CONNECTOR CARTRIDGE STACK FOR ELECTRICAL TRANSMISSION

• US 20090258519A1
• Filed: 04/10/2009
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bal Seal Engineering Incorporated (Kaman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bal Seal Engineering Incorporated (Kaman Corporation)
• Inventors: Dilmaghanian, Farshid, Cook, Hugh
• Granted Patent: US 8,215,013 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/271
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3752 Details of casing-lead connections
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/187 with spring member in the socket
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/40 Securing contact members in or to a base or case; Insulating of contact members
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/521 Sealing between contact members and housing, e.g. sealing insert
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2107/00 Four or more poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/58 Contacts spaced along longitudinal axis of engagement
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49204 Contact or terminal manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49208 by assembling plural parts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4921 with bonding
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49222 forming array of contacts or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

Connector assemblies for use with implantable medical devices having easy to assemble contacts are disclosed. The connector assemblies are generally formed by coupling a plurality of ring contacts, sealing rings, and spring contact elements together with at least one holding ring to form a connector having a common bore for receiving a medical lead cable. Contact grooves or spring chambers for positioning the spring contact elements are formed in part by assembling multiple components together. A further aspect is a provision for encasing each connector assembly or stack inside a thermoset layer or a thermoplastic layer before over-molding the same to a sealed housing.

Claims

1. A free standing, axially compressed, connector stack comprising:

a plurality of conducting ring elements each having an internal diameter;

a plurality of seal elements each comprising an internal diameter; and

wherein a conducting ring element is positioned in between two adjacent seal elements;

a plurality of canted coil springs each in contact with a corresponding one of the plurality of conducting ring elements; and

wherein an encapsulation layer surrounds, at least in part, the stack and two axial ends of the encapsulation layer each overlaps a corresponding end of the stack to maintain the stack axially compressed.

2. The free standing, axially compressed, connector stack of claim 1, wherein the encapsulation layer is made from a dielectric material.

3. The free standing, axially compressed, connector stack of claim 1, wherein the encapsulation layer comprises a seam.

4. The free standing, axially compressed, connector stack of claim 1, further comprising an end seal located adjacent a seal element.

5. The free standing, axially compressed, connector stack of claim 4, wherein the end seal comprises a threaded bore and a set screw.

6. The free standing, axially compressed, connector stack of claim 1, further comprising a header element attached to a sealed housing of an implantable medical device, wherein said connector stack positioned inside said header element.

7. The free standing implantable, axially compressed, connector stack of claim 3, wherein the seam delineates the encapsulation layer into an enclosure cap and an enclosure housing.

8. A method for making a free standing axially compressed connector stack comprising a plurality of springs, a plurality of ring contact elements, and a plurality of seal elements having a common bore, tensioning a shaft to axially compress the stack, and applying an encapsulating layer over, at least in part, the stack.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the encapsulation layer is made from a dielectric material.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the encapsulation layer is a thermoset polymer layer.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the thermoset polymer layer is applied to the stack by at least one of dipping, spraying, casting, and painting.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the encapsulation layer is a thermoplastic polymer sleeve.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the encapsulation layer is a machined polymer sleeve with a snapped fit enclosure cap.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising placing a fiber reinforcing material over, at least in part, the stack prior to applying the encapsulating layer over, at least in part, the stack.

15. A method for compressing an implantable medical connector stack comprising:

using a temporary rod to attach to an end seal and a compression nut for putting the shaft in tension to axially compress the stack; and

maintaining the stack axially compressed after removing the temporary rod from the end seal.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the maintaining step comprises placing an encapsulation layer around, at least in part, the stack so that end wall surfaces on two ends of the encapsulation layer overlap corresponding ends of the stack.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the encapsulation layer comprises a machined housing comprising a groove.

18. A method for assembling an implantable medical connector comprising:

providing an axially compressed stack, said compressed stack comprising an encapsulation layer;

placing the compressed stack into a header; and

over-molding the header with an implantable thermoplastic or elastomer material to a sealed implantable medical housing.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the encapsulation layer is made from a dielectric material.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the compressed stack comprises a plurality of canted coil springs.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the stack has a common bore and the header has an opening and wherein the opening is aligned with the common bore.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising a plurality of conductive elements and seal elements.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein a plurality of seams defined by adjacent pairs of conductive element and seal element are shielded from the header by the encapsulation layer.