Magnetic Steerable Tip Structure for Acute Bend Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical devices struggle to navigate through acute bends in body passages and lumens with small dimensions while maintaining precision and avoiding buckling, as they are limited by mechanical constraints and the need for manipulation of core wires.
Innovation Solution
A steerable device with a flexible elongated element and a distal tip containing permanent magnetic elements aligned by a magnetic field, allowing controlled bending through a core wire that interacts with the magnetic elements, reducing the need for external manipulation and enabling precise navigation through acute bends.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the device uses permanent magnetic elements disposed end-to-end in the device tip, then the device achieves precise navigation through acute bends with reduced diameter, but the mechanical strength and resistance to buckling are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The device divides the magnetic elements into discrete segments disposed end-to-end within the device tip. Each magnetic element is a separate component that can be individually positioned and oriented, allowing the distal tip to achieve precise bending and navigation through acute angles while maintaining overall structural integrity through the segmented design
Solution Approach 2:
The permanent magnetic elements are nested within the device tip structure, with each magnetic element contained within the tubular section or housing of the device. This nesting arrangement allows the magnetic components to be integrated into the device architecture without compromising the overall mechanical strength, as the magnetic elements are protected and supported by the surrounding device structure
2Ease of operation
If the core wire extends over the whole length of the guidewire to be manipulated, then the device allows precise control of flexibility and curvature, but the diameter of the core wire and catheter must be increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the magnetic control function from the entire length of the guidewire and concentrates it specifically in the device tip region. The permanent magnetic elements are localized to the distal portion rather than being distributed along the entire core wire, allowing manipulation control to be focused where it is most needed for navigation through acute bends, while reducing the overall diameter requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The device applies magnetic responsiveness locally to the device tip region rather than uniformly along the entire guidewire length. The permanent magnetic elements are concentrated in the distal section where precise control is most critical for navigating acute bends and small lumens, while the proximal portion maintains standard dimensions for manipulation
3Adaptability or versatility
If the device uses tubular sections with ball-shaped ends to provide flexibility and fluid-tight seal, then the device achieves magnetic field guidance, but the diameter is limited by mechanical resistance requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical magnetic guidance system (tubular sections with ball-shaped ends) with a more efficient arrangement of permanent magnetic elements. Instead of relying on the mechanical structure of tubular sections to provide both flexibility and magnetic response, the invention uses discrete magnetic elements that can be optimized for magnetic field interaction while maintaining flexibility through alternative mechanical designs
Solution Approach 2:
The device combines permanent magnetic elements with flexible structural materials in a composite arrangement. The magnetic elements are integrated with the flexible device tip structure, creating a composite system that achieves both magnetic field responsiveness and mechanical flexibility without requiring the larger diameter tubular sections with ball-shaped ends
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 device achieves reliable and reproducible navigation to target sites in body cavities and vasculature systems with small dimensions, providing precise control and minimizing the risk of buckling, while maintaining a reduced diameter.
Implementation Method 1
The device tip is configured to be bent by way of an external magnetic field to allow steering of the elongated element
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of permanent magnetic elements disposed in the tubular section end-to-end with adjacent ends of opposite polarity
Implementation Method 3
a core wire extending in the conduit through the plurality of magnetic elements
Data Source
AI summary
A steerable device for use inside of a mammalian body, including an elongated element and a flexible device tip which includes a tubular section and a plurality of permanent magnetic elements disposed in the tubular section. Each magnetic element has an axial bore and the axial bores form an axial conduit in which a core wire extends. The axial bore extends from a first to a second axial end of the magnetic element opposed to the first axial end. First axial ends and second axial ends have a bevel allowing movement of the magnetic elements against one another, wherein the bevel of axial ends of adjacent magnetic elements is rounded with a different radius or flat with a different angle to the longitudinal axis to control bending of the device tip.