Canted Edge Interface Adapter for Implantable Lead Connection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Compact connector terminals on implantable medical electrical leads, such as those conforming to the IS-4 standard, complicate temporary electrical connections during implant evaluation, making them less reliable and easier to use due to reduced contact surface area.
Innovation Solution
An interface adapter with a sidewall that includes a receptacle for the connector terminal, featuring canted external edges and a ridge with laterally extending portions to hold connector members of external medical devices in a tilted orientation, ensuring stable electrical contact with the terminal's contacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If connector terminals are designed with reduced contact surface area to increase lead functionality and reduce size, then lead compactness is improved, but temporary electrical connection reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The adapter serves as an intermediary device between the external medical device and the compact connector terminal. It provides a larger contact surface area for temporary connections without increasing the size of the implantable lead itself, thus resolving the contradiction between lead compactness and connection reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The adapter extends the connection interface in a different dimension (external to the lead body), allowing the contact surfaces to be larger than the compact terminal while maintaining the lead's small size. The adapter body provides additional space for contact members to interface with the terminal contacts
2Volume of moving object
If connector terminals are designed with reduced contact surface area to increase lead functionality, then lead compactness is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The adapter acts as a mediator that simplifies the connection process by providing a larger, more accessible contact surface. The extended body of the adapter allows external medical devices to easily make temporary connections without requiring precise alignment with the compact terminal
Solution Approach 2:
The adapter is pre-attached to the connector terminal, preparing the interface for easy connection. The contact surfaces are pre-positioned and exposed through the adapter body, eliminating the need for complex alignment operations during temporary connections
Data Source
AI summary
An interface adapter for an implantable medical electrical lead facilitates temporary electrical connection between an external medical device and a connector terminal of the lead. A sidewall of the adapter surrounds a receptacle of the adapter and includes a contact opening formed therethrough, to the receptacle; the sidewall further includes at least one external feature that holds a connector member of the external medical device in a tilted orientation. The tilted orientation biases a contact surface of the connector member through the contact opening and into electrical contact with an exposed connector contact of the lead connector terminal, when the terminal is inserted within the receptacle of the adapter.