The present disclosure generally relates to an electrical connector associated with an electromagnetic tracking device that is movable within a body of a patient. More particularly, but not exclusively, the present disclosure relates to a multipart electrical connector system used in a medical environment wherein a first portion of the connector system is arranged to pierce a malleable barrier in cooperation with coupling the first portion of the connector system to a second portion of the connector system.
In many medical procedures, a medical practitioner accesses an internal cavity of a patient using a medical instrument. In some cases, the medical practitioner accesses the internal cavity for diagnostic purposes. In other cases, the practitioner accesses the cavity to provide treatment. In still other cases different therapy is provided.
Due to the sensitivity of internal tissues of a patient's body, incorrectly positioning the medical instrument within the body can cause great harm. Accordingly, it is beneficial to be able to precisely track the position of the medical instrument within the patient's body. However, accurately tracking the position of the medical instrument within the body can be difficult. The difficulties are amplified when the medical instrument is placed deep within the body of a large patient.
In many hospitals, a medical practitioner uses electrical connectors while concurrently using various medical instruments. In some cases, the medical practitioner uses medical devices having one or more electrical connectors for diagnostic purposes and for administering medication. In other cases, the practitioner uses several electrical connectors and devices to monitor a patient's vital signs. In still other cases different electrical connectors are provided.
In many circumstances, a medical practitioner uses electrical connectors in cooperation with electrical devices that monitor a patient's vital signs while a medical procedure is performed. In some cases, the medical practitioner uses electrical connectors with one or more monitors that collect information associated with the patient's heartbeat, temperature, and other vital signs. In addition, the medical practitioner may use electrical connectors to facilitate the operation of devices that administer medication during the medical procedure. In still other cases different electrical connectors are provided and used for other purposes.
All of the subject matter discussed in the Background section is not necessarily prior art and should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its discussion in the Background section. Along these lines, any recognition of problems in the prior art discussed in the Background section or associated with such subject matter should not be treated as prior art unless expressly stated to be prior art. Instead, the discussion of any subject matter in the Background section should be treated as part of the inventor's approach to the particular problem, which in and of itself may also be inventive.
Electrical connector systems and methods are arranged to couple one or more low-frequency electromagnetic trackable structures to magnetic field sensing devices are described, and systems and methods to form such electrical connectors are described.
A first embodiment of a system may be summarized as including a trackable structure having an integrated electromagnet circuit. The trackable structure is arranged to controllably produce a magnetic field. The system also includes an interface to produce a positional representation of the trackable structure when the trackable structure is within a human body, a magnetic field sensing device arranged to drive the integrated electromagnet circuit of the trackable structure and arranged to provide position information to the interface, and a multipart connector to electrically couple the magnetic field sensing device to the trackable structure. The multipart connector including a first connector portion and a second connector portion.
The trackable structure of the first embodiment may further include a medical device and a trackable conductor. In some of these cases, the trackable conductor is arranged to receive an electromagnetic drive signal and arranged to generate an electromagnetic field in correspondence with the electromagnetic drive signal. What's more, in some of these cases, the magnetic field sensing device is arranged to generate position information representing a location of the trackable structure in real time by sensing the electromagnetic field generated by the trackable conductor.
In some other cases, the first connector portion and the second connector portion of the first embodiment are arranged to form at least one electrically conductive path through the multipart connector when the first connector portion and the second connector portion are mechanically joined together. Sometimes, the magnetic field sensing device is configured to direct passage of an electromagnetic drive signal through the at least one electrically conductive path. And sometimes, the first connector portion includes an electrically conductive core having a body, a distal end, and a core electrical contact area formed on the distal end of the electrically conductive core; a first insulator layer substantially surrounding the body of the electrically conductive core; a first conductive shield layer substantially surrounding the first insulator layer, the first conductive shield layer having a body, a distal end, and a first electrical contact area formed on the distal end of the first conductive shield layer; a second insulator layer substantially surrounding the body of the first conductive shield layer; a second conductive shield layer substantially surrounding the second insulator layer, the second conductive shield layer having a body, a distal end, and a second electrical contact area formed on the distal end of the second conductive shield layer; and a third insulator layer substantially surrounding the body of the second conductive shield layer. In some of these cases, the core electrical contact area, the first electrical contact area, and the second electrical contact area are exposed to an outside environment. In some of these cases, the distal end of the electrically conductive core, the distal end of the first conductive shield layer, and the distal end of the second conductive shield layer are configured to pass through a contamination barrier when the first connector portion and the second connector portion are mechanically joined together. In some of these cases, the second connector includes an electrically conductive conduit having a body, a distal end, and an electrical receiver arranged to receive the core electrical contact area of the first connector portion; a third insulator layer substantially surrounding the body of the electrically conductive conduit; a third conductive shield layer substantially surrounding the third insulator layer, the third conductive shield layer having a body, a distal end, and a third electrical receiver formed at the distal end of the third conductive shield layer, the third electrical receiver arranged to receive the first electrical contact area; a fourth insulator layer substantially surrounding the body of the third conductive shield layer; a fourth conductive shield layer substantially surrounding the fourth insulator layer, the fourth conductive shield layer having a body, a distal end, and a fourth electrical receiver formed at the distal end of the fourth conductive shield layer, the fourth electrical receiver arranged to receive the second electrical contact area; and a fifth insulator layer substantially surrounding the body of the fourth conductive shield layer. And in some of these cases, the first connector portion includes a shroud arranged to at least partially enclose the core electrical contact area, the first electrical contact area, and the second electrical contact area.
