Elastic Occluder Locking Member Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing occluders for congenital heart diseases often experience fatigue failure or insufficient contractility due to materials like memory metals or macromolecular materials with low elasticity, leading to unreliable occlusion and potential failure in clinging to defect parts.
Innovation Solution
An occluder with a mesh occlusion body and a locking member featuring an elastic connecting portion and bending portions, where the bending included angle and projection dimensions allow for simple and reliable locking without precise micron-level size accuracy, facilitating machining and preventing locking failures from material swelling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If memory metals or macromolecular materials with low elasticity are used for occlusion units, then the occluder can be manufactured with simple structure, but the materials may experience fatigue failure or have insufficient contractility, resulting in unreliable occlusion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter by using elastic materials with high elasticity modulus for the locking member, and changes the geometric parameter by designing the specific dimensional relationships between the locking member projection and locking hole (width greater than maximum inscribed circle diameter, circumscriptive circle diameter less than minimum inscribed circle diameter) to achieve reliable locking without requiring high manufacturing precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the occluder into separate functional components: the occlusion body and the locking member. The locking member is designed as an independent elastic component with specific geometric features that can be manufactured separately and then assembled, simplifying the overall manufacturing process while ensuring reliable locking function
2Reliability
If high manufacturing precision is required for locking member and locking hole to ensure proper locking, then locking reliability can be improved, but the machining difficulty and manufacturing complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the locking member by designing its projection width to be greater than the maximum inscribed circle diameter of the locking hole, and its circumscriptive circle diameter to be less than the minimum inscribed circle diameter. This parameter design allows the locking member to be inserted and locked without requiring high manufacturing precision, thereby improving ease of manufacture while maintaining locking reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by designing the locking member with non-uniform cross-sectional dimensions - the projection width in one direction is greater than the maximum inscribed circle diameter, while the circumscriptive circle diameter in the perpendicular direction is less than the minimum inscribed circle diameter. This local geometric differentiation enables reliable locking with simple manufacturing
3Reliability
If the locking member is designed to prevent failure from material swelling, then reliability can be maintained, but the design complexity and manufacturing constraints increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters by designing the locking member projection width to be greater than the maximum inscribed circle diameter of the locking hole. This parameter design creates a tolerance buffer that accommodates material swelling without compromising locking reliability, thereby maintaining reliability without increasing design complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by designing the locking member with dimensions that anticipate and accommodate potential material swelling. The projection width being greater than the maximum inscribed circle diameter creates a built-in tolerance buffer that prevents locking failure even if the material swells, thereby maintaining reliability without requiring complex compensation mechanisms
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
The occluder achieves high locking reliability, simplifies the locking operation, and is reversible, ensuring consistent occlusion and efficient deployment without harming heart tissues, while being adaptable to heart movement and deformation.
Implementation Method 1
The locking member is an elastic member, and includes a connecting portion connected with the occlusion body and a first bending portion connected with the proximal end of the connecting portion
Data Source
AI summary
An occluder and an occlusion device, including: a mesh occlusion body, which defines a cavity, and a proximal end bolt head; the proximal end bolt head configured with a locking hole which penetrates the cavity; the occluder further having a locking member, a distal end of the locking member being connected to a distal end of the occlusion body; the locking member having a connecting portion which is connected to the occlusion body; the diameter of a circumscribed circle of a projection of the first bending portion on a cross section perpendicular to a length direction thereof being smaller than the diameter of the smallest inscribed circle of a locking hole, and the width of a projection of the first bending portion on a plane perpendicular to longitudinal central axis direction of the locking hole being larger than the diameter of the largest inscribed circle of the locking hole.