Implantable Power Source with Inner Housing Passageway

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

As implantable medical devices become smaller, the limited space for batteries and electrical components restricts component arrangement and requires miniaturization, often necessitating single-sided component placement or additional feedthroughs, which limits flexibility and movement within the device.

Innovation Solution

A power source design featuring an outer and inner housing with a passageway that allows electrical components to be disposed or move through, enabling flexible component arrangement and routing of electrical connections without additional feedthroughs, using insulators like glass or diffusion-bonded sapphire materials for electrical isolation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Volume of moving object

If the size of implantable medical devices is reduced, then the device becomes more compact and suitable for implantation, but the volume available to house battery and electrical components becomes smaller and more constricted

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice volumeVSAvoidcomponent arrangement flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements nesting by placing an inner housing within the outer housing of the power source. The inner housing contains a passageway that allows electrical components and wires to be routed through the center of the power source, effectively utilizing the internal volume and enabling compact device design while maintaining component arrangement flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transitions from traditional single-sided component placement to three-dimensional component arrangement by creating a passageway that extends through the power source. This allows components to be positioned in multiple spatial dimensions (inner housing, outer housing, and along the passageway), significantly increasing arrangement flexibility within the constrained device volume.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Device complexity

If traditional single-sided component placement is used, then the device structure is simpler, but the flexibility of larger devices is lost and additional feedthroughs are required

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower source structureVSAvoidcomponent routing flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The passageway in the inner housing serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides a routing path for electrical wires, accommodates electrical components, and eliminates the need for additional feedthrough connections. This multi-functional design increases component routing flexibility while avoiding the complexity of multiple separate structures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges the housing structure with the component routing function by integrating the passageway directly into the inner housing. This combination eliminates the need for separate feedthrough components and simplifies the overall power source structure while maintaining high routing flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Adaptability or versatility

If additional feedthroughs are added to enable component routing, then wiring flexibility is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewire routing flexibilityVSAvoidpower source assembly

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The passageway is pre-formed as an integral part of the inner housing structure during manufacturing. This preliminary action of creating the routing path in advance eliminates the need for additional feedthrough components and simplifies assembly, as wires can be directly routed through the pre-existing passageway without requiring complex multi-step fabrication processes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS20250001191A1Power source and implantable medical device including same

Publication Date: 2025.01.02 MEDTRONIC INC

AI summary

Various embodiments of a power source and an implantable medical device that includes such power source are disclosed. The power source extends along a longitudinal axis between a first end and a second end of the power source. The power source further includes an outer housing extending along the longitudinal axis; an inner housing disposed at least partially within the outer housing and electrically isolated from the outer housing, where the inner housing extends along the longitudinal axis; and a passageway defined by an inner surface of the inner housing. The passageway extends between the first end and the second end of the power source.