A method embodiment may be summarized as including providing a contamination barrier to separate a first space from a second space; providing a first connector portion of a multipart connector in the first space, wherein the first connector portion is arranged for coupling to a magnetic field sensing device; providing a second connector portion of the multipart connector in the second space, wherein the second connector portion is arranged for coupling to a trackable structure having an integrated electromagnet circuit, the trackable structure arranged to controllably produce a magnetic field; passing at least one electrical conductor of the first connector portion through the contamination barrier; and mechanically coupling the first connector portion to the second connector portion thereby forming at least one electrically conductive path through the contamination barrier.
In some cases of this method, the first space has a first level of sterility and the second space has a second level of sterility, the first level of sterility representing a less sterile condition than the second level of sterility. In some cases, the method also includes, prior to passing the at least one electrical conductor of the first connector portion through the contamination barrier, and prior to mechanically coupling the first connector portion to the second connector portion, coupling the second connector portion to the trackable structure. And in some cases, the method includes applying an electromagnetic drive signal to the integrated electromagnet circuit via the at least one electrically conductive path. In some of these cases, applying the electromagnetic drive signal further comprises passing an alternating current excitation signal through the at least one electrically conductive path to the integrated electromagnet circuit of the trackable structure, the alternating current excitation signal having a frequency below 10,000 Hz.
And yet another method embodiment is a method to form a first electrical connector. This method may be summarized as including providing an electrically conductive core having a distal end and a body; forming a first insulator layer substantially surrounding the body of the electrically conductive core, the first insulator layer formed substantially coaxial with the electrically conductive core; exposing a core electrical contact area on the distal end of the electrically conductive core; forming a first conductive shield layer substantially surrounding the first insulator layer, the first conductive shield layer having a body and a distal end, the first conductive shield layer formed substantially coaxial with the first insulator layer; forming a second insulator layer substantially surrounding the first conductive shield layer, the second insulator layer formed substantially coaxial with the first conductive shield layer; exposing a first electrical contact area on the distal end of the first conductive shield layer; forming a second conductive shield layer substantially surrounding the second insulator layer, the second conductive shield layer having a body and a distal end, the second conductive shield layer formed substantially coaxial with the second insulator layer; forming a third insulator layer substantially surrounding the second conductive shield layer, the third insulator layer formed substantially coaxial with the second conductive shield layer; and exposing a second electrical contact area on the distal end of the second conductive shield layer. In some cases of the method to form a first electrical connector, the distal end of the electrically conductive core is arranged to pierce a contamination barrier.
One more method is a method to form a second electrical connector. Embodiments of this method include providing an electrically conductive multi-leaf receiver having a first electrical receiver end and a body; forming a first insulator layer substantially surrounding the body of the electrically conductive multi-leaf receiver, the first insulator layer formed substantially coaxial with the electrically conductive multi-leaf receiver; forming a first electrically conductive receiver substantially surrounding the first insulator layer, the first electrically conductive receiver having a second electrical receiver end and a body, the first electrically conductive receiver substantially coaxial with the first insulator layer; forming a second insulator layer substantially surrounding the body of the first electrically conductive receiver, the second insulator layer formed substantially coaxial with the first electrically conductive receiver; forming a second electrically conductive receiver substantially surrounding the second insulator layer, the second electrically conductive receiver having a second electrical receiver end and a body, the second electrically conductive receiver substantially coaxial with the second insulator layer; and forming a third insulator layer substantially surrounding the body of the second electrically conductive receiver, the third insulator layer formed substantially coaxial with the second electrically conductive receiver. In some cases, the bodies of the insulator layers and the electrically conductive receivers are flexible.
Embodiments of a first electrical connector may be summarized as including a group of electrical connector pins arranged to pass through a contamination barrier and pass an electromagnetic drive signal, each electrical connector pin has a distal end; an electrically conductive path coupled to the group of electrical connector pins, the electrically conductive path is arranged to pass the electromagnetic drive signal; an electrical housing that contains the electrical connector pins and the electrically conductive path; and an insulating material inside the electrical housing, the insulating material holds the group of electrical connector pins and the electrically conductive path in place. In some cases, the distal ends of the group of electrical connector pins are arranged to pass through a contamination barrier.
Embodiments of a second electrical connector may be summarized as including a group of electrical pin receivers arranged to receive a first electrical connector and pass an electromagnetic drive signal, each electrical pin receiver has an electrical receiver end; an electrically conductive path coupled to the group of electrical pin receivers, the electrically conductive path is arranged to pass the electromagnetic drive signal; an electrical housing that contains the electrical pin receivers and the electrically conductive path; and an insulating material located inside the electrical housing, the insulating material holds the electrical pin receivers and the electrically conductive path in place. In some cases, the electrical receiver ends of the group of electrical pin receivers are arranged to receive a group of electrical connector pins.
Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments are described with reference to the following drawings, wherein like labels refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified. The sizes and relative positions of elements in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. The shapes of various elements and angles are not necessarily drawn to scale either, and some of these elements are enlarged and positioned to improve drawing legibility. One or more embodiments are described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various disclosed embodiments. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognize that embodiments may be practiced without one or more of these specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures associated with computing systems including client and server computing systems, as well as networks have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the embodiments.
A medical device having a new electromechanical connector structure is contemplated. The electromechanical connector structure includes a first connector apparatus that is capable of passing through (e.g., piercing) a contamination barrier and a second connector apparatus that is configured to receive the first connector.
