BIASED BALL-SPRING CONTACTS FOR ELECTRICAL STIMULATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF MAKING AND USING SAME

• US 20180028820A1
• Filed: 07/21/2017
• Published: 02/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2016
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Nageri, Ranjan Krishna Mukhari
• Application Number:
  US15/656,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20180028820A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0551 Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37235 Aspects of the external programmer
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3752 Details of casing-lead connections
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/2421 using coil springs
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/2478 spherical
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2107/00 Four or more poles
• 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 assembly includes a connector housing having longitudinal axis and a port for receiving a proximal end of a lead having terminals electrically insulated from one another. A lumen extends along the longitudinal axis. Contacts are disposed in the housing and electrically insulated from one another. The contacts couple to the terminals when the proximal end is received within the lumen. The contact includes a contact ring and ball-spring assemblies distributed around the contact ring. Each ball-spring assembly includes a housing coupled to the contract ring, a biasing member disposed within the ball-spring housing, and a conductive ball disposed at least partially within the ball-spring housing. The ball-spring housing defines an opening that is smaller than a diameter of the ball and the biasing member urges the ball towards the opening so that a portion of the ball extends out of the opening in the ball-spring housing.

Claims