Electrical connectors for medical devices

A method for making an electrical connector for a medical device, the method comprising:

• forming a main support having a front and a back opposite the front, a top and a bottom opposite the top, and a left and a right opposite the left;
• forming fingers that each extend forwardly from the front of the main support to a tip, wherein the fingers have a top and a bottom opposite the top with a finger height defined therebetween;
• forming walls that sandwich each of the fingers, and wherein the fingers are arranged from the left to the right of the main support such that gaps are defined between the fingers, wherein the walls each have a top and a bottom opposite the top that define a wall height therebetween, wherein the walls each extend away from the main support to a front edge, and wherein the wall height of each of the walls is greater than the finger height of each of the fingers and the front edges of the walls extends farther than the tips of the fingers from the main support;
• forming a flexible circuit board having an outer surface and an inner surface opposite the outer surface to have electrical leads on the outer surface thereof, wherein the flexible circuit board has a main section and a moveable section;
• defining openings through the flexible circuit board between the electrical leads;
• and
• positioning the main section of the flexible circuit board on the main support and folding the moveable section of the flexible circuit board around the fingers, and wherein the flexible circuit board is wrapped around the fingers such that the flexible circuit board is supported on both the top and the bottom of the fingers and the openings in the flexible circuit board are aligned with the gaps between the fingers.

An electrical connector for a medical device, the connector comprising:

• a main support having a front and a back opposite the front, a top and a bottom opposite the top, and a left and a right opposite the left, wherein a lock protrusion extends away from the bottom of the main support;
• fingers that extend forwardly from the front of the main support to a tip, wherein the fingers have a top and a bottom opposite the top, wherein a finger height is defined between the tops and bottoms of the fingers, wherein the fingers are arranged from the left to the right of the main support such that gaps are defined between the fingers, and wherein the fingers are coplanar with each other and with the main support;
• walls that sandwich each of the fingers, wherein the walls each have a top and a bottom opposite the top that define a wall height therebetween, wherein the walls extend away from the main support to a front edge, and wherein at least one of the wall height of each of the walls is greater than the finger height of each of the fingers and the front edges of the walls extends farther than the tips of the fingers from the main support, wherein the wall height of each of the walls is greater than the finger height of each of the fingers, and wherein the front edges of the walls extends farther than the tips of the fingers from the main support;
• and
• a flexible circuit board having an outer surface and an inner surface opposite the outer surface, wherein the flexible circuit board has a main section and a moveable section that extends forwardly from the main section to a board edge, wherein the flexible circuit board includes electrical leads that are exposed on the outer surface thereof, wherein openings are defined through the flexible circuit board between the electrical leads, and wherein the flexible circuit board is wrapped around the fingers such that the outer surface of the flexible circuit board is supported on both the top and the bottom of the fingers and the openings in the flexible circuit board are aligned with the gaps between the fingers, wherein a lock opening is defined through the flexible circuit board, wherein the lock opening is closer than the board edge to the main section along the outer surface of the flexible circuit board, wherein when the flexible circuit board is wrapped around the fingers the lock protrusion of the main support is received within the lock opening defined in the flexible circuit board.