DEVICE FOR SECURING LEADS INTO IN-LINE CONNECTOR DEVICES

• US 20100029127A1
• Filed: 07/27/2009
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bal Seal Engineering Incorporated (Kaman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bal Seal Engineering Incorporated (Kaman Corporation)
• Inventors: Sjostedt, Rob
• Granted Patent: US 8,092,260 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/346
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3752 Details of casing-lead connections
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/504 different pieces being moulded, cemented, welded, e.g. ultrasonic, or swaged together
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/5205 Sealing means between cable and housing, e.g. grommet H01R13/5221 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/5224 for medical use
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/59 Threaded ferrule or bolt operating in a direction parallel to the cable or wire
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/12 for medicine and surgery

Abstract

A locking device for connectors is provided that uses a threaded seal latch application using a ferrule. The locking device secures leads in electrical connectors, particularly connectors involved in medically implantable devices. The locking device utilizes a threaded nut, pre-assembled onto a lead cable with a ferrule. The lead cable is inserted into and engages with a threaded sleeve, the threaded sleeve serves as an opening for the in-line stack inside a housing. The threaded nut engages the threaded sleeve, and the ferrule along the lead cable is encased therebetween. The ferrule is pushed into and against the inner surface of the threaded sleeve by the threaded nut, tightly securing the ferrule in place, and thereby locking the lead cable in the desired position.

Claims

1. A locking mechanism for a connector comprising:

a sleeve located on a housing having a first threaded member extending externally of the housing and having an opening to a cavity at an end of the externally extending first threaded member, said cavity tapering inwardly from said opening to form an entrance to a bore;

a lead sized for insertion into the opening and the bore of the sleeve, the lead having a nominal outside diameter section and including an enlarged section with an outer diameter greater than the nominal outside diameter section of the lead;

a second threaded member for surrounding the enlarged section, the second threaded member being moveable along the axis of the lead;

wherein the second threaded member is threadedly engaged to the first threaded member to secure, at least in part, the enlarged section within the cavity of the sleeve and to secure the lead, at least in part, within the bore of the sleeve.

2. The locking mechanism of claim 1, wherein the enlarged section is a ferrule that is axially movable on the lead prior to the second threaded member being threadedly engaged to the first threaded member.

3. The locking mechanism of claim 1, wherein the enlarged section is a bead formed upon the lead and fixed relative to the lead.

4. The locking mechanism of claim 1, wherein the housing is a header located in an implantable medical device.

5. The locking mechanism of claim 1, wherein the sleeve comprises two spaced apart flanges defining a mold space therebetween.

6. The locking mechanism of claim 1, wherein the second threaded member is a nut having a bore having the lead projecting therethrough.

7. The locking mechanism of claim 1, wherein the sleeve is attached to the housing by molding.

8. The locking mechanism of claim 1, further comprising at least two conductive rings each comprising a bore spaced apart from one another by a non-conductive spacer located in-line with the sleeve such that the bore of the sleeve is co-axial with the bore of each of the at least two conductive rings.

9. The locking mechanism of claim 8, wherein the at least two conductive rings are connected to electrodes.

10. The locking mechanism of claim 4, wherein the implantable medical device is a pulse generator.

11. An in-line connector comprising an in-line stack having a common bore positioned in a housing, which is attached to source generator or a source receiver;

a locking device comprising a portion covered by the housing and a portion extending away from the housing;

said locking device further comprising a threaded nut and a sleeve comprising a bore aligned to the common bore of the in-line stack and having a removable ferrule received in a bore holding section of the sleeve;

wherein the ferrule is configured to compress inside the bore holding section when the threaded nut is threaded to the sleeve.

12. The in-line connector of claim 11, wherein the ferrule comprises a body having a bore and two open ends.

13. The in-line connector of claim 12, wherein the bore comprises an enlarged cavity.

14. The in-line connector of claim 11, wherein the housing is part of a header of an implantable medical device.

15. The in-line connector of claim 11, further comprising at least two conductive rings each comprising a bore spaced apart from one another by a non-conductive spacer located in-line with the sleeve such that the bore of the sleeve is aligned with the bore of each of the at least two conductive rings.

16. The in-line connector of claim 11, wherein the sleeve comprises two spaced apart flanges defining a mold cavity therebetween.

17. A locking device for use with an in-line connector, said locking device comprising:

a body comprising two spaced apart flanges defining a space therebetween;

a bore extending through the body;

a cylindrical section comprising external threads extending axially away from one of the two flanges;

a ferrule received in a section of the bore, said ferrule comprising a frustoconical shaped body comprising a first open end and a second open end; and

a nut threadedly attached to the cylindrical section.

18. The locking device of claim 17, wherein mold material is molded into and occupies, at least in part, the space between the two spaced apart flanges.

19. A method for locking a lead to an in-line stack comprising:

inserting the lead into a common bore of the in-line stack and a bore of a sleeve comprising an elongated section comprising exterior threads, positioning a ferrule in mechanical communication with the sleeve and the lead, and turning a nut comprising interior threads to engage the exterior threads of the elongated section.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising connecting a plurality of electrodes located inside the lead to at least one of a source generator and a source receiver.