A knob assembly for a catheter handle and an ICE catheter handle and device thereof

Abstract

The application provides a knob assembly of a catheter handle, an ICE catheter handle and device thereof. The knob assembly of the catheter handle comprises a rotating member and a knob. The outer edge of the rotating member is provided with at least one upper boss, one lower boss and one support sheet. The inner wall of the knob is provided with a radially extending support platform. The inner side edge of the support platform is provided with at least one groove. The upper boss is arranged at the distal end of the outer edge of the rotating member and is supported by the support sheet extending from the proximal end to the distal end of the outer edge of the rotating member. The support sheet has radial elasticity. The lower boss is arranged at the proximal end of the outer edge of the rotating member. The width of the upper boss matches the width of the groove to limit the circumferential movement of the knob and the rotating member. The height difference between the upper boss and the lower boss matches the thickness of the support platform to limit the axial movement of the knob and the rotating member. The structure of the knob assembly facilitates the assembly and prying of the rotating member by the operator and reduces the disassembly difficulty of the knob assembly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to ICE catheter handles, and more particularly to knob designs in ICE catheter handles. Background Technology

[0002] Intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) involves placing an ultrasound probe at the tip of a catheter and delivering it through peripheral blood vessels into the heart chambers. This allows direct visualization of the heart and major blood vessels. It is an ultrasound imaging technique that uses an ultrasound probe inserted into the heart chambers via peripheral blood vessels to perform real-time, high-quality imaging and / or hemodynamic measurements of the heart and adjacent tissues. During ICE catheter operation, in order to accurately locate lesions in the patient, multiple parts of the heart need to be probed. This requires the probe at the catheter tip to be able to rotate flexibly to facilitate the catheter reaching the accurate position. The rotation of the catheter tip probe is generally controlled by an operating handle. The adjustment mechanism in the operating handle, in conjunction with the traction wire inside the catheter, controls the probe's rotation.

[0003] The operation of the traction wire is mainly achieved through a knob and a rotating component. The handle includes a central shaft, and the knob is rotatably mounted on the central shaft. A knob, acting as a housing, is then fitted onto the outside of the rotating component. Rotating the knob controls the rotation of the rotating component, thereby moving the traction wire. In existing products, to achieve the installation of the rotating component and knob, upper and lower protrusions are provided on the outer walls of the rotating component, forming an axial accommodating space between them. The inner wall of the knob has a retaining strip that engages within the accommodating space formed by the upper and lower protrusions, thus facilitating the installation of the knob and rotating component. A limiting groove is provided on the inner wall of the knob. During assembly with the rotating component, the lower protrusion matches and engages with the limiting groove. Thus, the upper and lower protrusions axially limit the knob, and the limiting groove and the lower protrusion provide circumferential limiting for the knob. In practice, for ease of installation, multiple retaining strips are evenly distributed circumferentially on the knob. Each retaining strip is then connected to the inner wall of the knob by a separate support piece. Utilizing the elasticity of the support piece, installation within the accommodating space between the upper and lower protrusions is relatively easy. This structure has the following shortcomings in practice: the limiting groove is on the inner wall of the knob, and the lower protrusion needs to be aligned with the limiting groove during installation, which is troublesome during assembly and causes considerable trouble for the production line assembly. In addition, the elastic support plate is on the inner wall of the knob, which is not easy to operate during disassembly and assembly in practice, and needs to be improved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Based on this, the present invention improves the knob and rotating parts, simplifying the way the knob and rotating parts are matched while solving the problem of difficult assembly.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments in this specification provide the following technical solutions:

[0006] The present invention provides a knob assembly for a catheter handle in a first aspect, comprising: a rotating member having at least one upper boss, one lower boss and a support plate provided on the outer edge of the rotating member; and a knob having a radially extending support platform provided on the inner wall of the knob, and at least one groove provided on the inner edge of the support platform.

[0007] The upper boss is located at the distal end of the outer edge of the rotating component and is supported by a support plate extending from the proximal end of the outer edge of the rotating component to the distal end. The support plate has radial elasticity. The lower boss is located at the proximal end of the outer edge of the rotating component. The width of the upper boss matches the width of the groove to limit the circumferential movement of the knob and the rotating component. There is a height difference between the upper boss and the lower boss that matches the thickness of the support plate to limit the axial movement of the knob and the rotating component.

