Control system for an automatic needle-suture assembly and packaging machine
US6081981A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 6, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jul 4, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 6, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T29/53065
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method for automatically forming armed surgical needles and for automatically packaging the same in a packaging tray, the automatic forming and packaging operating under control of a control computer, each armed surgical needle including a surgical needle having a suture receiving opening formed therein for attachment of a definite length suture material thereof. The method comprises the steps of sorting and depositing a plurality of needles on an indexing conveyor; enabling a robot gripper device to sequentially pick up the needles and place a picked needle in a precision conveyor device for automatic sequential conveyance to a first station; utilizing a first indexing device for sequentially indexing the needle from the first station to a second station to form the armed needle, the first indexing device being elevated in height; at the second station, automatically inserting a free end of a suture strand into the suture receiving opening of the needle, swaging the needle about the free end of the suture, and cutting the suture strand to a predetermined definite length to form the armed needle. The formed armed needle is then sequentially inserted into a respective single packa…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.