US20130324808A1 - Duo connector patient cable - Google Patents

Abstract

A patient cable has a duo sensor connector having a first socket section and a second socket section. The first socket section is configured to removably attach a two-wavelength sensor. The second socket section in conjunction with the first socket section is configured to removably attach a multiple wavelength sensor in lieu of the two-wavelength sensor. A circuit housed in the duo sensor connector converts emitter array drive signals adapted for the multiple wavelength sensor into back-to-back emitter drive signals adapted for the two-wavelength sensor when attached.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
• The present application is a continuation of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/858,818, filed Sep. 20, 2007, titled “Duo Connector Patient Cable,” which claims the priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) from U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/846,260, filed Sep. 20, 2006, entitled “Duo Connector Patient Cable.” Each of the foregoing applications is hereby expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• Pulse oximetry provides a noninvasive procedure for measuring the oxygen status of circulating blood and has gained rapid acceptance in a wide variety of medical applications, including surgical wards, intensive care and neonatal units, general wards, and home care and physical training. A pulse oximetry system has a physiological sensor applied to a patient, a monitor, and a patient cable connecting the sensor and the monitor. The sensor has light emitters and a detector, which are attached to a tissue site, such as a finger. The patient cable transmits emitter drive signals from the monitor to the sensor. The emitters respond to the drive signals so as to transmit light into the tissue site. The detector is responsive to the emitted light after attenuation by pulsatile blood flowing in the tissue site, generating a detector signal to the monitor. The monitor processes the detector signal to provide a numerical readout of physiological parameters such as oxygen saturation (SpO₂) and pulse rate.
• FIG. 1 illustrates portions of apulse oximetry system100 having amonitor110, asensor120 and apatient cable130 interconnecting themonitor110 andsensor120. Thesensor120 hasLEDs121,125 capable of emitting light having two wavelengths into a tissue site. TheLEDs121,125 are configured in a back-to-back arrangement so that afirst contact132 is connected to afirst LED cathode122 and asecond LED anode127. Asecond contact134 is connected to afirst LED anode123 and asecond LED cathode126. Themonitor110 has afirst driver112 and asecond driver114. Thefirst contact132 is in communications with afirst driver112 and thesecond contact134 is in communications with asecond driver114. Thefirst LED121 is activated when thefirst driver112 is pulled to Vcc and thesecond driver114 provides a current sink to ground. Thesecond LED125 is activated when thesecond driver114 is pulled to Vcc and thefirst driver112 provides a current sink to ground. Pulse oximeters capable of reading through motion induced noise are available from Masimo Corporation (“Masimo”) of Irvine, Calif. Pulse oximeters capable of reading through motion induced noise are also disclosed in at least U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,770,028, 6,658,276, 6,157,850, 6,002,952 5,769,785, and 5,758,644, which are assigned to Masimo and are incorporated by reference herein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• A physiological measurement system can also be a multiple parameter monitor and a multiple wavelength sensor that provide enhanced measurement capabilities as compared with conventional pulse oximetry. The physiological measurement system allows the measurement of blood constituents and related parameters in addition to oxygen saturation and pulse rate, such as carboxyhemoglobin (HbCO) and methemoglobin (HbMet) to name a few.
• FIG. 2 illustrates amultiple parameter system200 having amultiple parameter monitor210, amultiple wavelength sensor220 and apatient cable230 interconnecting themonitor210 andsensor220. Thesensor220 has anemitter array262 havingmultiple LEDs264 together capable of emitting light having multiple wavelengths into a tissue site.Anode drivers232 andcathode drivers234 are electrically connected to theLEDs264 and activate LEDs by addressing at least onerow266 and at least onecolumn268 of an electrical grid. In an embodiment, theemitter array262 hasLEDs264 connected within an electrical grid of n rows and m columns totaling n+m drive lines, where n and m integers greater than one. In an embodiment, theemitter array262 comprises up to sixteenLEDs264 configured in an electrical grid of four rows and four columns. Each of the four anode drive lines272 provide a common anode connection to fourLEDs264, and each of the four cathode drive lines274 provide a common cathode connection to fourLEDs264. Thus, the sixteenLEDs264 are advantageously driven with only eight wires, including four anode drive lines272 and four cathode274 drive lines.
