CATHETER ACTUATORS PROVIDING MECHANICAL ADVANTAGE

摘要

Catheter actuators providing a mechanical advantage are disclosed. The actuators include a pull wire arm guide plate and a drive wheel attached around the pull wire arm guide plate and pivotable relative to the guide plate, the drive wheel comprising at least one thumb boss for pivoting the drive wheel about a drive wheel axis of rotation. The drive wheel mechanically engages at least one pull wire arm slidably mounted in a pull wire arm channel in the pull wire arm guide plate. A mechanism transfers drive wheel input into longitudinal motion of the at least one pull wire arm. The mechanism may include, for example, a pin pushing against a bendable pushing member riding in an arcuate pin groove in a top surface of the guide plate, or a pin pushing against a surface of a cam arm pivotably mounted on the top surface of the guide plate.

主权项

1. A pull wire actuator comprising the following:
(a) a pull wire arm guide plate adapted to be mounted in a handle housing, wherein said pull wire arm guide plate comprises the following:
a top surface and a bottom surface;a first arm channel in said top surface, wherein said first arm channel has a distal end and a proximal end; anda first arcuate pin groove in said top surface, wherein said first arcuate pin groove extends from a first end to a second end, and wherein said second end of said first arcuate pin groove meets said distal end of said first arm channel; (b) a drive wheel attached around said pull wire arm guide plate and pivotable relative to said pull wire arm guide plate, wherein said drive wheel comprises first and second thumb bosses for pivoting said drive wheel about a drive wheel axis of rotation; (c) a first pull wire arm slidably mounted in said first arm channel; (d) a first sliding pin carrier slidably disposed on said top surface of said pull wire arm guide plate, said first sliding pin carrier comprising a first pushing pin riding in said first arcuate pin groove; and (e) a first bendable pushing member slidably positioned in said first arcuate pin groove between said first pushing pin and a distal end of said first pull wire arm.