Electric connector suitable for surgical super-electric hybrid energy platform

Abstract

The utility model provides an electric connector suitable for a surgical super-electric hybrid energy platform. The electric connector comprises a socket fixed on surgical equipment and a plug connected with an external cable. According to the technical scheme of the utility model, through arranging the plugging body on the socket and arranging the plugging cavity on the plug, when the socket and the plug are plugged in each other, the cylindrical plugging body on the socket and the cylindrical cavity on the plug are plugged in each other, and the metal male pins and the metal female pins in the socket and the plug are plugged in each other to form nested plugging, so that the socket has higher plugging stability and is not easy to fall off in use. Meanwhile, the influence of a high-frequency current circuit on other circuits is isolated through the metal pins isolated by the plugging bodies, the creepage distance between the electrodes is increased under the condition that the port area is not increased, the output of super-electric hybrid energy and the signal transmission between surgical instruments are effectively supported, and the safety of the system and the stability of the circuits are ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of connectors, and more particularly to an electrical connector suitable for surgical superelectric hybrid energy platforms. Background Technology

[0002] The surgical hybrid energy platform supports the application of ultrasonic electrosurgery, outputting both ultrasonic energy (55 kHz) to drive the ultrasonic scalpel and high-frequency electrical energy (470 kHz) to drive the electrosurgery. Simultaneously, there is information exchange between the surgical equipment and instruments, transmitted via low-voltage, low-frequency signals.

[0003] In operation, the voltage of high-frequency energy is usually above several hundred volts, and leakage current is quite obvious. The placement of conductors and insulators around it must comply with safety regulations. Otherwise, it may not only affect other circuits, but also cause surface flashover or breakdown on the surface of the insulator, increasing safety risks.

[0004] Therefore, the electrical connectors between surgical equipment and surgical instruments need to be specially designed to not only support the connection of two types of energy and control circuits, but also meet electrical safety requirements. Utility Model Content

[0005] This invention provides an electrical connector suitable for surgical superelectric hybrid energy platforms, which solves the problem of safe connection between surgical instruments and surgical superelectric hybrid energy platforms.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this utility model provides an electrical connector suitable for surgical superelectric hybrid energy platforms, comprising:

[0007] Sockets for attaching to surgical equipment and plugs for connecting external cables;

[0008] The socket includes a fixed base, and an annular plug-in end housing and a wiring end housing extending from the two end faces of the fixed base, respectively. Inside the plug-in end housing, there are multiple columnar plug bodies with built-in metal pins forming multiple sockets.

[0009] The plug includes a plug body and a plug housing. The plug body has multiple columnar cavities on the side facing the insertion direction, with embedded metal male pins. The columnar cavities are adapted to the shape of the plug body on the socket. The plug body is covered by the plug housing, and in the insertion direction, it forms a shape adapted to the inner wall of the plug end housing on the socket.

[0010] When the socket and the plug are inserted together, the cylindrical connector on the socket is inserted into the cylindrical cavity on the plug, and the male and female metal pins inside are inserted into each other.

[0011] The technical solution of this utility model, by setting a plug-in body on the socket and a plug-in cavity on the plug, allows the cylindrical plug-in body on the socket to mate with the cylindrical cavity on the plug during insertion. The internal metal male and female pins interlock, forming a nested connection, which provides higher insertion stability and prevents the plug from falling out during use. Simultaneously, the metal pins isolated by the plug-in body isolate the high-frequency current line from the influence of other lines, increasing the creepage distance between electrodes without increasing the port area. This effectively supports the output of superelectric hybrid energy and signal transmission with surgical instruments, ensuring system safety and circuit stability.

[0012] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and do not limit the present invention. Attached Figure Description

[0013] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the application scenario of the electrical connector provided in the embodiment;

[0015] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the plug-in terminal structure of the socket provided in the embodiment;

[0016] Figure 3 A front view of the plug end of the socket provided in the embodiment;

[0017] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the wiring terminal structure of the socket provided in the embodiment;

[0018] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the longitudinal section of the socket provided for an embodiment;

[0019] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the plug's mating end structure provided for an embodiment;

[0020] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the plug and socket after they are inserted into each other, as provided in the embodiment.

[0021] Figure 8 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of the first row of sockets of the electrical connector provided in the embodiment;

[0022] Figure 9 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of the second row of sockets of the electrical connector provided in the embodiment.

