Electrical component comprising coil and method for manufacturing same by 3D printing

Abstract

An electrical component including a coil and a method of manufacturing the electrical component by 3D printing are disclosed. The method comprises: 3D printing a magnetic material to form a magnetic channel comprising a magnetic core of a coil arrangement; 3D printing an electrically conductive material to form an electrically conductive channel, the electrically conductive channel comprising an electrically conductive winding of the coil arrangement, the electrical winding having a turn surrounding the magnetic core; and 3D printing a non-magnetic electrically insulating material to form an electrically insulating member between the turns of the conductive winding of the coil device. In some embodiments, the functional structure of the electrical component, the wire turns of the conductive winding including the coil, and the electrical insulator between the wire turns, each printed with a minimum in-layer feature size of the 3D printed at least two voxels. Some embodiments facilitate 3D printing of a flat coil device having a low aspect ratio between its length along its magnetic axis and its width perpendicular to the length.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 533,258, filed on August 17, 2023, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention is in the field of magnetic field sensors and in particular relates to a technique for manufacturing an electrical component comprising a coil suitable for magnetic field-based position sensing, in particular for sensing the position of a medical device. Background Art

[0004] In various therapeutic and diagnostic procedures, a catheter / probe is inserted into a patient's body (e.g., a cardiac chamber) and brought into contact with body tissue therein. Typically, in such procedures, it is necessary to determine the position of the catheter in the body (i.e., the position where the distal tip of the catheter engages the body tissue) and the pressure applied by the catheter to the tissue.

[0005] Catheters with integrated position and pressure sensors for sensing the position of the catheter and the pressure / force applied by the catheter at the contact area with the tissue are generally known. Such catheters generally utilize inductive coils to determine the position of the catheter within the body and / or the pressure / force applied by the catheter to the body tissue engaged therewith.

[0006] Conventional technology for such catheters typically utilizes a wound coil into which a ferrite core can be manually inserted after winding. The coil manufactured in this manner is then soldered to a cable that carries the coil signal to processing circuitry and assembled within the catheter body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] In order to better understand the subject matter disclosed herein and to illustrate how the subject matter may be implemented in practice, various embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0008] Figure 1A and Figure 1B illustrates a 3D printed electrical component 100 including a coil 120 according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0009] Figure 1C Illustrated Figure 1A and Figure 1B A cross section of a coil in an electrical component 100;

[0010] Figure 2 is a flow chart of a method 200 of manufacturing one or more coils 120 or an electrical component 100 including the coils by 3D printing according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0011] Figure 3A illustrates a perspective view of an electrical component 100 including a coil 120 according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0012] Figure 3B illustrates a side view of a coil 120 within an electrical component 100 according to yet another embodiment of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 3C Illustrated Figure 3A and Figure 3B A top view of a cross section of a coil 120 within an electrical component 100;

[0014] Figure 3D Illustrated Figure 1C A cross section of the coil 120 shown in FIG. 1 , wherein the grid lines indicate the pixel / voxel distribution within a certain 3D printed plane / layer of the coil 120 ;

[0015] Figure 3E Illustrated along the Figure 3D A cross-sectional perspective view of the conductive winding 124 of the coil 120 taken at the cross section CP shown in FIG.

[0016] Figure 3F and Figure 3G Illustrated along the Figure 3E Two corresponding cross-sectional cuts of the conductive winding 124 taken along corresponding cross-sectional planes SP1 and SP2 shown in FIG.

[0017] Figure 3H and Fig. 3I They are respectively from Figure 3A 1 and two corresponding side views of the conductive winding 124 taken from a lateral side A of the coil 120 and from a lateral side C of the coil 120 .

[0018] Figure 4A illustrates a perspective view of a 3D printed electronic component 100 according to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the electronic component comprising / formed as a flat coil 120 having a low / small aspect ratio between its length and its width along its magnetic axis;

[0019] Figure 4B An example of a 3D printed Figure 4A A side view of a flat coil 120 in an electronic component 100;

[0020] Figure 5A , Figure 5B , Figure 5C and Figure 5D Several views of a 3D printed electrical component, in these examples a coil arrangement 120 having a helical magnetic core, are illustrated according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0021] Fig. 6A , Figure 6B and Figure 6C Several views of a 3D printed electrical component according to some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated, in these examples the electrical component being a coil 120 having a plurality of magnetic subchannels, each magnetic subchannel comprising a helical-shaped magnetic core segment;

[0022] Fig. 7A and Figure 7B Several views of a 3D electrical component, in these examples a coil 120 having a magnetic core with a meander-like shape, are illustrated according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0023] Fig. 8A and Figure 8B Several views of a 3D electrical component, in these examples a coil 120 having a coiled magnetic core, are illustrated according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0024] Fig. 9 is an illustration of a provided medical device 1000 having a magnetic field based position sensor 300 including a configured coil, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Similar reference numerals are used in the drawings to represent elements / parts of the electrical components of the present invention having similar functionality. For the sake of brevity and simplicity, the description of these similar elements / parts is not necessarily repeated for each embodiment, but it should be recognized that in embodiments not otherwise indicated, the description of elements / parts having the same construction and / or functionality made in any one embodiment may also be applied to other embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The catheter art requires physically flexible and sensitive catheters with compact / narrow dimensions that can provide accurate feedback regarding the catheter's position in the body, the contact interface between the catheter and tissue, and the forces (eg, vectors) applied therebetween.

[0027] U.S. Patent No. 8,535,308 and U.S. Patent Application No. US2020 / 015693, both assigned to the assignee of the present application, disclose configurations of such catheters, for example utilizing sensing circuits having several coils for sensing the position and orientation of the catheter body and the forces applied by the catheter at the interface with the tissue.

[0028] One challenge in the field of such catheters is to fit accurate position and force sensors within the narrow body of the catheter, which typically has only a few millimeters in transverse dimensions. Indeed, as indicated above, in conventional catheter technology, position and force sensors typically utilize a miniature wire-wound coil into which a ferrite core can be manually inserted in an open magnetic circuit configuration in order to generate sufficient induced voltages suitable for position and force sensing of the catheter components. However, these conventional techniques are time consuming and expensive, and involve delicate manual manipulations for fitting the coil within the small dimensions of the catheter body.

[0029] Thus, there is a need in the art for manufacturing such catheters and for manufacturing small, highly sensitive coils (i.e., having a high induced voltage in response to a magnetic field) suitable for position and / or force sensing in catheters such as those disclosed above; further, there is a need in the art for automated manufacturing techniques for such coils or electronic components comprising such coils that are suitable for mass production to produce standardized coils with less variability between manufactured coils of the same design. Furthermore, to facilitate further advancement in the catheter field, there is a need in the art for facilitating the manufacture of coils with reduced size and / or increased impedance / induced voltage so as to improve either or both of the sensitivity and flexibility and / or size reduction of the catheter.

[0030] The present invention provides a novel and inventive electrical component comprising one or more coils suitable for use as a magnetic field sensor for a magnetic field-based positioning system / for use in a magnetic field sensor for a magnetic field-based positioning system. In addition, the present invention provides a novel and inventive method for manufacturing an electrical component comprising such a coil using 3D printing technology. In an embodiment, the electrical component can be manufactured with a coil of compact size while providing a relatively high induced voltage in response to a sensed magnetic field, and is therefore particularly suitable for use as a positioning sensor for sensing the positioning of a compact medical device (such as a catheter with narrow dimensions).

[0031] Also refer to Figure 1A and Figure 1B , illustrates an example of an electrical component 100 including a coil 120 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The component 100 includes a body 110 having at least one coil 120 defined / manufactured within the body by multi-material 3D printing.

[0032] According to the technology of the present invention, the electrical component 100 (and the coil 120 therein) is manufactured by 3D printing of at least three different 3D printable materials M1 to M3, the 3D printable materials comprising:

[0033] - At least one type of magnetic material M1 that is used / 3D printed to form at least a magnetic channel 129 of the coil 120, which generally includes a magnetic core 122 of the coil 120. Alternatively, the magnetic channel 129 also includes a magnetic flux collector 126 that can be coupled to the magnetic core 122 from opposite ends thereof and has a larger surface / cross-sectional area than the core, thereby facilitating the guidance of a higher magnetic flux through the core, thereby increasing the sensitivity of the coil to magnetic fields from a desired magnetic field direction.

[0034] - at least one type of electrically conductive (usually non-magnetic) material M2, which is used for

[0035] / 3D printing to form a conductive channel 128 of the coil 120, which includes a conductive winding 124 and a contact terminal 123 (the contact terminal is at Figure 1A not specifically shown); and

[0036] - At least one type of dielectric / non-conductive material M3 that is used for / 3D printing to form the bulk of the body 110 of the electrical component 100 at areas from which magnetic and conductive materials are excluded.

[0037] The spacing between adjacent windings / turns 124 is occupied by a 3D printed non-conductive material. The non-conductive material may be, for example, a non-magnetic dielectric material M3 3D printed in the bulk of the body 110 of the electrical component 100 and / or a magnetic material M1 used to print the magnetic channel if it is a non-conductive material (i.e., a sufficiently electrically insulating material).

[0038] Figure 1A A perspective view of the electrical component 100 having the coil 120 therein is illustrated, and the bulk material M3 of the body 110 is shown / illustrated in a semi-transparent color / shading such that the coil 120 therein is visible. Figure 1B Illustrate 3D printing in Figure 1A 0 is a side view of a portion of a coil 120 within an electrical component 100 shown in , while excluding (not shown) the bulk material M3 of the body 110 of the electrical component 100 and also excluding (not shown) an alternative flux collector 126 in order to more clearly illustrate the coil 120.

[0039] As shown, the coil 120 includes a magnetic channel 129, which in this example includes a core 122 of the coil 120, and two optional magnetic flux collectors 126 are arranged from opposite ends of the core. The coil 120 also includes an electrical channel 128 arranged / constructed therein to pass through an electrical terminal 123 (at the end) of the electrical channel 128 in response to the magnetic flux propagating through the core 122. Figure 1A (not specifically shown) generates an induced voltage.

[0040] To this end, it should be understood that in various embodiments, the magnetic channel 129 and the electrical channel 128 can have different shapes. Typically, at least one of the magnetic channel 129 and the electrical channel 128 has a coiled / twisted geometry (e.g., a spiral or otherwise twisted geometry) and is wound / wrapped or otherwise twisted around the other of the magnetic channel 129 and the electrical channel 128 so as to generate an induced voltage in the electrical channel 128 in response to magnetic flux propagation through the core 122 of the magnetic channel 129.

[0041] At this point, Figure 1A and Figure 1B In a non-limiting example, a magnetic core 122 having a vertical / rod-like shape is illustrated in a magnetic channel 129, and an electrical channel 128 has a twisted / twisted / coiled conductive winding 124 such that it forms a plurality of turns 124.1 to 124.n wound / wrapped around the magnetic core 122 of the magnetic channel 129, such that an induced voltage is generated in the electrical channel 128 in response to the magnetic flux passing through the core 122 of the magnetic channel 129. In this regard, it should be noted that the magnetic channel 129 and / or its magnetic core 122 are not necessarily shaped to form a vertical / rod-like core, and may be 3D printed with other shapes that are twisted / twisted / coiled within the body of the electrical component 100. For example, the core 122 may be formed with a spiral shape, a zigzag shape, or a coiled shape, with the winding 124 wrapped around multiple regions thereof. Such core shapes may be used to facilitate generating a sufficiently high induced voltage of coil 120, a desired sensitivity of coil 120 to a magnetic field from a desired magnetic field direction / axis F, while having desired size constraints for coil 120 or for electrical component 100 as a whole. For example, as described in more detail below Figure 4A and Figure 4B In the example of the 3D printed coil 120, a low / small aspect ratio between its length along its magnetic axis F and its width / lateral dimension (which in this case is the 3D printing direction Z); and in this example, the magnetic channel 129 of the coil 120 has a twisted shape and turns 127 of the channel 129 between the flux collector 126 and the core 122, so that the core 122 extends along the longer lateral dimension of the coil 120 and has a greater length to accommodate the conductive winding 124 around the core than in the case of a vertical core extending along the shorter length of the coil 120 along the magnetic field axis F. In another example (such as described in more detail below) FIG. 5A to FIG. 8B), various 3D printed coils 120 according to embodiments of the present invention are illustrated, wherein the magnetic channel 129 (e.g., the magnetic core 122) of the coil has a twisted shape, which is any of a spiral shape, a multi / double spiral shape, a zigzag shape, and / or a coiled shape; thereby, these twisted core shapes facilitate a greater length of the core 122 to pass through the windings of the electrical channel 128 or otherwise surround the electrical channel 128, thereby increasing the amount of magnetic flux induced voltage in the electrical channel 128 to improve the sensitivity of the coil while facilitating its various desired size constraints (to enable them to be assembled within a small medical device).