The term, “contamination barrier,” as used herein, may interchangeably be referred to as a surgical drape, a drape surgical sheet, a surgical sheet, a draw pad sheet, an operation theater sheet, an incision film, scrubs, or the like. The contamination barrier may be formed in any shape such as a rectangle, and generally, the contamination barrier is flexible. The contamination barrier may be formed from one or more non-woven materials, fibrous materials, or other materials, which may be arranged, for example, in layers. One or more layers may be resistant to liquids or even impermeable by liquids such as bodily fluids. One or more layers may be highly absorbent. The contamination barrier is generally sterilized and packaged at the time of manufacture to maintain sterility until the time of use in a medical procedure. The contamination barrier may be arranged from tear-resistant materials or formed in a tear-resistant way. The contamination barrier may form a barrier to contaminants, or provide some other benefit during a medical procedure.
A medical practitioner (not shown) is administering the procedure. The medical practitioner is directing movement of the trackable structure 24 within the body of the patient 22. The trackable structure 24 may be a stylet, a catheter such as a Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC), a medical tube, a tracheal tube, a needle, a cannula, or some other structure. In some cases, the trackable structure 24 is a hollow, tube-like device. In some cases, the trackable structure 24 is an elongated, solid member. In some cases, the trackable structure 24 takes another form.
The medical electrical connector system 20 disclosed herein allows the medical practitioner to form an electrically conductive path 42 through a contamination barrier 30 to pass signals (e.g., power, control, sense, and the like) to the trackable structure 24, from the trackable structure 24, or to and from the trackable structure 24. The term, electrically conductive path 42, as used in the present disclosure may include one electrical conductive conduit or a plurality of electrically conductive conduits.
The medical practitioner uses the first electrical connector 28 or another suitable device in the first space 32 to pass through (e.g., pierce, slice, cut, penetrate) a contamination barrier 30 into a second space 34. The first electrical connector 28 is coupled to the medical sensing device 26.
The contamination barrier 30, or some other structure, may impede the view of the trackable structure 24, the second electrical connector 36, or other structures in the second space 34 during the medical procedure.
In the embodiment of
In some embodiments, before and after the coupling, the combination of first electrical connector 28 and the second electrical connector 36 may be referred to as a multipart connector having a first electrical connector portion and a second electrical connector portion. In some embodiments described herein, rather than the first electrical connector 28 piercing the contamination barrier, the second electrical connector 36 pierces the contamination barrier. That is, the direction from which the contamination barrier is pierced may be from an outside space, an inside space, an above patient space, a below patient space, an above barrier space, a below barrier space, or from some other space. In pursuit of brevity, not every contemplated arrangement or direction in which the connector passes through the contamination barrier is described.
As described herein, the first space 32 may be an outside space of the contamination barrier, an inside space of the contamination barrier, an unsterile region, an unsterile space, an unsterile area, an unsterile volume, or some other space altogether.
The second space 34 may be an inside space of the contamination barrier, an outside space of the contamination barrier, a sterile region, a sterile space, a sterile area, a sterile volume, or some other space altogether. The second electrical connector 36 is placed in the second space 34 before coupling to the first electrical connector 28. In some embodiments, the second electrical connector 36 and the trackable structure 24 are placed in the second space 34 before the medical practitioner begins the medical procedure. The second electrical connector 36 is coupled to the trackable structure 24. In some embodiments, the first space 32 has a first level of sterility, the second space 34 has a second level of sterility, and the first level of sterility represents a less sterile condition than the second level of sterility.
By using some portion or all of the first electrical connector 28 to pass through the contamination barrier 30, the medical practitioner has no need to move or lift the contamination barrier 30 to form the electrically conductive path 42. Thus, by utilizing the first electrical connector 28 to pass through a contamination barrier and by placing a second electrical connector 36 inside the contamination barrier before the medical procedure begins, the chance of a possible exposure of a sterile space to possible sources of contamination is reduced.
In the medical procedure embodiment of
As represented in the embodiment of
Information that includes or is otherwise used to generate the position information passed to the interface and display system 39 is passed from the magnetic field sensing device 26. The magnetic field sensing device 26 is coupled to a first portion of the electrically conductive path 42. The first portion of the electrically conductive path 42 is coupled to the first electrical connector 28. In addition, the trackable structure 24 is coupled to a second portion of the electrically conductive path 42. The second portion of the electrically conductive path 42 is coupled to the second electrical connector 36.
The trackable structure 24 may enter the body through the mouth of the patient 22 or through another of the patient's orifices. Alternatively, the trackable structure 24 may be placed or otherwise passed through a surgical incision made by the same medical practitioner or a different medical practitioner at some location on the body of the patient 22. The trackable structure 24 may be placed in other ways.
The magnetic field sensing device 26 is operated by a medical practitioner proximal to the body of the patient 22. In some cases, the medical practitioner places the magnetic field sensing device 26 directly in contact with the body of the patient 22. In other cases, the magnetic field sensing device 26 is operated in proximity to the body of the patient 22 without directly contacting the body of patient 22. In many cases, the medical practitioner will attempt to place the magnetic field sensing device 26 adjacent to the portion of the body where the trackable structure 24 is believed to be.
To improve the results in medical procedures that employ trackable structures 24 and medical sensing devices 26, stray electromagnetic fields from the leads (e.g., supply wires) that drive coils formed on the trackable structures 24 are desirably controlled to prevent the introduction of an artificial ‘offset’ signal into captured magnetic sensor data. That is, to improve performance of the tracking system, the drive fields are preferably confined to the drive leads as much as possible.
