Medical Micro-Robot Spiral Coupling for Thrombus Drilling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current micro robots for blood vessel treatment primarily rely on mechanical drilling, which is inadequate for severe conditions like chronic complete stenosis, and lack the capability to deliver thrombolytic agents effectively, leading to secondary vessel damage and limited treatment success.

Innovation Solution

A medical micro robot with a drilling body and a spiral coupling structure equipped with a magnet and a medicine accommodating space, capable of performing spiral motion and injecting medicine through a medicine injection hole, utilizing a system control unit to manage magnetic fields for forward and rearward movement, medicine injection, and drilling modes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If high-speed drilling motion is used to treat severe blood vessel diseases, then treatment effectiveness is improved, but secondary damage to the blood vessel wall increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedrilling speedVSAvoidvessel wall damage
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines mechanical drilling function with thrombolytic agent delivery function into a single micro robot system. The drilling body includes both a drilling tip for mechanical drilling and a medicine accommodating space with injection hole for delivering thrombolytic agents, allowing simultaneous or sequential application of both treatment methods to reduce vessel wall damage while maintaining effective thrombus removal

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces thrombolytic agents as an intermediary chemical substance that biochemically dissolves thrombus material. This chemical mediation softens and breaks down the thrombus before or during mechanical drilling, reducing the mechanical force required and thereby minimizing secondary damage to the blood vessel wall while improving overall treatment effectiveness

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If only mechanical drilling motion is used, then the operating method is simple, but treatment effectiveness for severe blood vessel diseases is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperating method simplicityVSAvoidtreatment effectiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple treatment functions (mechanical drilling and chemical thrombolysis) into a single integrated micro robot system that can be controlled through a unified external magnetic field system. The drilling body contains both drilling components and medicine delivery components, allowing complex treatment protocols to be administered through relatively simple external control operations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The micro robot system is designed with multi-functionality to perform both mechanical drilling and chemical thrombolytic agent delivery using a single device. The drilling body universally accommodates both drilling operations and medicine injection, eliminating the need for separate devices and procedures while significantly improving treatment effectiveness for severe blood vessel diseases

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Adaptability or versatility

If a catheter is manually inserted through a femoral artery, then the procedure can be performed, but the success is greatly dictated by the skill of the medical practitioner and the catheter is difficult to apply to complicated blood vessels

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveapplicability to complicated blood vesselsVSAvoiddependence on practitioner skill
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the manual mechanical catheter insertion and manipulation system with an automated micro robot system controlled by external magnetic fields. The micro robot with magnet can be remotely guided through complicated blood vessel geometries without requiring manual manipulation, eliminating dependence on practitioner skill while significantly improving adaptability to complex vascular structures

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses magnetic fields as an intermediary control mechanism to remotely guide and manipulate the micro robot through the blood vessel system. This magnetic mediation allows precise navigation through complicated blood vessel geometries without direct manual manipulation, making the system highly adaptable to complex vascular structures while reducing operator skill dependency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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

Enables effective thrombus drilling and medicine delivery, reducing vessel damage and improving treatment efficiency for severe blood vessel diseases, while allowing for low-invasive and cost-effective application across various human body conditions.

Implementation Method 1

a system control unit (300) which allows the drilling body (100) and the spiral coupling body (200) to spirally move simultaneously or allows the spiral coupling body (200) to spirally move around the drilling body(100) by providing rotational magnetic field to the magnet

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMagnetic field interaction: Magnetic Field

Implementation Method 2

a spiral coupling body (200) which has a magnet disposed therein, and is spirally coupled to an outer circumference of the drilling body (100)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSpiral coupling mechanism: Screw

Data Source

PatentEP3494907B1Medical micro-robot and micro-robot system having the same
Publication Date: 2021.05.19 INDUSTRY UNIVERSITY COOPERATION FOUNDATION HANYANG UNIVERSITY
  • EP3494907B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3494907B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP3494907B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

The present invention provides a micro robot comprising: a drilling body (100) which has a drilling tip (110) formed at an end thereof; and a spiral coupling body (200) which has a magnet disposed therein, and is spirally coupled to an outer circumference of the drilling body (100), and wherein a medicine accommodating space (130), which has a hollow shape and accommodates a medicine, is formed in the drilling body (100), and a medicine injection hole (120) through which the accommodated medicine is injected to the outside is formed at an end portion of the drilling tip (110).