[0008] Preferably, the number of upper and lower bosses in the rotating component is the same and at least 2, and the upper and lower bosses are alternately arranged; the number of grooves in the support platform of the knob is the same as the number of upper bosses.

[0009] Optionally, the support plate in the rotating component and the support platform in the knob are made of one or more of the following: elastic metal sheet, elastic plastic sheet, or elastic rubber component.

[0010] Based on the above preferred embodiment, the number of upper and lower bosses in the rotating component is 8, and the number of grooves in the support platform of the knob is also 8.

[0011] More preferably, the support piece and the upper boss are integrally formed on the outer edge of the rotating member.

[0012] More preferably, the support platform and the knob are integrally formed.

[0013] In a second aspect, the present invention provides an ICE catheter handle, comprising a knob assembly, a central shaft, and a handle seat as described in any of the above embodiments, wherein the knob assembly of the catheter handle is sleeved on the central shaft, and the proximal end of the central shaft is connected to the handle seat.

[0014] Furthermore, the number of knob assemblies in the catheter handle is 2.

[0015] In a third aspect, the present invention provides an ICE catheter device, comprising a catheter, a traction wire, a catheter probe, and an ICE catheter handle as described in the solution provided in the second aspect above, wherein a knob assembly in the ICE catheter handle controls the position of the catheter probe via the traction wire.

[0016] Based on the above design, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0017] First, the present invention simplifies the knob in existing products, avoiding the situation where the inner wall clips and support plates of the knob are inconvenient to pry open.

[0018] Secondly, the rotating part in this invention has an upper boss and a lower boss circumferentially arranged on the outer edge, which improves the snap-fit ​​or pry-fit method of the rotating part in the existing products. The method of transferring the key components of the snap-fit ​​or pry-fit operation to the outer edge of the rotating part solves the problem of inconvenient disassembly and assembly of the rotating part and the knob.

[0019] Third, in this invention, a groove is provided on the inner edge of the support platform of the knob. During the assembly of the knob and the rotating part, the position of the support platform and the groove are clearly exposed in the operator's field of vision, which facilitates the disassembly and assembly of the knob assembly.

[0020] Fourth, the present invention sets up multiple sets of upper and lower bosses. Through multiple experimental product tests on the actual production line, the eight sets of upper and lower bosses can balance the stability of the product after assembly and the production efficiency during production.

[0021] Fifth, the design of the rotating component with support plates to support the upper boss in this invention makes the elastic movement of the support plates centripetal, so that during the disassembly operation of the rotating component, the force direction of each support plate is centripetal rather than centrifugal, which greatly facilitates the disassembly and assembly operation of production line operators.

[0022] Sixth, in this invention, the support plate of the rotating component is integrally formed with the upper boss, and the structure is simple and the production difficulty is lower than that of the knob in the existing products. Attached Figure Description

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the axial cross-sectional view of the catheter handle in this application;

[0025] Figure 2 It is in this application Figure 1 Detailed image of point A in the image;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a knob in the prior art;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of knob 2 in this application;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a rotating component in the prior art;

[0029] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the rotating component 1 in this application;

[0030] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the ICE catheter handle in this application.

[0031] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0032] 1. Rotating component; 2. Knob; 11. Upper boss; 12. Lower boss; 13. Support plate; 14. Accommodating space; 15. Movable space; 21. Support platform; 22. Groove; 111. Upper raised edge; 121. Lower raised edge; 10. Knob assembly; 20. Central shaft; 30. Handle seat; 4. Prior art knob; 41. Locking strip; 42. Prior art support plate; 43. Limiting groove; 5. Prior art rotating component. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation of this application. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this application from the content disclosed in this specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. This application can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of this application. It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0035] It should be noted that various aspects of embodiments within the scope of the appended claims are described below. It will be apparent that the aspects described herein can be embodied in a wide variety of forms, and any particular structure and / or function described herein is merely illustrative. Based on this application, those skilled in the art will understand that one aspect described herein can be implemented independently of any other aspect, and two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number and aspects set forth herein can be used to implement the device and / or practice the method. Additionally, this device and / or method can be implemented using structures and / or functionalities other than one or more of the aspects set forth herein.