In some cases, a zeroing calibration step can also limit the impact of stray fields. Generally speaking, however, the zeroing calibration step performs better when the nature of the drive signals is repetitive and not fluctuating over long time scales. The zeroing calibration step may be undesirable for at least two reasons. First, the transmitting coil of a trackable structure 24 may in some cases need to be placed far enough away from the medical sensing devices 26 so as to present a negligible signal to the magnetic sensors of the medical sensing devices 26 during the time the zeroing step is performed. This action may be burdensome in practice, however, because the distances can be quite large. Second, the transmitting coil's drive current characteristics may need to be sufficiently consistent such that a predictable, predetermined “factory” subtraction value can be sufficiently accurate to remove the impact of the stray fields. In these cases, it has been shown that with consistent manufacturing of transmitting coils and transmission lines across a plurality of production runs of trackable structures 24, a predetermined factory zeroing value may be acceptably determined within about +/−10% of accurate. Both of the two approaches may still be used even when efforts are made to lower the natural stray fields from the coils of trackable structures 24 as by the connector embodiments described herein. In yet some other cases, actual current waveforms may be digitized and processed to allow a factory subtraction value to be scaled for an actual trackable structure 24 (e.g., stylet) in use, but such procedures also add complications and the potential for additional coupling to the coil drive circuit.
Another mechanism to reduce stray electromagnetic fields includes the use of tightly twisted pairs of lead wires. The use of tightly twisted pairs may help lower stray fields from the electrical connections in general. Relative to the cost of an entire tracking system, twisted pair lead wires are inexpensive and effective, so many embodiments will employ them. On the hand, the nature of the twisted pair cannot easily be maintained through a connector if at all. That is, within the connector, conductive drive lines will typically run untwisted at least for some nominal length.
As described herein, for at least some medical applications, it is desirable for an electrical connector that couples drive wires associated with a medical sensing device 26 to a trackable structure 24 to be arranged to also pass through a contamination boundary. Conventionally, this has been accomplished with connectors having straight pins capable of penetrating a drape to make electrical contact.
To complete a circuit, two electrical connections are made, and the size of the loop area created with these two pins determines the level of external electromagnetic fields that are generated. In some cases, the pins are moved closer together, which results in less contamination. Notably, however, there is a mechanical limitation at least for alignment purposes as to how close the pins can be moved. In some other embodiments, there is also a desire to have the pins of the connector be as long as possible so that a wide variety of contamination barrier thicknesses can be accommodated.
Yet one more consideration relevant to at least some embodiments is a design configuration such that the barrier being pierced (e.g., contamination barrier 30) does not lose any pieces that either compromise the patient's medical procedure or get detrimentally deposited (e.g., pressed, forced, dragged) into the connector. This consideration introduces differences between standardized conventional coaxial connectors, standardized conventional BNC style connectors, and the inventive connector designs described herein.
In some embodiments, as described herein, connector pins are arranged in sets. For example, a center “outgoing signal” pin may be surrounded by multiple “incoming signal” return pins. This type of structure may include a planar geometry (i.e., three pins in a row) or in other embodiments, a centrally arranged pin is surrounded by some number (e.g., four) of signal pins: top, left, right, bottom). These arrangements may still leak electromagnetic fields into their surroundings, but less so than with two simple pins. More specifically, the magnetic fields from these arrangements will generally fall off faster with distance. More specifically still, the arrangements strive to eliminate the lower order terms of the magnetic field as a function of distance.
In at least one exemplary solution, a first connector is formed coaxial in nature such that the pin that pierces the contamination barrier 30 has an inner central portion and an outer cylindrical portion that is isolated by an insulator. In such embodiments, a leading tip (e.g., end, apex, crown, or the like) of the connector is formed with or having a point, a blade, or some other piercing (i.e., cutting, penetrating, boring, and the like) structure. Correspondingly, a second connector is formed as a receptacle portion that receives the first connector.
Exemplary embodiments of the receptacle portion may be formed with concentric sets of contact fingers. Conceptually, various embodiments may provide the first connector and theoretically increase the number of outer pins to infinity. In these embodiments, the center pin may part the barrier to either side. In this way, and based on the geometry of the coaxial connector, external magnetic fields may be substantially reduced or eliminated, which is readily understood in view of Ampere's law.
Considering Ampere's law, the path integral of magnetic field around a closed loop is proportional to the total current passing through the surface that the loop forms. As a coaxial connector is rotationally symmetric, and can be approximated as infinite in length, there can only be an azimuthal magnetic field. As the net current is zero, this azimuthal magnetic field must be zero. The diameter of the coaxially structured connector embodiments described herein can be significant. However, it is desirable that the center be concentric with respect to the outer conductive surface. This type of structure leads to a connector that can reliably find its mate while penetrating a contamination barrier 30.
In some embodiments, it is desirable to controllably maintain a uniform current distribution throughout the “shield” of the coaxial arrangement by, for example, carefully feeding currents into the connector. Lines that feed such currents may desirably be coaxially formed.
In some embodiments, additional low current electrical conduits are also desirable. In these cases, one or more additional barrier piercing pin(s) or layers may be added to the connector. In the case of an electrocardiograph (ECG) stylet, other options may also be considered. For example, so long as the contact resistance of the connector is sufficiently low, the ECG signal may be carried over through a pre-existing pin used by the stylet coil. This arrangement is potentially a more desirable system in that it would simplify the connector. On the other hand, such a connector may add complication to the design of the coil drive circuit. The complication may arise because the pre-existing pin may effectively become part of the ECG circuit and may impact such characteristics as the impedance matching of the ECG leads. One application where such complication may be noted is in a saline column type application.