[0042] Alternatively, similarly Figure 1A As illustrated, the magnetic channel 129 of the coil 120 includes a flux collector 126 magnetically coupled to the core 122 of the channel 129. The flux collectors 126, typically a pair of flux collectors coupled to opposite sides of the core 122, are configured with relatively large respective faces / surfaces perpendicular to the magnetic axis F of the coil 120 (e.g., typically larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the core 122), so that they can collect magnetic flux propagating in the direction of the magnetic axis F of the coil and guide the flux through the core (thereby improving the sensitivity of the coil). As indicated, the flux collectors are optional and are included in the magnetic channel 129 in some embodiments where the cross-section of the magnetic core 122 is small / narrow and / or when the magnetic core 122 does not extend in a direction substantially parallel to the magnetic axis F.

[0043] Alternatively, similarly Figure 1A As illustrated, the electrical channel 128 of the coil 120 includes a conductive winding 124 including a plurality of turns of wire wrapped around the magnetic core 122 so as to induce a voltage therein in response to magnetic flux passing through the core 120. As in some implementations, the conductive winding 124 is optional. As indicated above, the magnetic core 120 may be wound / twisted around itself to wrap around the electrical channel 128 so that the magnetic flux propagating therein surrounds the electrical channel 128 and induces a voltage therein. In various embodiments, the conductive winding 124 may be constructed / 3D printed to be in a coiled shape / path (e.g., Figure 1A ), and / or utilizing a spiral shape / path within one or more printed layers, and / or utilizing a shape of multiple concentric coils (e.g. FIG. 3A to FIG. 3I ) surrounds the magnetic core 120.

[0044] In general, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the electrical component 100 of the present invention may include / be manufactured to have one or more coils 120 therein, and optionally other circuit elements (not specifically shown), such as capacitors and / or resistors and / or electrical connections therebetween. One of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize how to manufacture / 3D print such other circuit elements within the electrical component 100 of the present invention, while optionally utilizing additional 3D printable materials not specifically exemplified herein, such as resistive materials for making resistors and / or materials of selected dielectric properties to be 3D printed between the conductive plates of the capacitor.

[0045] According to some aspects of the present invention, the electrical component 100 of the present invention is manufactured using a 3D printing method (additive production manufacturing technology), which includes depositing (and optionally curing) at least three printable materials M1 to M3 indicated above layer by layer along the printing direction Z. Typically, the at least 3 types of printable materials include: a magnetic material M1, which is used to print the magnetic channel 129 of the coil 120 (including the magnetic core 122 and its optional flux collector 126); a conductive material M2, which is used to print the electrical channel 128 of the coil (including the conductive winding 124 and its electrical contacts / terminals); and a non-magnetic electrically insulating (dielectric) material, which is 3D printed to form the bulk of the body 110 of the electrical component 100, and typically / optionally fills the spacing between the windings 124 of the coil to electrically insulate between them.

[0046] The term magnetic material and / or particles is used herein to denote a material having a high relative magnetic permeability μ r For example, a material having a magnetic permeability μ0 relative to vacuum is preferably μ r ≥100 relative permeability, and in some cases more preferably μ r ≥500, or even μ r In contrast, the term non-magnetic material and / or particle is used herein to denote a low relative magnetic permeability μ r The relative magnetic permeability of the material is substantially lower than that of the magnetic materials used in the manufacture of electronic components and is typically μ r The order of magnitude is ~1.

[0047] Reference Figure 2 , illustrates a flow chart of a method 200 of manufacturing an electrical component 100 by multi-material 3D printing according to some embodiments of the present invention. In this case, the multi-material 3D printing prints the electrical component 100 using at least three different materials M1 to M3.

[0048] In operation 210 of method 200, a model of one or more electrical components 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided. The model may include one or more electrical components 100, the one or more electrical components being described above with reference to Figure 1A and Figure 1B As described and / or as referred to below FIG. 3A to FIG. 8B The model is constructed by the principle of the present invention described. The model indicates the 3D spatial distribution (voxel map) of at least three materials M1 to M3, which are 3D printed to manufacture the electrical component 100 of the present invention. Specifically, the model indicates the corresponding spatial distribution of the three materials M1 to M3, which should be 3D printed according to the present invention to form the electrical component 100 having at least one coil 120.

[0049] Typically, multi-material 3D printing according to method 200 operates by printing layers successively one on top of another along a printing direction Z (see, e.g., Figure 1B , Figure 3D , Figure 3E , Figure 3H and Fig. 3I The layers L1, L2 to L n ). The spatial distribution of the three materials M1 to M3 in the model is such that the printed result has one or more electrical components 100, each of which includes at least one coil 120 constructed according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] In operation 220 of method 200, multi-material 3D printing is used to print one or more magnetic field sensors 100 based on the spatial distribution of three or more materials M1 to M3 in the model. Layers L1, L2 to L3 composed of a combination of several materials with different electromagnetic properties may be printed, for example, by using photopolymerization 3D printing technology. n , thereby performing multi-material 3D printing (e.g., two, three, or alternatively more than three materials with different electromagnetic properties can be printed in each layer). In a typical example, the 3D printing of the electrical component 100 described above involves printing a spatial distribution of at least three materials M1 to M3 with different electromagnetic properties.

[0051] To this end, in various embodiments, the conductive material M2 may include, for example, silver and / or copper and / or palladium and / or a silver-palladium alloy. The magnetic material M1 may include, for example, a ceramic-ferrite material and / or a metal material. In some embodiments, the magnetic material M1 is a material having a relative magnetic permeability μ of at least 100 or more. rPreferably, the magnetic material M1, in particular the magnetic material used for printing the magnetic channel 129 having a coiled / twisted or other non-linear shape, has a relative magnetic permeability μ of the order of 500 or higher and even more preferably of the order of 5000 or higher. r of material to facilitate efficient guidance of magnetic flux through the folds / curves 127 of the magnetic channel. The non-magnetic dielectric (electrically insulating) material M3 (also referred to herein as bulk material) may, for example, include ceramics and / or glass ceramics.

[0052] 3D printing of the electrical component 100 can be achieved, for example, based on the principle of vat photopolymerization, using, for example, stereolithography (SLA) or digital light processing (DLP) for pattern implementation / projection. The present invention is not limited to these specific technologies and can generally be achieved by other multi-material 3D printing technologies such as those developed to be suitable for the manufacture of electrical components according to the present invention.

[0053] Using the techniques of the present invention, one or more electrical components 100 having small feature sizes may be printed using 3D printed layers having layer thicknesses as small as micrometers (e.g., sintered layer thicknesses may be about 8 to 10 micrometers). The resolution within the printed pixelated layers may be a printed voxel pitch / width of the order of about 12 to 25 micrometers laterally (i.e., relative to lateral coordinates X, Y) within each layer.

[0054] In some embodiments of the present invention, the functional features of the electrical component 100 are printed with a minimum intra-layer feature size (of at least two voxels) to avoid failure of the electrical component 100 due to printing errors of single / individual voxels. Accordingly, the features of the electrical component 100 printed in the layer can be printed with a characteristic intra-layer lateral size as small as about 24 microns to 50 microns or less (this is considering that the lateral pitch / width of the voxels in the layer is about 12 microns to 25 microns, and considering that each important / functional feature is preferably printed with a minimum intra-layer feature size of at least two voxels).

[0055] In this regard, refer to Figure 1C , which shows Figure 1BThe electrical component 100 is shown in a cross section along the plane / printed layer CS marked in the figure, which cross section passes through the winding turn 124.2. As shown, the turn 124.2 is not closed (open at the area OP), so that the turn is connected to other turns of the conductive winding 124 above and below the turn via the conductive through hole 121 (in this way, the conductive winding 124 is formed in the electrical channel 128 of the coil). It should be noted that the term "through hole" (e.g., referring to the element marked as 121 in the figure) is used in this article to refer to the part / portion of the conductive channel 128 that is 3D printed to electrically connect between the turns of the conductive winding 124 (e.g., a component of the conductive winding), which is printed in different layers on top of each other.

[0056] Figure 1C A pixel grid PG is shown which illustrates the distribution of voxels within a particular printed layer of the electrical component 100, where P X and P Y The voxel lateral width / spacing along each of the lateral (intra-layer) X and Y dimensions is marked (the voxel lateral width / spacing can be on the order of 12 microns to 25 microns when printing compact electrical components). As illustrated, in this non-limiting example, the electrical channel 128, including the turns of the winding 124 of the coil 120 (the turns are the functional elements of the electrical channel), is printed with a minimum intra-layer feature size of at least two voxels. In addition, an insulator 125 separates portions of the electrical channel 128 from other portions of the winding 124 (e.g., between turns 124.1 to 124.n), or from other alternatively conductive elements of the electrical component (such as the conductive core 122 in this non-limiting example), and the insulator is printed with a minimum intra-layer feature size of at least two voxels.

[0057] In this regard, the phrase minimum intra-layer feature size is used herein to design the minimum lateral size in voxels / pixels of a functional feature of an electrical component along any lateral (X and / or Y) direction of the 3D print within each layer in which the functional feature is printed. This means that, in this example, by cutting any portion of a functional feature, such as an electrical via 128 and / or insulator 125 in any printed layer, with the cut plane oriented perpendicular to the printing direction (i.e., parallel to the layer), the visible size of the cross-sectional area of ​​the functional feature within the cut (within the layer) will be no less than two 3D printed voxels / voxels filled (or should have been filled in the case of a printing error) with the appropriate material (e.g., M2 for the conductive via 128 and M3 for the insulator 125) along each of the X and Y lateral dimensions / axes. In other words, the minimum intra-layer cross-sectional area of ​​any functional feature is at least 2X2 voxels / pixels printed within the layer. In this regard, it is noted that in at least some 3D printing techniques, features of the size of a single pixel / voxel within a printed layer (e.g., a single pixel / voxel isolated from any sequence of consecutive pixels / voxels of the same material within a printed layer) may occasionally be misprinted. Accordingly, by ensuring that the functional features of the electrical component 100 of the present invention are printed with a minimum intra-layer feature size of at least two voxels along each lateral direction X and Y, such printing errors of single voxels are mitigated, and it is ensured that even if a single voxel is misprinted within a layer, the corresponding functional feature in which the printing error occurred will still operate correctly. With respect to the insulator 125, it should be noted that in various embodiments, where the insulator 125 is 3D printed using the same material as the bulk of the monolithic body 110, there may not be any specific features to distinguish the insulator 125 from other portions of the monolithic body 110. Therefore, it should be noted that the term "insulator" 125 is used herein in view of its functional property of electrically insulating (such as between winding turns) the conductive features of the electrical component 100, and in view of this functional property, any set of voxels of electrically insulating material printed within each layer along the shortest path between conductive features within the layer should be considered as part of the insulation 125 between the conductive features. Therefore, according to this definition, the minimum intra-layer feature size of the insulation is such that the shortest insulation path in voxels between conductive features / voxels within the layer extends through at least two voxels of the layer.

[0058] Thus, any individual printing error of a single voxel in the electrical channel 128 will not result in an electrical disconnect in the electrical channel 128, and any individual printing of a single voxel in the insulator 125 will not affect an electrical short in the electrical channel 128. Similarly, it should be understood that the magnetic channel 129 is also printed with a minimum intra-layer feature size of at least two voxels (in some implementations, the magnetic channel is 3D printed with an intra-layer feature size substantially larger than two voxels to promote efficient propagation of magnetic flux through the magnetic channel).

