibers in the floating optical connector.

Claims

1-9. -9. (canceled)

10. A medical illuminator catheter comprising:

(a) a biocompatible catheter sheath, said catheter sheath having a monitor end, a central body, and a patient end;

(b) an optical and electrical hybrid male plug located at the monitor end of said catheter;

(c) a light source at the patient end of said catheter;

(d) at least one optical collection fiber for collecting light scattered from a region illuminated by the light source and for transmitting said collected light from said patient end of the catheter, along a length of said catheter and into said male plug at the monitor end of the catheter; and

(e) power supply wires for transmitting electrical power to said light source, said wires traversing a length of said catheter and electrically connected to both said light source and to contacts on said connection plug.

26. The catheter of claim 10, further comprising a memory information chip configured for retaining information useful in the operation of the device.

27. The catheter of claim 10, wherein the catheter further comprises a socket and wherein further said socket has an alignment pin, said shaft has an L-shaped channel for receiving said alignment pin and preventing rotation of said shaft during axial insertion into said socket, said shaft having a flat region with said peripheral electrical contact elements further arranged so as not to make electrical contact with said socket contacts during said axial insertion and further arranged so as to make electrical contact with said socket electrical contacts after the shaft is fully inserted and rotated when the pin is at the end of the elongated channel.

28. The catheter of claim 10, wherein the catheter is configured to function as an oximeter probe.

11-21. -21. (canceled)

22. A medical illuminator catheter comprising:

(a) a biocompatible catheter sheath, said catheter sheath having a monitor end, a central body, and a patient end;

(b) a plug located at the monitor end of said catheter for connecting the catheter to a monitor, a cable functionally connected to a monitoring system, or wireless connection to a wireless network;

(c) a light source at the patient end of said catheter;

(d) at least one optical collection fiber or optical element for collecting light scattered from a region illuminated by the light source and for transmitting said collected light or a signal derived from said collected light, from said patient end of the catheter, along at least a portion of a length of said catheter and into at least one of said male plug at the monitor end of the catheter, light detector, or spectrometer; and

,

(e) power supply wires for transmitting electrical power to said light source, said wires

traversing a length of said catheter and electrically connected to both said light source and to

contacts on said connection plug.

24. The catheter of claim 24 wherein the catheter further comprises a socket and wherein further said socket has an alignment pin, said shaft has an L-shaped channel for receiving said alignment pin and preventing rotation of said shaft during axial insertion into said socket, said shaft having a flat region with said peripheral electrical contact elements further arranged so as not to make electrical contact with said socket contacts during said axial insertion and further arranged so as to make electrical contact with said socket electrical contacts after the shaft is fully inserted and rotated when the pin is at the end of the elongated channel.

23. The catheter of claim 24, further comprising a memory information chip configured for retaining information useful in the operation of the device.

25. The catheter of claim 24 wherein the catheter is configured to function as an oximeter probe.