Sensor mounting in an implantable blood pump

• US 9,579,436 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2013
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TC1 LLC (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Thoratec LLC
• Inventors: McChrystal, Mark, Stark, Joseph C. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Son
• Assistant Examiner(s): RIOS RUSSO, RAUL J
• Application Number:
  US14/015,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20140062462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 324/51, 324/55, 324/200, 324/207.11, 324/207.13, 324/207.2, 324/207.22, 324/251, 361/749
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3317 Electromagnetic, inductive or dielectric measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3334 Measuring or controlling the flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3365 Rotational speed
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2207/00 Methods of manufacture, assembly or production
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/148 in line with a blood vessel using resection or like techniques, e.g. permanent endovascular heart assist devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/178 drawing blood from a ventricle and returning the blood to the arterial system via a cannula external to the ventricle, e.g. left or right ventricular assist devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/216 including a rotating member acting on the blood, e.g. impeller
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/419 the force acting on the blood contacting member being permanent magnetic, e.g. from a rotating magnetic coupling between driving and driven magnets
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/422 the force acting on the blood contacting member being electromagnetic, e.g. using canned motor pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/515 Regulation using real-time patient data
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/538 Regulation using real-time blood pump operational parameter data, e.g. motor current
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 60/824 Hydrodynamic or fluid film bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 13/064 Details of the magnetic circuit
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 15/0077 Safety measures F04D15/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/003 for measuring position, not involving coordinate determination coordinate measuring G01B7/004
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/30 for measuring angles or tapers; for testing the alignment of axes
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/142 using Hall-effect devices measuring magnetic variables using Hall-effect or other galvanomagnetic devices G01R33/06
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/072 Constructional adaptation of the sensor to specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/028 Bending or folding regions of flexible printed circuits H05K1/0283 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/119 Details of rigid insulating substrates therefor, e.g. three-dimensional details H05K1/117 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/189 : characterised by the use of a flexible or folded printed circuit H05K3/326 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/052 : Branched
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10151 : Sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/30 : Assembling printed circuits with electric components, e.g. with resistor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/303 : Surface mounted components, e.g. affixing before soldering, aligning means, spacing means H05K3/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/32 : electrically connecting electric components or wires to printed circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/4691 : Rigid-flexible multilayer circuits comprising rigid and flexible layers, e.g. having in the bending regions only flexible layers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49009 : Dynamoelectric machine
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49128 : Assembling formed circuit to base

Abstract

Techniques for mounting a sensor are disclosed. In some implementations, a molded interconnect device carries a sensor for transducing a position of a rotor of the implantable blood pump. The molded interconnect device includes one or more integrated electronic circuit traces configured to electrically connect the Hall sensor with a printed circuit board of the implantable blood pump, and the molded interconnect device is configured to be mounted to the printed circuit board.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a circuit board having an outer region, extensions, and end regions, the extensions each having a first end coupled to the outer region, the extensions each extending inward from the outer region to a second end that is coupled to one of the end regions, wherein the extensions are more flexible than the end regions;

electrical interconnects disposed at the end regions;

a plurality of sensors, each of the plurality of sensors being mounted to a respective electrical interconnect disposed at one of the end regions and comprising an electrically neutral guide member attached thereto; and

a carrier configured to attach to the circuit board, the carrier comprising a plurality of guide rails, each of the guide rails configured to engage with a respective guide member so as to align each of the plurality of sensors when the carrier is attached to the circuit board.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the extensions are configured to flex to direct stress away from the end regions.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the outer region is more flexible than the end regions.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the outer region is generally circular, and the extensions extend radially inward from the outer region.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the outer region defines a closed boundary around an opening defined through the circuit board, and the extensions and end regions extend into the opening.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuit board has a generally planar surface, the electrical interconnects are disposed at the generally planar surface, and the sensors extend from the generally planar surface.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the extensions extends along a corresponding axis and each of the extensions has a width perpendicular to the corresponding axis;

and

wherein the end region located at the end of each extension has a width perpendicular to the corresponding axis of the extension, the width of the end region being greater than the width of the extension.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the guide members is located at an upper surface of one of the sensors in the plurality of sensors.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the guide members is an electrically neutral circuit board segment.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the carrier has an inner region that connects each of the end regions when the circuit board is received in the carrier, and the carrier has projections that extend outward from the inner region to the outer region of the circuit board when the circuit board is received in the carrier.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors comprise Hall effect sensors configured to detect magnetic fields indicative of parameters of a motor of an implantable blood pump.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensors are configured to produce data indicative of a position of a rotor of an implantable blood pump.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensors are configured to output a voltage that is directly proportional to a strength of a magnetic field that is located in proximity to pole pieces of a motor stator and a rotor of an implantable blood pump.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensors are oriented axi-symmetrically.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the guide rails define slots that receive the guide members.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the slots extend perpendicular to longitudinal axes of corresponding extensions when the circuit board is received in the carrier.

17. A sensor mount assembly for mounting sensors for transducing a position of a rotor of an implantable blood pump, the assembly comprising:

a circuit board having a generally circular outer region, extensions, and end regions, the extensions each having a first end coupled to the outer region, the extensions each extending radially inward from the outer region to a second end that is coupled to one of the end regions, wherein the extensions are more flexible than the end regions, the outer region defining a closed boundary around an opening defined through the circuit board, the opening located and sized to admit a blood flow conduit of the implantable blood pump therein;

electrical interconnects disposed at the end regions;

a plurality of sensors, each of the plurality of sensors being mounted to a respective electrical interconnect disposed at one of the end regions, and comprising an electrically neutral guide member attached thereto; and

a carrier configured to attach to the circuit board, the carrier comprising a plurality of guide rails, each of the guide rails configured to engage with a respective guide member so as to align each of the plurality of sensors to transduce the position of the rotor of the implantable blood pump.

18. The sensor mount assembly of claim 17, wherein the guide rails define slots that receive the guide members.

19. The sensor mount assembly of claim 18, wherein the slots extend perpendicular to longitudinal axes of corresponding extensions when the circuit board is received in the carrier.

20. The sensor mount assembly of claim 17, wherein the carrier has a generally circular inner region that connects each of the end regions when the circuit board is received in the carrier, and the carrier has projections that extend outward from the inner region to the outer region of the circuit board when the circuit board is received in the carrier.