Shape-Memory Transducer Deployment for Catheter Imaging Resolution
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical imaging devices, such as ultrasound probes, face challenges in obtaining high-resolution data from internal cavities due to the limited size of transducers constrained by narrow intravenous pathways, which restricts image quality and acquisition speed.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a shape memory material, such as a shape memory polymer (SMP), into the transducer elements of a deployable catheter to allow the transducer to change shape between a compact configuration for passage through narrow passages and an enlarged configuration for imaging, facilitated by thermal or other stimuli.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the transducer size is increased to improve imaging resolution and field of view, then image quality and data acquisition speed are improved, but the device cannot pass through narrow intravenous pathways
Solution Approach 1:
The transducer is designed with dynamic shape-changing capability using shape memory materials, allowing it to transition between a compact configuration for navigation through narrow intravenous pathways and an enlarged configuration for high-resolution imaging at the target site. This dynamic adaptability resolves the contradiction by making the transducer size variable rather than fixed.
Solution Approach 2:
The transducer elements are arranged in a nested or folded configuration that allows the large imaging surface to be collapsed into a compact form factor that can pass through narrow catheters. The shape memory material enables this nested structure to expand to its full imaging size once deployed at the target location.
2Measurement precision
If the transducer aperture is enlarged to improve penetration and resolution, then imaging performance is improved, but the device complexity and deployment mechanism become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The shape memory material undergoes a phase or property change in response to thermal or other stimuli, transforming from a constrained state to an expanded state. This parameter change drives the transducer configuration transition, simplifying the deployment mechanism compared to traditional mechanical actuation systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical deployment mechanisms with a stimulus-responsive shape memory material system. Instead of using motors, cables, or complex linkages to expand the transducer, the invention uses materials that automatically change shape in response to thermal or chemical stimuli, reducing overall device complexity.
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 high-resolution imaging with enhanced field of view and data acquisition speed while maintaining a low cost, as the transducer can adjust its size and shape to fit within the catheter and expand at the imaging site.
Implementation Method 1
the at least one shape memory material configured to move the plurality of the elements relative to one another between a first configuration and a second configuration in response to the thermal stimulus
Implementation Method 2
at least one integral heating resistor on or within the at least one active region and configured to heat the shape memory material surrounding the integral heating resistor to provide the thermal stimulus
Data Source
AI summary
A deployable invasive device includes a transducer with a plurality of elements with linked by at least one shape memory material, the at least one shape memory material configured to move the plurality of the elements relative to one another between a first configuration and a second configuration in response to the thermal stimulus. The shape memory material comprises at least one active region configured to change shape to facilitate transition between the first configuration and the second configuration. The deployable invasive device further includes at least one integral heating resistor on or within the at least one active region and configured to heat the shape memory material surrounding the integral heating resistor to provide the thermal stimulus.