Isolated Pin Connector Structure for High-Voltage Electrode Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connectors for electrophysiology catheters lack adequate isolation between electrodes, leading to reduced effectiveness and safety issues due to the spread of high voltage across multiple electrodes.
Innovation Solution
An electrical connector design featuring insulative hollow posts and conductive pins, with complementary arrays in a plug and receptacle portion, ensuring precise electrical isolation and alignment, thereby allowing individual electrode control and higher voltage differentials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electrical connectors provide no isolation between electrodes, then device complexity is reduced, but high voltage spreads across multiple electrodes reducing therapy effectiveness and creating safety issues
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is segmented into multiple isolated contact elements, each corresponding to a specific electrode. The insulative body divides the connector into separate compartments that prevent electrical coupling between adjacent electrodes, allowing independent control of each electrode while maintaining a unified connector structure.
Solution Approach 2:
An insulative material acts as an intermediary between adjacent conductive contacts. This intermediate layer provides electrical isolation while maintaining mechanical support and alignment, enabling the connector to achieve both isolation functionality and structural integrity without excessive complexity.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If electrical connectors provide isolation between electrodes using traditional designs, then high voltage can be applied to individual electrodes, but creepage and clearance isolation requirements increase device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The connector merges multiple functions into a single integrated structure: electrical isolation, mechanical support, alignment guidance, and contact protection. The insulative body simultaneously provides creepage and clearance paths while housing the conductive contacts, eliminating the need for separate isolation components.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector uses composite construction combining insulative material (e.g., plastic or ceramic) with conductive elements (e.g., metal pins or contacts). This composite approach provides both electrical isolation and conductive pathways within a single component, satisfying isolation requirements without adding separate isolation structures.
3Ease of manufacture
If extant electrical connectors lack adequate isolation, then manufacturing is simpler, but electrode therapy effectiveness is reduced due to voltage spread
Solution Approach 1:
The insulative body is formed with pre-defined cavities or channels that guide the placement of conductive contacts. This preliminary structuring ensures proper isolation and alignment during manufacturing, eliminating the need for complex post-assembly isolation measures while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical connector includes a plug portion and a receptacle portion. The plug portion includes a plurality of conductive pins, with a portion of each conductive pin surrounded by a non-conductive post. The receptacle portion includes a plurality of conductive pins recessed into a corresponding plurality of recesses within the receptacle portion. When the plug portion is mated to the receptacle portion, the conductive pins of the plug portion are received within the recesses of the receptacle portion and electrically connected to the conductive pins of the receptacle portion. To advantageously increase creepage and clearance between pins, it is desirable for each recess to have a depth sufficient to receive both a conductive pin and a corresponding surrounding non-conductive post when the plug portion is mated to the receptacle portion.