• Also shown inFIG. 2,anode drivers212 andcathode drivers214 located in themonitor210 selectively activate theLEDs264. In particular, anode and cathode drivers function together as switches to Vcc and current sinks, respectively, to activateLEDs264 and as switches to ground and Vcc, respectively, to deactivate LEDs. This push-pull drive configuration prevents parasitic current flow in deactivated LEDs. In a particular embodiment, only oneanode drive line232 is switched to Vcc at a time. One to fourcathode drive lines234, however, can be simultaneously switched to a current sink so as to simultaneously activate multiple LEDs within a particular row. Multiple parameter monitors and multiple wavelength sensors capable of measuring blood constituents such as carboxyhemoglobin (HbCO) and methemoglobin (HbMet) are available from Masimo. Further, multiple parameter monitors and multiple wavelength sensors are disclosed in at least U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/367,033 and 11/367,013, which are assigned to Masimo Laboratories, Irvine, Calif. and are incorporated by reference herein.
• A duo connector patient cable is advantageously configured to accommodate either of two types of mating sensor connectors including a conventional connector for a pulse oximetry sensor and a multiple wavelength sensor connector. Further, a duo connector patient cable advantageously converts drive signals for array configured emitters into drive signals for back-to-back configured emitters. In additional, a duo connector patient cable advantageously reconfigures connector pinouts for a multiple wavelength sensor to optimize signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) performance.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional pulse oximetry system;
• FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a multiple parameter system;
• FIG. 3A is a general block diagram of a duo connector patient cable utilized by a patient monitoring system;
• FIG. 3B is a top view of a duo connector patient cable embodiment that accommodates a conventional pulse oximetry sensor connector and a multiple wavelength sensor connector;
• FIGS. 4A-F are perspective, top, front, side, retainer hinged-open front and retainer hinged-open side views of a duo connector, respectively;
• FIGS. 5A-C are a front view of a duo connector, a front view of a monitor connector and a schematic of a duo connector patient cable, respectively;
• FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a multiple parameter patient monitoring system utilizing a duo connector patient cable;
• FIG. 7A is a block diagram of a duo connector patient cable circuit;
• FIG. 7B is a top layout view of a duo connector circuit board;
• FIGS. 8A-C are perspective views of duo connector assemblies;
• FIGS. 9A-D are top, perspective, front and side views, respectively, of a duo connector socket;
• FIGS. 10A-D are top, front, side cross sectional and side exploded views, respectively, of a detector socket pin;
• FIGS. 11A-C are top, front and side cross sections views, respectively, of a detector socket pin shroud;
• FIGS. 11D-E are front and side views, respectively, of a detector socket pin shield;
• FIGS. 12A-E are top, side cross sectional, bottom, front and side views, respectively, of a duo connector shell overmolded on a socket;
• FIGS. 13A-E are top, side cross sectional, bottom, front and bottom views, respectively, of a duo connector retainer;
• FIGS. 14A-E are top, side, perspective, front and side views, respectively, of a duo connector hinge pin; and
• FIGS. 15A-D are top, side cross sectional, front and side views, respectively, of a duo connector strain relief.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
