Claims
- 1. An improved catheter system of the type including (a) a tubular catheter body having a proximal portion, a distal portion, and a lumen therethrough; (b) a drive cable rotatably received in the lumen; and (c) a hub assembly secured to a proximal end of the drive cable, wherein the improvement comprises a rotary transformer disposed within the hub assembly, the rotary transformer including a first ferrite core and a second ferrite core, a first set of ferrite windings around an outside of the first ferrite core, and a second set of ferrite windings around an inside of the second ferrite core, the second ferrite core contacting the first ferrite core with substantially zero clearance therebetween to promote electrical induction between each core.
- 2. The improved catheter system of claim 1, wherein the first ferrite core is stationary, and wherein the second ferrite core is rotatable.
- 3. The improved catheter system of claim 2, wherein the rotary transformer further comprises a friction limiting material disposed between the rotating ferrite core and the stationary ferrite core.
- 4. The improved catheter system of claim 1, wherein the first ferrite core is biased against the second ferrite core.
- 5. The improved catheter system of claim 1, wherein the first ferrite core is free floating within the hub assembly.
- 6. The improved catheter system of claim 1, further comprising:a circuit board within the hub assembly; and a work element disposed at a distal end of the drive cable, wherein the circuit board is in electrical communication with one set of ferrite windings and the work element is in electrical communication with the other set of ferrite windings.
- 7. A catheter system comprising:a tubular catheter body having a proximal portion, a distal portion, and a lumen therethrough; a drive cable rotatably received in the lumen; a hub assembly secured to a proximal end of the drive cable, and a rotary transformer disposed within the hub assembly, wherein the rotary transformer includes a first ferrite core and a second ferrite core, a first set of ferrite windings around an outside of the first ferrite core, and a second set of ferrite windings around an inside of the second ferrite core, the second ferrite core contacting the first ferrite core with substantially zero clearance therebetween to promote electrical induction between each core.
- 8. The catheter system of claim 7, further comprising:a circuit board within the hub assembly; and a work element disposed at a distal end of the drive cable, wherein the circuit board and work element are in electrical communication with the rotary transformer such that a signal from the circuit board may be communicated through the rotary transformer to the work element.
- 9. The catheter system of claim 7, wherein the first ferrite core is stationary, and wherein the second ferrite core is rotatable.
- 10. The catheter system of claim 9, wherein the rotary transformer further comprises a friction limiting material disposed between the rotating ferrite core and the stationary ferrite core.
- 11. The catheter system of claim 7, wherein the first ferrite core is biased against the second ferrite core.
- 12. The catheter system of claim 7, wherein the first ferrite core is free floating within the hub assembly.
- 13. The catheter system of claim 7, further comprising:a circuit board within the hub assembly; and a work element disposed at a distal end of the drive cable, wherein the circuit board is in electrical communication with one set of ferrite windings and the work element is in electrical communication with the other set of ferrite windings.
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of and priority from Provisional Application Serial No. 60/105,475, filed Oct. 23, 1998, incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. This application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/425,495, filed Oct. 22, 1999 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,419,644), the entire disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference for all purposes, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/150,001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,949, filed Sep. 8, 1998 and issued Apr. 18, 2000.
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Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60/105475 |
Oct 1998 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09/150001 |
Sep 1998 |
US |
Child |
09/425495 |
|
US |