Modular Lead Bore Assembly for Hermetic Implant Feedthroughs
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional feedthrough assemblies for implantable medical devices are device-specific, leading to increased design and manufacturing efforts due to size, position, and number dependencies, and often result in oversized components with unused conductors.
Innovation Solution
A modular lead bore system comprising hermetically and mechanically coupled lead bore modules, each with its own feedthrough assembly, allowing for customization of the number of contacts without the need for a separate feedthrough assembly, providing a hermetic seal and electrical coupling to the device circuitry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional device-specific feedthrough assembly is used, then the hermetic seal and electrical coupling are provided, but the design complexity and manufacturing efforts increase due to size, position, and number dependencies
Solution Approach 1:
The feedthrough assembly is divided into multiple modular lead bore modules, where each module contains a subset of electrical contacts and its own hermetic seal. This segmentation allows the overall assembly to be configured by selecting and combining a specific number of modules based on the required contact count, thereby reducing design complexity while maintaining hermetic integrity for each module.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional oversized feedthrough assembly is used to meet the needs of the most feature rich device, then all devices can be accommodated, but unused conductors result in wasted space and resources
Solution Approach 1:
The feedthrough assembly transitions from a fixed, static configuration to a dynamic, reconfigurable system where the number of lead bore modules can be adjusted based on the specific device requirements. This allows the assembly to adapt to different contact counts without being oversized, eliminating unused conductors while maintaining versatility across different device configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
Each lead bore module is designed as a universal, standardized unit that can be used in any position and combined with other identical modules. This universality allows the same module design to serve multiple functions across different device configurations, eliminating the need for custom-designed oversized assemblies while maintaining adaptability.
3Reliability
If a conventional device-specific feedthrough assembly is used, then the electrical contacts are coupled to the circuitry, but additional design and manufacturing efforts are required for each device variant
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical coupling function is segmented into identical, standardized lead bore modules that can be manufactured using the same processes. Each module provides reliable electrical coupling within its hermetic seal, and the overall assembly is created by repeating the same manufacturing steps for the required number of modules, significantly reducing additional design and manufacturing efforts for different device variants.
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 modular lead bore system reduces design complexity and manufacturing efforts by allowing for flexible configuration of contact numbers, maintaining hermeticity and electrical integrity while eliminating the need for device-specific feedthrough assemblies.
Implementation Method 1
The feedthrough assembly provides a hermetic seal to the conductive path, such as by having a conductor pass through a ferrule filled with a glass that is bonded to both the ferrule and the conductor to provide the hermetic seal
Implementation Method 2
The feedthrough assembly provides a conductive path from each of the electrical contacts to the circuitry while providing a hermetic seal
Data Source
AI summary
Implantable medical devices have modular lead bores that are constructed from individual lead bore modules. A given modular lead bore utilizes the number of individual lead bore modules necessary for the particular implantable medical device. Each lead bore module has a lead bore passageway and a feedthrough passageway. An electrical contact is present within the lead bore passageway of each lead bore module and the electrical contact is aligned to the lead bore passageway of a lead bore module. Hermetic feedthrough assemblies are also present within the lead bore passageway of each lead bore module. A feedthrough pin passes through a hermetic feedthrough assembly within a feedthrough passageway of each lead bore module. Each feedthrough pin is electrically coupled to a corresponding electrical contact and the medical device circuitry.