Patent ID: 8529301

Claim:
An apparatus in a noninvasive patient monitoring system, the apparatus configured to generate detector signals indicative of attenuation of light by body tissue and to communicate the signals via a shielded connection, the apparatus comprising: a patient sensor and a patient cable, the patient sensor comprising sensing componentry configured to emit light and generate detector signals indicative of attenuation of light by body tissue; first and second connectors releasably attached to one another, the first connector mechanically irremovably coupled to one of the patient sensor and the patient cable and the second connector mechanically irremovably coupled to the other of the patient sensor and the patient cable, wherein, when in the relesably attached configuration, a physiological patient monitor communicates emitter signals through the first and second connectors to the sensing componentry, and wherein the detector signals are communicated through the first and second connectors to the monitor; a plurality of emitter conductor segments each configured to communicate an emitter signal and one or more detector conductor segments each configured to communicate a detector signal, each emitter conductor segment and each detector conductor segment comprising a first portion supported by the first connector and a second portion separably mating with the with the first portion and supported by the second connector; and one or more elongate detector shields supported by one or more of the first connector and the second connector, each detector shield surrounding and extending along the length of at least a portion of one or more of the detector conductor segments, the emitter conductor segments disposed outside the one or more detector shields.