• FIG. 3A generally illustrates a duoconnector patient cable300 as part of a patient monitoring system. Advantageously, the duoconnector patient cable300 allows both a SpO₂sensor10 and amultiple wavelength sensor20 to communicate with amultiple parameter monitor50. In particular, aduo connector310 accepts both a conventional pulse oximetry sensor and a multiple wavelength sensor, each havingdifferent connectors12,22. In an embodiment, the duo connector accepts a LNCS® low noise enabled sensor and a RAINBOW™ multiple wavelength sensor. LNCS® brand sensors and RAINBOW™ brand monitors and sensors are available from Masimo Corporation. In addition, the duoconnector patient cable300 has anadapter circuit600 that converts array drive signals configured for amultiple wavelength sensor20 so as to drive back-to-back emitters of a SpO₂sensor10. Further, theadapter circuit600 reconfigures the duoconnector patient cable300 to a signal and ground pinout that has improved signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and crosstalk performance when connected to a multiple wavelength sensor. Anadapter circuit600 is described in further detail with respect toFIGS. 6-7, below.
• FIG. 3B illustrates a duoconnector patient cable300 having aduo connector400, amonitor connector310 and acable350 having wires that interconnect theduo connector400 and monitorconnector310. Theduo connector400 advantageously accommodates a conventional SpO₂sensor connector15 and a multiplewavelength sensor connector1800. In an embodiment, a SpO₂sensor10 is plugged into thepatient cable300 so that a SpO₂sensor alignment arrow16 matches a first patientcable alignment arrow401. Also amultiple wavelength sensor20 is plugged into thepatient cable300 so that a multiple wavelengthsensor alignment arrow1803 matches a second patientcable alignment arrow402. Thecable alignment arrows401,402 (shown hidden) are inscribed on a connector shell1200 (FIG. 12A) covered by a retainer1300 (FIGS. 13A-E) that is opened during sensor attachment. In an embodiment, the SpO₂sensor connector15 is a 9-pin mini-D connector, which is well-known in the art. Themonitor connector310 is a 20-pin DB connector, which is also well-known in the art and further described with respect toFIG. 5B, below. Physical aspects of theduo connector400 are described generally with respect toFIGS. 4A-F and in greater detail with respect toFIGS. 8-15. The duo connector signals, grounds and pinouts are described with respect toFIGS. 5-7. The adapter circuit600 (FIG. 6) for configuring theduo connector400 to accommodate either a two-wavelength SpO₂sensor or a multiple wavelength sensor is described with respect toFIGS. 6-7.
• FIGS. 4A-F illustrate aduo connector400 having a front401 and aback402. The front401 has asocket900 that accommodates either of two mating sensor plugs15,1800 (FIG. 3B). The back402 terminates a cable350 (FIG. 3B). Theduo connector socket900 has afirst socket section901 configured for a conventional SpO₂sensor plug15 (FIG. 3B) and asecond socket section902, which along with thefirst socket section901 is configured for a multiple wavelength sensor plug1800 (FIG. 3B). In particular, thefirst socket section901 has pinouts for back-to-back LED drive signals from a monitor to a sensor and detector signals and sensor information from the sensor to the monitor. Thesecond socket section902 has pinouts for LED array drive signals from a monitor to a sensor. The pinouts for thesocket sections901,902 are described in further detail with respect toFIGS. 5A-C, below. Theduo connector400 also has aretainer1300 movable between a closed position (FIGS. 4A-D) and an open position (FIGS. 4E-F). In the open position, theretainer1300 allows eithersensor plug15,1800 (FIG. 3B) to be inserted into or removed from thesocket900. In the closed position, theretainer1300 prevents eithersensor plug15,1800 (FIG. 3B) from inadvertently disconnecting from thesocket900.
• FIGS. 5A-C illustrate a duoconnector patient cable300. In particular, the socket900 (FIG. 5A) and the corresponding sensor pinouts520 (FIG. 5C) relate to the duo connector400 (FIG. 5A). Also, the monitor socket312 (FIG. 5B) and thecorresponding monitor pinouts510 relate to the monitor connector310 (FIG. 5B). Also illustrated in is a circuit board700 (FIG. 5C) that resides in theduo connector400, as described with respect toFIGS. 7-8, below, and that switches the pinouts under monitor control according to thesensor10,20 (FIGS. 3A-B) plugged into theduo connector400.
• As shown inFIGS. 5A-C, theduo connector pinouts520 are divided into pins 1-9, associated with afirst socket section901 and pins 10-17 associated with asecond socket section902. When a SpO₂sensor10 (FIGS. 3A-B) is inserted into thefirst socket section901, the monitor detects the SpO₂sensor from the “1-wire comm” line connecting the sensor side (pin 4)520 and the monitor side (pin 15)510. The monitor then sets the “control” line onpin 8510 so that thecircuit board700 converts the first two LED cathode drive signals (pins 3, 13)510 and LED anode drive signals (pins 1, 11)510 to a red cathode drive signal (pin 2)520 and an IR cathode drive signals (pin 3)520.
