MAGNETICALLY COUPLED IMPLANTABLE SERVOMECHANISM

• US 3,569,894 A
• Filed: 04/14/1969
• Issued: 03/09/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: George F. Schwoboda, Lee R. Bolduc
• Original Assignee: George F. Schwoboda, Lee R. Bolduc
• Inventors: Bolduc, Lee R., Schwoboda, George F.
• Application Number:
  US04/815,857
• Time in Patent Office: 694 Days
• US Class Current: 338/12
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/07 Endoradiosondes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37217 characterised by the communication link, e.g. acoustic or tactile
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/375 Constructional arrangements, e.g. casings
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 49/108 with an axial air gap
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 5/128 using air-gap sleeves or air-gap discs

Abstract

A magnetically coupled servomechanism wherein a remote magnetic device is driven by a motor and is magnetically coupled to a second rotatable magnetic device in a hermetically sealed unit for implantation in the body of an animal, which device imparts its resultant motion to an output shaft connected to a stepdown gear train having an output shaft which imparts torque to the element it is desired to rotate. The input shaft, gear train and output shaft are also in the hermetically sealed unit. The output shaft may be electrically insulated from the element to be driven, such as a potentiometer. The mechanism may be used to selectively drive more than one element, in which case a drive device is slideably mounted on the output shaft of the gear train, to be selectively slid longitudinally along the shaft to couple with the selected element for driving.

Claims

1. Magnetic servo apparatus for implantation in the body of an animal and adapted to be driven by a remote rotating magnetic field, comprising;

gear means having an input shaft and an output shaft, said gear means having a stepdown ratio between turns of said input shaft and turns of said output shaft;

magnet means connected to said input shaft for rotation thereof when said magnet means is in the rotating magnetic field;

mechanically adjustable electrical means;

electrically insulating means connecting said output shaft to said electrical means for selective adjustment thereof;

electrically conductive lead means connected to said electrical means;

nonmagnetic case means; and

said gear means, said magnet means, said electrical means, electrically insulating means, and a portion of said lead means hermetically sealed in said case means.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said magnet means comprises;

at least one bar magnet having north and south magnetic poles at oppositE extremities.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 including:

a pair of said electrical means connected to said output shaft by electrically insulating means;

drive means mounted on said output shaft;

said drive means mounted to receive torque from said output shaft and to slide longitudinally thereon when said output shaft is selectively tilted; and

said drive means adapted to selectively couple to electrically insulating coupling means on either one of said pair of electrical means, dependent on the longitudinal position of said drive means on said output shaft.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 in which said drive means includes further magnet means adapted to be selectively attracted or repelled by the remote magnetic field, for selective placement longitudinally along said output shaft.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 in which;

said drive means and at least a portion of said output shaft have mating splines for interconnection allowing relative longitudinal movement only.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 including;

nonmagnetic spacer means in said case means for spacing said magnet means from said case means for free rotation of said magnet means.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 including:

header means mounted on said case means for sealing said case means and including sealable apertures through which pass said lead means; and

further spacer means for spacing said header means from said electrical means.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 in which;

the atmosphere in said case means comprises an inert gas at substantially the same pressure as the atmosphere external to said case means.