Balloon Catheter Crystallinity Gradient for Distal Flexibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing balloon catheters lack sufficient flexibility, particularly in the distal portion, which can lead to buckling and reduced effectiveness in navigating through body lumens.
Innovation Solution
The balloon catheter design incorporates a distal portion with lower crystallinity than the proximal side, featuring a gradual decrease in crystallinity from the proximal to distal end, and includes a wedge-shaped structure with a parallel portion to enhance flexibility and maintain hardness gradients.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the shaft member is made hard to transmit operation and prevent buckling, then operational effectiveness is improved, but flexibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The balloon is designed with non-uniform crystallinity distribution, where the distal side has lower crystallinity (1.5%-6% lower) than the proximal side. This creates local quality differences: the proximal side maintains higher hardness for operational effectiveness, while the distal side provides enhanced flexibility for navigation, resolving the contradiction between overall hardness and local flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The crystallinity parameter of the balloon material is deliberately varied across different regions. By controlling the crystallinity gradient (distal side being 1.5%-6% lower than proximal side), the material properties change locally to provide both the hardness needed for operation transmission and the flexibility needed for navigating body lumens, thus resolving the hardness-f flexibility contradiction.
2Ease of operation
If the distal portion is made more flexible to improve passability, then flexibility is improved, but structural stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The balloon incorporates local quality variation through crystallinity gradient: the distal portion has lower crystallinity for flexibility and passability, while the proximal portion maintains higher crystallinity for structural stability. This localized property differentiation allows the distal end to be more flexible without compromising the overall structural integrity of the balloon catheter.
Solution Approach 2:
The balloon is effectively segmented into regions with different crystallinity characteristics. The distal region (with lower crystallinity) is separated from the proximal region (with higher crystallinity), allowing each segment to perform its specific function - the distal segment provides flexibility for navigation while the proximal segment provides structural stability, resolving the contradiction between flexibility and stability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design improves passability and flexibility, reducing the risk of buckling while maintaining operational effectiveness in navigating through body lumens.
Implementation Method 1
in a distal portion of the balloon, a crystallinity on a distal side is lower than a crystallinity on a proximal side
Data Source
AI summary
A highly flexible balloon catheter, which includes a shaft that extends in an axial direction, and a balloon that is disposed on an outer periphery of the shaft, in which in a distal portion of the balloon, a crystallinity on a distal side is lower than a crystallinity on a proximal side.