[0059] To this end, in this example, the turns of the electrical channel 128 have an intra-layer lateral width W of at least two voxels along at least one of the lateral dimensions X and Y. X and / or W Y and are printed in a layer height such that they have at least the minimum intra-layer feature size of two voxels. Thus, any individual voxel printing error in the winding will not result in an electrical disconnect in the electrical channel 128 and will not disrupt the operation of the coil 120. Additionally, since in this particular non-limiting example, the magnetic material M1 used to make the core 122 is a conductive material (i.e., note that, as described below, the core 122 and / or the magnetic channel 129 do not have to be made of a conductive material, see below for a discussion of printing the magnetic channel 129 using an electrically insulating ceramic ferrite material), the insulator 125 is printed between the conductive winding 124 and the core 122 to prevent shorting of the winding 124. The insulator 125 is also printed along the lateral dimensions X and Y with a corresponding intra-layer lateral width I of at least two pixels. X and I Y Printing is performed such that its minimum intra-layer feature size is at least two voxels. Therefore, any single voxel printing error in the insulator 125 will not cause a short in the electrical channel 128 and will not disrupt the operation of the coil 120. To this end, the method 200 promotes robust and reliable manufacturing of electrical components by utilizing printing of each functional feature of the electrical component 100 with an intra-layer feature size of at least two voxels.

[0060] In order to perform 3D printing, a curable resin is provided, which corresponds to at least three materials M1, M2 and M3 respectively. More specifically, the curable resin used in 3D printing of the magnetic field sensor 100 of the present invention includes, for example, the following materials:

[0061] - A magnetic material resin comprising particles of a soft magnetic material M1 suspended in a curable polymer binder. The particles of the magnetic material M1 may include, for example, particles of a ceramic-ferrite material. It should be noted that in some embodiments, the particles of the magnetic material M1 may alternatively include particles of a magnetic metal material, such as an iron alloy, an iron-silicon alloy, an iron-aluminum-silicon alloy, a low-carbon steel, a nickel-iron alloy, an iron-cobalt alloy, a ferrite, an amorphous alloy, and in some cases a nickel-cobalt alloy (particularly in the case where it has a soft magnetic quality). In an embodiment in which a microcoil is manufactured within the monolithic body 110, the particles of the magnetic material used may be provided, for example, with a characteristic size of micrometer to submicrometer scale, particularly in the case where fragile features occur in the magnetic channel 129 of the coil.

[0062] - Conductive material resin, which includes particles of conductive material M2 suspended in a curable polymer binder. The particles of conductive material M2 may, for example, include silver material, copper material and / or silver-palladium alloy. The specific selection of a suitable conductive material generally depends on the required temperature of the sintering / firing process required to complete the electronic component printing, and therefore depends on the type of magnetic material and dielectric material. In an embodiment in which a microcoil is manufactured within a monolithic body 110, the particles of conductive material M2 used in printing may have characteristic sizes of submicron scale and as small as nanometer scale.

[0063] - A dielectric and non-magnetic material resin comprising particles of a non-magnetic dielectric material M3 suspended in a curable polymer binder. The particles of the non-magnetic dielectric material typically comprise ceramic or glass-ceramic particles that can withstand the high sintering / firing temperatures required for sintering the printed magnetic and conductive materials M1 and M2. Moreover, here, the size of the particles can be selected according to the minimum feature size that should be occupied by the dielectric material / bulk of the magnetic field sensor, and for the manufacture of micro coils, can be selected, for example, on the order of nanometer to submicron scale.

[0064] Regarding the material selection above, it should be noted that, although it is generally possible to print the magnetic channel 129 using a magnetic metal material (e.g., a conductive material), in various embodiments, it may be preferred to print the magnetic channel using an electrically insulating ceramic ferrite. One reason for this is that the use of ceramic ferrites helps to achieve a more compact arrangement of the magnetic and electrical channels 129 and 128. This is because the soft magnetic metal materials (non-ceramic ferrites) suitable for magnetic channel printing are generally conductive. Therefore, the magnetic channel 129 printed using non-ceramic ferrites should be spaced apart from the electrical channel 128 at least in some places to prevent short circuits, which may affect the miniaturization that the magnetic field sensor 100 can achieve and / or require a more complex design of the magnetic field sensor. Therefore, in some embodiments, it is preferred to use a ceramic ferrite material to print the magnetic channel 129.

[0065] Thus, using the above-mentioned at least three curable resins, 3D printing of the magnetic field sensor 100 can be performed layer by layer along the printing direction Z using, for example, a photopolymerization multilateral 3D printing technology (such as SLA or DLP). The printing direction Z is generally selected so that it is substantially perpendicular to the plane spanned by the turns of the conductive windings 124 of the coil 120. For this reason, as indicated above, the selection of the printing direction Z may be of particular importance in the printing of the miniature magnetic field sensor 100, because the resolution of the lateral features printed in the XY plane is lower than the "vertical" resolution of the layers obtained along the printing direction Z.

[0066] To this end, generally, 3D printing of each layer of the sensor 100 (not necessarily in this order) includes the following operations:

[0067] - depositing / printing and curing magnetic material M1 at the area of ​​the layer corresponding to the magnetic channel 129 of the coil 120;

[0068] - depositing / printing and curing a conductive material M2 at the area of ​​the layer corresponding to the electrical path 128 of the coil 120; and

[0069] - Depositing / printing and curing a non-conductive (dielectric) non-magnetic material M3 to form the bulk of the monolithic body 110 of the sensor 100 .

[0070] It should be noted that in some embodiments, 3D printing is performed so that the conductive material M3 of the coil 123 is completely embedded within the bulk of the body 110 of the electrical component in order to protect the conductive material M3 from degradation (e.g., oxidation) due to environmental conditions, particularly during high temperature sintering 230 following layer-by-layer material deposition and curing.

[0071] Therefore, by continuously printing and curing continuous layers in operation 220 according to the spatial distribution of the material in the sensor model, one or more 3D structures of one or more sensors 100 are obtained, each of which includes at least one longitudinally oriented coil and at least one transversely oriented coil electrical coil 220.

[0072] The method 200 also includes an operation 230 for sintering the one or more 3D structures of the one or more electrical components 100 printed in operation 120. Sintering is typically performed at a temperature sufficient to burn or drive off polymers (binding polymers) from the one or more magnetic field sensors 100 and to fire the ceramic or glass ceramic materials (such as M3 and alternatively M1) used in printing. To this end, after sintering, the material density of the printed ceramic and metal materials (e.g., M1, M2, and M3) of the electrical component 100 is close to 100%. For example, in an embodiment in which the conductive material M2 mainly includes silver, sintering can be performed at a temperature below the melting point of silver (e.g., at a temperature not exceeding 961°C; preferably, in this case, the sintering temperature can be limited to a maximum of about 900°C in order to achieve a stable sintering process). In other embodiments in which the conductive material includes a silver-palladium alloy, sintering can be performed at a temperature below the melting point of the alloy. The specific melting point depends on the ratio of silver to palladium in the alloy, and depending on the composition, the melting point is typically between the melting point of silver, 961°C, and the melting point of palladium, 1555°C. In another example, in an embodiment where the conductive material M2 comprises copper, the sintering may be performed in an oxygen-deficient environment (to avoid oxidation of the copper) and at a temperature below the melting point of copper, 1084°C.

[0073] In this regard, it should be noted that in some embodiments of the present invention, method 200 is performed to 3D print an electrical component 100 having a micro-coil having features with micrometer-scale dimensions embedded therein. For example, depending on the specific model design and 3D printing technology used, the 3D printed layer can be printed with a thickness in the range of about 5 to 15 μm (e.g., 9 μm). Therefore, the pitch of the turns of the winding 124 along the printing direction Z of the 3D printed layer can be in the range of about 10 μm to 30 μm (e.g., a turn pitch of about 18 μm), which can be about twice the pitch of the 3D printed layer.

[0074] Furthermore, alternatively (depending on the specific printing technology used), method 200 may include an operation 240 for separating the printed electrical component 100 from the build / 3D printing platform. Typically, depending on the type of build platform (e.g., and whether it can withstand sintering 230), operation 240 may be performed before or after sintering 230. Indeed, in some embodiments of the present invention, particularly in the case of printing micro / precision electrical components that may be damaged by performing their separation from the build platform before sintering, a suitable build platform that can withstand the temperature of sintering 230 may be used, and separation of the electrical components from the platform may be performed after sintering in order to avoid / reduce damage to the sensors during the separation process.

[0075] In view of the above, the method 200 of the present invention provides a novel and inventive technique for manufacturing electrical components 100 each including one or more coils 120 as described above. The method 200 is suitable for manufacturing micro-electrical components 100 (having feature sizes as small as a few microns) that can be used as magnetic field-based positioning sensors / operating in magnetic field-based positioning sensors and suitable for compact / narrow medical devices (such as catheters). The method 200 can be used for batch production to simultaneously 3D print a large number of such micro-electrical components 100 built on the same platform (for example, typically hundreds and thousands of electrical components 100 can be printed using, for example, vat photopolymerization technology). Each electrical component 100 may have, for example, a ceramic / glass ceramic body 110 in which one or more highly sensitive open magnetic circuit coils 120 are embedded. The coils 120 can be manufactured to have small dimensions, such as on the order of about 0.5 mm to 2 mm, and can provide high sensitivity / induced voltage in response to a magnetic field (for example, in the range of 0.1 μV to 1 μV / (Gauss*Hz)).

[0076] Now refer to FIG. 3A to FIG. 3I , which illustrates a 3D printed electrical component 100 including at least one coil 120 constructed according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electronic component 100 includes a magnetic channel 129 and a conductive channel 128 of the coil 120. The magnetic channel 129 and the conductive channel 128 are 3D printed using a magnetic material M1 and a conductive material M2, respectively. The magnetic channel 129 includes a magnetic core 122 of the coil 120, and the conductive channel 128 includes an arrangement of a conductive winding 124 having a plurality of turns around the magnetic core 122 (e.g., some turns are marked with reference numerals 124.1 to 124.6, respectively, in the figure). The body / block 110 of the electrical component 100 is 3D printed using a non-magnetic electrically insulating material M3. To this end, in this example, the electrical insulator 125 between the turns of the winding 124 is 3D printed using the same non-magnetic electrically insulating material M3 as the block used to print the body 110.

[0077] exist FIG. 3A to FIG. 3I middle: Figure 3A A perspective view of the complete electrical component 100 is shown; Figure 3B is a side view of the coil 120 in the electrical component 100, wherein for the sake of clarity of the figure, the non-magnetic electrical insulating material M3 is not illustrated; Figure 3C shows a top view of a coil 120 within an electrical component 100, wherein a flux collector 126 is omitted / not shown for clarity; Figure 3D shows a top view of the coil 120 , wherein the electrical terminals 123 are not shown and a pixel / voxel grid PG illustrating the 3D printed distributed voxels captured from the top side of the coil 120 is shown; Figure 3E Illustrated along the Figure 3D A cross section of a winding 124 of the coil 120 taken along a cross-sectional plane CP is shown with an insulator 125 between the windings spanning lateral sides B and D of the coil 120 (without the conductive vias 121 being accommodated between the turns); Figure 3F and Figure 3G Illustrated along the Figure 3E Cross-sectional cuts SP1 and SP2 taken through corresponding segment planes of the coil 120 are shown, showing the windings 124, and the insulators 125 between the windings spanning the lateral side A (where the conductive vias 121 between turns in different layers are accommodated) and lateral side C (where the conductive vias 121 are accommodated) of the coil 120, respectively; Figure 3H and Fig. 3I 1 are two corresponding side views showing some of the turns of the conductive winding 124 (the insulating member 125 between the windings is not shown), which are respectively taken from the lateral side A of the coil 120 (along which the conductive vias are accommodated between the windings 124) and from the lateral side C of the coil 120 (along which the conductive vias are not accommodated). In these figures, axes indicating the longitudinal direction Z (i.e., the layer-by-layer printing direction of the electrical component 100) and the lateral directions X and Y perpendicular thereto are illustrated where applicable. In addition, where applicable, guide lines are illustrated in the figures, which illustrate the 3D printed layers L1 to L2 of the electrical component 100. n , its lateral sides A, B, C and D, and the magnetic axis F of its coil 120.

