Fluid resistant locking electrical connector for ventricular assist devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10124101-B2
Application number	US-201715659366-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2017
Priority date	Jul 27, 2016
Publication date	Nov 13, 2018
Grant date	Nov 13, 2018

Abstract

A fluid resistant electrical connector for an implantable medical device includes a first connector assembly and a second connector assembly. The first connector assembly includes a first housing, an elongated coupling member, and first electrical contacts distributed around the coupling member. The second connector assembly includes a second housing, second electrical contacts, and a retention member. The second housing has a coupling member receptacle and a retention member receptacle. The coupling member receptacle is shaped to accommodate a distal portion of the coupling member. The retention member is partially accommodated by the retention member receptacle and movable between an insertion configuration accommodating coupling of the first and second connector assemblies and a retention configuration retaining the coupling member to prevent inadvertent uncoupling of the electrical connector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fluid resistant electrical connector for an implantable medical device, the electrical connector comprising:
a first connector assembly comprising:
a first housing having a first housing receptacle;
a coupling member mounted to the first base housing and extending within the first housing receptacle in a direction towards a distal end of the first housing; and
first electrical contacts mounted to the first housing, distributed around the coupling member, and extending within the first housing receptacle in the direction towards the distal end of the first housing;

a second connector assembly connectable with the first connector assembly, the second connector assembly comprising:
a second housing having a coupling member receptacle and a retention member receptacle, the coupling member receptacle being shaped to accommodate a distal portion of the coupling member, the retention member receptacle being oriented transverse to and intersecting the coupling member receptacle;
second electrical contacts mounted to the second housing, each of the second electrical contacts being connected to a respective one of the first electrical contacts when the first connector assembly and the second connector assembly are connected; and
a retention member at least partially accommodated by the retention member receptacle and moveable transverse to the direction towards the distal end of the first housing to retain the distal portion of the coupling member in the coupling member receptacle.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein:
the first connector assembly comprises a support member mounted to the first housing; and
the first electrical contacts are mounted to the support member.

3. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein:
the first electrical contacts comprise male electrical contacts that extend within the first housing receptacle in the direction towards the distal end of the first housing; and
the second electrical contacts comprise female electrical contacts.

4. The electrical connector of claim 3 , comprising electrical contact seals, each of the electrical contact seals interfacing with one of the first electrical contacts to block fluid ingress into a respective one of the second electrical contacts.

5. The electrical connector of claim 3 , comprising a perimeter seal that interfaces with the second housing and a distal end of the first housing when the second connector assembly is connected with the first connector assembly to block fluid ingress into the first housing receptacle.

6. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the retention member has a shaped slot including a slot first portion and a slot second portion, the slot first portion accommodates insertion of the distal portion of the coupling member into the slot first portion, the slot second portion retains the distal portion of the coupling member within the slot second portion.

7. The electrical connector of claim 6 , wherein the retention member is shaped to limit movement of the retention member relative to the second housing, when the slot first portion is aligned with the coupling member receptacle, to transverse movement towards alignment of the slot second portion with the coupling member receptacle.

8. The electrical connector of claim 6 , wherein the retention member is securable to the second housing to prevent movement of the retention member relative to the second housing that would move the distal portion of the coupling member away from the slot second portion.

9. The electrical connector of claim 8 , wherein:
the second housing has an externally-exposed aperture transverse to and intersecting the retention member receptacle; and
the retention member has a retention aperture that can be aligned with the externally-exposed aperture of the second housing to accommodate a suture that secures the retention member to the second housing.

10. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the first electrical contacts comprises three male electrical contacts.

11. A fluid resistant electrical connector for an implantable medical device, the electrical connector comprising:
a first connector assembly comprising:
a first housing having a first housing receptacle;
a coupling member mounted to the first base housing and extending in a direction towards a distal end of the first housing; and
male electrical contacts mounted to the first housing, distributed around the coupling member, and extending within the first housing receptacle in the direction towards the distal end of the first housing;

a second connector assembly connectable with the first connector assembly, the second connector assembly comprising:
a second housing having a coupling member receptacle and a retention member receptacle, the coupling member receptacle being shaped to accommodate a distal portion of the coupling member, the retention member receptacle being oriented transverse to and intersecting the coupling member receptacle;
female electrical contacts mounted to the second housing, each of the female electrical contacts being connected to a respective one of the male electrical contacts when the first connector assembly and the second connector assembly are connected;

electrical contact seals, each of the electrical contact seals interfacing with one of the male electrical contacts to block fluid ingress into a respective one of the female electrical contacts; and
a retention member at least partially accommodated by the retention member receptacle and moveable transverse to the direction towards the distal end of the first housing to retain the distal portion of the coupling member in the coupling member receptacle.

12. The electrical connector of claim 11 , wherein:
the first connector assembly comprises a support member mounted to the first housing; and
the male electrical contacts are mounted to the support member.

13. The electrical connector of claim 11 , comprising a perimeter seal that interfaces with the second housing and a distal end of the first housing when the second connector assembly is connected with the first connector assembly to block fluid ingress into the first housing receptacle.

14. The electrical connector of claim 11 , wherein the retention member has a shaped slot including a slot first portion and a slot second portion, the slot first portion accommodates insertion of the distal portion of the coupling member into the slot first portion, the slot second portion retains the distal portion of the coupling member within the slot second portion.

15. The electrical connector of claim 14 , wherein the retention member is shaped to limit movement of the retention member relative to the second housing, when the slot first portion is aligned with the coupling member receptacle, to transverse movement towards alignment of the slot second portion with the coupling member receptacle.

16. The electrical connector of claim 14 , wherein the retention member is securable to the second housing to prevent movement of the retention member relative to the second housing that would move the distal portion of the coupling member away from the slot second portion.

17. The electrical connector of claim 16 , wherein:
the second housing has an externally-exposed aperture transverse to and intersecting the retention member receptacle; and
the retention member has a retention aperture that can be aligned with the externally-exposed aperture of the second housing to accommodate a suture that secures the retention member to the second housing.

18. A

Assignees

• Tc1 Llc

Inventors

• Wong Kenneth
• Hsu George Chao-Chih
• Orduna Thomas
• Sage Shahn S

Classifications

• A61M2039/1077

  Adapters, e.g. couplings adapting a connector to one or several other connectors · CPC title

• H01R2201/12

  for medicine and surgery · CPC title

• A61M1/101

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A61M1/122 Primary

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A61M1/127

  Human Necessities · mapped topic