THIN PROFILE STACKED LAYER CONTACT

• US 20120245664A1
• Filed: 03/22/2011
• Published: 09/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cirtec Medical Corp., Qig Group LLC
• Original Assignee: Greatbatch Limited (Greatbatch Incorporated)
• Inventors: Smith, Alexander K., Kelsch, Daniel Nicholas
• Granted Patent: US 9,166,321 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/117
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3752 Details of casing-lead connections
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/111 co-operating with pins having a circular transverse section
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/12 for medicine and surgery
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/58 Contacts spaced along longitudinal axis of engagement

Abstract

A connector is described herein that includes a plurality of layers patterned in two dimensions and joined in a stack with a bore there through. At least a subset of the plurality of layers are contact layers that include deflectable members (e.g., springs) that deflect in plane or out of plane upon insertion of a lead into the bore through the connector. The deflectable members form redundant electrical connections with the lead when the lead is inserted into the bore. For example, the connector can be incorporated into an implantable medical device (e.g., IPG). Moreover, methods of manufacturing a connector are set forth herein.

Claims

1. An electrical connector, comprising:

a plurality of layers with respective apertures there through, wherein the plurality of layers are joined in a stack with the respective apertures aligned to define a bore through the stack, wherein a lead is receivable in the bore; and

at least one of the plurality of layers being a contact layer that includes a plurality of deflectable members, wherein the deflectable members are deflected by the lead and form electrical connections with the lead when the lead is received in the bore.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the deflectable members are deflectable in a plane.

3. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the deflectable members are deflectable out of a plane.

4. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the deflectable members and a remainder of the contact layer are contiguous.

5. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the deflectable members are cantilevered beams.

6. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the deflectable members are cantilevered spirals.

7. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the deflectable members are cantilevered serpentine structures.

8. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the deflectable members are simply supported beams that comprise flags.

9. The electrical connector of claim 8, wherein the simply supported beams are twisted by the flags being displaced by the lead when the lead is received in the bore.

10. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the deflectable members of the contact layer extend into an aperture through the contact layer.

11. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the contact layer is less than 0.006 inches.

12. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the contact layer is less than 0.005 inches.

13. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of layers are two spacer layers, wherein the contact layer is positioned between and adjacent to the two spacer layers in the stack, and the two spacer layers provide space for the deflectable members of the contact layer to move within the respective apertures through the two spacer layers.

14. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of layers is a stop layer that limits out of plane motion of the deflectable members of a contact layer.

15. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of layers is an outer layer that makes contact with the lead as it is inserted into the bore to align the lead for insertion.

16. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the plurality of layers are made of a conductive material.

17. The electrical connector of claim 16, wherein the conductive material is one of stainless steel, titanium, nickel, chromium, carbon, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, palladium, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, iridium, platinum, gold, or an alloy thereof.

18. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the contact layer is made of a conductive material and at least one of the plurality of layers other than the contact layer is made of a non-conductive material.

19. A medical system, comprising:

a lead with a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the proximal end includes a plurality of inline contact portions separated by insulator portions, and the distal end at least one of includes or is coupled to a plurality of electrodes; and

an implantable medical device, comprising;

a housing that is hermetically sealed to provide an enclosure for at least one of control circuitry, a power supply, or a charging coil; and

a header that includes a connector comprised of a plurality of contact blocks that are electrically connected to the at least one of the control circuitry, the power supply, or the charging coil, wherein the connector defines a bore through the contact blocks in which the lead is receivable to form electrical connections between the contact portions of the lead and the contact blocks, the contact blocks each include a plurality of stacked and joined layers with respective apertures there through to define the bore, and at least one of the plurality of the stacked and joined layers of each of the contact blocks being a contact layer that includes deflectable members that are deflected by the lead and form electrical connections with the contact portions of the lead when the lead is received in the bore.

20. The medical system of claim 19, wherein the implantable medical device is an Implanted Pulse Generator (IPG).

21. The medical system of claim 19, wherein the deflectable members are at least one of cantilevered beams, cantilevered spirals, cantilevered serpentine structures, or simply supported beams that comprise flags.

22. The medical system of claim 19, wherein the plurality of stacked and joined layers of each of the contact blocks is made of a conductive material.

23. The medical system of claim 22, wherein the conductive material is one of stainless steel, titanium, nickel, chromium, carbon, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, palladium, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, iridium, platinum, gold, or an alloy thereof.

24. The medical system of claim 19, wherein the plurality of contact blocks are separated by seals.

25. The medical system of claim 19, wherein contact layers from the plurality of stacked and joined layers are made of a conductive material, and at least a subset of other layers from the plurality of stacked and joined layers are made of a non-conductive material.

26. A method of manufacturing, comprising:

fabricating a plurality of layers of a connector, wherein the plurality of layers include respective apertures there through and at least a subset of the plurality of layers are contact layers that include deflectable members patterned in two dimensions;

stacking the plurality of layers with the respective apertures aligned to define a bore through a stack of the plurality of layers; and

joining the stack of the plurality of layers to yield at least a portion of the connector with the bore there through.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising fabricating the plurality of layers of the connector via employing at least one of wire electric discharge machining (EDM), laser cutting, or photolithography.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the plurality of layers that are fabricated further include one or more of stop layers, outer layers, or spacer layers.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein each of the contact layers are stacked between and adjacent to two spacer layers.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising joining the stack of the plurality of layers at least one of mechanically, with adhesives, or through bonding.