Medical device having asymmetric bending

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11622675-B2
Application number	US-202015930807-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 13, 2020
Priority date	May 15, 2019
Publication date	Apr 11, 2023
Grant date	Apr 11, 2023

Abstract

An articulation joint includes proximal links, distal links, and intermediate links connecting the proximal and distal links. The articulation joint has a straight configuration along a straight longitudinal axis, a first bent configuration when the articulation joint bends toward a first side of the longitudinal axis, and a second bent configuration when the articulation joint bends toward a second side of the longitudinal axis, opposite to the first side. When the articulation joint is in the straight configuration, a first gap is defined at the first side between adjacent proximal links, and the adjacent proximal links contact each other at the second side, a second gap is defined at each of the first side and the second side between adjacent distal links, and a third gap is defined at the first side between adjacent intermediate links, and adjacent intermediate links contact each other at the second side.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An articulation joint for a medical device, the articulation joint including:
proximal links, distal links, and intermediate links connecting the proximal and distal links, wherein the articulation joint has a straight configuration along a straight longitudinal axis, a first bent configuration when the articulation joint bends toward a first side of the longitudinal axis, and a second bent configuration when the articulation joint bends toward a second side of the longitudinal axis, opposite to the first side,
wherein, when the articulation joint is in the straight configuration:
a first gap is defined at the first side between adjacent proximal links, and the adjacent proximal links contact each other at the second side,
a second gap is defined at each of the first side and the second side between adjacent distal links, and
a third gap is defined at the first side between adjacent intermediate links, and adjacent intermediate links contact each other at the second side.

2. The articulation joint according to claim 1 , wherein when the articulation joint is in the first bent configuration, a size of each of the first, second, and third gaps on the first side, is smaller than a size of the first, second, and third gaps on the first side respectively when the articulation joint is in the straight configuration.

3. The articulation joint according to claim 1 , wherein when the articulation joint is completely bent toward the first side, surfaces of adjacent links contact each other such that a size of each of the first, second, and third gaps on the first side is zero.

4. The articulation joint according to claim 1 , wherein when the articulation joint is in the second bent configuration, a size of the second gaps on the second side is smaller than a size of the second gaps on the second side when the articulation joint is in the straight configuration.

5. The articulation joint according to claim 4 , wherein the distal links are movable in exactly four directions, the proximal links are movable in exactly one direction, and the intermediate links are movable in two or three directions.

6. The articulation joint according to claim 1 , wherein the articulation joint further includes a third bent configuration toward a third side of the longitudinal axis, intermediate to the first and second sides, and a fourth bent configuration when the articulation joint bends toward a fourth side of the longitudinal axis, opposite to the third side,
wherein when the articulation joint is in the straight configuration:
a fourth gap is defined at each of the third side and the fourth side between the adjacent distal links; and
a fifth gap is defined at each of the third side and the fourth side between the adjacent intermediate links.

7. The articulation joint according to claim 6 , wherein when the articulation joint is in the third bent configuration, a size of each of the fourth gaps and the fifth gaps on the third side is smaller than a size of the fourth gaps and the fifth gaps on the third side respectively when the articulation joint is in the straight configuration, and
wherein when the articulation joint is in the fourth bent configuration, a size of each of the fourth gaps and the fifth gaps on the fourth side is smaller than a size of the fourth gaps and the fifth gaps on the fourth side respectively when the articulation joint is in the straight configuration.

8. The articulation joint according to claim 6 , wherein the fourth gaps and the fifth gaps are offset from the first, second, and third gaps along the longitudinal axis.

9. The articulation joint according to claim 6 , wherein the articulation joint is configured to bend toward one of the first or the second side and one of the third or the fourth side at a same time.

10. The articulation joint according to claim 6 , wherein a bend angle associated with each of the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth gaps is equal.

11. The articulation joint according to claim 1 , wherein the proximal links, distal links, and intermediate links of the articulation joint are each attached to an adjacent link by a first spring and a second spring, and wherein the first spring and the second spring of attached links are on circumferentially opposite sides of the articulation joint.

12. The articulation joint according to claim 11 , wherein the first and the second springs are attached on an inner surface of each of the proximal links, distal links, and intermediate links by one or more of laser welding or an adhesive.

13. The articulation joint according to claim 11 , wherein adjacent coils of each of the first spring and the second spring contact each other when the first springs and the second springs are in a straight configuration.

14. The articulation joint according to claim 11 , wherein each of the first spring and the second spring defines a lumen for containing an articulation element.

15. An articulation joint for an endoscope, the articulation joint comprising:
proximal links, distal links, and intermediate links connecting the proximal and distal links, wherein the articulation joint has a straight configuration along a straight longitudinal axis,
wherein the proximal links are movable toward only a first side of the articulation joint away from the longitudinal axis,
wherein the distal links are movable toward the first side, a second side, a third side, and a fourth side of the articulation joint away from the longitudinal axis, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth sides are equally spaced about the longitudinal axis, and
wherein the intermediate links are movable only toward the first side, the second side, and the third side of the articulation joint away from the longitudinal axis.

16. The articulation joint according to claim 15 , further comprising, in the straight configuration, gaps between links of the proximal links, the distal links, and the intermediate links at locations where the articulation joint bends, wherein when the articulation joint completely bends toward each of the first, second, third, and fourth sides, surfaces of adjacent links contact each other along the respective side, and a size of the gaps along the respective side is zero.

17. An endoscope, comprising:
a handle; and
a catheter connected to the handle and extending distally, the catheter comprising:
a shaft extending distally from the handle;
a tip member provided at a distalmost end of the catheter; and
an articulation joint connecting the tip member to the shaft,

wherein the articulation joint includes a proximal portion, a distal portion, and an intermediate portion arranged about a longitudinal axis,
the proximal portion is bendable in only a first direction away from the longitudinal axis,
the intermediate portion is bendable in the first direction, a second direction, a third direction, and a fourth direction away from the longitudinal axis, and
the distal portion is bendable in only the first, second, and third directions.

18. The endoscope according to claim 17 , wherein the distal portion, the intermediate portion, and the proximal portion of the articulation joint include a plurality of adjacent links each connected by two springs on radially opposite sides of the articulation joint.

19. The articulation joint according to claim 1 , wherein:
when the articulation joint is in the first bent configuration, the articulation joint bends, at a first bend radius, to a first bend angle that is a maximum bend angle,
when the articulation joint is in

Assignees

• Boston Scient Scimed Inc

Inventors

• Powell Sean
• Velagic Almir

Classifications

• A61B1/0055

  Constructional details of insertion parts, e.g. vertebral elements · CPC title

• A61B1/0056 Primary

  the insertion parts being asymmetric, e.g. for unilateral bending mechanisms · CPC title

• A61B1/008 Primary

  Articulations · CPC title

• A61B1/0052

  Constructional details of control elements, e.g. handles · CPC title