[0078] For example, Figure 3H As shown, through holes 121.5-6 are printed on layer L n-2 The inner part is connected between the turns 124.5 and 124.6, which are 3D printed on the layers L above and below the through hole respectively. n-1 and L n-3 Inside.

[0079] As indicated above, preferably according to some embodiments of the present invention, the functional features of the 3D printed electrical component 100 are 3D printed with a minimum intra-layer feature size of at least two voxels.

[0080] exist FIG. 3A to FIG. 3I In an embodiment of the electrical component 100, a configuration of the coil 120 of the winding 124 is illustrated, which configuration facilitates a compact arrangement of a large number of winding turns while maintaining a minimum intra-layer feature size of at least two voxels in the winding turns 124 and in the electrical insulation 125 between the winding turns. The configuration thus facilitates reliable 3D printing of highly sensitive and compact coils in electrical components, because on the one hand, any individual voxel printing errors in the electrical channel 128 or the insulation will not disrupt the correct operation of the coil, while on the other hand, the configuration allows a large number of winding turns 124 to be stacked around the magnetic core 122, thereby facilitating high sensitivity of the coil 120.

[0081] To achieve this configuration, one or more of the following arrangement features are implemented in the arrangement of the 3D printed turns 124.1-124.n, and the insulation 125 is implemented in the spacing between the turns:

[0082] a. The conductive pathways 128 (including the turns of the conductive windings 124) and the electrical insulators 125 between the turns of the windings 124 are each 3D printed with a minimum intra-layer feature size of at least two voxels. This promotes the reliability of the electrical component 100, and / or the reliability of its production by 3D printing as described above.

[0083] b. The turns of the conductive winding 124 (e.g. 124.1 to 124.n) or some of them are arranged / planarly 3D printed on the printing layers L1 to L n Therefore, since the thickness TH of a printed layer / voxel (along the printing direction Z) is typically smaller than the lateral X, Y dimensions of a voxel, printing the turns completely within a layer facilitates stacking a larger number of turns.

[0084] c. In layers L1 to L n Multiple concentric turns are printed at least in some layers of the core 122 to facilitate printing a greater number of turns around the core 122. For example, in this example, turns 124.1, 124.3, and 124.5 are printed at layer L. n The concentric turns are completely printed inside; and the turns 124.2 and 124.4 are on layer L n-1 The inner fully printed concentric wire turns.

[0085] d. Printing multiple concentric turns in a continuous layer to facilitate printing / stacking a larger number of turns around the core 122. For example, in this example, turns 124.4 and 124.5 are respectively printed in a continuous layer L n-1 and Ln The inner fully printed concentric wire turns.

[0086] Concentric turns that are placed (3D printed) in successive layers and are concentrically adjacent (in embodiments where such turns exist) are laterally spaced apart from one or more lateral sides of the concentric turns by only one lateral voxel. This is to facilitate printing / stacking a greater number of turns around the core 122. For example, in this example, turns 124.4 and 124.5 are placed in successive layers L, ... n-1 and L n Concentric adjacent turns within. Figure 3D and Figure 3EAs illustrated, the lateral spacing 124.4-5 therebetween (relative to the X-axis and / or Y-axis) is only one voxel along lateral sides B, C, and D of the electrical component 100 (i.e., along lateral sides that do not accommodate the conductive vias 121) and two (e.g., at least two) voxels along lateral side A (e.g., along the side that accommodates the conductive vias). In this regard, it should be noted that the phrase concentric adjacent turns is used herein to refer to turns that are adjacent to each other in a radial direction relative to the concentric arrangement of the turns. In this regard, it should be noted that the present invention promotes a minimum lateral spacing of only one voxel between turns (along the lateral sides that do not accommodate the vias 121) while maintaining a desired minimum intra-layer feature size of two voxels for the insulator 125 between the turns. This, in turn, promotes high sensitivity of the winding turns and compact packaging for small-size 3D printing. In this regard, it should be noted that the lateral spacing 124.4-5 is printed with a single pixel width only from the lateral sides of the concentric turns (B, C, and D in this example) where there are no vias connecting the concentric adjacent turns to other / adjacent turns above or below them. Therefore, some embodiments also implement the arrangement feature f described below to maximize / optimize the length along the concentric adjacent turns along which the concentric adjacent turns may be spaced only one voxel apart from each other. The conductive vias 121 connecting each of the concentric adjacent turns to other / adjacent turns above or below them or to other portions of the conductive pathway 128 are preferably arranged from as few lateral sides of the concentric turns as possible (e.g., preferably only from one side if possible) according to the geometry and number of turns of a particular coil, so that from the other side or sides, the concentric adjacent turns can be laterally spaced from each other by only one voxel, while maintaining a minimum intra-layer feature size of at least two voxels (as required for manufacturing reliability of the electrical component) for the insulator 125 between conductive features (e.g., turns and / or vias) in the same layer. In this specific non-limiting example, the vias 121 are all arranged along one lateral side A of the concentric turns so as to thereby maintain a minimum intra-layer feature size of at least two voxels for the insulator 125 between turns along that lateral side A, with the lateral spacing between the concentric adjacent turns along that side being two voxels.

[0087] To this end, the combination of features a. to f. above, and in particular features d., e. and f., facilitates compact packaging of conductive turns while maintaining the minimum intra-layer feature size for each functional feature of the coil required for printing reliability. Figure 3F and Figure 3G Respective cross-sectional cutouts SP1 of the winding 124 on its respective lateral sides A and B are illustrated, with the respective lateral sides A and B containing and not containing the conductive via 121, respectively. Figure 3GAs shown, while the lateral spacing (such as 124.4-5) between concentric adjacent turns in different layers (such as between 124.4-124.5) is only one voxel along each side that does not accommodate the via, the insulation between adjacent turns in the same layer (such as insulation 125.3-5 between 124.3 and 124.5 in the same layer) has a lateral width greater than the smallest intra-layer feature size (in this example, a width of four voxels along the side that does not accommodate the via). Figure 3F As shown, because the lateral spacing (such as 124.4-5) between concentric adjacent turns in different layers (such as between 124.4-124.5) is more than one voxel along the face that accommodates the through hole (in this case, side A), the insulators between adjacent turns along these sides within the same layer (such as insulator 125.3-5 between 124.3 and 124.5 along side A) also have a lateral width greater than the smallest intra-layer feature size (in this example, a width of six voxels along side A that accommodates the through hole). Otherwise, if, for example, the lateral spacing 124.4-124.5 were to be made with a width of one voxel, since it is along sides B to D, the spacing between adjacent turns (such as 124.4 and 124.6) within the same layer / insulator minimum intra-layer feature size in the insulator (such as 125.6-V) would have only one voxel (e.g., due to the presence of a via between them (e.g., a via represented as V in the figure, which connects turns adjacent to each other above and below)) and would therefore not meet the minimum intra-layer feature size condition for the insulator 125. Therefore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the conductive vias 121 connecting the turns adjacent to each other above and below are arranged along as few lateral sides as possible, so that the lateral spacing between concentric adjacent turns along these sides is at least two voxels, thereby allowing the lateral spacing between concentric adjacent turns along other lateral sides to be only one voxel, so as to produce a compact arrangement of the turns on the one hand, and on the other hand produce an electrical insulation member with a minimum intra-layer characteristic size of at least two voxels, thereby promoting the reliability of coil manufacturing.

[0088] In this example, the electrical component 100 is formed by continuously printing a plurality of printing layers L1, L2 to L3 along a printing direction Z. n Each turn (e.g., 124.1 to 124.6) of the conductive winding 124 is arranged / 3D printed in a planar manner on printing layers L1 to L n For example, FIG. 3E to FIG. 3I As shown, the turns 124.1, 124.3 and 124.5 are 3D printed in a planar manner on layer L. n and the turns 124.2, 124.4 are 3D printed flat on layer L n-1To this end, in this example, the turns are printed in a plurality of printed layers. The magnetic core is printed so that the magnetic core passes through a plurality of consecutive printed layers L1 to L n The electrical component 100, namely the coil 120 of the magnetic core, includes an electrical insulator 125 3D printed between the turns of the conductive winding 124. In this non-limiting example, the electrical insulator 125 is 3D printed using the same bulk material M3 that is also used to print the body 110 of the electrical component 100.

[0089] As indicated above, in this example, the turns (e.g., 124.1 to 124.6) of the conductive winding 124 and the insulator material 125 therebetween (and the magnetic channel 129) are 3D printed with a minimum intra-layer feature size of at least two voxels of the 3D print. In order to obtain a highly sensitive coil, in this example, the winding 124 includes concentric adjacent turns that are 3D printed in successive layers of the 3D print, wherein the lateral spacing between the concentric adjacent turns (at least along some lateral sides of the concentric turns) is one voxel. As indicated above, the lateral spacing of one voxel between the concentric adjacent turns is relative to one or more lateral sides of the adjacent concentric turns (in this example relative to sides B to D), and the conductive vias are 3D printed in at least one other lateral side of the concentric turns (in this example relative to side A). Along at least one other lateral side of the printed / contained via 121 (side A in this example), the lateral spacing between concentric adjacent turns is at least two voxels so as to maintain the minimum intra-layer feature size of the insulation at at least two voxels.

[0090] Now refer to Figure 4A and Figure 4B , wherein an electrical component 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated, the electrical component being / comprising a coil 120 having a flat shape relative to its magnetic axis F (or in other words, a coil 120 having a low / small aspect ratio between its length L along its magnetic axis F and its width W transverse to its magnetic axis F). For simplicity, coils having such dimensions are referred to herein as flat coils.

[0091] Refer to above Figures 1A to 1C The electrical component 100 described above is similar and also Figure 4A and Figure 4BIn this embodiment, the electrical component 100 includes: a body / block 110, which is 3D printed using a non-magnetic electrically insulating material M3; a magnetic channel 129, which is 3D printed in the body 110 using a magnetic material M1 and includes a magnetic core 122 of a coil 120; and a conductive channel 128, which is printed in the body 110 using a conductive material M2 and includes a conductive winding 124 having a plurality of turns around the core 122. The conductive channel 128 is connected at both ends by electrical contacts / terminals 123 ( Figure 4B not specifically shown). Figure 4A is a perspective view of an electrical component 100; Figure 4B is a side view of the coil electrical component 100 , wherein the bulk material of the body 110 is not shown.

[0092] As indicated above, in this embodiment, the required dimensions of the electrical component 100 having the coil 120 therein are such that the electrical component 100 and / or the coil 120 therein are flat relative to the direction of its magnetic axis F. In this regard, flat coils or other forms of coils having such flat dimensions are required in many cases for position sensing of medical devices, and are particularly used / installed in slender and narrow medical devices (such as catheters), and the position of the flat coil or other forms of coils having such flat dimensions is typically sensed by measuring the magnetic field in its surrounding environment (particularly for sensing the vector component of the magnetic field perpendicular to the slender body of the medical device / instrument), see e.g. Fig. 9 and the related descriptions below.

[0093] However, one difficulty with 3D printing of such flat coils with sufficient sensitivity for applications such as position sensing is that the number of turns of winding 124 is greater than can be 3D printed so that they are stacked along the relatively short length L (i.e., along its dimension parallel to the magnetic axis F of the coil) of coil 120. Furthermore, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, flat coils with magnetic cores have low apparent permeability (also called "effective permeability") due to their geometry, which may be <2 no matter how high the magnetic permeability of the magnetic material.