[0023] Figure label:

[0024] 10: Socket; 13: Terminal housing; 21: Plug body

[0025] 20: Plug; 14: Post-shaped connector; 22: Plug housing

[0026] 30: Surgical equipment; 15: Metal master needle; 23: Columnar cavity.

[0027] 40: Ultrasonic transducer; 121: Anti-reverse insertion groove; 24: Metal male pin.

[0028] 50: Surgical instruments; 16: Fixation holes; 221: Anti-reverse insertion protrusions.

[0029] 11: Fixed base; 17: Annular gap; 25: Silicone sheath.

[0030] 12: Connector housing; 18: Insulating barrier; 251: Anti-slip texture. Detailed Implementation

[0031] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of this disclosure, the technical solutions of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of this disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of this disclosure. Furthermore, for clarity, parts unrelated to the described exemplary embodiments have been omitted from the drawings.

[0032] In this specification, it should be understood that terms such as "comprising" or "having" are intended to indicate the presence of features, figures, steps, behaviors, components, portions, or combinations thereof disclosed in this disclosure, and are not intended to exclude the possibility of one or more other features, figures, steps, behaviors, components, portions, or combinations thereof being present or added. It should also be noted that, unless otherwise specified, embodiments and features within embodiments of this disclosure can be combined with each other.

[0033] This disclosure discloses an electrical connector suitable for a surgical superelectric hybrid energy platform, comprising a socket and a plug. The socket is disposed on the surgical device, and the plug connects to an external cable for connection to the surgical instruments. Through the cooperation of the plug and socket, energy transfer and signal transmission between the surgical device and the surgical instruments can be realized. Embodiments of this connector are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] Figure 1 The application scenarios of the electrical connectors provided in this disclosure are shown.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, in the application scenario of the surgical superelectric hybrid energy platform, the surgical device 30 outputs superelectric hybrid energy. A socket 10 port is located below the panel of the surgical device 30. A plug 20 connects to an external cable, the other end of which connects to an ultrasonic transducer 40. The ultrasonic transducer 40 is detachably connected to the surgical instrument 50, facilitating the replacement of consumables and sterilization.

[0036] In use, plug 20 is inserted into socket 10, allowing surgical device 30 to output hybrid ultrasonic energy to ultrasonic transducer 40 via the electrical connector. Ultrasonic transducer 40 converts the ultrasonic energy into ultrasonic vibrations, which are then transmitted to the actuating end of surgical instrument 50, enabling ultrasonic scalpel functionality. High-frequency electrical energy is also transmitted directly to the actuating end of surgical instrument 50 via ultrasonic transducer 40, enabling bipolar electrosurgery functionality in the jaws. Simultaneously, during use, the control and detection-related signal currents generated by surgical instrument 50 are transmitted via ultrasonic transducer 40 and cable, then through the electrical connector to surgical device 30, thus achieving information exchange between surgical instrument 50 and surgical device 30.

[0037] The socket and plug of the electrical connector provided in this disclosure will be described below.

[0038] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the plug-in terminal structure of the socket provided in the embodiment. Figure 3 This is a front view of the plug.

[0039] like Figure 2 As shown, the socket 10 includes a fixed base 11, and an annular plug-in housing 12 and a terminal housing 13 extending from the two end faces of the fixed base 11, respectively. Within the plug-in housing 12, multiple columnar plug bodies 14 are provided, each containing a metal female pin 15, forming multiple sockets. The multiple female pins are respectively fastened to their respective plug bodies and pass through the fixed base 11 for fixation.

[0040] like Figure 3 As shown, the mounting base 11 is rectangular with rounded corners and a thickness, for example, 5 mm. The connector housing 12 has smooth edges and corners, forming a flattened oval shape. The end face of the mounting base 11 is larger than the cross-section of the housing 12, thus forming two symmetrical side wings outside the annular housing. Each side wing has two fixing holes 16 for connecting and fixing to the port on the chassis of the surgical device. The terminal housing 13 on the back of the mounting base 11 also has the same shape as the connector housing 12.

[0041] The mounting base 11, socket housings 12 and 13, and plug body 14 are made of PPSU, which allows for use in medical environments and under high-temperature steam sterilization conditions. These components can be molded into a single structure.