• Also as shown inFIGS. 5A-C, when a multiple wavelength sensor20 (FIGS. 3A-B) is inserted into thesocket sections901,902, the monitor detects the sensor from the “1-wire comm” line connecting the sensor side (pin 4)520 and the monitor side (pin 15)510. The monitor then sets the “control” line (pin 8)510 so that thecircuit board700 grounds the now unused drive signal lines (pins 2, 3)520. That is, for the higher performance multiple wavelength sensor20 (FIGS. 3A-B), the detector signals (pins 5, 9)520 on thefirst socket section901 are advantageously isolated from the drive signals (pins 10-17)520 on thesecond socket section902. This reduces the possibility of cross-talk from drive lines to detector lines. Further, the detector signals (pins 5, 9)522 are separately shielded1150, and theshields1150 are grounded to a cable inner shield (pin 6)524, providing further noise immunity for the detector signal.
• FIG. 6 illustrates portions of a multiple parameter system embodiment having a multiple parameter monitor50 and a duoconnector patient cable300 interconnecting either a SpO₂sensor10 or amultiple wavelength sensor20. The duoconnector patient cable300 advantageously incorporates anadapter circuit600 allowing the multiple parameter monitor50 to drive either back-to-back (red and IR wavelength)LEDs12 of a SpO₂sensor10 or aLED array22 of amultiple wavelength sensor20. In particular, thepatient cable300 hasarray lines610 configured to communicate array drive signals52 to aLED array22, as described with respect toFIG. 2, above. Thepatient cable300 also has anadapter circuit600 that configures anarray line subset612 so as to communicate array drive signals52 to back-to-back LEDs12.
• As shown inFIG. 6, theadapter circuit600 incorporatesswitches660 that selectively route thearray line subset612 so that the array drive signals52 activate the back-to-back LEDs12 when themonitor50 senses a SpO₂sensor10 is connected to thepatient cable300. When themonitor50 senses amultiple wavelength sensor20 is connected to thepatient cable300, theswitches660 advantageously ground certain of the sensor connector pins (not shown) so as to minimize cross-talk between drive signals52 and detector signals (not shown), as described in further detail below. In an embodiment, themonitor50 utilizes eightarray lines610 to drive a four-by-fouremitter array22 of up to sixteen LEDs. Four of thearray lines612 are routed through theswitches660 to back-to-back lines614, as described in further detail with respect toFIGS. 7A-B, below.
• Also shown inFIG. 6, in an embodiment, anetwork controller56 monitors anetwork630 so as to read an information element from eithersensor10,20 to identify either a SpO₂sensor10 or amultiple wavelength sensor20. Thenetwork controller56 can also read theEEPROM670 over thenetwork630 so that themonitor50 can identify a duosensor patient cable300 is attached. Themonitor50 also has aswitch control54 that provides acontrol620 in response to information from thenetwork630. That is, thecontrol620 configures theswitches660 according to thesensor10,20 that is attached to the duoconnector patient cable300.
• FIGS. 7A-B illustrate anadapter circuit600 and acorresponding circuit board700. As shown inFIG. 7A, anadapter circuit600 embodiment hasarray lines612, acontrol620 and anetwork630, as described with respect toFIG. 6, above. Theadapter circuit600 also hasswitch660 and anEEPROM670, as described with respect toFIG. 6, above. The array lines612,control620 andnetwork630 connect to a monitor50 (FIG. 6) via monitor-side pads780. The array lines612 andnetwork630 also connect to asensor10,20 (FIG. 6) via sensor-side pads770.Switches660 include afirst switch IC662 and asecond switch IC664 each having dual single-pole, double-throw switches responsive to thecontrol620. In an embodiment, theswitch ICs662,664 are each MAX4684 available from Maxim Integrated Products, Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif. (“Maxim”). In an embodiment, thenetwork630 is a single wire, and the EEPROM is a DS2431X, also available from Maxim. As shown inFIG. 7B thecircuit board700 has a plurality ofsolder pads770,780 adapted for wire connections. Sensor-side pads770 accommodate jumper wires810 (FIG. 8A) to duo connector pins. Monitor-side pads780 accommodate wires from the cable350 (FIG. 3).
