Shock wave source
US4901709A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 30, 1988 |
| Grant date | Feb 20, 1990 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 30, 2008 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG10K11/32
- WIPO fieldOther consumer goods
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
A shock wave source for use in a shock wave generator in an apparatus for extracorporeal lithotripsy treatment of a patient has a shock wave tube filled with a shock wave propagating medium with one end closed by a flexible sack for coupling to the patient, and an opposite end closed by a membrane having at least a portion thereof which is electrically conductive, and a coil disposed adjacent the membrane and connected to a high voltage pulse source. When high voltage pulses are applied to the coil, an electromagnetic field is generated which rapidly repells the membrane, thereby generating a shock wave. The membrane has a flexible base covered by a number of discrete laminae of conductive material. At least some of the laminae may have respectively different mass moments of inertia and/or electrical conductivity. The shock wave source is suitable for treating calculi such as kidney stones.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.