Single use integrated speed reduction and gearless device
AssigneeECA Medical Instruments
InventorJohn Nino
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A single use integrated disposable rotational speed reduction assembly having a shaft assembly, a housing, an output assembly, and a plurality of planetary gears each having a plurality of gear teeth. The shaft assembly is configured to cause rotation of the planetary gears with a sun gear. The rotation of the planetary gears is configured to cause rotation of an output shaft, with a reduction of rotational speed relative to the rotation of the shaft assembly. One or more gear components or spacers can be configured to fail after a predetermined number of use cycles.
Claims15
A single use integrated rotational speed reduction assembly comprising:
- a shaft assembly comprising a drive shaft (301) and a sun gear (510) attached to said drive shaft;
- a housing;
- a plurality of planetary gears (120) each having a plurality of gear teeth;
- and, an output assembly (150);
- wherein one or more of said plurality of planetary gears is non-metal, and, thus, said plurality of gear teeth on each said non-metal planetary gears are also non-metal;
- and,
- wherein the one or more of said non-metal teeth are frangible after a predetermined number of use cycles of said non-metal teeth.
A single use speed reduction system comprising:
- a shaft assembly comprising:
- a drive shaft (301);
- a shaft having a sun gear thereon;
- a housing having an interior annular wall surface (103) with a gear ring (104) thereon;
- a plurality of planetary gears (120) each having a plurality of gear teeth;
- an output assembly (150);
- wherein the shaft is mated with the housing;
- wherein one or more of gears is non-metal;
- wherein one or more non-metal teeth are frangible after a predetermined number of use cycles of said non-metal teeth;
- wherein said one or more non-metal gears comprise one or more gamma-radiation-sensitive materials in at least a region;
- and
- wherein said one or more gamma-radiation-sensitive materials undergo embrittlement at an exposure of less than one of 200 kGy, 150 kGy, 100 kGy, 95 kGy, 90 kGy, 85 kGy, 80 kGy, 75 kGy, 70 kGy, 65 kGy, 60 kGy, 55 kGy, 50 kGy, 45 kGy, 40 kGy, 35 kGy, 30 kGy, 25 kGy, 20 kGy, 15 kGy 10 kGy, and 5 kGy.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.