Medical Devices Including Flexible Circuit Bodies with Exposed Portions of Circuit Traces Attached to Electrical Contacts of Components

• US 20110257711A1
• Filed: 03/22/2011
• Published: 10/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Pyne, Daniel T., Strom, James, Phillips, William C., Litow, Micah A., Piguet, Dominique, Wosmek, Mark G., Lindner, Gerald G.
• Granted Patent: US 9,409,031 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/72
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3752 Details of casing-lead connections
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3754 Feedthroughs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

Medical devices include stimulation and/or sensing circuitry that is interconnected to electrical components by a flexible circuit body having exposed portions of circuit traces that are attached to electrical contacts of the electrical components. Each circuit trace may span a separate window formed in an insulative body of the flexible circuit body, or a plurality of circuit traces may span a single window or may be freely extending from the insulative body. The exposed portion of the circuit trace may be plated with a conductive metal and then attached to the electrical contact of the electrical component. The flexible circuit body may be an extension from a flexible electrical circuit board containing the circuit. The circuit may be present on a circuit board that includes electrical contacts and where the flexible circuit body has exposed portions of circuit traces attached to the electrical contacts of the circuit board.

Claims

1. A method of constructing a medical device, comprising:

providing a flexible circuit body having at least one conductive circuit trace with an insulative body covering the at least one conductive circuit trace, the at least one conductive circuit trace having a portion that is exposed from the insulative body, the at least one conductive circuit trace being electrically coupled to a first circuit that produces stimulation signals; and

attaching the portion of the circuit trace that is exposed from the insulative body to an electrical contact associated with an electrical component by using a resistive weld to create an electrical connection between the portion of the circuit trace and the electrical contact.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the flexible circuit body has a plurality of conductive circuit traces that are covered by the insulative body and with each conductive circuit trace of the plurality having a portion that is exposed from the insulative body, the method further comprising:

attaching the portion of each of the circuit traces of the plurality to corresponding electrical contacts associated with the electrical component to create electrical connections between the portions of the circuit traces of the plurality and the corresponding electrical contacts.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein providing the flexible circuit comprises providing the flexible circuit body with a window in the insulative body and with the portions of the circuit traces spanning the window.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein providing the flexible circuit body comprises providing the flexible circuit body with a plurality of windows in the insulative body and with each of the portions of the plurality of circuit traces spanning a corresponding window of the plurality.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the flexible circuit body comprises providing the portion with a conductive plating and wherein attaching comprises attaching the plated portion to the electrical contact.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the flexible circuit body further comprises providing the at least one conductive circuit trace with a second portion that is exposed from the insulative body, and wherein the at least one conductive circuit trace is electrically coupled to the first circuit by attaching the second portion to an electrical contact of the first circuit.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein attaching the portion of the circuit trace comprises performing a resistance spot weld.

8. A medical device, comprising:

a housing;

a first circuit within the housing that generates stimulation pulses;

an electrical component within the housing and spaced from the first circuit, the electrical component having an electrical contact; and

a flexible circuit body within the housing and having at least one conductive circuit trace with an insulative body covering the at least one conductive circuit trace, the at least one conductive circuit trace having a portion that is exposed from the insulative body and that is attached to the electrical contact of the electrical component by a resistive weld to create an electrical connection between the portion of the circuit trace and the electrical contact of the electrical component, and the circuit trace being electrically coupled to the first circuit.

9. The medical device of claim 8, wherein the electrical component has a plurality of electrical contacts, wherein the flexible circuit body has a plurality of conductive circuit traces that are covered by the insulative body and with each conductive circuit trace of the plurality having a portion that is exposed from the insulative body, and wherein the portion of each of the circuit traces of the plurality is attached to a corresponding electrical contact of the plurality of the electrical component to create electrical connections between the portions of the circuit traces of the plurality and the corresponding electrical contacts of the plurality.

10. The medical device of claim 9, wherein the flexible circuit comprises a window in the insulative body and the portions of the circuit traces span the window.

11. The medical device of claim 9, wherein the flexible circuit body comprises a plurality of windows in the insulative body and each of the portions of the plurality of circuit traces spans a corresponding window of the plurality.