[0042] The socket has more than six holes, preferably nine. At least two of these are connected to the ultrasonic energy circuit, two to the high-frequency energy circuit, and two to the signal circuit. In addition, there are other functional electrodes. For example, adding electrodes to connect to the floating ground electrode of surgical instruments can improve device safety and reduce the risk of electric shock. Furthermore, electrodes can be added to enable functions such as detection, counting, and encryption of surgical instruments to support a wider range of applications. Specific functional electrodes can be added according to requirements. A connector with the above-mentioned functional electrodes has nine electrodes, i.e., nine holes, such as... Figure 2 As shown.

[0043] Furthermore, the floating ground pin and the negative pin of the signal line can be short-circuited to make the negative terminal of the signal line and the floating ground pin at the same potential. This connection structure facilitates energy transfer after connection with the ultrasonic transducer: the metal shell of the ultrasonic transducer is used to connect the negative terminal of the signal line and the negative terminal of the high-frequency current line. At this time, it can form an equipotential with the floating ground pin, so the metal shell of the ultrasonic transducer can be used as an electrode to transfer energy, and the safety requirements are met.

[0044] The arrangement of the multiple sockets and the spacing of the metal pins are designed according to the application scenario, aiming to reduce the port area while meeting electrical performance requirements, especially when a bipolar electrosurgical unit is enabled, where the high-frequency voltage in the circuit reaches several hundred volts. In this embodiment, the multiple sockets are arranged in two parallel columns, with equal spacing between the sockets in each column, and the spacing between the sockets in the first column is greater than that in the second column; the sockets in the first column contain metal female pins of a first specification, and the sockets in the second column contain metal female pins of a second specification; the sockets in the first column are used to connect the energy output circuit of the surgical equipment.

[0045] The multiple pins can be arranged in a regular two-row arrangement as described in the above embodiments, or in an irregular arrangement in a ring or other shapes. The number of sockets can be increased as needed to achieve more functions. When the number of sockets is increased, the simple two-row structure can achieve a regular shape without increasing the port area excessively, and can also reduce the complexity of the manufacturing process.

[0046] Specifically, when the socket has 9 sockets, the first row has 4 sockets with a socket spacing greater than 5.5mm, preferably 6mm; the second row has 5 sockets with a spacing greater than 5.0mm, preferably 5.5mm; the female pins in the first row have an insertion diameter of 1.5mm, and the female pins in the second row have an insertion diameter of 1.0mm. Because the pin spacing of the connectors for the power source circuit is larger, the creepage distance between electrodes is increased. Simultaneously, the spacing between the two rows ensures sufficient creepage distance, reducing the impact of the power line on the signal line.

[0047] The metal female pins fixed within the connector body can also be recessed, meaning the pin tip is lower than the top surface of the connector body by more than 0.5mm, with a preferred difference of 1mm. This recessed design prevents electric shock to fingers, further enhancing the socket's safety. For ease of implementation, all metal female pins have the same pin tip height, and all connector body end faces have the same height. The cylindrical connector body has a thickness of 1–2mm and a height of 12–13mm. This dimension ensures the connector body has good insertion and extraction resistance and sufficient mating stability.

[0048] Furthermore, a crown spring terminal is provided inside the insertion port of the metal female needle. The crown spring terminal is floatingly installed inside the female needle insertion port. During insertion, the male needle is held by the elastic force of the claws inside the crown spring structure, achieving multi-point contact of the insertion needle. It features high reliability, gentle pulling force, low contact resistance, shock resistance, and impact resistance.

[0049] The connector housing 12 is provided with anti-reverse insertion grooves 121, which are located on one side of the connector housing 12, and there are two grooves. Correspondingly, the connector housing is provided with corresponding anti-reverse insertion protrusions 221. Figure 6 ).

[0050] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the wiring terminal structure of the socket provided in this embodiment.

[0051] like Figure 4 As shown, the terminal housing 13 contains multiple metal female pins 15. To reduce the impact of high-frequency current at the terminal on other circuits, an insulating barrier 18 is provided. This barrier, with its horizontal and vertical structure, individually isolates the two female pins connecting the high-frequency energy circuit and provides overall isolation for the first and second rows of female pins. Together with the housing 13, the insulating barrier 18 separates the multiple female pins into different areas. The distance between the female pins and the insertion barrier meets insulation requirements, and the insulating barrier increases the creepage distance between the two electrodes. The insulating barrier 18 has a thickness of 1–2 mm and a depth of 9–12 mm.