The requirement in some embodiments of low contact resistance for a shared pin may be reduced by providing an operating frequency of the stylet (e.g., 330 Hz) that is greater than the bandwidth of the ECG system (e.g., 150 Hz). This assumed ECG system may not have sufficient bandwidth for pacemaker detection (300 Hz to 1 kHz). Given the clock-like nature of the coil drive circuit in the embodiments described herein, a bandstop filter (e.g., 330, 660, 990 Hz) may be implemented to allow ECG operation at higher frequencies. Some or all of these configurations may also have some impact on the detection of a “leads-off” condition, which system also operates at a higher frequency. In at least some embodiments, the contact resistance will fall somewhere in the range of 0.1 m-ohms to 10 m-ohms, and such values are consistent with being able to make a functioning ECG system, wherein ECG signal level is under 4 mV and peak coil currents are about 150 m-amps.
In this embodiment, the group of electrical connector pins 38 includes at least three electrical connector pins 38. The three electrical connector pins 38 of
The first electrical housing 40 contains at least one portion of the electrically conductive path 42 and the electrical connector pins 38. The first electrical housing 40 may be made of an insulating material in the form of an epoxy, plastic, polymer, or some combination of insulating housing or coating materials. In addition, the first electrical housing 40 contains an insulating material 44. The insulating material 44 may provide electrical insulation, mechanical integrity, or other advantages. In the embodiment of
The electrically conductive path 42 may include or otherwise be coupled to the electrical connector pins 38. The electrically conductive path 42 facilitates passage of the electromagnetic drive signal produced by the magnetic sensing device 26 to the trackable structure 24.
The second electrical connector 36 includes a group of electrical connector pin receivers 46, a second electrical housing 48, and an electrically conductive path 42. The second electrical connector 36 is configured to electrically, mechanically, or electromechanically receive the first electrical connector 28.
In the embodiment of
The three electrical pin receivers 46 in the embodiment of
In the embodiment of
The second electrical housing 48 includes some or all of one or more electrically conductive paths 42 and the electrical connector pin receivers 46. The second electrical housing 46 may be made of an insulating material in the form of an epoxy, plastic, polymer, or some combination of insulating housing or coating materials. The second electrical housing 46 of
In some cases, one or more portions of the medical electrical connector system 20 are formed from a magnetic shielding material. For example, some portion of the first electrical housing 40, the second electrical housing 46, or another portion of the medical electrical connector system 20 may include nickel, aluminum, brass, copper, iron, molybdenum, steel, or some other material that provides magnetic shielding. The materials may be pure or formed as an alloy. The materials may be formed as solid sheet or another solid arrangement, a mesh, a cage, a screen, or the like.
The electrically conductive path 42 couples to the electrical connector pin receivers 46. The electrically conductive path 42 is arranged to pass one or more electromagnetic drive signals produced by the magnetic field sensing device 26 to the trackable structure 24. The magnetic field sensing device 26 may be coupled to a power source or the magnetic field sensing device 26 may receive power by some other means.
The first and second electrical housings 40, 48 are configured in the embodiment of
In the cross sectional views 54, 56, 58, outer electrical connector pins 50 are configured to pass current in a first direction such that current passed in a center electrical connector pin 52 travels in an opposite direction. The current that passes through the outer electrical connector pins 50 may be a fraction of the current that passes through the center electrical connector pin 52. In these cases, for example, the fraction of the current that passes through each of the outer electrical connector pins 50 may be based on (e.g., inversely proportional to) the number of outer electrical connector pins 50. The total current of the outer electrical connector pins 50 may therefore be similar in value to the current that passes through the center electrical connector pin 52. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the volume of conductive material used to form the outer electrical connector pins 50 and the volume of conductive material used to form the electrically conductive paths 42 coupled to the outer electrical connector pins 50 may be correspondingly different from the volume of conductive material used to form the center electrical connector pin 52 and the volume of conductive material used to form the electrically conductive path 42 coupled to the center electrical connector pin 52, respectively.
In the embodiments of
The first electrical housing 40 (not shown) contains individual ones or portions of the electrically conductive path 42 and the electrical connector pins 38. The first electrical housing 40 may be made of an insulating material in the form of an epoxy, a plastic, a polymer, or some other combination of insulating housing or coating materials. In addition, the first electrical housing 40 may contain an insulating material 44 used to insulate and hold the electrically conductive path 42 and the electrical connector pins 38 in place. The insulating material 44 may be an insulating material in the form of an epoxy, a plastic, a dielectric insulator, a polymer, or some other combination of insulating materials.
The electrically conductive path 42 couples to the electrical connector pins 38. The electrically conductive path 42 passes the electromagnetic drive signal produced by the magnetic sensing device 26 to the trackable structure 24.
In the embodiment of
The second electrical connector 36 includes a group of electrical pin receivers 46, a second electrical housing 48, and an electrically conductive path 42. The second electrical connector 36 is configured to receive the first electrical connector 28.
The group of electrical pin receivers 46 includes at least four electrical pin receivers 46 in the embodiment of
In this embodiment, the number of electrical pin receivers 46 is equal to the number of electrical connector pins 38. In alternative embodiments, the number of electrical pin receivers 46 may be increased to any quantity or number. Furthermore, in alternative embodiments, the number of electrical connector pins 38 and electrical pin receivers may be of different quantities or numbers.
The medical electrical connector system 20A of
Similar to the group of electrical connector pins 38, a signal electrical pin receiver 64 is added to the other electrical pin receivers. The signal electrical pin receiver 64 is configured to receive the signal electrical connector pin 62. Similar to the signal electrical connector pin 62, the signal electrical pin receiver 64 is arranged to pass a current having different properties (e.g., voltage, current, frequency, data, and the like) compared to the other electrical connector pin receivers 46. For example, the signal electrical connector pin 64 may pass one or more signals to an ECG device, to some other medical device, or to some other electrical device.
In embodiments of pin arrangements shown in
In this embodiment, the signal electrical connector pin 62 and the signal electrical pin receiver 64 have been positioned for illustrative purposes. In alternative embodiments, the signal electrical connector pin 62 and pin receiver 64 may be located in some other manner.