[0094] Some aspects of the present invention are used to overcome this difficulty and 3D print a flat coil 120 with sufficient sensitivity. This is achieved by 3D printing a magnetic channel 129 so that it includes at least a pair of flux collectors 126, which have respective flux collecting faces 126F and 126B perpendicular to the magnetic axis F of the coil 120. The magnetic channel 129 is 3D printed so that it has a curved / folded path, wherein the bends / folds 127 define between them one or more segments of the magnetic core 122 of the magnetic channel 129, which extend along the width dimension W of the coil 120 (i.e., transverse to the magnetic axis F of the coil). The magnetic channel is thereby adapted to collect magnetic flux propagating from the direction of the magnetic axis F via the faces 126F and 126B, and to guide the magnetic flux via the curve 127 to propagate along its core segment 122, which extends along the longer width dimension W of the flat coil 120. The winding 124 of the conductive channel 128 of the flat coil 120 further comprises a plurality of turns 124.1 to 124.m which are arranged so as to surround a core segment 122 which extends along the longer width dimension W of the flat coil 120. Accordingly, the number of turns 124.1 to 124.m that can be arranged in this way is greater than the number of turns that can be arranged if the core 122 extends in the direction of the magnetic axis F (i.e. along the shortened longitudinal dimension L of the coil 120), and thus an improved sensitivity of the coil to the magnetic field component coming from the magnetic axis F is obtained, despite the flat shape of the coil 120 in this embodiment.

[0095] In this regard, it should be noted that, according to some embodiments, the flux collecting faces / surfaces 126F and 126B facing the magnetic axis F of the coil 120 are made wider (e.g., have a much larger area) than the characteristic width (e.g., cross-sectional area) of the magnetic channel 129 therebetween. Even more specifically, the area of ​​the flux collector faces / surfaces 126F and 126B is preferably made much larger than the characteristic cross-sectional area of ​​the core segments 122 facing a direction different from (e.g., perpendicular to) the magnetic axis F. This is, on the other hand, to cause the flux collector 126 to collect a greater amount of magnetic field flux from the direction of the magnetic axis F than the flux collected from other directions to the magnetic channel 129, thereby causing the flat coil with a twisted / folded magnetic channel 129 to be sensitive to magnetic field components directed along the magnetic axis F, while having negligible sensitivity to magnetic field components from other directions. Alternatively, the flux collectors 126 and / or other segments of the magnetic channels also taper toward the core segment 122 (eg, to facilitate efficient flux directing from its relatively wide flux collecting faces / surfaces 126F and 126B to the narrower core 122 ).

[0096] As indicated above, in some embodiments, the 3D printing technology used for the manufacture of the electrical component 100 provides printed layers having a thickness that is significantly less than the lateral width of the printed voxel (in other words: the layer resolution is significantly higher than the resolution of the pixels within the 3D printable layer). For example, in certain non-limiting examples, the thickness of the printed layer is about 8μm to 10μm (along the Z direction; typically 9μm), while the lateral size / width of the printed voxel within the layer is about 12μm to 25μm. Therefore, in such embodiments, 3D printing the turns 124.1 to 124.m of the winding 124 in a planar orientation in the printed layers facilitates printing thinner turns (e.g., layer thickness of about 9μm to 10μm) with smaller turn pitches, compared to turn thicknesses and pitches that can be achieved if the turns are printed in other / lateral orientations relative to the printed layers (e.g., where the turns are perpendicular to the layers and printed across the layers, which would result in a lateral voxel width of, for example, about 12μm to 25μm). Therefore, alternatively, as Figure 4A and Figure 4B As illustrated, in some embodiments, a direction Z (along which 3D printing is performed layer by layer) of printing the flat coil 120 and / or the electrical component 100 including the flat coil is selected / set so that the turns 124.1 to 124.m are printed in a planar manner on the printing layers L1 to L2. n (e.g., as illustrated, the printing direction Z of the flat coil 120 can be set parallel to the longer width W dimension of the flat coil 120). This helps to print a stack of a further greater number of turns 124.1 to 124.m (with a higher turn density) around the core segment 122 and thus further improve the sensitivity of the coil 120.

[0097] It should be pointed out that in Figure 4A and Figure 4B Other features of the flat coil 120 illustrated in the example and not specifically described with respect to this example may have the same characteristics as those of the reference Figures 1A to 1C and / or reference FIG. 3A to FIG. 3I For example, alternatively, in some non-limiting embodiments, the functional features of the flat coil 120, including its conductive and magnetic channels 128 and 129, and / or different portions thereof, and the insulator 125 between conductive elements (such as turns 124.1 to 124.m), are 3D printed with a minimum intra-layer feature size of at least two voxels that can be 3D printed, so as to facilitate reliable 3D printing of the coil 120 that is robust to printing errors of individual voxels. This can be similar to the above reference to Figures 1A to 1CFurthermore, the turns 124.1 to 124.m of the winding may alternatively include a plurality of concentric turns (not specifically shown) to further increase the count of turns around the magnetic core 122 and thus improve the sensitivity of the coil. In such embodiments, alternatively, the spacing / insulation 125 between the concentric turns may alternatively be similar to that described in reference to FIG. 3A to FIG. 3I The embodiments are constructed in the manner described.

[0098] exist Figure 4A and Figure 4B , an alternative configuration of a 3D printed flat coil 120 (and / or an electrical component 100 including the 3D printed flat coil) is illustrated. The magnetic channel 129 of the flat coil 120 is bent / folded 127 so that one or more segments of the magnetic channel 129 extend substantially along the printing direction of the longer width dimension W of the flat coil (perpendicular to its magnetic axis F) to serve as the magnetic core 122 of the coil and is surrounded by the conductive wire turns of the winding 124. FIG. 5A to FIG. 8B A self-explanatory depiction of several other non-limiting examples of the construction of the coil 120 is provided, wherein the magnetic channel 129 of the coil is bent / folded to facilitate the construction of the winding with multiple core segments 122, thereby facilitating the arrangement of the winding turns and / or increasing the number of winding turns, improving the coil sensitivity. FIG. 5A to FIG. 8B Similar reference numerals are used to indicate the same as those in the above reference. Figures 1A to 1C and FIG. 3A to FIG. 4B Elements / segments of similar functionality in the described coils.

[0099] FIG. 5A to FIG. 5DThe perspective, side, front and rear views of the electrical component are illustrated in a self-explanatory manner, respectively. In this example, the electrical component includes a coil 120, which can be 3D printed according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, the magnetic channel 129 is bent / folded 127 several times so that between the flux collectors 126, the magnetic channel 129 is printed with / has a spiral shape, which has a plurality of magnetic core segments 122, which extend substantially along the printing direction Z. The plurality of core segments 122 are surrounded by turns of a conductive winding 124 of the conductive channel, which are printed planarly in the 3D printed layer with a relatively small pitch / distance between the turns. The turns of the conductive winding 124 are typically separated from each other by electrical insulators printed between the turns in each layer (for example, the electrical insulators can be printed between the turns using bulk material M3). As shown, the magnetic channel 129 is formed in a spiral shape so that its multiple core segments 122 pass through the conductive winding 124 to guide the magnetic flux, which flows along the magnetic channel 129 between the flux collectors 126 so as to pass through the conductive winding 124 several times, thereby providing improved sensitivity of the coil 120. Although in this non-limiting example, the magnetic channel 129 is folded so that its two core segments 122 pass through the winding 124, it should be recognized by those skilled in the art that the coil 120 can generally be printed in other configurations of spiral channels and can be formed with any suitable number of folds 127 to produce any suitable number of core segments passing through the winding that provide optimized sensitivity for the specific sensing application used.

[0100] Fig. 6A and Figure 6C In a self-explanatory manner, side and front views, respectively, of a coil 120 having a plurality of helical magnetic subchannels 129 . 1 and 129 . 2 that may be printed in an electrical component 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention are illustrated. Figure 6C1 is a perspective view of a spiral magnetic subchannel. In this example, between the flux collectors 126, the magnetic channel 129 is divided into a plurality of magnetic subchannels (two magnetic subchannels 129.1 and 129.2 in this example), each of which is bent / folded 127 several times in the form of a spiral (or spiral-like shape), so that the magnetic channel 129 has a multi-spiral shape (a double spiral in this example—one spiral is formed by each of the magnetic subchannels 129.1 and 129.2). The magnetic subchannels 129.1 and 129.2 are printed with curves / folds 127 so that they define a plurality of magnetic core segments 122, which extend substantially along the printing direction Z and are surrounded by turns of the conductive winding 124 of the coil 120. In this non-limiting example, the conductive winding 124 includes a plurality of winding groups 128A to 128D, each of which includes a plurality of conductive turns surrounding a different one or more of the magnetic core segments 122. To this end, in various embodiments, the electrical channel 128 between its electrical contacts / terminals (not specifically shown in these figures) can be 3D printed as a single conductive path passing through a pair of electrical contacts / terminals and formed to form winding groups 128A to 128D along the single conductive path, or the electrical channel 128 between the electrical contacts can be printed to be divided into several (e.g., 4) electronic channels (e.g., which can be connected in parallel with each other near the electrical contacts), each electronic channel forming multiple windings / turns of one or more winding groups 128A to 128D.

[0101] As indicated above, in certain embodiments of the present invention, the magnetic channel 129 has a tapered shape / structure in its region between the flux collecting surface / face of the flux collector 126 and the magnetic core segment 122 . FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C The example illustrated in exemplifies such a tapered shape of the magnetic channel 129, wherein the cross-sectional area / width of the magnetic channel 129 narrows in a direction proceeding from the flux collector 126 toward the core segment 122 of the channel. In this non-limiting example, the tapering of the magnetic channel 129 is gradually formed at several locations, including the tapering of the flux collector 126 (e.g., Figure 3A ) and the tapering of the magnetic channel 129 that directs the magnetic flux between the flux collectors 126 to the core segment 122 (as shown in the tapered region 129A marked in FIG. Figure 6C 129B). This taper provides improved coupling of the external magnetic flux collected by the flux collector 126 with the propagation through the magnetic channel 126, and thereby improves the sensitivity of the coil 120. It should be noted that the tapering of the magnetic channel towards its magnetic core, as exemplified in regions 129A and / or 129B in this embodiment, can also be implemented in other embodiments of the present invention, for example in a configuration having a plurality of magnetic channels such as in the above-mentioned embodiment. Figures 1A to 1C , FIG. 3A to FIG. 5D and / or in the following 7A to 8B The coil 120 of the structure illustrated in FIG.

[0102] Fig. 7A and Figure 7B A further example of an electrical component comprising a coil 120 is illustrated in a self-explanatory manner, which may be 3D according to the present invention. Fig. 7A depicts a perspective view of coil 120, and Figure 7B The coil 120 is depicted along Fig. 7A 2. A cross-sectional view taken along the plane CP illustrated in FIG. 2. In this example, the magnetic channel 129 extends between the flux collectors 126 in a zigzag shape / path. Figure 7B The flux collector 126 is not shown in FIG. 1 , but rather a region of the region 126X of the magnetic channel 129 is shown to which a flux collector of the flux collector 126 is coupled. Figure 4A and Figure 4B In the example of , also in this example, the magnetic channel 129 is printed with curves / folds 127 so that its core segment 122 (in this case, multiple core segments) extends substantially along the printing direction Z. Accordingly, the magnetic core segment 122 is surrounded by turns of the conductive winding 124, which includes multiple conductive turns surrounding different one or more of the magnetic core segments 122. To this end, in various embodiments, the electrical channel 128 at its opposite ends can be printed as a single conductive path passing through two electrical contacts / terminals (not specifically shown) and formed to form winding groups 128A to 128D along the single conductive path, or the electrical channel 128 between the electrical contacts can be printed to be divided into several (for example, 4) electronic channels, which form winding groups 128A to 128D that can be electrically connected to each other (for example, connected in series to increase the output voltage of the coil).

