CLIP FOR MAKING A MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE CLIP AND A PIN, ESPECIALLY A FEEDTHROUGH PIN

Abstract

A clip for making a mechanical and electrically conductive connection between the clip and an electrically conductive pin. The clip has a base, and a first arm and an opposite second arm projecting out from the base. The first and the second arms each having a clipping area, the clipping areas of the first and second arms running toward one another and being designed to lie against the pin to make the mechanical and electrically conductive connection when the pin is arranged between the clipping areas of the first and second arms, respectively. A centering area departs from each of the clipping areas, that is, the clipping area of the first arm and the clipping area of the second arm, the centering area of the first arm and the centering area of the second arm diverging from one another.

Claims

1. A clip for making a mechanical and electrically conductive connection between the clip and an electrically conductive pin, the clip comprising: a base; a first arm and a second arm opposite said first arm, said first and the second arms projecting out from said base, and each of said first and second arms having a clipping area; said clipping area of said first arm and said clipping area of said second arm running toward one another and being configured to lie against the pin to make the mechanical and electrically conductive connection when the pin is disposed between said clipping area of said first arm and said clipping area of said second arm; and a centering area respectively departing from each of the clipping area of said first arm and said clipping area of said second arm, said centering area of said first arm and said centering area of said second arm diverging from one another.

2. The clip according to claim 1, wherein said clipping area of said first arm and said clipping area of said second arm are configured to be pretensioned against the pin to make the said connection when the pin is arranged between said clipping area of said first arm and said clipping area of said second arm.

3. The clip according to claim 1, wherein: each of said centering area of said first arm and said centering area of said second arm has an inner surface, said inner surface of said centering area of said first arm facing towards said inner surface of said centering area of said second arm; and said first arm and said second arm are configured such that pressing the pin against said facing inner surfaces of said centering areas of said first and second arms presses said first and second arms apart, to enable the pin to be arranged between said clipping area of said first arm and said clipping area of said second arm.

4. The clip according to claim 1, wherein said first arm and said second arm are integrally formed in one piece with said base.

5. The clip according to claim 1, further comprising a further base connected via a connection area with said base.

6. The clip according to claim 5, further comprising a third arm and a fourth arm opposite said third arm, each of said third and fourth arms having a clipping area, said clipping area of said third arm and said clipping area of said fourth arm running toward one another and being configured to lie against the pin to make the mechanical and electrically conductive connection when the pin is arranged between said clipping area of said third arm and said clipping area of said fourth arm, and a centering area departing from said clipping area of said third arm and a centering area departing from said clipping area of said fourth arm, said centering areas of said third arm and of said fourth arm diverging from one another.

7. The clip according to claim 6, wherein said third and the fourth arms project out from said further base.

8. The clip according to claim 6, wherein said base forms a welding area enabling the clip to be welded with the pin when the pin is arranged between said clipping area of said first arm and said clipping area of said second arm and/or said further base forms a further welding area enabling the clip to be welded with the pin when the pin is arranged between said clipping area of said third arm and said clipping area of said fourth arm.

9. The clip according to claim 6, wherein: said base has a front surface that faces the pin when the pin is arranged between said clipping area of said first arm and said clipping area of said second arm, and a back surface that faces away from said front surface of said base; said back surface of said base being a solderable connection surface; said further base has a front surface that faces the pin when the pin is arranged between said clipping area of said third arm and said clipping area of said fourth arm, and a back surface that faces away from said front surface of said further base; and said back surface of said further base being a solderable connection surface.

10. The clip according to claim 5, wherein said connection area has a front surface that faces the pin when the pin is arranged between said clipping areas of said arms, said front surface of said connection area being convexly curved to make contact with the pin.

11. The clip according to claim 1, wherein said base forms a welding area enabling the clip to be welded with the pin when the pin is arranged between said clipping area of said first arm and said clipping area of said second arm.

12. The clip according to claim 1, wherein: said base has a front surface that faces the pin when the pin is arranged between said clipping area of said first arm and said clipping area of said second arm, and a back surface that faces away from said front surface of said base; and said back surface of said base being a solderable connection surface.

13. A contact assembly, comprising: at least one clip according to claim 1; and at least one electrically conductive pin to be clamped to said at least one clip by way of said clipping areas of said at least one clip.

14. The assembly according to claim 13, wherein said at least one clip is welded with said at least one pin.

15. A medical device, comprising: at least one clip according to claim 1; and at least one electrically conductive pin, said at least one pin being clamped to said at least one clip by way of said clipping areas of said at least one clip.