[0036] It should also be noted that the terms "distal" and "proximal" are used as directional terms, which are commonly used in the field of interventional medical devices. "Distal" refers to the end furthest from the operator during the procedure, while "proximal" refers to the end closest to the operator. Axial direction refers to the direction parallel to the line connecting the distal and proximal centers of the medical device; radial direction refers to the direction perpendicular to the aforementioned axial direction. In this application, axial restraint between two objects means that there will be no relative displacement between the two objects along the axial direction.

[0037] Furthermore, it should be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic representations of the basic concept of this application. The illustrations only show the elements related to this application and are not drawn according to the actual number, shape and size of the elements in the actual implementation. In the actual implementation, the form, quantity and proportion of each element can be arbitrarily changed, and the layout of the elements may also be more complex.

[0038] Additionally, specific details are provided in the following description to facilitate a thorough understanding of the examples. However, those skilled in the art will understand that practice can be carried out without these specific details.

[0039] In the production process of existing ICE catheter handles, it is necessary to disassemble and assemble the knob assembly in the handle. Since the locking strip and support plate are located on the inner wall of the knob in the existing products, the knob is not easy to pry and disassemble. To solve this problem, the inventors changed the position of the boss and support plate.

[0040] Based on this, this specification provides a knob assembly for a catheter handle in a first aspect, comprising: a rotating member 1, wherein an upper boss 11 and a lower boss 12 are provided on the outer edge of the rotating member 1; a knob 2, wherein a radially extending support platform 21 is provided on the inner wall of the knob 2, and a groove is provided on the inner edge of the support platform 21; the upper boss 11 is disposed at the distal end of the outer edge of the rotating member 1 and is supported by a support piece 13 extending from the proximal end of the outer edge of the rotating member 1 to the distal end, the support piece 13 having radial elasticity; the lower boss 12 is disposed at the proximal end of the outer edge of the rotating member 1; the width of the upper boss 11 matches the width of the groove to limit the circumferential movement of the knob and the rotating member; there is a height difference between the upper boss 11 and the lower boss 12 that matches the thickness of the support platform 21 to limit the axial movement of the knob 2 and the rotating member 1.

[0041] refer to Figure 1The axial cross-sectional view of the guide handle shown illustrates that the lower boss 12 and upper boss 11 of the rotating component 1 are both located circumferentially on the outer edge of the rotating component 1. This cross-sectional view shows partial overlap between the upper boss 11 and the lower boss 12. In this overlap, the proximal end of the support piece 13 is hidden within the lower boss 12. This is the visual effect of the cross-sectional view in this direction. It should be understood that this cross-sectional view is only a schematic diagram of the axial direction of the upper boss 11 and the lower boss 12, i.e., the upper boss 11 is located at the distal end, and the lower boss 12 is located at the proximal end. In this embodiment, the support piece 13 of the rotating component 1 is located at the lower end of the upper boss 11, extending from the proximal end of the outer edge of the rotating component 1 to the distal end of the upper boss 11, i.e., the proximal end relative to the upper boss 11. The support piece 13 is fixedly connected to or integrally formed with the rotating component 1, providing radial elasticity for the upper boss 11 to move towards the axis. It should be understood that... Figure 1 As can be seen from the figure, the number of the upper boss 11, the support plate 13 and the lower boss 12 shown is 2. However, the implementation of only one set of upper boss, support plate and lower boss can also achieve the basic effect of mutual assembly of rotating parts and knob and restriction of axial and axial movement. It should not be regarded as a limitation of the independent claims in this embodiment.

[0042] Figure 1 Detailed image of section A in the middle Figure 2 As shown, there is a accommodating space 14 formed by the height difference between the upper boss 11 and the lower boss 12 of the rotating part 1, which allows the support platform 21 extending radially from the knob 2 to be engaged at this position, thereby achieving axial positioning of the knob 2 and the rotating part 1. Figure 2 The lower end of the upper boss 11 shown is a planar structure, and the part that connects with the support piece 13 is at a right angle. However, it should be understood that the specific right angle shape and planar structure are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the claims in this embodiment. Any shape of the upper boss 11 that can achieve axial positioning of the support platform 21 by the upper boss 11 and the lower boss 12 can be selected by those skilled in the art. Figure 2 The details at point A also show the movable space 15 of the support plate 13 of the rotating part 1 in the radial direction. The movable space 15 facilitates the radial offset of the support 13 in the axial direction, thereby facilitating the prying of the rotating part 1.

