Low Profile Connector With Side-Entry Guide Channel
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current electro-stimulation devices are bulky, complex, and lack user-friendly connection mechanisms, making them intrusive and painful to use, especially for sensitive areas or injuries, leading to poor user compliance.
Innovation Solution
A low-profile electrical connector system with a side-entry guide channel that allows lateral engagement of electrodes, reducing the need for vertical force and enabling wireless operation, along with a release actuator for easy disengagement, facilitating seamless integration into daily life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a vertical connection mechanism is used to connect the electrode to the stimulator, then the connection is secure, but it causes pain to injured tissue and is difficult to use on hard-to-reach areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a vertical connection approach to a lateral connection approach by introducing a side-entry guide channel. The electrode is inserted horizontally through the side of the housing rather than vertically from above, changing the dimension of application force. This lateral insertion path allows the connector to approach the electrode from the side, enabling connection to hard-to-reach areas without applying painful vertical pressure to injured tissue.
2Volume of moving object
If the connector housing is made compact with a side-entry guide channel, then the profile is lower and less intrusive, but the connection mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the guide channel and receptacle into an integrated lateral connection structure. The side-entry guide channel and the receptacle that holds the electrode are combined into a single housing unit, allowing the electrode to be guided and secured through a unified lateral insertion path. This integration achieves a compact low-profile design while managing complexity through functional consolidation rather than separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The side-entry guide channel acts as an intermediary structure that facilitates lateral electrode insertion. Rather than requiring direct vertical placement, the guide channel mediates the connection process by providing a horizontal pathway that guides the electrode into the receptacle, simplifying the user's task while maintaining secure connection.
3Ease of operation
If wireless control is implemented, then the device is less intrusive and more comfortable to wear, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces wired mechanical connections with wireless communication systems. Instead of using physical wires to transmit control signals and power, the system employs wireless technology (such as Bluetooth or other wireless protocols) to communicate between the mobile device and the stimulator. This substitution eliminates the physical intrusion of wires, significantly improving user comfort and mobility, while the added complexity is managed through integration of standard wireless communication modules.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A
AI summary
A low-profile electrical connector includes a housing having exterior perimeter sides and top and bottom surfaces, where the bottom surface is configured to extend along a user's body site and the top surface is spaced above the bottom surface. The connector also includes a side-entry guide channel disposed along the bottom surface. The channel includes an opening along the exterior perimeter side that is configured to receive an electrically conductive element. The channel is also configured to guide the electrically conductive element within the housing. The connector includes a receptacle positioned within the housing and forms an electrically conductive interface with the electrically conductive element.