Connector device for use in monitoring fetal heart rate

• US 5,168,876 A
• Filed: 02/26/1991
• Issued: 12/08/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Corometrics Medical Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: American Home Products Corporation (Pfizer Inc.)
• Inventors: Boucher, Donald R., Quedens, Phillipp J., Izzo, Joseph A., Shipherd, John T., Poirier, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cohen, Lee S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jastrzab, Jeffrey R.
• Application Number:
  US07/661,253
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: 128/639-642, 128/698, 128/783-785, 439/530, 439/668, 439/669, 439/877, 439/909, 439/825, 439/842, 439/851, 439/852, 439/856
• US Class Current: 600/376
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/227 Sensors with electrical connectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/274 using snap or button fasteners
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/288 for foetal cardiography, e.g. scalp electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/303 Patient cord assembly, e.g. cable harness
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4362 Assessing foetal parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/5224 for medical use
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/62 Means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/12 for medicine and surgery
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/909 Medical use or attached to human body
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 607/902 Fetal monitoring other than heart rate

Abstract

A connector device interposed between a fetal heart rate monitor and fetal and material electrodes. The device includes a connector inserted in a leg plate. The leg plate has a housing which contains a printed circuit board. The board or housing is detachably connected to a base. The board has tracers which interconnect output terminals of the housing with input contacts of the housing and with a ground electrode of the base. The output terminals lead to the fetal heart rate monitor. The input contacts are in electrical contact with terminals of the connector, which in turn are electrically connected with the electrodes via a twisted wire pair. The input contacts of the leg plate are preferably in the form of barrel contacts which have fingers whose free ends either electrically connect with the connector terminals or engage with a recess on an exterior periphery of the connector.

Claims

1. A connector device for use in monitoring fetal heart rate, comprising:

a housing;

two input contacts spaced from each other and supported by the housing;

a printed circuit board within said housing and having at least two input terminals spaced from each other, a ground terminal spaced from said input terminals, three output terminals spaced from each other, and three conductive tracers arranged for electrically connecting said three output terminals respectively, with said two input terminals and said ground terminal, said two input contacts each being in electrical connection with a respective one of said two input terminals; and

means for securing said housing to a base, said securing means being in electrical connection with said ground terminal, said securing means including a conductive element retained against said printed circuit board and being in electrical connection with said ground terminal.

2. A device as in claim 1, further comprising:

a bas which has a ground electrode, said securing means securing said housing to said base, said base having means for releasably securing said housing in position on a patient, and means for releasably and electrically connecting said ground electrode to said securing means.

3. A device as in claim 2, wherein said base has retaining means adapted for retaining ends of a belt;

further comprising a belt with ends retained by said retaining means.

4. A device as in claim 2, wherein said securing means includes means for enabling said housing to rotate relative to said base.

5. A device as in claim 1, wherein said housing has a projection adapted for engaging belt holes;

further comprising a belt with a belt hole engaging said projection.

6. A device as in claim 1, further comprising:

a plug connector, said housing having an opening constituting a socket for accommodating insertion of said plug connector therein, said plug connector having two connector terminals spaced from each other and which are in electrical connection respectively with two wires of a twisted wire pair, said two connector terminals establishing electrical connection respectively with said two input contacts, respectively, upon insertion of said plug connector as far as possible within said opening; and

means for releasably securing said plug connector in position in said opening when said plug connector reaches a location where said two connector terminals have established said electrical connection with said input contacts, respectively.

7. A device as in claim 1, wherein said printed circuit board has an opening through which extends the conductive element.

8. A device as in claim 1, wherein said conductive element has means for making snapping engagement with a conductive element from the base.