[0043] To facilitate the explanation of the simplified structure of the embodiments provided in this specification, this specification also provides a schematic diagram of a knob in a prior art handle product, for reference. Figure 3 The diagram shows a prior art knob, in which the locking strip 41 and the prior art support plate 42 are disposed on the inner wall of the prior art knob 4. The knob can only be pried open by the radial movement of the locking strip 41 and the prior art support plate 42 away from the axis. Compared to the improved solution where the support plate 13 is located on the rotating part 1, this… Figure 3The existing knob 4 shown has a more complex structure. Furthermore, the circumferential limitation of the existing knob 4 is achieved by a limiting groove 43. The inner wall thickness at the location of the limiting groove 43 shown in the figure is only slightly thinner than the inner wall thickness at the location where the limiting groove 43 is not located. Given the high precision requirements in the medical catheter device field, this presents a significant challenge in terms of manufacturing difficulty. Figure 3 The prior art knob 4 shown is different from the following Figure 4 The knob 2 shown is larger.

[0044] This instruction manual provides Figure 4 As shown in the schematic diagram of knob 2, knob 2 extends radially outward from support platform 21 on the inner wall, and groove 22 is provided on the inner edge of support platform 21. The structure of knob 2 shown in this figure is relatively... Figure 3 The existing knob shown has a simpler structure, significantly reducing manufacturing difficulty. Furthermore, during assembly, the operator can more clearly see the position of the groove 22. Once the rotating component 1 is fitted onto the handle, the connection between the knob 2 and the rotating component 1 is much easier. Figure 3 The position of the limiting groove 43 of the existing knob 4 shown is not easy to distinguish, and the limiting groove 43 and the rotating part are prone to not being aligned during the assembly process.

[0045] refer to Figure 5 The schematic diagram of the rotating component in the prior art shown indicates that the upper convex edge 111 and the lower convex edge 121 are alternately distributed circumferentially in the rotating component 5. During the manufacturing process, the position of each upper convex edge 111 and lower convex edge 121 needs to be accurately positioned, and during the assembly process... Figure 3 The prior art knob 4 shown has a corresponding limiting groove 43. Therefore, when the limiting groove 43 is located below the retaining strip 41 and on the inner wall of the prior art knob 4, it is easy to encounter obstacles that make it difficult to assemble the prior art rotating part 5 with the prior art knob 4. It should be understood that the above Figure 4 The knob 2 shown is integrally formed with the support platform 21. However, those skilled in the art can use methods such as spiral assembly, welding, or snap-fit ​​to fix the support platform 21 according to actual production conditions. This integral forming production method should not be regarded as a limitation on the protection of the independent claims in this embodiment.

[0046] To illustrate the structure of the rotating component 1 provided in this specification, the following is provided: Figure 6 As shown in the schematic diagram of the rotating component 1, the upper boss 11 and the lower boss 12 of the rotating component 1 are spaced apart along the outer edge circumferentially, but... Figure 5The difference between the existing rotating component 5 shown and the present invention is that the upper boss 11 and the lower boss 12 are integrally connected at their proximal ends, the support plate 13 is located below the upper boss 11, and the support plate 13 is also integrally formed with the upper boss 11. The lower boss 12 is integrally connected to the rotating component 1. The upper boss 11 and the support plate 13 have a movable space 15 relative to the rotating component 1. During processing, the interval between the upper and lower bosses of the rotating component 1 is easy to control. It should be noted that... Figure 6 The rotating component 1 shown is integrally molded, with its upper boss 11, lower boss 12, and support plate 13 all made of the same material. However, it should be understood that those skilled in the art can use welding, snap-fitting, or other methods to fix the support plate 13 to the upper boss 11 according to actual production needs, or use one or more of elastic metal sheets, elastic plastic sheets, or elastic rubber parts as the support plate 13 to support the upper boss 11 and provide radial elasticity. Figure 6 The embodiments shown are merely one example of preferred embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the independent claims. Figure 6 and Figure 4 It is easy to see that when the operator assembles the rotating part 1 and the knob 2, because the overall structure of the knob 2 is relatively simple, with only one support platform 21 on its inner wall, the groove 22 of the knob 2 can easily align with the upper boss 11. Furthermore, when it is necessary to disassemble or assemble the knob 2, all the upper bosses 11 and support plates 13 of the rotating part 1 move towards the axis, which is simpler and more convenient than moving them away from the axis. It should be noted that in this embodiment, Figure 6 The visible number of upper and lower bosses in the rotating component 1 shown is 7, while the actual number is 8. However, this number is only a limitation of this preferred embodiment. In actual production, considering the structural strength and production efficiency that the support plate, upper boss, and lower boss in the rotating component 1 should possess, the implementation of 8 sets of upper and lower bosses is a better solution. However, those skilled in the art can choose different numbers of upper and lower bosses according to actual production needs. This preferred embodiment is not intended to limit the independent claims.