• Also shown inFIG. 7A, when thecontrol620 is asserted, the four switches route a combination of cathode1 and anode1 signal and a combination of cathode2 and anode2 signal to the IR andred cathodes614, respectively. In this manner, the monitor can activate the back-to-back LEDs as if connected in an array. That is, an IR LED is activated by pulling up cathode1 and current sinking anode2 and a red LED is activated by pulling upcathode 2 and current sinking anode1. When thecontrol620 is not asserted, thefirst switch IC662 grounds the IR and red cathode lines614. In this manner, when a SpO2 sensor is not connected, the drive lines proximate to the detector lines are grounded, so as to reduce the possibility of signal crosstalk inducing noise on the detector signal, as described above.
• FIGS. 8A-C illustrate duo connector assemblies including awiring assembly801, a shieldedwiring assembly803 and ashell assembly805. As shown inFIG. 8A, thewiring assembly801 includes acircuit board700, asocket900, acable350,jumper wires810,cable wires820 and socket pins1050. A first portion of thecable wires820, including detector wires and a first portion of array drive wires, extend to the socket pins1050. A second portion of thecable wires820, including a network wire, a control wire, and a second portion of the array drive wires, extend to monitor-side pads780 (FIG. 7B) of thecircuit board700. Thejumper wires810 extend between the sensor-side pads770 (FIG. 7B) of thecircuit board700 and the socket pins1050 and include the red and IR cathode drive wires and the network wire. Thesocket900 is described in detail with respect toFIGS. 9A-D, below. The socket pins1050 are described with respect toFIGS. 10-11, below.
• As shown inFIG. 8B, the shieldedwiring assembly803 has asocket overmold840 sealing thewiring assembly801 so that no wires are exposed. The overmold is covered with a copper shield, which is grounded to the cable outer shield526 (FIG. 5C). In an embodiment, thesocket overmold820 is a PVC material.
• As shown inFIG. 8C, the shieldedwiring assembly803 is housed in theshell assembly805. Theshell assembly805 has ashell1200, aretainer1300, hinge pins1400 and abend relief1500. Theshell1200 encloses the shieldedwiring assembly803. Theretainer1300 is hinged to theshell1200 so as to removably retain either of thesensor connectors15,1800 (FIG. 3). The hinge pins1400 secure theretainer1300 to theshell1200. Thebend relief1500 protects the cable and cable wires proximate theshell1200. In an embodiment, theshell1200 and thebend relief1500 are overmolded to the shieldedwiring assembly803. In a particular embodiment, the shell and bend relief overmolds are cast at the same time so that thebend relief1500 is fused to theshell1200. Theshell1200 is described in further detail with respect toFIGS. 12A-E, below. Theretainer1300 is described in further detail with respect toFIGS. 13A-E, below. The hinge pins1400 are described in further detail with respect toFIGS. 14A-E. Thebend relief1500 is described in further detail with respect toFIGS. 15A-D, below.
• FIGS. 9A-D illustrate asocket900 having a front910, a back920,socket sections901,902 proximate the front910,socket apertures930 arranged in rows and extending through thesocket sections901,902 and pinholders940 proximate the back920 also arranged in rows corresponding to thesocket apertures930. Eachsocket aperture930 accepts a socket pin1050 (FIG. 10D), which mates with corresponding plug pins extending from asensor plug15,1800 (FIG. 3B). Wiring of thesocket900 and socket pins1050 (FIG. 10D) are described above with respect to the wiring assembly801 (FIG. 8B). Socket pins including shielded detector sockets1000 (FIGS. 10A) are described in detail with respect toFIGS. 10-11, below.
• FIGS. 10A-D illustrate asocket pin1050 and a shieldeddetector socket1000 utilizing thesocket pin1050. Thesocket pin1050 has acrimp1052 for attaching wires and abody1054 for receiving a mating connector pin. In an embodiment, thesocket pin1050 is a phosphor bronze with gold over nickel plating. Adetector socket1000 has asocket pin1050, an insulatingshroud1100 and ashield1150. The two detector lines522 (FIG. 5C) are terminated at twocorresponding detector sockets1000, with theshield1150 extending from the socket apertures930 (FIGS. 9B-C) proximate the pin holders940 (FIG. 9B) and connected to the cable inner shield524 (FIG. 5C).
• FIGS. 11A-C illustrate thedetector socket shroud1100 andshield1150. Theshroud1100 accepts a socket pin body1054 (FIG. 10D) and fits within theshield1150. In an embodiment, theshroud1100 is polypropylene or DuPont Delrin®, and the shield is copper.