9. A connector device for use in monitoring fetal heart rate, comprising:

a housing having sides with corners;

two input contacts spaced from each other and supported by the housing;

a printed circuit board within said housing and having at least two input terminals spaced from each other, a ground terminal spaced from said input terminals, three output terminals spaced from each other, and three conductive tracers arranged for electrically connecting said three output terminals, respectively, with said two input terminals and said ground terminal, said two input contacts each being in electrical connection with a respective one of said two input terminals;

means for securing said housing to a base, said securing means being in electrical connection with said ground terminals;

a base which has a ground electrode, said securing means securing said housing to said base, said base having means for releasably and electrically connecting said ground electrode to said securing means, said securing means including means for enabling said housing to rotate relative to said base; and

means for blocking said housing from rotating relative to said base, said blocking means including projections extending from said base to project adjacent to said sides of said housing when said housing is releasably secured to said base, said projections being arranged to block rotation of said housing relative to said base

10. A connector device for use in monitoring fetal heart rate, comprising:

a housing;

two input contacts spaced from each other and supported by the housing;

a printed circuit board within said housing and having at least two input terminals spaced from each other, a ground terminal spaced from said input terminals, three output terminals spaced from each other, and three conductive tracers arranged for electrically connecting said three output terminals respectively, with said two input terminals and said ground terminal, said two input contacts each being in electrical connection with a respective one of said two input terminals;

means for securing said housing to a base, said securing means being in electrical connection with said ground terminal; and

two conductive test terminals which are accessible from outside said housing, said test terminals being in electrical contact with two of said conductive tracers, respectively, that are in electrical connection with said two input terminals.

11. A device as in claim 10, wherein said securing means include a snap compartment which has a snap opening adapted for holding a snap stud therein, said snap stud having a base portion, further comprising:

another conductive test terminal on said board that is accessible from outside said housing for establishing electrical connection therewith, said another conductive terminal being in electrical contact with said snap compartment; and

an adapter with three terminals in electrical contact, respectively, with said two conductive test terminals and said another conductive test terminal.

12. A connector device for use in monitoring fetal heart rate, comprising:

a housing;

two input contacts spaced from each other and supported by the housing, said two input contacts being first and second barrel contacts spaced from each other and having a pair of fingers diametrically opposite each other;

a printed circuit board within said housing and having at least two input terminals spaced from each other, a ground terminal spaced from said input terminals, three output terminals spaced from each other, and three conductive tracers arranged for electrically connecting said three output terminals respectively, with said two input terminals and said ground terminal, said two input contacts each being in electrical connection with a respective one of said two input terminals;

means for securing said housing to a base, said securing means being in electrical connection with said ground terminal;

a plug connector, said housing having an opening constituting a socket for accommodating insertion of said plug connector therein, said plug connector having two connector terminals spaced from each other and which are in electrical connection respectively with two wires of a twisted wire pair, said two connector terminals each establishing electrical connection with a respective one of said two input contacts upon insertion of said plug connector as far as possible within said opening, a first pair of said fingers of said first barrel contact having a free end engaging a recess on an outer circumference of said plug connector, a second pair of said fingers of said first barrel contact being in electrical contact with a first of said two connector terminals, said second barrel contact having a pair of fingers in electrical contact with a second of said two connector terminals; and

means for releasably securing said plug connector in position in said opening when said plug connector reaches a location where said two connector terminals have established said electrical connection with said input contacts, respectively.

13. A connector device for use in monitoring fetal heart rate, comprising:

a housing having an elongated opening with an entrance;

two input contacts spaced from each other and supported by the housing;

a printed circuit board within said housing and having at least two input terminals spaced from each other, a ground terminal spaced from said input terminals, three output terminals spaced from each other, and three conductive tracers arranged for electrically connecting said three output terminals respectively, with said two input terminals and said ground terminal, said two input contacts each being in electrical connection with a respective one of said two input terminals, one of said two input contacts being located between said entrance and the other of said two input contacts; and

means for securing said housing to a base, said securing means being in electrical connection with said ground terminal.