[0047] This specification provides an ICE catheter handle in a second aspect, as referenced. Figure 7 The schematic diagram of the ICE catheter handle shown indicates that the knob assembly 10 is a combination of the rotating component 1 and the knob 2 preferred in the above embodiment. The central shaft 20 is fixedly connected to the handle seat 30, and the knob assembly 10 is sleeved on the central shaft 20. Figure 7 The number of knob assemblies 10 shown is two, which can cooperate with other components in the catheter handle to realize axial movement and circumferential rotation of the catheter tip probe, thereby improving flexibility. It should be noted that the number of knob assemblies 10 in this embodiment is only a preferred embodiment, and those skilled in the art can set one or more sets of knob assemblies 10 according to actual needs.

[0048] This specification also provides an ICE catheter device in a third aspect, including a catheter, a traction wire, a catheter probe, and an ICE catheter handle as described in the embodiments provided in the second aspect above, wherein a knob assembly 10 in the ICE catheter handle controls the position of the catheter probe via the traction wire.

[0049] In this specification, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to mutually. Each embodiment focuses on describing the differences from other embodiments. In particular, the descriptions of the embodiments described later are relatively simple, and relevant parts can be referred to the descriptions of the foregoing embodiments.

[0050] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A knob assembly for a catheter handle, characterized in that, include: A rotating component, wherein the outer edge of the rotating component is provided with at least one upper boss, one lower boss and one support plate; A knob, wherein a radially extending support platform is provided on the inner wall of the knob, and at least one groove is provided on the inner edge of the support platform; The upper boss is located at the far end of the outer edge of the rotating member and is supported by a support plate extending from the near end of the outer edge of the rotating member to the far end. The support plate has radial elasticity, and the upper boss and the support plate have movable space relative to the rotating member, which facilitates the radial offset of the support plate towards the axis. The lower boss is located near the outer edge of the rotating component; The width of the upper boss matches the width of the groove to limit the circumferential movement of the knob and the rotating part; The upper and lower bosses have a height difference that matches the thickness of the support platform, thereby limiting the axial movement of the knob and the rotating component.

2. The knob assembly of the catheter handle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating component has the same number of upper and lower bosses, and at least two, with the upper and lower bosses alternating at intervals; the knob has the same number of grooves on the support platform as the upper bosses.

3. The knob assembly of the catheter handle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support plate in the rotating component and the support platform in the knob are made of one or more of the following: elastic metal sheet, elastic plastic sheet, or elastic rubber component.

4. The knob assembly of the catheter handle according to claim 2, characterized in that, The rotating component has 8 upper and lower bosses, and the knob has 8 grooves on the support platform.

5. The knob assembly of the catheter handle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support plate and the upper boss are integrally formed on the outer edge of the rotating component.

6. The knob assembly of the catheter handle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support platform and the knob are integrally formed.

7. An ICE catheter handle, characterized in that, Includes a knob assembly, a central shaft, and a handle seat as described in any one of claims 1-6, wherein the knob assembly of the catheter handle is sleeved on the central shaft, and the proximal end of the central shaft is connected to the handle seat.

8. The ICE catheter handle according to claim 7, characterized in that, The number of knob components on the catheter handle is 2.

9. An ICE catheter device, characterized in that, It includes a catheter, a traction wire, a catheter probe, and an ICE catheter handle as described in claim 7 or 8, wherein a knob assembly in the ICE catheter handle controls the position of the catheter probe via the traction wire.

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