Electrical cable for performing stimulations and/or measurements inside a human or animal body and method of manufacturing the cable
First Claim
1. Electrical cable for performing stimulations and/or measurements inside a human or animal body, for instance for a cardiac pacemaker, the cable comprising at least one bundle of fibers, wherein each fiber is less than 20 micrometers thick and has a cross-sectional area of a single metallic material.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The cable comprises one or more fiber bundles having 100 or more fibers per bundle, the diameter of the fibers having a value smaller than 20 micrometers, and the fibers preferably consisting of an alloy containing titanium as base metal and, in addition, at least one metal from the group including niobium, tantalum, zirconium, chromium, molybdenum, iron and aluminum. The bundle may be wound around the longitudinal axis of the cable and/or plaited with other bundles. Furthermore, the fibers of a bundle may be twisted (snaked), circumstances permitting. Each bundle and its fibers should, however, run to advantage in a way to have the length of the bundle as well as the length of each fiber of the bundle preferably be not more than 50% and, for example, not more than 30% longer than the cable. The fibers may be bent down to very small radii of curvature, without any fatigue failures taking place, while a relatively low electrical resistance of the cable may be achieved. The fibers are covered on their outer surfaces by a metal oxide layer, effective to insulate the fibers, in addition to the normally provided rubber-elastic insulation.
109 Citations
37 Claims
- 1. Electrical cable for performing stimulations and/or measurements inside a human or animal body, for instance for a cardiac pacemaker, the cable comprising at least one bundle of fibers, wherein each fiber is less than 20 micrometers thick and has a cross-sectional area of a single metallic material.
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23. Method of manufacturing an electrical cable for performing stimulations and/or measurements inside of a human or animal body, the cable comprising at least one bundle of fibers which are less than 20 micrometers thick, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a number of wires thicker than the fibers and made of the same metallic material as the fibers to be produced;
imbedding the thicker wires into a matrix consisting of a different metallic material;
subjecting the thicker wires together with the matrix to a deformation process during which the wires are made longer and thinner; and
, subsequently dissolving the matrix with an acid to yield a bundle of said fibers. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26)
- providing a number of wires thicker than the fibers and made of the same metallic material as the fibers to be produced;
- 31. An electrical cable for performing stimulations and/or measurements inside a human or animal body, for instance for a cardiac pacemaker, the cable comprising at least one bundle of fibers, wherein each fiber has a thickness of at most 15 micrometers and has a cross-sectional area of a beta-type titanium alloy.
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37. An electrical cable for performing stimulations and/or measurements inside a human or animal body, for instance for a cardiac pacemaker, the cable comprising at least one bundle of fibers, wherein each fiber is less than 20 micrometers thick and has a cross-sectional area of a beta-type titanium alloy, the fibers being arranged to run at least generally one of parallel and obliquely to the longitudinal direction of the cable so that each fiber is at most 30% longer than the cable itself.
Specification