Trend markets in the medical area | Part 3: device recognition

Connectors for both single use and reusable areas

Single-use or reusable? Both options are often required in medical applications. Some connections are e.g. disposed of after an operation, others can be used more often. In order not to lose track of the situation, microchips help.

ODU integrates EEPROMs into the connector for this purpose. When plugging in the connector and the device part, e.g. when an endoscope is connected to a device, the two parts recognize each other and know whether they belong together. In addition, you can define a fixed number of mating cycles, which must not be exceeded. If this number is 10, a warning tone sounds, for example, during the 11th mating cycle. In addition, the memory also contains precise product and production codes that provide copy protection and exclude secondary use.

All connectors of the ODU MEDI-SNAP® and ODU MINI-SNAP® series are available with integrated EEPROMs.