Apparatus and method for testing point sharpness of needles
US5181416A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 20, 1990 |
| Grant date | Jan 26, 1993 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 20, 2010 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N3/58
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An apparatus and method to determine the sharpness of a curved surgical needle point by a measurement of the perpendicular forces required to push the needle point through a supported membrane at a given rate of penetration. The apparatus includes a needle penetration fixture having a needle penetrable membrane, a load cell, and related control and recordation instrumentation. According to the method a needle is mounted on a rotatable fixture and first precisely aligned. Thereafter, the fixture is rotated so as to cause the needle to penetrate the membrane whereby the force necessary to penetrate the membrane force being recorded by recordation instrumentation and the process being controlled by control instrumentation.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.