Apparatus for manufacturing atherectomy torque tubes
First Claim
1. An apparatus for manufacturing atherectomy torque tubes, comprising:
- means for winding a wire around a tube liner with a selected pitch and wire separation to provide a wound tube;
means for applying a coating onto said wound tube at a rate which generates a thickness of material to establish an outside diameter for said tube;
means for providing a signal representing a desired outside diameter;
means for measuring said outside diameter of said coated tube and generating a signal representative of an amount of deviation of said measured diameter from said desired diameter; and
control means coupled to said coating means and said winding means for varying said rate of application of said coating to attenuate said deviation signal, while maintaining said selected pitch and wire separation on said tube.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for manufacturing atherectomy torque tubes includes a mechanism for rotating a tube liner about its longitudinal axis at a rotational velocity. A carriage is translatably positioned along the longitudinal axis. A mechanism for winding a wire about the tube liner is mounted on the carriage. A mechanism for coating the tube liner with an epoxy material is also mounted on the carriage. In a preferred embodiment, wire is wound onto the tube liner inside a reservoir of urethane epoxy bath which is moved along the tube liner. A laser sensor measures the coated tube to provide a signal representative of the final outside diameter of the tube and a computer uses this signal to control the angular velocity of the rotating tube liner and the linear velocity of the carriage which moves the wire winding and coating mechanism along the tube. The computer also uses the signal to control a pressurized gas source which extrudes proper amounts of epoxy material out of the reservoir to coat the tube as the reservoir moves along the tube liner.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. An apparatus for manufacturing atherectomy torque tubes, comprising:
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means for winding a wire around a tube liner with a selected pitch and wire separation to provide a wound tube; means for applying a coating onto said wound tube at a rate which generates a thickness of material to establish an outside diameter for said tube; means for providing a signal representing a desired outside diameter; means for measuring said outside diameter of said coated tube and generating a signal representative of an amount of deviation of said measured diameter from said desired diameter; and control means coupled to said coating means and said winding means for varying said rate of application of said coating to attenuate said deviation signal, while maintaining said selected pitch and wire separation on said tube. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An apparatus for manufacturing atherectomy torque tubes, comprising:
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means for rotating a hollow tube liner about its longitudinal axis at a selected angular velocity; means for winding a wire about said tube liner; means for coating said wire wound tube liner with an outside layer having a thickness, said wrapped and coated tube having an outside diameter; means for advancing said winding means and said coating means longitudinally along said axis at a selected linear velocity to wrap said wire about said tube liner at a predetermined degree of pitch; means for storing a desired outside diameter value; means for measuring said outside diameter of said wound and coated tube and providing a signal indicative of said measured outside diameter; comparing means for comparing said measurement diameter signal to said desired value and generating a signal indicating a deviation from said desired value; feedback control means coupled to said comparing means responsive to said deviation signal for providing an angular velocity control signal to said rotating means to automatically adjust said angular velocity and for providing a linear velocity control signal to said advancing means to automatically adjust said linear velocity of said advancing means to attenuate said deviation to maintain said predetermined pitch. - View Dependent Claims (12)
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Specification