For example, the signal electrical connector pin 62 and pin receiver 64 may be located closer to the center electrical connector pin 52 and pin receiver 52 than the outer electrical connector pins 50 and pin receivers 50, located farther from the center electrical connector pin 52 and pin receiver 52 than the outer electrical connector pins 50 and pin receivers 50, located a similar distance from the center electrical connector pin 52 and pin receiver 52 as the outer electrical connector pins 50 and pin receivers 50, located in some other manner, or positioned in some other manner.
In this embodiment, the signal electrical connector pin 62 and the signal electrical pin receiver 64 have the same cross-sectional area as the outer electrical connector pins 50 and pin receivers 52 for illustrative purposes. In alternative embodiments, the cross-sectional shape of the signal electrical connector pin 62 and receiver pin 64 may be square, rectangular, circular, triangular, or some other shape. In addition, the cross-sectional area of the signal electrical connector pin 62 and pin receiver 64 may be the same size as the outer electrical connector pins 50 and pin receivers 50, the same size as the center electrical connector pin 52 and pin receiver 52, or some other size.
The signal electrical connector pin 62 and the signal electrical pin receiver 64 may pass a current in the same direction as the outer electrical connector pins 50 and pin receivers 50, pass a current in the same direction as the center electrical connector pin 52 and pin receiver 52, or pass a current in some other direction.
In the method of
The body 78 is covered, coated, or otherwise formed to include a first coaxial insulator layer 80. The first coaxial insulator layer 80 may be altered, stripped, or otherwise formed to expose the distal end 74. The first coaxial insulator layer 80 fully or partially encompasses the body 76. The first coaxial insulator layer 80 may be made of an epoxy, a resin, a plastic, a rubber, or some other insulating material.
The first insulator layer 80 is covered, coated, or otherwise formed to include a first coaxial electrically conductive shield layer 82. The first coaxial electrically conductive shield layer 82 includes a first electrical contract area 84 and a first body 86. The first coaxial electrically conductive shield layer 82 may be made of copper, a copper-alloy, or another conductive material.
The first coaxial electrically conductive shield layer 82 is covered, coated, or otherwise formed to include a second coaxial insulator layer 88. The second insulator layer 86 may be altered, stripped, or otherwise formed to expose the first electrical contact area 84. The first electrical contact area 84 may have the same or different dimensions (e.g., diameter, thickness, or the like) as the first coaxial electrically conductive shield layer 82. The second coaxial insulator layer 88 fully or partially encompasses the first body 86. The second coaxial insulator layer 88 may be made of an epoxy, a resin, a plastic, a rubber, or some other insulating material.
The second coaxial insulator layer 88 is covered, coated, or otherwise formed to include a second coaxial electrically conductive shield layer 90. The second coaxial electrically conductive shield layer 90 includes a second electrical contact area 92 and a second body 94. The second electrical contact area 92 may have the same or different dimensions (e.g., diameter, thickness, or the like) as the second coaxial electrically conductive shield layer 90. The second coaxial electrically conductive shield layer 90 may be made of copper, a copper-alloy, or another conductive material.
The second coaxial electrically conductive shield layer 90 is covered, coated, or otherwise formed to include a third coaxial insulator layer 96. The third coaxial insulator layer 96 may be altered, stripped, or otherwise formed to expose the second electrical contact area 92. The third coaxial insulator layer 96 fully or partially encompasses the second body 94. The third coaxial insulator layer 96 may be made of an epoxy, a resin, a plastic, a rubber, or some other insulating material.
As shown in
As shown in
In alternative embodiments, the range of the diameters for the first electrical connector D20, the insulator layers D12, D16, D20, and the electrically conductive shield layers D14, D18 may be different in dimension. Likewise, in alternative embodiments, the overall diameter of the first electrical connector 28A may be different in dimension. The thickness and diameters of the insulator layers D12, D16, D20 and the electrically conductive shield layers D14, D18 depend on the amount of current that will be passed through the first electrical connector 28A.
In these embodiments, the smaller first electrical connector 28A embodiment allows for the first electrical connector 28A to pass through the contamination barrier with ease. The larger first electrical connector 28A embodiment allows for the first electrical connector 28A to be sturdier and less likely to break due to mechanical stresses, electrical stresses, electromechanical stresses, or some other stress. In addition, the larger first electrical connector 28A embodiment may pass a current larger than the smaller first electrical connector 28A embodiment. Thus, the smaller and the larger first electrical connector 28A embodiments may be utilized to deal with different contamination barriers, to deal with different stresses, to deal with different currents, or to deal with some other factor.
This embodiment of the first electrical connector 28 passes through the contamination barrier 30 using its distal end 74. The distal end 74 is configured to pass through the contamination barrier 30 by means of tearing, piercing, breaking, or some other way of passing through a physical barrier. This allows some or all of the first electrical connector 28A to pass through the contamination barrier 30 from the first space 32 to the second space 34 (
The trackable conductor 100 receives an electromagnetic drive signal via the electrically conductive path 42, which cooperates with the trackable object 98 to produce an electromagnetic field detectable by the magnetic field sensing device 26. The magnetic field sensing device 26 senses the electromagnetic field produced by the trackable structure 24 and generates information representing the position and location of the trackable object 98. The trackable conductor 100 may be attached to or placed on the trackable object 98 by a channel, an opening, a space, a portion, or some other attachment or placement technique.