14. A connector device for use in monitoring fetal heart rate, comprising:

a housing;

two input contacts spaced from each other and supported by the housing;

a printed circuit board within said housing and having at least two input terminals spaced from each other, a ground terminal spaced from said input terminals, three output terminals spaced from each other, and three conductive tracers arranged for electrically connecting said three output terminals respectively, with said two input terminals and said ground terminal, said two input contacts each being in electrical connection with a respective one of said two input terminals;

means for securing said housing to a base, said securing means being in electrical connection with said ground terminal; and

a base which has a ground electrode, said securing means securing said housing to said base, said base having means for releasably and electrically connecting said ground electrode to said securing means, said securing means including means for enabling said housing to rotate relative to said base, said base and said housing each having a respective surface that faces and conforms in shape with each other.

15. A connector device for use in monitoring fetal heart rate, comprising:

fetal and maternal electrodes;

a plug connector with two terminals spaced from each other, said plug connector being sized to allow removal of the plug connector from within a driving tube having a dimension suitable for use in placing the fetal and maternal electrodes into position within an expectant mother;

two wires each connecting a respective of the two terminals with a respective one of the fetal and maternal electrodes;

a support assembly having a housing, the housing having an elongated socket opening;

a socket connector having first and second input terminals;

a ground terminal, each of said input and ground terminals being supported by the housing and electrically isolated from each other;

first, second and third output terminals each supported by the housing and electrically isolated from each other;

three conductive paths within the housing, a first of the conductive paths extending from the first input terminal to the first output terminal, a second of the conductive paths extending from the second input terminal to the second output terminal, a third of the conductive paths extending from the ground terminal to third output terminal; and

locking means for locking the plug connector in a releasable manner within the socket opening and for simultaneously electrically connecting each of the two terminals of the plug connector with a respective one of the input terminals.

16. A device as in claim 15, further comprising a printed circuit board within said housing, said printed circuit board having three conductive tracers located within said three conductive paths, respectively.

17. A device as in claim 16, further comprising:

three test terminals in electrical connection, respectively, with said three conductive tracers; and

an adapter retaining said housing and having three terminals in electrical connection, respectively, with said three test terminals.

18. A device as in claim 16, further comprising:

three test terminals in electrical connection, respectively, with said first and second conductive paths; and

an adapter retaining said housing therein and having three contacts in electrical connection, respectively, with said two test terminals and said ground input.

19. A device as in claim 15, wherein said socket connector includes barrel contacts each with fingers which serve as the input terminals, said plug connector having an external periphery that has a recess, a free end of one of said fingers engaging with said recess for releasably retaining said plug connector in said barrel contacts.

20. A device as in claim 15, wherein said socket opening is accessible via an entrance in said housing, said housing defining a chamber adjacent to said entrance, said socket connector being within said opening, further comprising

means arranged in said chamber for sealing said chamber from outside and for wiping said plug connector clean as the plug connector passes by said opening during insertion into the opening.

21. A connector device for use in monitoring fetal heart rate, comprising:

fetal and maternal electrodes spaced from each other;

a plug connector with two terminals spaced from each other;

a twisted wire pair respectively connecting said fetal and maternal electrodes with said two terminals;

a support assembly having a housing with a socket opening;

a contact supported by said housing and being within said socket opening, said contact having a finger with a free end;

means for releasably locking said plug connector within said socket opening said releasably locking means including a recess on an exterior periphery of said plug connector and into which may bias said free end of said finger; and

an electrically conductive terminal within said recess.

22. A fetal electrode product for use in monitoring fetal heart rate, comprising:

a fetal electrode and a maternal electrode secured to a holder made of an insulating material;

an elongated flexible driving tube for rotating said holder;

a connector having an outer dimension less than an inner dimension of said driving tube so that said driving tube can be pulled over said connector after said fetal electrode has been attached to a fetus, said connector including at least two contacts separated and electrically isolated from each other, said connector having a proximate end and a distal end spaced from each other, one of the contacts being closer to the distal end than is the other of the contacts;

an elongated pair of insulated flexible wires each electrically connecting a respective one of the contacts with a respective one of the fetal and maternal electrodes, the wires extending through the proximate end of the connector; and

means for relieving strain, the relieving strain means including a finned element through which extends the wires, said finned element extending from the proximate end of the connector.