Patent ID: 7530953

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a connector that is configured to connect a motor drive unit to a catheter, the catheter being a tubular instrument that can be inserted into a body cavity or blood vessel, the connector including: a female portion, including one or more electrical contacts and a locking geometry, where the one or more electrical contacts are configured to mate to one or more electrical contacts of a male portion and the locking geometry is configured to mate to a corresponding locking geometry of the male portion; and a male portion, including one or more electrical contacts and a locking geometry, where the one or more electrical contacts are configured to mate to one or more electrical contacts of the female portion and the locking geometry is configured to mate to a corresponding locking geometry of the female portion, where the connector is configured to rotate such that when the female and male portions are mated, rotational movement from the motor drive unit is transferred to the catheter and an electrical connection is made between the motor drive unit and the catheter; and where the connector is a multi-pin connector and the male portion includes a plurality of pins and the female portion includes a plurality of corresponding apertures configured to receive the plurality of pins.