[0103] In some cases, a 3D printed coil 120 having a meandering and / or spiral magnetic channel 129 may be advantageous in terms of its sensitivity, such as FIG. 5A to FIG. 7B This is due to the shape of their magnetic channels, which facilitates packaging longer overall magnetic core segments 122 and therefore higher count winding 124 turns around them within electrical components / coils 120 having compact dimensions. Specifically, coils 120 having meandering and / or spiral magnetic channels 129 are suitable for forming similar Figure 4A and Figure 4B The flat coil exemplified in the embodiment of Figure 4A and Figure 4B The features of the flat coil 120 illustrated in FIG. 1 may also be used in FIG. 5A to FIG. 7B Additionally, in FIG. 5A to FIG. 7BThe winding 124 and / or winding groups 128A to 128D in some embodiments may include a winding similar to FIG. 3A to FIG. 3I The concentric winding configuration of the winding 124 illustrated in FIG. 1 is implemented by stacking a plurality of concentrically arranged turns of the winding 124 to produce improved sensitivity of the coil 120. In this regard, in some implementations, the lateral spacing between the concentrically arranged turns may be similar to that of the reference winding 124. FIG. 3A to FIG. 3I The described approach has only one voxel to facilitate more compact packing of higher count turns within a compact size, further improving the sensitivity of the coil.

[0104] refer to Fig. 8A and Figure 8B , illustrates a 3D printed coil 120 (e.g., or a 3D printed coil of an electrical component including the 3D printed coil) according to one embodiment of the present invention, wherein the magnetic channel 129 is bent / folded to follow / form a coil-like path / shape (e.g., so that it is wrapped around the conductive winding 124 of the coil 120). Fig. 8A depicts a perspective view of a coil 120 including a flux collector 126, and Figure 5B Another perspective view of the coil 120 is depicted, wherein the flux collector 126 is not shown, so that the internal construction of the coiled v-core 122 and its wrapping around the conductive winding 124 can be seen in this figure. Fig. 8A and Figure 8B Similar reference numerals are used in the accompanying drawings to indicate elements / segments / portions having similar functionality to the above-described coils of other embodiments of the present invention.

[0105] To this end, in this example, magnetic flux collected by one of the flux collectors 126 is directed by the magnetic channel 129 to wrap around the conductive wire turns of the winding 124, typically multiple times. Fig. 8A 126L, is directed through the magnetic channel 129 from region 126X of the magnetic channel 129 (i.e., the connection between the flux collector and the coiled magnetic core 122) to sequentially pass through the coiled segments C1 to C8 of the core 122, and then exit the coil 120 through the bottom flux collecting surface 126D. The direction of flux flow through the coiled core segments C1 to C8 of the magnetic core 122L is depicted in a self-explanatory manner. To this end, the coiled core segments C1 to C8 are wound / wound around (e.g., entangled with) the turns of the conductive winding 124 in response to the magnetic flux propagating through the coiled core segments C1 to C8 to induce a voltage / current in the conductive winding 124 and thereby induce a voltage at the electrical contacts / terminals 123 of the electrical channel 128.

[0106] It should be noted that the coiled core configuration illustrated in this embodiment is suitable for making flat coils as described above, whereby the printing direction Z is not necessarily transverse to the magnetic axis F of the coil 120. This is because the coiled core configuration illustrated in this example facilitates winding of longer core segments 122 around the winding even when the distance between the flux collectors 126 is small. In fact, as shown in Fig. 8A and Figure 8B The optional configuration of the coil 120 illustrated in FIG. 1 illustrates that the printing direction Z is substantially parallel to the magnetic axis F. Preferably, the winding turns are 3D printed in a planar orientation within the print layer, as illustrated in these figures, however it should be noted that in other embodiments, the winding turns may also be 3D printed in other orientations.

[0107] Alternatively or additionally, although not illustrated in the drawings, those skilled in the art will appreciate and recognize that the coil 120 having a similarly coiled configuration with a magnetic core 122 may be manufactured such that its magnetic axis F is perpendicular to the printing direction Z, thereby optionally achieving a configuration similar to that described above with reference to Figure 4A and Figure 4B The flat coil configuration described above is similar to the flat coil configuration described above, but with a coiled configuration of the core 122. For example, in a non-limiting example, such a flat coil configuration would be achieved by arranging the flux collector 126 from the coil 120 at Figure 8B or alternatively, the turns of the conductive winding 124 are 3D printed in an orientation perpendicular to the magnetic axis (e.g., parallel to the printing direction, so that the turns or some of them are printed on multiple print layers).

[0108] It should be noted that in this non-limiting example, in order to provide further improved sensitivity of the coil 120, the conductive winding includes a plurality of turns 124S stacked along the printing direction Z in a plurality of printed layers (e.g., as indicated above, in some embodiments, printing the turns in such an orientation facilitates forming relatively small spacing between the stacked turns, since the thickness of the layer is significantly less than the lateral width of the printed voxel). Optionally, in at least some of these printed layers, a plurality of turns 124C are concentrically printed to provide further improved sensitivity of the coil 120. To this end, in some specific implementations, such as FIG. 3A to FIG. 3I As illustrated in the example of , the turns of winding 124 are printed with similar configurations and insulation between them, thereby achieving a compact packaging of multiple conductive turns around core segments C1 to C8, resulting in a highly sensitive coil 120 having compact dimensions.

[0109] To this end, the above-mentioned figures schematically illustrate various non-limiting examples of 3D printed electrical components 100 and / or 3D printed coils 120. Preferably, in some specific implementations, the turns of the conductive windings 124 of the coil are planarly 3D printed within the print layer so as to utilize a pitch between print layers that is smaller than the lateral size of the print voxel to pack / print a higher count of conductive winding turns in the coil and promote high sensitivity of the coil (i.e., promote high induced voltage in response to magnetic field sensing). Additionally or alternatively, in some specific implementations, the functional features of the coil / electrical component are 3D printed with a minimum intra-layer feature size of at least two voxels to produce a reliable 3D print of the coil / electrical component. Additionally, in some specific implementations, concentric winding turns are compactly packed with only a lateral spacing of one voxel between concentric adjacent turns. The present invention also provides a technique for manufacturing a highly sensitive flat coil having a low / small aspect ratio between its length along its magnetic axis and its width transverse to its magnetic axis. This can be achieved by 3D printing a pair of flux collectors 126 facing the magnetic axis F at opposite ends of the magnetic channel 129 to collect the flux propagating therefrom, and further printing a magnetic channel 129 having turns / folds / curves 127 between the pair of flux collectors so that one or more core segments 122 thereof extend along the printing direction Z and pass through the conductive winding 124. Alternatively or additionally, as described above, a high-sensitivity flat coil can also be manufactured by utilizing a coiled core construction. It should be understood that although the above-mentioned features of the present invention are illustrated in different drawings in some cases for the sake of clarity, various combinations of these features not specifically illustrated in the drawings may be implemented in coils / electrical components manufactured according to the present invention without departing from the present invention.

[0110] Furthermore, it should be noted that some of the optional properties of the 3D printed coil, which are only exemplified in some of the above-described embodiments, can be readily implemented in other configurations of the coil 120 of the present invention without departing from the present invention. For example, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the following optional properties / features can be implemented in various embodiments of the present invention, not just in those depicted above:

[0111] -like FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C As illustrated in , the magnetic channel 129 is split to form multiple magnetic sub-channels of the magnetic channel between the flux collectors;

[0112] -like FIG. 3A to FIG. 3I and FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C As illustrated in , splitting the electrical channel to form a plurality of conductive paths and optionally a plurality of winding sets; and

[0113] -like FIG. 3A to FIG. 3I and FIG. 8A to FIG. 8BAs illustrated in FIG. 1 , a conductive winding is formed with stacked turns in multiple layers and concentric turns in each or at least some of these layers.

[0114] Referring back to method 200, optionally Figure 2 As shown in , in some embodiments, method 200 also includes an operation 250 for manufacturing / attaching surface mount contacts to the 3D printed electrical component 100 or coil 120 to facilitate mounting them on a circuit board via surface mount technology (SMT).

[0115] According to some embodiments of the present invention, surface mounts suitable for SMT are 3D printed together with the 3D printing of component 100. In such embodiments, materials such as silver-palladium alloys are typically used for electrical contacts of SMT mounts, because conventional materials tin and nickel-tin used in electrical contacts of SMT mounts are not suitable for the sintering process of the 3D printing technology of the present invention (the melting point of tin is too low and nickel-tin will oxidize in the process). To this end, in some embodiments, the 3D printing operation 220 of method 200 also includes 3D printing external / SMT contacts at the corresponding ends of the coil 120 or electrical contacts / terminals 123 of the electrical component 100. The 3D printed SMT contacts can be made, for example, of silver-palladium alloy (Ag-Pd) and formed to have a thickness of about 9 μm or greater to produce external Ag-Pd SMT electrodes for 3D printing electrical components 100.

[0116] Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments of the invention, the SMT contacts / mountings or some of them comprise, for example, chemically / electrochemically deposited tinned copper or nickel and are manufactured / attached to the 3D printed electrical component 100 / coil 120 and coupled to their electrical contacts 123 only after 3D printing and sintering of the component 100 / coil 120.

[0117] Typically, one or more or all of the coils 120 of the sensor 100 are designed to have an open magnetic circuit configuration of their magnetic channels 129 / cores 122; the open magnetic circuit configuration is suitable for accurate sensing of magnetic fields, and is particularly suitable for magnetic field base position sensing in medical applications / devices (such as catheters). In this document, the phrase open magnetic circuit configuration should be understood herein to refer to a coil structure with an open-ended magnetic channel that does not substantially shield or shunt an external magnetic field, thereby allowing the external magnetic field to pass through the magnetic core of the coil.

[0118] As indicated above, the 3D printed magnetic field sensor 100 of the present invention as described above, particularly when printed with a coil 120 having an open magnetic circuit configuration, may be suitable for use as a position and / or force sensor in a medical device / apparatus that requires the same.

[0119] Reference now Fig. 9 , which illustrates a side view of a medical device 1000 (e.g., a probe / catheter) according to one embodiment of the present invention, wherein a position sensor 300 includes a 3D printed coil 120 constructed according to the present invention (and / or an electrical component 100 of the present invention including the same 3D printed coil).

[0120] The medical device 1000 includes a housing H in which a magnetic field-based position sensor 300 is provided. The housing H of the medical device includes a main segment M and a tip segment T coupled at the distal end of the main segment M by a tying coupler J (e.g., a spring or a joint). The tying coupler J is configured such that the orientation of the tip segment T can be bent relative to the longitudinal axis LX of the housing H under the action of a force FC (e.g., which can be applied when the tip segment T of the medical device 1000 is in contact with the patient's body tissue) by a tying degree corresponding to the magnitude and direction of the force FC.

[0121] In this particular non-limiting example, the position sensor 300, the position and orientation sensor 320, and the force sensor 310 are implemented in one or more of the five coils 120.1 to 120.5 constructed and operated in accordance with the present invention.

[0122] The position and orientation sensor 320 utilizes three of these coils, including coils 120.4, 120.5 and at least one of coils 120.1 to 120.3, to measure the magnetic field generated by one or more magnetic field sources MF located outside the device 1000. L The magnetic field generated by the medical device 1000 is generated, and the measurement result thereof indicates the spatial position and orientation of the medical device 1000. The coils 120.4, 120.5 and at least one of the coils 120.1 to 120.3 are arranged so that their magnetic axes span three dimensions, thereby facilitating the measurement of the magnetic field from the magnetic field source MF by the coils. L The 3D position and / or orientation of the medical device 1000 is determined by measuring the magnetic field.

[0123] The force sensor 310 utilizes three coils 120.1 to 120.3 in order to determine the relative orientation between the tip segment T and the main segment M of the housing H. As indicated above, the relative orientation between the tip segment T and the main segment M indicates the force FC exerted by the tip segment T on, for example, the patient's tissue. To this end, the force sensor 310 also includes a magnetic field source MF that generates a reference magnetic field O The reference magnetic field measured by the coils 120.1 to 120.3 provides an indication of the relative orientation between the tip segment T and the main segment M. The coils 120.1 to 120.3 of the orientation sensor 310 and the magnetic field source MF Oare arranged on different sides of the joint J in the housing H so that the coils of the orientation sensor 310 are aligned with the magnetic field source MF. O The measurement of the magnetic field of provides an indication of the relative orientation between the tip segment T and the main segment M. For example, typically, the magnetic field source MF O The coils 120.1 to 120.3 of the orientation sensor 310 are arranged at the tip segment T, while the coils 120.1 to 120.3 are arranged at the main segment M, with their magnetic axes parallel to the longitudinal axis LX of the housing H (although the opposite arrangement is also applicable). To this end, the coils 120.1 to 120.3 are typically arranged so that their magnetic axes are co-linear with each other (rather than co-planar, so as to facilitate measurement of relative orientation with respect to two angles, such as indicating pitch and yaw of the tip T relative to the main segment).