16. The medical device according to claim 15, the medical device being an implantable medical device with a device housing and a header portion, and wherein: said clip is disposed within the header portion of the implantable device; said electrically conductive pin is a feedthrough pin configured to provide an electrical connection between an electrical contact or electrical component within said header portion and an electrical contact or an electrical component located within the device housing.

17. The medical device according to claim 16, wherein said clip is located within the device housing of the implantable device, wherein the medical device comprises a battery located within the device housing, wherein the electrically conductive pin is a feedthrough pin configured to provide an electrical connection between at least one electrical contact or electrical component and the battery of the medical device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0065] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an inventive clip, focusing especially on external wiring. Here a clip with a bent shape is arranged, e.g., at the end of the pin of every wiring band, this clip having at least two arms, each of which consists of a capture area or centering area and a clipping area, and each of which sticks out from a base of the clip. The centering areas serve, in particular, to compensate for existing tolerances and to center the feedthrough pin (2 of FIG. 1) with respect to the clip (1 of FIG. 1). The clipping areas surround the pin and prevent, in particular, movement of the clip relative to the pin. The base provides, in particular, a durable electrical contact to the pin and can also, when required, be welded at this place to provide a material bonding connection. Tolerances in the axial direction of the pin are compensated;

[0066] FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of clip according to the invention, focusing especially on external wiring. Here the inventive clip has four arms, each of which in turn has a centering area and a clipping area;

[0067] FIG. 3 shows another view of a clip of the type shown in FIG. 2;

[0068] FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of an inventive clip; in particular, the inventive clips here are not arranged on a band, but rather as individual components whose back surfaces are coated to make them solderable. In particular, here the clips are laid (possibly with a separate tab for automated placement) onto the respective substrate or onto the circuit, realizing a clip contact that functions transverse to the pin and that allows pins, e.g., pins of a battery, to be inserted into the clips. In particular, in this case the battery does not require any other auxiliary means such as connection pads or wiring bands.

[0069] FIG. 5 shows a view of a clip of the type shown in FIG. 4, the back surfaces of the bases of the clip being coated to make them solderable, in particular SMT solderable, so that the respective clip can be used, e.g., in a standard population process for an electronic circuit;

[0070] FIG. 6 shows, on the left, a flat sheet metal element from which an inventive clip of the type shown in FIG. 2 or 5 can be produced by shaping the sheet metal element; on the right side, two shaped sheet metal elements or clips are shown;

[0071] FIG. 7A shows a front view and FIG. 7B shows a rear view of a group of multiple clips with the electrical connection band;

[0072] FIG. 8 shows an implantable medical device with inventive clips, the device shown here as an example being a neurostimulator.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0073] FIG. 1 shows a simple embodiment of an inventive clip 1 for making a mechanical and electrically conductive connection between the clip 1 and at least one electrically conductive pin 2. The clip 1 has a base 10, also referred to as a base area 10, and a first arm 20 and an opposite second arm 30, the first and the second arms 20, 30 each sticking out from the base area 10 and each having a clipping area 21, 31 and a centering area 22, 32 departing from each of the clipping areas 21, 31, the respective centering areas 22, 32 preferably being made as a single piece with or integrally connected with the associated clipping areas 21, 31. The base 10 can have a wiring band (also called a connection band) 8 connected to it, through which the clip 1 can have electrically conductive connection with an electrical contact or a component.

[0074] As is shown in FIG. 1, the clipping areas 21, 31 of the two arms 20, 30 run toward one another and are designed to lie against the pin 2 to make the mechanical and electrically conductive connection, if the pin 2 is arranged between the clipping area 21 of the first arm 20 and the clipping area 31 of the second arm 30, the clip 1 or the clipping areas 21, 31 together with the base 10 surrounding the pin 2 in the peripheral direction of the pin 2, that is, lying against it in the direction transverse to the pin 2, in particular the clipping areas 21, 31 being pretensioned against the pin 2. The pin 2 can additionally be connected through a welded connection with the base 10, which in this case forms a welding area.

[0075] The two centering areas 22, 32 diverge from one another starting at the respective clipping areas 21, 31. The centering area 22 of the first arm 20 and the centering area 32 of the second arm 30 each have an inner surface 22a, 32a, these inner surfaces 22a, 32a facing one another, the first arm 20 and the second arm 30 being configured, in particular, so that pressing the pin 2 in the direction transverse to the axial direction of the pin 2 against the facing inner surfaces 22a, 32a of the centering areas 22, 32 presses the first arm and the second arm apart, so that the pin 2 can be arranged between the clipping area 21 of the first arm 20 and the clipping area 31 of the second arm 30.