The shroud embodiment 102A of
The shrouds 102, 102A, 102B of
The first electrically conductive multi-leaf receiver 104 includes a first electrical receiver end 112 and a first body 114. The first electrical receiver end 112 includes at least three electrically conductive leafs 112. The three electrically conductive leafs 112 are configured to receive the distal end 74 of the electrically conductive core 72. The first flexible insulator layer 106 is attached to and encompasses the first body 114. The second electrically conductive receiver 108 includes a second electrical receiver end 116 and a second body 118. The second electrical receiver end 116 is configured to receive and electrically contact the first electrical contact area 84. The second flexible insulator layer 110 is attached to and encompasses the second body 118. The first and second bodies may be made of a flexible conductive material. In an alternative embodiment, the multi-leaf receiver 104 may include more or less than three electrically conductive leafs, one solid receiver such that it is an infinite number of leafs, or some other suitable structure arranged to make electrical contact with the electrically conductive core 72.
This embodiment of the second electrical connector 36 in
For example, in one non-limiting and exemplary method, a first electrically conductive multi-leaf receiver 104 is formed. The first electrically conductive multi-leaf receiver 104 may be formed by an extrusion process or by another formation process of manufacturing. The first electrically conductive multi-leaf receiver 104 has a first body 114 and a first electrical receiver end 112.
The first body 114 is then covered in a first flexible insulator layer 106. The first flexible insulator layer 106 encompasses the first body 114. The first flexible insulator layer 106 may be made of an epoxy, a resin, a plastic, a rubber, or some other insulating material.
The first flexible insulator layer 106 is then covered by a second electrically conductive receiver 108, the second electrically conductive receiver 108 having a second body 118 and a second electrical receiver end 116. The second electrically conductive receiver 108 may be made of a copper, a copper-alloy, or some other conductive material. The second body 118 encompasses the first flexible insulator layer 106.
The second body 118 is then covered in a second coaxial flexible insulator layer 110. The second coaxial flexible insulator layer 110 encompasses the first body 118. The second coaxial flexible insulator layer 110 may be made of an epoxy, a resin, a plastic, a rubber, or some other insulating material.
In
The various configurations of
The first electrically conductive multi-leaf receiver 104 includes a first electrical receiver end 112 and a first body 114. The first electrical receiver end 112 includes at least three electrically conductive leafs 120. The three electrically conductive leafs 112 are configured to receive the distal end 74 of the electrically conductive core 72. The first flexible insulator layer 106 is attached to and encompasses the first body 114. The second electrically conductive receiver 108 includes a second electrical receiver end 116 and a second body 118. The second electrical receiver end 116 is configured to receive and electrically contact the first electrical contact area 84. The second flexible insulator layer 110 is attached to and encompasses the second body 118. The third electrically conductive receiver 122 includes a third electrical receiver end 124 and a third body 126. The third electrical receiver end 124 is configured to receive the second electrical contact area 92. The third flexible insulator layer 128 is attached to and encompasses the third body 126.
This embodiment of the second electrical connector 36 in
More specifically, in this method, a first electrically conductive multi-leaf receiver 104 is formed. The first electrically conductive multi-leaf receiver 104 may be formed by an extrusion process or by another formation process of manufacturing. The first electrically conductive multi-leaf receiver 104 has a first body 114 and a first electrical receiver end 112.
The first body 114 is then covered in a first flexible insulator layer 106. The first flexible insulator layer 106 encompasses the first body 114. The first flexible insulator layer 106 may be made of an epoxy, a resin, a plastic, a rubber, or some other insulating material.
The first flexible insulator layer 106 is then covered by a second electrically conductive receiver 108, the second electrically conductive receiver having a second body 118 and a second electrical receiver end 116. The second electrically conductive receiver 108 may be made of a copper, a copper-alloy, or some other conductive material. The second body 118 encompasses the first flexible insulator layer 106.
The second body 118 is then covered in a second coaxial flexible insulator layer 110. The second coaxial flexible insulator layer 110 encompasses the first body 118. The second coaxial flexible insulator layer 110 may be made of an epoxy, a resin, a plastic, a rubber, or some other insulating material.
The second coaxial flexible insulator layer 110 is then covered by a third electrically conductive receiver 122. The third electrically conductive receiver 122 includes an electrical receiver end 124 and a third body 126. The third electrically conductive receiver 122 may be made of copper, a copper-alloy, or some other conductive material.
The third body 126 is then covered by a third coaxial flexible insulator layer 128. The third coaxial flexible insulator layer 128 encompasses the third body 126. The third coaxial flexible insulator layer 128 may be made of an epoxy, a resin, a plastic, a rubber, or some other insulating material.
The first electrical connector 28B of
The first electrical connector 28B of
The substantially cylindrical barrel of the first electrical connector 28B embodiment of
Optionally, certain base contacts may be arranged in or in association with the insulator/housing base 132. The base contacts may include surfaces, loops, pigtails, posts, tabs, nodes, or other structures to which an electrical conduit such as a wire may be attached such as by soldering, crimping, or the like. In this way, electrical signals may be independently pass, uni-directionally or bi-directionally, from one electronic device (e.g., a magnetic field sensing device 26 as in
The first electrical connector 28B of
The second electrical connector 36B of
In some embodiments, one or more of the electrical contacts A, B, C, 120, 122, 124 are formed having a generally cylindrical shape. In some embodiments, one or more of the electrical contacts A, B, C, 120, 122, 124 are formed of multiple portions. The electrical contacts may be defined as having particular linear dimensions, curvilinear dimensions, or some other shape and dimension. In some embodiments, the exposed portion of electrical contact A 120 has substantially same exposed portion as the exposed portion of electrical contact B 122. In other cases, either electrical contact A 120 or electrical contact B 122 is formed having a greater exposed portion. In some cases, the size of the contact and in the alternative or in addition the size of the exposed portion of the contact is desirably controlled to limit the amount of stray electromagnetic energy that escapes the electrical connector system.
