Implantable Connector Protection Against Body Fluid Contamination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Implantable medical device connectors face contamination risks due to exposure to body fluids during decoupling and re-coupling, leading to potential current leakage and dendritic growth, which can cause device failure.
Innovation Solution
An implantable connector system with detachable mating parts and a protection structure that encloses the interfacing surfaces, using features like alignment projections and holes, and a machine for manipulating these parts within an environmentally controllable volume to prevent contamination, including decoupling and re-coupling mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If detachable mating parts are used to facilitate component replacement, then ease of repair is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to exposure to body fluids during decoupling and re-coupling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by providing a protective cover that pre-protects the interfacing surfaces before decoupling occurs. The cover is positioned to shield the mating surfaces from body fluid exposure before any contamination can occur, allowing safe decoupling and re-coupling operations while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective cover acts as an intermediary element between the interfacing surfaces and the body fluid environment. This mediator structure allows the detachable mating parts to be manipulated (decoupled and re-coupled) while preventing direct contact between the sensitive electrical interfaces and harmful body fluids.
2Ease of operation
If interfacing surfaces are exposed during decoupling and re-coupling, then ease of operation is improved, but harmful factors increase due to contaminant intrusion
Solution Approach 1:
The protective cover is positioned in advance to shield the interfacing surfaces before any decoupling or re-coupling operations begin. This preliminary protection allows surgical personnel to manipulate the detachable mating parts with ease while the cover prevents contaminants from reaching the exposed surfaces during the procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective cover functions as a flexible barrier structure that can accommodate the manipulation of detachable mating parts while maintaining protection. The cover design allows for ease of operation during decoupling and re-coupling while preventing harmful body fluids and contaminants from reaching the interfacing surfaces.
3Reliability
If protective structures are added to prevent contamination, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective cover is designed as a separate, modular component that can be independently positioned and removed. This segmentation allows the protection function to be added without fundamentally redesigning the entire connector structure, maintaining relatively simple overall device complexity while improving reliability through the addition of a discrete protective element.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective cover is implemented as a relatively simple shell or film structure rather than a complex mechanical system. This approach provides effective contamination protection while minimizing the increase in device complexity, as the cover can be designed as a straightforward protective envelope that integrates with existing connector geometries.
Data Source
AI summary
An implantable connector includes: first and second detachable mating parts configured to be implantable in living tissue, to terminate first and second segments of a cable, and have first and second interfacing surfaces, respectively; and a protection structure configured to protect against contaminant intrusion between the first and second interfacing surfaces. And a device for decoupling and re-coupling the detachable mating parts in an environmentally controllable volume is provided.