[0124] The specific details of the magnetic field-based position sensing techniques used in this example to sense the position and orientation of the medical device 1000 and / or the forces thereby applied to the patient's tissue are generally known in the art and do not need to be discussed further in more detail herein. For example, U.S. Patent No. 8,535,308 and U.S. Patent Application No. 2020 / 015693, both assigned to the assignee of the present application, disclose example constructions of catheters utilizing sensing circuits having several coils for sensing the position and orientation of the catheter body and the forces applied by the catheter at the interface with the tissue.

[0125] In this non-limiting example, the magnetic field-based position sensor 300 of the medical device 1000 is implemented using one or more of the coils 120.1 to 120.5 as 3D printed open magnetic circuit coils, which are constructed according to the present invention and / or manufactured by the above-mentioned 3D printing method. In this example, the housing has a narrow width / diameter of about 2 mm, and thus the coils 120.1 to 120.5 are compact coils that generally extend no more than 0.5 mm in the radial direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the medical device.

[0126] In this non-limiting example, three coils 120.1, 120.2, and 120.3 are 3D printed coils according to the present invention, which can be implemented as components of a single electrical component 100 that is 3D printed using the above-described method 200 of the present invention. In this example, the electrical component 100 has a cylindrical / annular structure with a hole in the middle along its symmetry axis, and is assembled within the housing H of the medical device so that its symmetry axis is parallel to the longitudinal axis LX (e.g., so as to enable various connections / fluid lines of the medical device to pass therethrough). Two coils 120.4 and 120.5 are also 3D printed coils according to the present invention, with SMT mountings manufactured / coupled thereto according to the above-described optional method operation 250. These coils 120.4 and 120.5 are disposed on a flexible circuit board CB that is folded / wound into a cylindrical shape within the housing H of the medical device 1000 so that their magnetic axes are substantially non-parallel to each other and are also non-parallel (typically perpendicular) to the longitudinal axis LX of the housing H. The two coils 120.4 and 120.5 are preferably similar coils with a flat geometry and can optionally be arranged according to FIG. 4A to FIG. 8B The conductive windings of any one or more coils 120.1 to 120.5 may also be configured according to the above reference. FIG. 3A to FIG. 3I The described techniques are implemented / constructed to produce densely packed winding turns and thereby improve the sensitivity of the coil with compact size. In addition, preferably, the coils are manufactured so that their functional features are printed with a minimum intra-layer feature size of at least two voxels of 3D printing, as described above with reference to Figures 1A to 1C described.

[0127] It should be understood that although in this non-limiting example, all coils 120.1 to 120.5 used in the position sensor 300 are 3D printed coils of the present invention, in other embodiments of the present invention, some of the coils 120.1 to 120.5 are not necessarily 3D printed coils, for example, coils 120.4 and 120.5 can be traditional wound coils without departing from the present invention. In addition, although in this non-limiting example, coils 120.1 to 120.3 are printed within a single electronic component 100, and coils 120.4 and 120.5 are separate 3D printed coils disposed on a circuit board (disposed by SMT technology in this non-limiting example), in other embodiments of the present invention, any number of coils 120.1 to 120.5 or combinations thereof can be 3D printed as separate coils and / or 3D printed as parts of one or more electrical components containing coils 3D printed according to the present invention. For example, in some specific implementations, all 5 coils can be part of a single 3D printed electrical component according to the present invention.

[0128] Advantageously, 3D printing of the electrical components and coils of the present invention facilitates reliable, precise and cost-effective manufacture and assembly of open magnetic circuit coils within the narrow dimensions of small medical devices, while helping to achieve sufficient sensitivity of the coils for use as precise position sensors for such medical devices.

[0129] Example

[0130] Embodiment 1. A method of manufacturing an electrical component including a coil device, the method comprising 3D printing the coil device by the following steps:

[0131] - 3D printing magnetic material to form a magnetic channel including a magnetic core of the coil arrangement;

[0132] - 3D printing a conductive material to form a conductive channel, such that the conductive channel comprises a conductive winding of the coil arrangement, the conductive winding having turns surrounding the magnetic core; and - 3D printing a non-magnetic electrically insulating material to form an electrical insulator between the turns of the conductive winding of the coil arrangement;

[0133] Wherein, the functional structure of the electrical component, including the turns of the conductive windings of the coil device and the electrical insulation therebetween, are each printed with a minimum intra-layer feature size of at least two voxels of the 3D print, thereby facilitating robust and reliable 3D printing of the electrical component and reducing voxel printing errors.

[0134] Embodiment 2. A method according to embodiment 1, wherein the 3D printing includes continuously printing multiple printing layers along a printing direction; and wherein the turns of the conductive winding are planarly 3D printed within the printing layer and are 3D printed in a plurality of the printing layers; and wherein the magnetic core passes through a plurality of continuous printing layers.

[0135] Embodiment 3. The method of embodiment 2, wherein at least some of the turns are 3D printed in continuous layers.

[0136] Embodiment 4. The method according to embodiment 2 or 3, wherein the method comprises:

[0137] - 3D printed electrical insulation between adjacent turns, the electrical insulation having a minimum intra-layer feature size of at least two voxels of the 3D printed electrical insulation material; and

[0138] -3D print conductive vias to electrically connect between wire turns in different layers.

[0139] Embodiment 5. A method according to embodiment 4, wherein the turns of the conductive winding include adjacent concentric turns 3D printed in a continuous layer of the 3D printed layer, with one voxel laterally spaced between them (ie, between the adjacent concentric turns).

[0140] Embodiment 6. A method according to Embodiment 5, wherein the lateral spacing of the single voxels between adjacent concentric turns is arranged relative to one or more lateral sides of the adjacent concentric turns, and the conductive vias are arranged along at least one other lateral side of the concentric turns; and wherein the lateral spacing between the adjacent concentric turns along the at least one other lateral side is at least two voxels so as to maintain the electrical insulation along the at least one other lateral side with the minimum intra-layer characteristic size of the at least two voxels.

[0141] Embodiment 7. A method according to embodiment 6, wherein the turns include adjacent concentric turns 3D printed within the same layer and at least one adjacent concentric turns printed in a continuous layer above or below the same layer; and wherein, along the one or more lateral sides, the lateral spacing between the adjacent concentric turns in the same layer is four voxels, and along at least one other lateral side, the lateral spacing between the adjacent concentric turns in the same layer is six voxels; thereby facilitating the minimum intra-layer characteristic size of the electrical insulation between each of the adjacent concentric turns and the at least one adjacent concentric turn.

[0142] Embodiment 8. A method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 7, wherein the magnetic channel is constructed with an open magnetic circuit structure, and the 3D printing of the magnetic channel includes printing a pair of flux collectors at opposite ends of the magnetic core, the flux collectors having corresponding flux collecting surfaces, and the flux collecting surfaces define the magnetic axis of the coil between them.

[0143] Embodiment 9. The method of Embodiment 8, wherein the flux collecting surface of the flux collector is wider than the magnetic core.

[0144] Embodiment 10. The method of embodiment 8 or 9, wherein the flux collector is tapered with its tapered narrower faces connected at respective opposite ends of the magnetic core and its wider faces serving as the flux collecting faces.

[0145] Embodiment 11. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 10, wherein the magnetic core has a rod-like shape.

[0146] Embodiment 12. The method of any one of Embodiments 8 to 11, wherein the coil is a flat coil having a small / low aspect ratio between its length along its magnetic axis and its width transverse to its magnetic axis; and

[0147] wherein the magnetic channel is 3D printed along a curved (e.g., folded) path such that one or more segments of the magnetic core extend in a lateral direction relative to the magnetic axis of the coil, and the length of the one or more segments (e.g., their total length) is greater than the distance between the pair of flux collectors; and wherein the arrangement of the conductive winding of the coil includes a plurality of turns of wire surrounding the one or more segments of the magnetic core; thereby enabling a high count of the turns of the conductive winding to be provided along the length of the one or more segments of the magnetic core and an improved sensitivity of the coil to be obtained.

[0148] Embodiment 13. The method of Embodiment 12, wherein the tortuous path of the magnetic channel causes the magnetic core to have a vertical rod-like shape extending along the lateral direction relative to the magnetic axis.

[0149] Embodiment 14. A method according to embodiment 12, wherein the curved path of the magnetic channel causes the magnetic core to have a spiral shape or a zigzag shape, and wherein the turns of the conductive winding surround one or more of the segments of the spiral or zigzag shape of the magnetic core.

[0150] Embodiment 15. The method of Embodiment 12, wherein the tortuous path of the magnetic channel causes the magnetic core to have a coiled shape surrounding one or more of the turns of the conductive winding.

[0151] Embodiment 16. A method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 15, wherein the method includes 3D printing the body of the electrical component with a non-magnetic electrically insulating material in areas not occupied by the magnetic and conductive pathways; and wherein the conductive material of the conductive pathways is completely embedded within the body so as to be isolated from environmental conditions that may cause it to be degraded.

[0152] Embodiment 17. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 16, wherein at least one of the following conditions exists:

[0153] - the conductive material comprises silver;

[0154] - the conductive material comprises copper;

[0155] - the conductive material comprises palladium;

[0156] - the conductive material comprises a silver-palladium alloy;

[0157] - the magnetic material comprises a ceramic-ferrite material;

[0158] - the magnetic material comprises a metal material;

[0159] - The magnetic material has a relative magnetic permeability μ of 100 or more r Soft magnetic materials;

[0160] and

[0161] - The non-magnetic dielectric material comprises a ceramic or glass-ceramic material.

[0162] Embodiment 18. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 17, wherein the 3D printing comprises:

[0163] (a) providing a curable resin, the curable resin comprising:

[0164] - a magnetic material resin comprising magnetic material particles suspended in a curable polymer binder;

[0165] - a conductive material resin comprising conductive material particles suspended in a curable polymer binder;

[0166] - a non-magnetic dielectric material resin comprising particles of non-magnetic dielectric material suspended in a curable polymer binder; and

[0167] (b) 3D printing the curable resin, wherein the 3D printing comprises:

[0168] - 3D printing and curing the magnetic material resin in the area of ​​the magnetic channel;

[0169] - 3D printing and curing the conductive material resin at the area of ​​the conductive path;

[0170] as well as

[0171] - 3D printing and curing of the non-magnetic dielectric material areas of the electrical component not occupied by the magnetic and conductive channels;

[0172] thereby forming a 3D printed structure of the electrical component; and

[0173] (c) sintering the 3D printed structure of the electrical component at a temperature sufficient to burn or drive off the polymer, thereby achieving nearly 100% ceramic or metal density in the electrical component.

[0174] Embodiment 19. An electrical component manufactured by the method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 18.

[0175] Embodiment 20. A flat coil having a small / low aspect ratio between its length along its magnetic axis and its width transverse to its magnetic axis; the coil comprising:

[0176] A main body, the main body having a block, the block being 3D printed using a non-magnetic electrically insulating material;

[0177] a magnetic channel 3D printed in the body using a magnetic material, wherein the magnetic channel comprises: at least one pair of flux collectors having respective flux collecting surfaces perpendicular to the magnetic axis of the coil; and a magnetic core of the coil connected between at least two flux collectors; and

[0178] a conductive pathway 3D printed in the body using a conductive material, wherein the conductive pathway comprises an arrangement of conductive windings having a plurality of turns surrounding the magnetic core; and

[0179] wherein the magnetic channel is 3D printed using a curved (e.g., folded) path such that one or more segments of the magnetic core extend in a lateral direction relative to the magnetic axis of the coil, and the conductive channel is 3D printed such that the turns of the conductive winding wrap around one or more of the segments of the magnetic core.