12. The medical device of claim 8, wherein the portion includes a conductive plating and the conductive plating is attached to the electrical contact.

13. The medical device of claim 8, wherein the at least one conductive circuit trace comprises a second portion that is exposed from the insulative body, and wherein electrically coupling the at least one conductive circuit trace to the first circuit comprises attaching the second portion to an electrical contact of the first circuit.

14. The medical device of claim 8, wherein the portion of the circuit trace is attached by a resistance spot weld to the electrical contact of the electrical component.

15. A method of providing stimulation therapy from a medical device having a pulse generator circuit and having a feedthrough located separately from the pulse generator circuit, comprising:

generating stimulation pulses by the pulse generator circuit;

conducting the stimulation pulses from the pulse generator circuit to a circuit trace of a flexible circuit body;

passing the signals from the circuit trace of the flexible circuit body to an electrical contact of the feedthrough, the circuit trace including a portion exposed from an insulative body of the flexible circuit body such that the portion of the circuit trace is attached to the electrical contact of the feedthrough by a resistive weld; and

carrying the signals from a lead conductor electrically coupled to the feedthrough to the electrode.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the feedthrough has a plurality of electrical contacts, wherein the flexible circuit body has a plurality of conductive circuit traces that are covered by the insulative body and with each conductive circuit trace of the plurality having a portion that is exposed from the insulative body, and wherein the portion of each of the circuit traces of the plurality is attached to a corresponding electrical contact of the plurality on the feedthrough to create electrical connections between the portions of the circuit traces of the plurality and the corresponding electrical contacts of the feedthrough.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the flexible circuit comprises a window in the insulative body and the portions of the circuit traces span the window.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the flexible circuit body comprises a plurality of windows in the insulative body and each of the portions of the plurality of circuit traces spans a corresponding window of the plurality.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the portion includes a conductive plating and the conductive plating is attached to the electrical contact.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one conductive circuit trace comprises a second portion that is exposed from the insulative body, and wherein the at least one conductive circuit trace is electrically coupled to an electrical contact of the pulse generator circuit by an attachment of the second portion to the electrical contact of the pulse generator.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the portion of the circuit trace is attached by a resistance spot weld to the electrical contact of the first circuit board.

22. A method of constructing a medical device, comprising:

providing a flexible circuit body having at least one conductive circuit trace with an insulative body covering the at least one conductive circuit trace, the at least one conductive circuit trace having a portion that is exposed from the insulative body, the at least one conductive circuit trace being electrically coupled to a first circuit that produces stimulation signals, the exposed portion having a same width as a remainder of the circuit trace within the insulative body; and

attaching the portion of the circuit trace that is exposed from the insulative body to an electrical contact associated with an electrical component to create an electrical connection between the portion of the circuit trace and the electrical contact.

23. A medical device, comprising:

a housing;

a first circuit within the housing that generates stimulation pulses;

an electrical component within the housing and spaced from the first circuit, the electrical component having an electrical contact; and

a flexible circuit body within the housing and having at least one conductive circuit trace with an insulative body covering the at least one conductive circuit trace, the at least one conductive circuit trace having a portion that is exposed from the insulative body and that is attached to the electrical contact of the electrical component to create an electrical connection between the portion of the circuit trace and the electrical contact of the electrical component, the exposed portion having a same width as a remainder of the circuit trace within the insulative body, and the circuit trace being electrically coupled to the first circuit.

24. A method of providing stimulation therapy from a medical device having a pulse generator circuit and having a feedthrough located separately from the pulse generator circuit, comprising:

generating stimulation pulses by the pulse generator circuit;

conducting the stimulation pulses from the pulse generator circuit to a circuit trace of a flexible circuit body;

passing the signals from the circuit trace of the flexible circuit body to an electrical contact of the feedthrough, the circuit trace including a portion exposed from an insulative body of the flexible circuit body such that the portion of the circuit trace is attached to the electrical contact of the feedthrough, the exposed portion having a same width as a remainder of the circuit trace within the insulative body; and

carrying the signals from a lead conductor electrically coupled to the feedthrough to the electrode.