Cermet Bushing for Implantable Devices
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical bushings for implantable medical devices face challenges in achieving hermetic sealing and efficient manufacturing, particularly with the integration of metal lead wires into ceramic base bodies, which requires complex and error-prone soldering processes, and often results in undesired solder connections and high production costs.
Innovation Solution
The development of an electrical bushing with a cermet-containing conducting element that forms a continuous, ohmic connection and is integrated with an inductive filter structure, allowing for hermetic sealing and simplified manufacturing through sintering, eliminating the need for additional soldering steps and reducing the risk of solder connection errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If metal lead wires are integrated into ceramic base bodies through soldering, then electrical connection is achieved, but manufacturing complexity and error rate increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the lead wire and ceramic base body into a single sintered component, eliminating the need for separate soldering operations. The cermet material integrates metallic conductive phases within a ceramic matrix, creating a unified structure that performs both structural and electrical functions simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses cermet (ceramic-metal composite) materials that combine the advantages of both ceramic and metal properties. The composite structure provides electrical conductivity through metallic phases while maintaining the mechanical strength and hermetic sealing capabilities of ceramic, eliminating the need for separate soldering of metal wires into ceramic bodies.
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional soldering processes are used for connecting lead wires, then electrical connection is established, but production costs and error rates increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical soldering process with a thermal sintering process. Instead of using solder joints to connect separate components, the entire assembly is sintered as one piece, eliminating the need for mechanical joining operations and associated quality control issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The cermet material inherently provides both structural integrity and electrical conductivity within a single component. The material structure serves multiple functions simultaneously, eliminating the need for additional connecting elements or joining processes.
3Reliability
If hermetic sealing is achieved through complex assembly processes, then sealing reliability improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sealing function into the base body structure itself through the cermet material properties. The integrated structure eliminates gaps and joints between separate components, providing hermetic sealing as an inherent property rather than through additional sealing operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a reliable, hermetically sealed electrical connection with low resistance and high conductivity, suitable for MRI applications, while simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing production costs and errors.
Implementation Method 1
The electrical bushing includes at least one electrically insulating base body and at least one electrical conducting element provided by a sintering process
Implementation Method 2
The at least one electrical conducting element forms at least one conducting section of an inductor of the filter structure
Data Source
AI summary
On aspect relates to an electrical bushing for use in a housing of an implantable medical device. The bushing includes at least one electrically insulating base body and at least one electrical conducting element. The conducting element is set up to establish, through the base body, at least one electrically conductive connection between an internal space of the housing and an external space. The at least one conducting element comprises at least one cermet such that the conducting element is hermetically sealed with respect to the base body. The bushing includes an electrical filter structure. The at least one conducting element provides at least a one conducting section of the filter structure and the base body provides at least one dielectric section of the filter.