Patent ID: 11964387
Assignee: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY AND AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL COLLEGE
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC B  A | IPC A  B

Claim 14:
15. A concentric tube steerable device, comprising:
a plurality of tubes having a nested, concentric configuration, the plurality of tubes comprising an outer tube and an inner tube that extends coaxially within the outer tube, wherein the inner tube terminates at a distal tip, wherein a pose of the distal tip is effectuated through individual or collective rotation or translation of the plurality of tubes about a tube axis; and
at least one actuator for rotating at least one tube of the plurality of tubes about a respective tube axis and/or translating at least one tube of the plurality of tubes along a respective tube axis,
wherein each tube of the plurality of tubes comprises a precurved portion and corresponding axis of precurvature,
wherein for each tube of the plurality of tubes:
a flexural rigidity of a respective tube along its axis of precurvature is less than a flexural rigidity of the respective tube along a second axis that is perpendicular to the axis of precurvature, and
a ratio of the flexural rigidity along the axis of precurvature squared over a torsional rigidity of the respective tube times the flexural rigidity along the second axis is less than a sum of 1 plus an effective Poisson's ratio of a material of the respective tube.