Medical connector combines optical and electrical signaling

Molex Inc. introduced the MediSpec Hybrid Circular MT Cable and Receptacle System, an integrated optical and electrical solution that reduces the number of connectors required in medical equipment and devices. 

The multifunctional connector uses Molex's circular MT optical connector and receptacle technology, providing three configurable MT ferrule compatible ports for a combination of copper or fiber media carrying electrical power, low speed copper signaling, optical data or video signals.  This integrated technology may be incorporated into a custom solution to meet an end user’s specific requirements.

The MediSpec Hybrid Circular MT system is aimed at a variety of applications, including robotic surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, diagnostic imaging, optical coherence tomography, guidance/illumination/navigation, interventional energy lasers and Picture Archival Communications.

For the PC board or equipment side, the MediSpec Hybrid Circular MT system offers various options of Molex connectors, including optical MT, LC and SC along with electrical connectors such as Micro-Fit 3.0, MicroClasp and various RJ-45 jacks.

Other features that make the MediSpec Hybrid Circular MT Connectors and Receptacles well-suited for medical systems include:

• Metal and medical-grade polymer connector housing options:  Metal housing provides a robust connector to withstand harsh environments and offers EMI shielding, while the polymer housing is lightweight and ideal for sensitive applications, including MRI and PET scans.
• Expanded beam MT ferrule option:  Helps reduce optical loss due to contamination, protects fibers from debris, scratching, pitting and provides long-term connection reliability, a critical requirement of medical equipment.
• Fiber counts range from 1 to 24 fibers per ferrule:  Accommodates multimode expanded beam 12-fiber ferrules and/or traditional multimode and singlemode MT ferrules for a variety of signaling, sensing or power carrying applications used in medical fiber optic-based products and technologies.

For more information on the MediSpec Hybrid Circular MT Cable and Receptacle System, click here.