• FIGS. 12A-E illustrate aduo connector shell1200 that houses a shielded wiring assembly803 (FIG. 8B) including asocket900. Theshell1200 is a generally rectangular enclosure having a front1201, aback1202, a top1203 and a bottom1205. Theshell1200 is tapered proximate the back1202 which is narrower than the front1201. On the top1203, theshell1200 hasarrow indicators1210 proximate the front1201 and anartwork recess1220. On bothsides1207, theshell1200 hashinge apertures1230 anddepressions1240. The front1201 accommodates thesocket sections900 which accepts correspondingsensor connectors15,1800 (FIG. 3B). The back1202 accommodates a patient cable350 (FIG. 3B) which is supported to proximate theshell1200 by a bend relief1500 (FIGS. 15A-D). Thearrow indicators1210 match with correspondingsensor connector indicators16,1803 (FIG. 3B) providing a sensor connector alignment guide, as described with respect toFIG. 3B, above. Thehinge apertures1230 accommodate the hinge pins1400 (FIGS. 14A-E) that attach the retainer1300 (FIGS. 13A-E) to theshell1200, as described with respect toFIGS. 4A-F, above. Thedepressions1240 accept corresponding retainer protrusions1340 (FIG. 13B) so as to releasably hold theretainer1300 in a closed position shown inFIGS. 4A-D. In an embodiment, theshell1200 is overmolded on the shielded wiring assembly803 (FIG. 8B), including thesocket900. In an embodiment, theshell1200 is medical grade PVC of 90-100 Shore A durometer.
• FIGS. 13A-E illustrate aduo connector retainer1300 configured to hinge to the shell1200 (FIGS. 12A-E) so as to removably retainsensor connectors15,1800 (FIG. 3B). Theretainer1300 is a generally rectangular cover having a front1301, aback1302, a top1303 and a bottom1305 and is configured to fit at least partially over theshell front1201, top1203 and sides1207 (FIGS. 12A-E). Proximate the front and top1301,1303, theretainer1300 has a protrudingtab1310 that accommodates a person's finger or thumb to easily open or close the retainer. Protruding from the retainer back1302 and proximate theretainer sides1307 arehinges1320, each having ahinge aperture1330 configured to match up with corresponding shell hinge apertures1230 (FIG. 12E) so as to accommodate hinge pins1400 (FIGS. 14A-E). Extending inwardly from theretainer sides1307 are protrusions1340 (FIG. 13B) configured to click into corresponding shell depressions1240 (FIG. 12E) so as to releasably hold theretainer1300 in a closed position (FIGS. 4A-D). The front1301 has acable aperture1350 offset from thetab1310 and configured to accommodate sensor cables immediately behind thesensor connectors15,1800 (FIG. 3B) to prevent inadvertent disconnection ofsensors10,20 (FIGS. 3A-B) from the duo connector400 (FIG. 3B). In an embodiment, theretainer1300 is a medical grade clear plastic.
• FIGS. 14A-E illustrate a duoconnector hinge pin1400 that rotatably attaches the retainer1300 (FIGS. 13A-E) to the shell1200 (FIGS. 12A-E). In particular, a pair ofpins1400 insert through retainer apertures1220 (FIGS. 12A-E) and shell apertures1320 (FIGS. 13A-E) from opposite directions and are fixedly latched together. Thepin1400 has a generallyround head1410, acylindrical shaft1420 extending generally normal to thehead1410, and a partiallycylindrical latching portion1430 extending from the end of theshaft1420 distal thehead1410. A plurality ofteeth1432 are disposed on the latchingportion1430. Theteeth1432 are configured to slide past corresponding teeth on anopposite pin1400 in one direction only, so as to latch together opposite facing pins. So disposed, the pin heads1410 hold the shell1200 (FIGS. 12A-E) relative to the retainer1300 (FIGS. 13A-E) as the retainer rotates about thepin shafts1420.
• FIGS. 15A-D illustrate abend relief1500 that protects the cable from bending forces and the cable wires and corresponding solder joints from pulling forces. Thebend relief1500 is a generally tapered cylinder having ahead1510, atail1520, a front1530, aback1540 and anaxial cavity1550 extending the length of the bend relief. In an embodiment, thebend relief1500 is overmolded on the patient cable350 (FIG. 3B) so that thecable350 is retained within theaxial cavity1550 so formed. Thehead1510 is disposed proximate the shell back1202 (FIGS. 12A-E), with thetail1520 extending distal the shell1200 (FIGS. 12A-E). In an embodiment, thebend relief1500 is medical grade PVC having a 40-50 Shore A durometer. In an embodiment, thebend relief1500 andshell1200 are overmolded at the same time so that thebend relief front1530 fuses to the shell back1202 (FIGS. 12A-E).
• A duo connector patient cable has been disclosed in detail in connection with various embodiments. These embodiments are disclosed by way of examples only and are not to limit the scope of the claims that follow. One of ordinary skill in art will appreciate many variations and modifications.