[0052] To further enhance the fixing performance of the fixing base 11 for multiple metal female pins 15, the end face of the fixing base 11 inside the plug-in housing 12 can be raised, increasing the proportion of the metal female pin body embedded in the base and providing a more secure fixation. The height of the raised end face is related to the specific length of the metal female pin. For example, if the overall length of the female pin is 25.5 mm and the insertion height is 12 mm, adding a section of raised end face to the original height of the fixing base will allow nearly half of the female pin body to be embedded in the base material, while the remaining insertion pin body can still ensure the electrode conductivity after insertion. Simultaneously, an annular gap 17 is left between the plug body 14 and the plug-in housing 12. When the plug is inserted into the socket, the plug housing will embed into this gap 17, thereby increasing the contact area between the plug and the socket. The structure of raising the end face of the base inside the housing 12 can be referenced... Figure 5 The given schematic diagram is a longitudinal section of the socket.

[0053] The structure of the plug is explained below.

[0054] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the plug's mating end structure provided in this embodiment.

[0055] like Figure 6 As shown, the plug 20 includes a plug body 21 and a plug housing 22. The plug body 21 has multiple cylindrical cavities 23 on the side facing the insertion direction, with metal male pins 24 embedded inside. The cylindrical cavities 23 are adapted to the shape of the plug body 14 on the socket 10. The plug body 21 is covered by the plug housing 22, and in the insertion direction, it forms a shape that is adapted to the inner wall of the plug end housing 12 on the socket 10.

[0056] When the socket 10 and plug 20 are inserted, the cylindrical connector 14 on the socket 10 is inserted into the cylindrical cavity 24 on the plug 20, and the metal male pin 24 and metal female pin 15 inside are inserted into each other. The end face of the plug housing 22 is higher than the end face of the plug body 21, so that it can be embedded in the annular gap 17 when inserted into the socket 10.

[0057] This nested plug-in design offers excellent plugging and unplugging resistance and stable connection performance. During surgical instrument use, even if the operator drags the cable, the plug will not easily fall off. Simultaneously, the independent sockets minimize interference between electrodes. Experiments have verified that when excited by high-frequency energy, the impact of the high-frequency current on other circuits is extremely low.

[0058] A reverse insertion protrusion 221 is provided on one side of the plug housing 22, the shape and number of which correspond to the reverse insertion groove 121 on the socket 10. When the socket and plug are inserted, they cooperate with each other, making it easy for the user to identify the up and down direction of the plug and preventing reverse insertion.

[0059] The tail of the plug 20 connects to the external cable and is covered by a silicone sleeve 25. One end of the silicone sleeve 25 is open to fit the shape of the plug, and the other end is open to fit the external cable. The silicone sleeve 25 has anti-slip texture 251. The silicone material used is suitable for medical environments and can be sterilized by high-temperature steam.

[0060] Furthermore, to improve the safety of the plug, the pins of the plug 20 can also be designed to be recessed to prevent accidental contact with a live plug after it is unplugged, and to prevent the pins from being contaminated and affecting electrical conductivity. Specifically, the top of the metal male pin 24 is lower than the end face of the plug body 21 by 0.5 to 1 mm, and the top face of the plug body 21 is lower than the end face of the plug housing 22 by 3 to 4 mm.

[0061] In this embodiment, the connector has a female pin on the socket that connects to the floating ground of the device. The top of the male pin corresponding to the female pin can be higher than other male pins, with a height difference of 2-3mm. This allows the floating ground to be connected first during insertion, improving safety during insertion and removal.

[0062] Except for the metal male pin, the plug body and plug shell of plug 20 are made of insulating material. They can be made of the same PPSU material as the socket and manufactured using a one-piece molding process, which helps to simplify the process and improve the firmness of the connection between the components.

[0063] In this embodiment, the metal pins of the electrical connector are made of gold-plated brass, which has excellent physical properties. Based on the current characteristics of ultrasonic and high-frequency currents, the pins connecting ultrasonic and high-frequency currents can be selected with slightly larger diameters; for example, the male pin diameter is 1.5mm, while the male pin diameter for connecting other lines is 1mm. The insertion depth of the male and female pins is greater than 4mm.

[0064] The socket 10 is elongated and flat, with anti-slip textures on the silicone sleeve, making it easy to handle and plug in. The plug 20 is designed to complement the socket 10. Therefore, once the socket 10 on the device meets the electrical requirements and insulation performance of the usage scenario, the plug 20 needs to be designed accordingly. This includes aspects such as the pin spacing, diameter, structure and depth of the separator, and shell thickness. These design details will not be elaborated here; the socket design can be referenced during implementation.

