Implantable electronic unit

• US 6,312,297 B1
• Filed: 06/26/2000
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Biotronik Mess-Und Therapiegeraete GmbH & Company Ingenieurbuero Berlin (Biotronik SE & Company KG)
• Original Assignee: Biotronik Mess-Und Therapiegeraete GmbH & Company Ingenieurbuero Berlin (Biotronik SE & Company KG)
• Inventors: Lorkowski, Lars
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Tulsidas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Prasad, Chandrika
• Application Number:
  US09/603,414
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 439/346, 439/372, 439/907, 439/359, 439/368, 439/370, 439/376, 439/725, 439/729, 439/838, 439/759, 439/263
• US Class Current: 439/838
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3752 Details of casing-lead connections
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/907 Contact having three contact surfaces, including diverse surface

Abstract

An implantable electronic unit (1, 30, 50), in particular a cardiac pacemaker, having at least one substantially socket-shaped connecting arrangement (3, 32, 33, 52, 53) arranged in the header (2, 31, 51) for a plug disposed at the proximal end of an electrode line (4, 34, 35, 54, 55), a plug receiving means (7, 60, 61) having a contact element (8, 20, 37, 38, 58, 59) for the deferent pole (6, 39, 40, 56, 57) of the plug, wherein the connecting arrangement includes a locking device (15) which secures the fit of the plug in relation to a tensile force acting in the axial direction and which can be operated by a hand lever (11) on the outside of the header. The locking device (15) includes the contact element (8, 20, 37, 38, 58, 59) and a locking cam (9, 36, 62, 63) mounted eccentrically in the connecting arrangement (3, 32, 33, 52, 53), wherein the resiliently arranged contact element embraces the deferent pole (6, 39, 40, 56, 57) of the plug in positively locking relationship and is in operative engagement with the locking cam (9, 36, 62, 63) in such a way that upon a rotary movement of the locking cam (9, 36, 62, 63) a variation in the position and/or the form of the contact element relative to the deferent pole (6, 39, 40, 56, 57) of the plug is forced for the purposes of making a force-locking connection between the deferent pole and the contact element.

Claims

1. An implantable electronic unit comprising;

a header;

at least one substantially socket-shaped connecting arrangement arranged in the header for receiving a plug with at least one deferent pole disposed at the proximal end of an electrode line;

a plug receiving means having a resiliently arranged contact element for the at least one deferent pole of the plug;

a locking device provided at the connecting arrangement to secure the fit of the plug, the locking device including the contact element and a locking cam mounted eccentrically in the connecting arrangement; and

a hand lever on the outside of the header for operating the locking device;

wherein the resiliently arranged contact element embraces the deferent pole of the plug, and is in operative engagement with the locking cam in such a way that upon a rotary movement of the locking cam a variation in one of the position and the form of the contact element relative to the deferent pole of the plug is forced, in order to make a force-locking connection between the deferent pole and the contact element for the purposes of fixing the plug and making a galvanic contact.

2. The electronic unit as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a locking cam in the form of a disk.

3. The electronic unit as set forth in claim 2 wherein the locking cam extends transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the plug.

4. The electronic unit as set forth in claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the axis of rotation of the locking cam extends transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the plug.

5. The electronic unit as set forth in claim 1 wherein the contact element is in the form of a tongue-shaped spring plate which is fixed at one side, preferably at the connecting arrangement, and extends substantially transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the plug.

6. The electronic unit as set forth in claim 5 wherein the contact element has a bore through which the deference pole of a plug disposed in the plug receiving means is passed.

7. The electronic unit as set forth in claim 1 wherein the contact element is supported with its free end on the cam path of the eccentrically mounted cam in such a way that upon rotation of the locking cam, by virtue of pivotal movement of the contact element, the free diameter of the bore which is required for the deferent pole upon insertion of the plug is reduced and the deferent pole is fixed by a clamping force to the contact element.

8. The electronic unit as set forth in claim 7 wherein the contact element is transferred from a released condition into a locked condition to produce the clamping action by reversible deformation by means of the locking cam.

9. The electronic unit as set forth in claim 6 wherein the locking cam has a range of rotary movement of preferably 120°

.

10. The electronic unit as set forth in claim 1 further comprising retaining means on the outside of the header and the side of the hand lever towards the header, respectively, which, when the locking device is closed, are in engagement in force-locking and/or positively locking relationship and fix the hand lever against an unwanted reverse movement resulting in opening of the locking device.

11. The electronic unit as set forth in claim 10 wherein the retaining means are in the form of a projection and a recess of corresponding size for receiving the projection.

12. The electronic unit as set forth in claim 1 wherein the contact element includes two tongue-shaped spring plate portions coupled together by a connector of plastic material wherein each of the tongue-shaped spring plate portions have a bore for receiving the deferent pole of a respective plug disposed in a connecting arrangement.

13. The electronic unit as set forth in claim 1 wherein the locking cam is arranged between two connecting arrangements which are of substantially similar configuration and which are positioned in vertically mutually superposed relationship and whose contact elements respectively bear against the locking cam, in a substantially mirror-image symmetrical relationship, for the purposes of forming a respective locking device.

14. The electronic unit as set forth in claim 13 further comprising a separate locking cam for each connecting arrangement, wherein the first locking cam is connected to a hand lever and the rotary movement of the first locking cam is transmitted from the latter to the second locking cam in force-locking and positively locking relationship.

15. The electronic unit as set forth in claim 14 wherein the locking cams each have a respective mounting trunnion with an external tooth arrangement on at least a portion of the periphery thereof.

16. The electronic unit as set forth in claim 15 wherein the locking cams are connected indirectly for transmission of the rotary movement.

17. The electronic unit as set forth in claim 16 wherein the external tooth arrangement of the mounting trunnions of the locking cams is in engagement directly or by way of a pinion.

18. The electronic unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein the electronic unit is a cardiac pacemaker.