Claims (12)

What is claimed is:

1. A patient cable for connecting a patient monitor to an optical sensor comprising:

a duo connector means for establishing communications between a monitor and one of a two-wavelength sensor having a conventional connector and a multiple wavelength sensor connector; and

an information means for identifying which of the sensors is attached to the duo connector means.

2. The patient cable according toclaim 1 further comprising:

a switching means for converting array drive signals from the monitor to back-to-back drive signals for the two-wavelength sensor; and

a housing means for mounting the switching means with the duo connector means.

3. The patient cable according toclaim 2 further comprising a configuration means for achieving improved noise isolation for a sensor signal when the multiple wavelength is attached to the duo connector means.

4. The patient cable according toclaim 3 further comprising an overmold means for housing the duo connector means and the switching means and for creating a bend relief means.

5. A patient cable for connecting a patient monitor to an optical sensor comprising:

a duo connector configured to establish communications between a monitor and one of a two-wavelength sensor having a conventional connector and a multiple wavelength sensor connector; and

a network line configured to carry an information element, wherein the information element identifies which of the sensors is attached to the duo connector.

6. The patient cable according toclaim 5 further comprising:

a plurality of switches for converting array drive signals from the monitor to back-to-back drive signals for the two-wavelength sensor; and

a housing assembly for mounting the plurality of switches with the duo connector.

7. The patient cable according toclaim 6 further comprising drive signal pins housed in a first section, wherein the switches are configured to selectively ground the drive signal pins in the first section for achieving improved noise isolation for a sensor signal when the multiple wavelength is attached to the duo connector.

8. The patient cable according toclaim 7 further comprising an overmold for housing the duo connector and the plurality of switches and for creating a bend relief.

9. A patient cable method comprising the steps of:

providing a duo connector configured to establish communications between a monitor and one of a two-wavelength sensor having a conventional connector and a multiple wavelength sensor connector; and

providing a network line configured to carry an information element, wherein the information element identifies which of the sensors is attached to the duo connector.

10. The patient cable method according toclaim 9 comprising the further steps of:

providing a plurality of switches for converting array drive signals from the monitor to back-to-back drive signals for the two-wavelength sensor; and

providing a housing assembly for mounting the plurality of switches with the duo connector.

11. The patient cable according toclaim 10 comprising the further step of grounding drive signal pins so as to achieve improved noise isolation for a sensor signal when the multiple wavelength is attached to the duo connector.

12. The patient cable according toclaim 11 comprising the further step of providing an overmold for housing the duo connector and the plurality of switches and for creating a bend relief.

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