Shaftless Micromotor for Optical Elements in Medical Catheters
Summary
The USPTO published patent application US20260090704A1 for a shaftless, brushless micromotor designed to rotate optical or sensing elements at the distal end of medical catheters. The invention uses the waveguide itself as the axle, eliminating blind spots and reducing motor size. Inventors include Ginger Schmidt, Brett E. Bouma, Milen Shishkov, and Néstor Uribe-Patarroyo. The application was filed September 19, 2023.
What changed
The USPTO published patent application US20260090704A1 disclosing a shaftless micromotor for rotating optical elements (lenses or mirrors) within small-diameter flexible medical catheters. The motor is brushless and distally driven, with the waveguide functioning as the axle, which reduces size and eliminates blind spots associated with conventional micromotors. The technology enables high pitch cylindrical scanning with longitudinal velocity uniformity through extremely small inertial loads and bearing sizes.
This is a patent application publication only and does not impose any regulatory compliance obligations on medical device manufacturers or healthcare providers. No deadlines, penalties, or required actions are associated with this document. Medical device companies developing catheter-based optical imaging or sensing systems may review the disclosure for competitive intelligence purposes.
Archived snapshot
Apr 2, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
MICROMOTOR AND OPTICAL ARRANGEMENT FOR FAST CIRCULAR SCANNING OF LIGHT BEAMS IN SMALL DIAMETER FLEXIBLE CATHETERS
Application US20260090704A1 Kind: A1 Apr 02, 2026
Inventors
Ginger Schmidt, Brett E. Bouma, Milen Shishkov, Néstor Uribe-Patarroyo
Abstract
The disclosure presents a shaftless, brushless motor for rotating any optical or sensing element (e.g., a lens or mirror) at a distal end of a waveguide that also delivers electromagnetic radiation (e.g., light). Herein, the waveguide itself functions as the axle on which rotating components rotate, thereby avoiding blind spots and overcoming limitations in existing “micromotors”. The shaftless, distally driven motor significantly reduces motor size, while extremely small inertial loads and bearing sizes allow for high pitch cylindrical scanning with longitudinal velocity uniformity.
CPC Classifications
A61B 1/00158 A61B 1/00096 A61B 1/00165 A61B 8/12 A61M 25/0127
Filing Date
2023-09-19
Application No.
19110542
Named provisions
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