In the embodiment of
The piercing structure 130 may be arranged to pierce a contamination barrier 30 in several ways. As illustrated, for example, the piercing structure 130 in
The second electrical connector 36C of
In
In some cases, live hinges 162A, 162B, 162C are formed in the first electrical connector embodiment 28D. The live hinges 162A, 162B, 162C function as springs that permit a rear portion 164 of the first electrical connector embodiment 28D housing to move relative to the front portion 166. This motion provides flexibility during construction of the first electrical connector embodiment 28D, during electromechanical coupling or decoupling of the first electrical connector embodiment 28D and a cooperating second electrical connector portion 36D (
The first electrical connector embodiment 28D includes one or more cantilever arms 168 that are arranged to align the rear portion 164 of the first electrical connector embodiment 28D to the front portion 166. One cantilever arm 168 is shown in
The cantilever arm 168 embodiment of
In at least some embodiments, an optional rear lid 174 is arranged for cooperation at the rear portion 164 of the first electrical connector embodiment 28D. The rear lid 174 may provide cabling strain relief, protection from the ingress of foreign material into the housing of the first electrical connector embodiment 28D, structural stability for the first electrical connector embodiment 28D, and other operations and benefits. The optional rear lid 174 may be flexibly attached to the rear portion 164 of the first electrical connector embodiment 28D, or the optional rear lid 174 may be a separate and distinct structure from the first electrical connector embodiment 28D. The optional rear lid 174 has any desirable shape and may incorporate additional features.
Viewed from the second perspective, in proximity to the optional rear lid 174, one or more electrical contact apertures 176 are formed. The number, shape, and other features of the apertures may be different in other embodiments. For example, rather than round holes, the apertures may be square, hexagonal, or with some other shape. The arrangement of a plurality of apertures may additionally or alternatively be different in other embodiments. For example, the apertures may be sized differently as a keying mechanism, the apertures may be arranged at different distances or in a different pattern as a keying mechanism, still other embodiments may arrange the aperture in any desirable configuration.
In the embodiment of
The single conductors 180A, 180B, 180C of the multi-conductor cable 178 embodiment in
Several features of the first electrical connector embodiment 28D are identified to help orient the structures and their presentation in various ones of
In the “detail” view of
In some embodiments, the multi-conductor cable 178 is passed through the optional rear lid 174 is also removably or fixedly coupled to the optional rear lid 174. Such coupling can provide structural stability for the first electrical connector embodiment 28D and strain relief for the multi-conductor cable 178. As indicated, in
The first electrical connector embodiment 28D in
In one or more alternative embodiments, the second electrical connector embodiment 36D is placed under a contamination barrier 30. The second electrical connector embodiment 36D may be, for example, placed directly on or in proximity to a patient's body, or the second electrical connector embodiment 36D may be placed above a first contamination barrier 30 and below a second contamination barrier 30. In at least one case, For example, the second electrical connector embodiment 36D is integrated with a magnetic sensing device such as the magnetic sensing device 24 of
In such an exemplary case (
Not shown in
Prior to advancing one or both of the first and second electrical connector embodiments 28D, 36D toward one another along a connection path for first and second electrical contacts 188, it is shown in
In at least some of these cases, the one or more acts that mechanically couple the first electrical connector embodiment 28D to the second electrical connector embodiment 36D also arrange a portion of the contamination barrier 30 in a position normal to the direction of travel of the barrier-piercing electrical contacts. For example, Considering the embodiment of
In at least one case, the force to perform the mechanical coupling of the first electrical connector embodiment 28D to the second electrical connector embodiment 36d is greater than, or greater than or equal to, the force to perform the electrical coupling of the first electrical connector embodiment 28D to the second electrical connector embodiment 36d. In a least one other case, the opposite is true, which means that the force to perform the mechanical coupling of the first electrical connector embodiment 28D to the second electrical connector embodiment 36d is less than (or less than or equal to) the force to perform the electrical coupling of the first electrical connector embodiment 28D to the second electrical connector embodiment 36d.
For reference to other exemplary representations of the first electrical connector embodiment 28D in the present disclosure, a first live hinge 162A and the rear portion of the first electrical connector embodiment 28D are identified. Here, the rear portion of the first electrical connector embodiment 28D is configured to operate as a “button.” The direction of advancement of rear portion 164, which may be considered the direction of advancement of the button 190, is shown in
In the two-stage electrical connector system 20C of
In the embodiment of the two-stage electrical connector system 20C, as shown in
In the embodiments described herein, one or more complete or partial embodiments of the electrically conductive path 42 may be formed with one or more wires, conductive shields, conductive cores, meshed wires, braided wires, or some other technique or structure to pass an electrical signal. In some cases, the electrically conductive path 42 may take on another form.
In the embodiments described herein, structures that are coupled together include a direct electrical connection, a remote electrical connection, or some other electrical connection technique. In addition, the coupling may be through one or more intervening devices. The coupling may optionally include a mating or other association of one or more mechanical registration features. In some cases, the coupling may take on another form.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, a limited number of the exemplary methods and materials are described herein.
The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. For example, and without limitation, it is contemplated that any of the electrically conductive structures or electrically insulating structures of one embodiment may be formed using electrically conductive or insulating materials, as the case may be, that are described with respect to any other embodiment. These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/425,002, filed Nov. 21, 2016, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/425,004, filed Nov. 21, 2016, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety to the extent that they do not conflict with the present specification.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62425004 | Nov 2016 | US | |
62425002 | Nov 2016 | US |