[0180] Embodiment 21. An electronic component, comprising at least one coil; the electronic component comprising:

[0181] a magnetic channel, the magnetic channel comprising a magnetic core of the at least one coil, the magnetic channel being 3D printed using a magnetic material; and

[0182] a conductive pathway, the conductive pathway being 3D printed using a conductive material, wherein the conductive pathway comprises an arrangement of conductive windings having a plurality of turns surrounding the magnetic core;

[0183] an electrical insulator, the electrical insulator being 3D printed between the turns using a non-magnetic electrical insulating material;

[0184] Wherein, the 3D printed functional structure of the coil, including the turns of the conductive winding and the electrical insulation therebetween, is each printed with a minimum intra-layer feature size of at least two voxels of the 3D print.

[0185] Embodiment 22. An electronic component according to Embodiment 21, wherein the electronic component is 3D printed by continuously printing multiple printing layers along a printing direction; and wherein each of the turns of the conductive winding is planarly 3D printed within one of the printing layers, and the turns are 3D printed in a plurality of the printing layers; and wherein the magnetic core passes through a plurality of continuous printing layers.

[0186] Embodiment 23. An electronic component according to embodiment 22, wherein the electronic component includes an electrical insulator, which is 3D printed between adjacent turns of the conductive winding with a minimum intra-layer characteristic size of the electrical insulator, and the minimum intra-layer characteristic size of the electrical insulator is at least two voxels of the 3D printed electrical insulating material; and the conductive path includes a conductive via, which is electrically connected between turns in different layers.

[0187] Embodiment 24. An electronic component according to embodiment 23, wherein the turns include concentric adjacent turns, which are 3D printed in consecutive layers of the 3D printed layer with one / single voxel laterally spaced between them (i.e. between the concentric adjacent turns).

[0188] Embodiment 25. An electronic component according to embodiment 24, wherein the lateral spacing of the one / single voxel between concentric adjacent turns is from one or more lateral sides of the adjacent concentric turns, and wherein the conductive vias are 3D printed along at least one other lateral side of the concentric turns; and wherein the lateral spacing between the adjacent concentric turns along the at least one other lateral side is at least two voxels so as to maintain the minimum intra-layer feature size of the insulating member to at least two voxels along the at least one other lateral side.

[0189] Embodiment 26. A method of manufacturing a coil device having a small / low aspect ratio between its length along its magnetic axis and its width transverse to its magnetic axis;

[0190] The method comprises manufacturing the coil by 3D printing, wherein the 3D printing comprises:

[0191] - a 3D printed magnetic channel comprising: at least one pair of flux collectors having respective flux collecting surfaces perpendicular to the magnetic axis; and a magnetic core of the coil having a magnetic channel connected between at least two flux collectors; and

[0192] - 3D printed conductive pathways, the conductive pathways comprising: an arrangement of conductive windings having a plurality of turns surrounding the magnetic core;

[0193] wherein the magnetic channel is 3D printed using a curved (e.g., folded) path such that one or more segments of its magnetic core extend in a lateral direction relative to the magnetic axis of the coil, and wherein the turns of the conductive winding wrap around one or more of the segments.

[0194] Embodiment 27. A coil device manufactured by the method according to embodiment 26.

[0195] Embodiment 28. A method of manufacturing a coil device, the method comprising:

[0196] - 3D printing magnetic material to form a magnetic channel including a magnetic core of the coil;

[0197] - 3D printing a conductive material to form a conductive pathway, the conductive pathway comprising: an arrangement of conductive windings having a plurality of turns surrounding the magnetic core; and

[0198] - 3D printing a non-magnetic electrically insulating material to form an electrical insulator between the turns;

[0199] wherein the 3D printed functional structure of the coil, including the wire turns and the electrical insulation, are each printed with a minimum intra-layer feature size of at least two voxels of the 3D print;

[0200] The turns include concentric adjacent turns, which are 3D printed in continuous 3D printing layers of the 3D printing, and one / single voxel is laterally spaced between the concentric adjacent turns.

[0201] Embodiment 29. A method according to embodiment 28, wherein the lateral spacing of the one / single voxel is 3D printed relative to one or more lateral sides of the concentric adjacent turns; wherein the 3D printing of the conductive path includes 3D printing conductive vias along at least one other lateral side of the turns for electrical connection between turns in different layers; and wherein the lateral spacing between the adjacent concentric turns along the at least one other lateral side is at least two voxels so as to maintain an electrical insulation member with a minimum intra-layer characteristic size of at least two voxels between the turns along the at least one other lateral side.

[0202] Embodiment 30. A coil device, wherein the coil device is manufactured by the method according to Embodiment 28 or 29.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing an electrical component comprising a coil arrangement, the method comprising: 3D printing the coil device; wherein the 3D printing comprises: - 3D printing magnetic material to form a magnetic channel including a magnetic core of the coil arrangement; - 3D printing a conductive material to form a conductive channel, the conductive channel comprising a conductive winding of the coil arrangement, the conductive winding having turns surrounding the magnetic core; and - 3D printing a non-magnetic electrically insulating material to form an electrical insulator between the turns of the electrically conductive winding of the coil arrangement; Wherein, the functional structure of the electrical component, including the turns of the conductive windings of the coil device and the electrical insulation therebetween, are each printed with a minimum intra-layer feature size of at least two voxels of the 3D print, thereby facilitating robust and reliable 3D printing of the electrical component and reducing voxel printing errors.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The 3D printing includes printing a plurality of printing layers continuously along a printing direction; wherein the turns of the conductive winding are planarly 3D printed within the printing layer and are 3D printed in a plurality of the printing layers; and wherein the magnetic core passes through a plurality of continuous printing layers.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: At least some of the turns are 3D printed in consecutive layers.

4. The method according to claim 2, comprising: - 3D printed electrical insulation between adjacent turns, the electrical insulation having a minimum intra-layer feature size of at least two voxels of the 3D printed electrical insulation material; as well as -3D print conductive vias to electrically connect between wire turns in different layers.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein: The turns include adjacent concentric turns printed in successive layers of the 3D printed layer with a lateral spacing of one voxel between the adjacent concentric turns.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The lateral spacing of the one voxel between adjacent concentric turns is arranged relative to one or more lateral sides of the adjacent concentric turns, and wherein the conductive vias are arranged along at least one other lateral side of the concentric turns; and wherein the lateral spacing between the adjacent concentric turns along the at least one other lateral side is at least two voxels so as to maintain the electrical insulation along the at least one other lateral side with the minimum intra-layer feature size of the at least two voxels.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The turns include adjacent concentric turns 3D printed within the same layer and at least one adjacent concentric turn printed in a continuous layer above or below the same layer; and wherein, along the one or more lateral sides, the lateral spacing between the adjacent concentric turns in the same layer is four voxels, and along at least one other lateral side, the lateral spacing between the adjacent concentric turns in the same layer is six voxels; thereby facilitating the minimum intra-layer characteristic size of the electrical insulation between each of the adjacent concentric turns and the at least one adjacent concentric turn.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The magnetic channel is configured with an open magnetic path configuration, and the printing of the magnetic channel includes printing a pair of flux collectors at opposite ends of the magnetic core, the flux collectors having respective flux collecting surfaces defining a magnetic axis of the coil therebetween.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The flux collecting surface of the flux collector is wider than the magnetic core.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The flux collector is tapered, with its tapered narrower faces connected at respective opposite ends of the magnetic core and its wider faces serving as the flux collecting faces.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The magnetic core has a rod-like shape.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The coil is a flat coil having a small aspect ratio between its length along its magnetic axis and its width transverse to its magnetic axis; and wherein the magnetic channel is 3D printed along a tortuous path such that one or more segments of the magnetic core extend along a transverse direction relative to the magnetic axis of the coil, the length of the one or more segments being greater than a distance between the pair of flux collectors; and wherein the arrangement of the conductive winding comprises a plurality of turns surrounding the one or more segments of the magnetic core; Thereby enabling a high count of the turns to be provided along the length of the one or more sections of the magnetic core and an improved sensitivity of the coil to be obtained.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The tortuous path of the magnetic channel causes the magnetic core to have a vertical rod-like shape extending along the transverse direction relative to the magnetic axis.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The tortuous path of the magnetic channel causes the magnetic core to have a helical or zigzag shape, and wherein the turns of the conductive winding wrap around one or more of the segments in the helical or zigzag shaped magnetic core.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The tortuous path of the magnetic channel causes the magnetic core to have a coiled shape surrounding one or more of the turns of the conductive winding.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The 3D printing includes: (a) providing a curable resin, the curable resin comprising: - a magnetic material resin comprising magnetic material particles suspended in a curable polymer binder; - a conductive material resin comprising conductive material particles suspended in a curable polymer binder; - a non-magnetic dielectric material resin comprising particles of non-magnetic dielectric material suspended in a curable polymer binder; and (b) 3D printing the curable resin, comprising: - 3D printing and curing the magnetic material resin in the area of ​​the magnetic channel; - 3D printing and curing the conductive material resin at the area of ​​the conductive pathway; and - 3D printing and curing of the non-magnetic dielectric material areas of the electrical component not occupied by the magnetic and conductive channels; thereby forming a 3D printed structure of the electrical component; and (c) sintering the 3D printed structure of the electrical component at a temperature sufficient to burn or drive off the polymer, thereby achieving nearly 100% ceramic or metal density in the electrical component.

17. A coil having a small aspect ratio between its length along its magnetic axis and its width transverse to its magnetic axis; the coil comprising: A main body, the main body having a block, the block being 3D printed using a non-magnetic electrically insulating material; a magnetic channel 3D printed in the body using a magnetic material, wherein the magnetic channel comprises: at least one pair of flux collectors having respective flux collecting surfaces perpendicular to the magnetic axis of the coil; and a magnetic core of the coil connected between at least two flux collectors; and a conductive pathway 3D printed in the body using a conductive material, wherein the conductive pathway comprises an arrangement of conductive windings having a plurality of turns surrounding the magnetic core; wherein the magnetic channel is 3D printed using a curved path such that one or more segments of the magnetic core extend in a lateral direction relative to the magnetic axis of the coil, and wherein the conductive channel is 3D printed such that the turns of the conductive winding wrap around one or more of the segments of the magnetic core.

18. An electronic component, comprising at least one coil; the electronic component comprising: a magnetic channel, the magnetic channel comprising a magnetic core of the at least one coil, the magnetic channel being 3D printed using a magnetic material; and a conductive pathway, the conductive pathway being 3D printed using a conductive material, wherein the conductive pathway comprises an arrangement of conductive windings having a plurality of turns surrounding the magnetic core; an electrical insulator, the electrical insulator being 3D printed between the turns using a non-magnetic electrical insulating material; Wherein, the 3D printed functional structure of the coil, including the turns and the electrical insulation therebetween, is each printed with a minimum intra-layer feature size of at least two voxels of the 3D print.

19. The electronic component according to claim 18, wherein the electronic component is 3D printed by continuously printing a plurality of printing layers along a printing direction; and wherein: Each of the turns of the conductive winding is planarly 3D printed within one of the printed layers, and the turns are 3D printed in a plurality of the printed layers; and wherein the magnetic core passes through a plurality of consecutive printed layers.

20. An electronic component according to claim 19, wherein the electronic component comprises an electrical insulator, which is 3D printed between adjacent turns of the conductive winding with a minimum intra-layer feature size of the electrical insulator, and the minimum intra-layer feature size of the electrical insulator is at least two voxels of the 3D printed electrical insulating material; and the conductive path comprises a conductive via, which is 3D printed to electrically connect between turns in different layers.

21. The electronic component according to claim 20, wherein The turns include concentric adjacent turns that are 3D printed in successive layers of the 3D printed layer with a lateral spacing of one voxel between the concentric adjacent turns.

22. The electronic component according to claim 21, wherein The lateral spacing of the one voxel between concentric adjacent turns is from one or more lateral sides of the adjacent concentric turns, and wherein the conductive vias are 3D printed along at least one other lateral side of the concentric turns; and wherein the lateral spacing between the adjacent concentric turns along the at least one other lateral side is at least two voxels so as to maintain the minimum intra-layer feature size of the insulating member to at least two voxels along the at least one other lateral side.

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