Skirted Feedthrough Shield Extender for Implantable Medical Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Reduced-size implantable medical device (IMD) housings with smooth, rounded exteriors are desirable for patient comfort and minimally invasive implantation, but they increase manufacturing complexity and cost.
Innovation Solution
The use of a skirted feedthrough assembly with a shield extender that extends the interior cavity of the IMD, providing a single continuous piece with feedthrough apertures and a smooth, rounded shape, eliminating the need for separate ferrules and allowing for reduced-size and cost-effective manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If a reduced-size housing with smooth, rounded exterior contours is used, then patient comfort and biocompatibility are improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The shield extender integrates multiple functions into a single component: it extends the shielded interior cavity, provides structural support for feedthrough apertures, and forms the smooth, rounded exterior contour of the housing. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate ferrules and reduces the number of manufacturing steps, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity and cost while maintaining the desired smooth exterior shape.
Solution Approach 2:
The feedthrough assembly is segmented into distinct functional regions within the single shield extender component: shielded interior cavity regions, feedthrough aperture regions, and exterior contour regions. This segmentation allows each region to be optimized for its specific function while being manufactured as an integrated piece, reducing the need for post-assembly operations and simplifying manufacturing.
2Volume of moving object
If a reduced-size housing is used, then the overall device size is reduced for minimally invasive implantation, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shield extender combines the functions of shield extension, feedthrough support, and exterior contour formation into a single integrated component. This merging reduces the total number of parts that need to be manufactured and assembled, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity even as the overall device size is reduced for minimally invasive implantation.
Solution Approach 2:
The shield extender serves multiple functions simultaneously: it extends the shielded cavity volume, provides structural support for electrical feedthroughs, and forms the smooth exterior contour. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed, simplifying manufacturing processes while enabling compact device design.
Data Source
AI summary
An implantable medical device (IMD) has a housing enclosing an electronic circuit. The housing includes a shield member defining a first portion of an interior cavity of the implantable medical device and a skirted feedthrough assembly. The feedthrough assembly includes a shield extender having a top face and a sidewall that extends from the top face so that the top face and the sidewall are a single continuous component. At least one feedthrough aperture extends through the top face.