[0065] Based on the structure of the above-mentioned electrical connector, Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the plug and socket after they are plugged in is provided. Figure 8 , 9 The following are longitudinal cross-sectional views of the two rows of sockets of the electrical connector when the socket has 9 sockets and the pins are 1.5mm and 1.0mm respectively.

[0066] from Figure 8 , 9 As seen in the cross-sectional view, when the socket and plug are mated, the edge of the plug housing is embedded into the annular gap within the socket housing, forming the first layer of mating. The connector body on the socket is embedded into the cylindrical cavity on the plug, forming the second layer of mating. The female pin within the connector body and the male pin within the cavity interlock, forming the third layer of mating. This nested mating structure provides strong resistance to insertion and removal while minimizing the impact of high-frequency current at the connector on other electrodes and the surrounding environment. The connector's end-face structure is compact, supporting both hybrid electric energy connections and signal line connections using a single connection port, which is beneficial for the miniaturization design of host devices.

[0067] The above description is merely an embodiment of this disclosure and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Various modifications and variations can be made to this disclosure by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this disclosure should be included within the scope of the claims of this disclosure.

Claims

1. An electrical connector suitable for surgical superelectric hybrid energy platforms, characterized in that, include: Sockets for attaching to surgical equipment and plugs for connecting external cables; The socket includes a fixed base, and an annular plug-in housing and a wiring terminal housing extending from the two end faces of the fixed base, respectively. Inside the plug-in housing, there are multiple columnar plug bodies with built-in metal female pins forming multiple sockets. The insertion port of the metal female pin is provided with a crown spring terminal, which is floatingly installed in the female pin socket. During insertion, the male pin is held by the elastic force of the claws inside the crown spring structure, so as to achieve multi-point contact of the pin. The plug includes a plug body and a plug housing. The plug body has multiple columnar cavities on the side facing the insertion direction, with embedded metal male pins. The columnar cavities are adapted to the shape of the plug body on the socket. The plug body is covered by the plug housing, and in the insertion direction, it forms a shape adapted to the inner wall of the plug end housing on the socket. When the socket and the plug are inserted, the cylindrical connector on the socket is inserted into the cylindrical cavity on the plug, and the metal male and female pins inside are inserted into each other to form a three-layer nested insertion structure. The first layer is the annular gap formed between the plug housing and the plug end housing and the fixed base. The second layer is the cylindrical connector inserted into the cylindrical cavity. The third layer is the insertion of the metal male and metal female pins.

2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The socket has multiple holes arranged in two parallel rows, with equal spacing between holes in each row, and the spacing between holes in the first row is greater than that in the second row; the holes in the first row have built-in metal pins of a first specification, and the holes in the second row have built-in metal pins of a second specification; the holes in the first row are used to connect the output lines of ultrasonic energy and high-frequency electrical energy of the surgical equipment.

3. The electrical connector according to claim 2, characterized in that, The spacing between the pins in the first column is greater than 5.5 mm, and the spacing between the two columns is greater than 5.0 mm; the insertion diameter of the first specification metal pin is 1.5 mm, and the insertion diameter of the second specification metal pin is 1.0 mm.

4. The electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The socket has a reverse insertion groove on its plug housing, and the plug has a corresponding reverse insertion protrusion on its plug housing.

5. The electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The end face of the fixed base is larger than the cross-section of the plug-in end housing to form two symmetrical side wings. Each side wing is provided with two fixing holes for connecting and fixing to the chassis of the surgical equipment.

6. The electrical connector according to claim 3, characterized in that, The thickness of the columnar plug on the socket is 1~2mm, and the height is 12~13mm.

7. The electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The socket has a terminal housing containing the metal female pins. A horizontal and vertical insulating barrier is provided between the terminals of the metal female pins. The insulating barrier isolates the two female pins connected to the high-frequency energy line individually and isolates the first and second rows of female pins as a whole.

8. The electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plug is connected to an external cable at its tail end and is covered by a silicone sleeve. One end of the silicone sleeve is open to fit the shape of the plug, and the other end is open to fit the external cable. The silicone sleeve has anti-slip textures.

9. The electrical connector according to claim 3, characterized in that, The top of the metal male pin is lower than the end face of the plug body by 0.5-1mm, and the end face of the plug body is lower than the end face of the plug housing by 3-4mm.

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