[0076] According to the FIGS. 2 through 5, an inventive clip can also have four arms 20, 30, 40, 50. In this case, it is, in particular, provided that the clip 1, as is shown, e.g., in FIGS. 2 and 3, have a further base 12, or base area 12, which is integrally connected into a single piece with the base area 10 through a connection area 11.

[0077] As was already explained, the first and the second arms 20, 30 are connected with the base area 10, the additional third arm 40 and the additional fourth arm 50 departing from the further base area 12.

[0078] The third and the fourth arms 40, 50 each also have a clipping area 41, 51, the clipping area 41 of the third arm 40 and the clipping area 51 of the fourth arm 50 also running toward one another and being designed to lie against the pin 2 or to be pretensioned against it to make the mechanical and electrically conductive connection, if the pin 2 is arranged between the clipping area 41 of the third arm 40 and the clipping area 51 of the fourth arm 50. Furthermore, a centering area 42, 52 once again departs from each of the clipping areas, that is, the clipping area 41 of the third arm 40 and the clipping area 51 of the fourth arm 50, the centering area 42, 52 of the third arm 40 and the centering area 52 of the fourth arm 50 diverging starting from each of the associated clipping areas 41, 51.

[0079] The centering area 42 of the third arm 40 and the centering area 52 of the fourth arm 50 each also have an inner surface 42a, 52a, which serves to center or guide the pin 2 in the way described above for the two other arms 20, 30, if the pin 2 should be arranged between the clipping areas 41, 51.

[0080] Furthermore, the other base area 11 can also form a welding area, through which the clip 1 can additionally be weldable with the pin 2, if the pin 2 is arranged between the clipping area 41 of the third arm 40 and the clipping area 51 of the fourth arm 50, in the way it is supposed to be.

[0081] Especially in the case in which the clip 1 has four arms 20, 30, 40, 50, the connection area 11 can be in the form of a spring area or spring element, which makes an electrical contact with pin 2 and is pretensioned against it, if the pin 2 is arranged between the clipping areas 21, 31, 41, 51, as is shown in FIG. 3. To accomplish this, the connection area 11 a can have front surface 11a, which faces the pin 2, if the pin 2 is arranged between the clipping areas 21, 31, 41, 51 of the arms 20, 30, 40, 50, the front surface 11a of the connection area 10 being convexly curved to make contact with the pin 2. The back surface 11b can be correspondingly concavely curved (cf. FIG. 3).

[0082] Each of the inventive clips 1 can be bent in the way shown in FIG. 6 from a sheet metal element 1′ that has the respective arms 20, 30, 40, 50 as projections. In the case of the clip 1 according to FIG. 1, there are correspondingly only two projections for the arms 20, 30. This makes it extremely simple for the individual components 10, 11, 12, 20, 21, 22, 30, 31, 32, 40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52 of the clip 1 to be realized as elements that are connected together or made as an integral part.

[0083] Multiple inventive clips 1 can advantageously be used as is shown in FIG. 7, to make a corresponding number of electrical and mechanical connections between individual pins 2 and wiring bands 8 associated with the clips 1.

[0084] This can be used especially in the case of implantable medical devices 3, such as, e.g., cardiac pacemakers 3, to make an electrical and mechanical connection, e.g., of the type shown in FIG. 8, between a header 5 of such a cardiac pacemaker 3 and the pins 2 that are brought out of a housing 4 (especially a battery housing 4). The individual wiring bands 8, each of which is preferably an integral part with a clip 1, have an electrically conductive connection with the header 5.

[0085] FIGS. 4 and 5 show another application of the inventive clip concept. FIG. 5 provides that the respective base area 10, 12 have a back surface 10b, 12b (the front surfaces 10a, 12a are visible, e.g., in FIG. 6) that faces away from the pin 2 to be clipped, the back surfaces 10b, 12b being in the form of solderable connection surfaces, which therefore allow the respective clip 1 of the type shown in FIG. 4 to be arranged on a substrate 7 and to be soldered there with a corresponding electrical contact. In particular, this can be accomplished using an SMT process (SMT stands for Surface Mounted Technology). This makes it simple, e.g., to connect pins 2, which according to FIG. 4 are brought out of a battery 6, with the clip 1 associated with each of them. To accomplish this, the pins 2 only need to be inserted into the respective clip 1.