1. A medical device comprising:
a medial device body; and
a diamond-like thin film covering the medical device body and containing silicon, wherein
the diamond-like thin film has a concentration of the silicon which is present in a surface thereof and is lower in a surface thereof than in an interface thereof with the medical device body, and continuously varies, and
the medical device body is any one of a stent, a catheter, and a guide wire.
2. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the diamond-like thin film has an atomic percent concentration of the silicon which is not more than 50% in a portion thereof having the highest silicon concentration.
3. The medical device of claim 2, wherein the diamond-like thin film has the silicon concentration which is highest in the interface thereof with the medical device body.
4. The medical device of claim 2, wherein the diamond-like thin film has the silicon concentration in the surface thereof which is not more than 90% of the silicon concentration in the portion thereof having the highest silicon concentration.
5. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the diamond-like thin film has an elastic modulus which is larger in the surface thereof than in the interface thereof with the medical device body.
6. The medical device of claim 5, wherein the diamond-like thin film has the elastic modulus which is not less than 50 GPa and not more than 400 GPa in the surface thereof.
7. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the diamond-like thin film has graphite bonds and diamond bonds, and an abundance ratio of the graphite bonds to the diamond bonds is lower in the surface of the diamond-like thin film than in the interface thereof with the medical device body.
8. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the diamond-like thin film contains fluorine, and has a concentration of the fluorine which is higher in the surface thereof than in the interface thereof with the medical device body, and continuously varies.
9. The medical device of claim 8, wherein the diamond-like thin film has an atomic percent concentration of the fluorine which is not less than 1% and not more than 20% in the surface thereof.
10. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the diamond-like thin film has a film thickness which is not less than 5 nm and not more than 300 nm.
11. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the medical device body has an arithmetical mean surface roughness which is not less than 0.1 nm and not more than 300 nm in a surface thereof.
12. The medical device of claim 1, wherein the medical device body is a composite made of one or two or more of a metal material, a ceramics material, and a polymer material.
13. The medical device of claim 12, wherein the metal material is stainless steel, a cobalt-chromium alloy, a titanium alloy, or a cobalt alloy.
14. (canceled)
15. A method for manufacturing a medical device, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) preparing a medial device body; and
(b) forming a diamond-like thin film containing silicon on a surface of the medical device body, wherein,
in the step (b), the diamond-like thin film is formed to have a concentration of silicon which is present in a surface thereof and is lower in a surface thereof than in an interface thereof with the medical device body, and continuously varies, and
in the step (a), any one of a stent, a catheter, and a guide wire is prepared as the medical device body.
16. The method for manufacturing a medical device of claim 15, wherein, in the step (b), the diamond-like thin film is formed to have an atomic percent concentration of the silicon which is not more than 50% in a portion thereof having the highest silicon concentration.
17. The method for manufacturing a medical device of claim 16, wherein, in the step (b), the diamond-like thin film is formed to have the silicon concentration which is highest in the interface thereof with the medical device body.
18. The method for manufacturing a medical device of claim 16, wherein, in the step (b), the diamond-like thin film is formed to have the silicon concentration in the surface thereof which is not more than 90% of the silicon concentration in the portion thereof having the highest silicon concentration.
19. The method for manufacturing a medical device of claim 15, wherein, in the step (b), the diamond-like thin film is formed to have an elastic modulus which is larger in the surface thereof than in the interface thereof with the medical device body.
20. The method for manufacturing a medical device of claim 15, wherein, in the step (b), the diamond-like thin film is formed to have graphite bonds and diamond bonds such that an abundance ratio of the graphite bonds to the diamond bonds is lower in the surface of the diamond-like thin film than in the interface thereof with the medical device body.
21. The method for manufacturing a medical device of claim 15, wherein, in the step (b), the diamond-like thin film is formed to contain fluorine, and have a concentration of the fluorine which is higher in the surface thereof than in the interface thereof with the medical device body, and continuously varies.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1-170. (canceled)
171. A kit for a drive system, the kit comprising:
an at least one power storage device;
at least one motor intermittently energized and de-energized through a control device;
at least one weighted drive member coupled to the motor;
an at least one energy recovery device returning energy to the at least one power storage device when the weighted drive member is moving;
a drive unit intermittently coupled to said at least one weighted drive member such that the motor drives the at least one weighted drive member which in turn drives the drive unit when the drive unit is engaged and when the drive unit is disengaged from the weighted drive member the drive unit ceases to drive the vehicle but allows the weighted drive member to continue in an energized state and drive the energy recovery device.
172. The kit of claim 171, further comprising a clutch device coupled to the weighted drive member assisting the weighted drive member to continue in an energized state after the drive unit is disengaged and de-energized.
173. The kit of claim 171, further comprising a second energy recovery device coupled to the drive unit and drawing energy from the drive unit when the drive unit disengages from the weighted drive wheel and returning the energy to the second at least one energy storage device.
174. The kit of claim 171, further comprising a control input that is coupled to a controller that controls the flow of power from the at least one power storage device to the motor, the controller energizing the motor in response to the control input.
175. The kit of claim 171, wherein the at least one energy recovery device is intermittently coupled to the weighted drive member through an intermittent engagement device mounting a traction wheel.
176. The kit of claim 174, wherein the controller is a programmable logic unit.
177. The kit of claim 176, wherein the controller monitors at least one sensor input.
178. The kit of claim 177, wherein the controller monitors at least one of the following sensor inputs, the control input position, the traction wheel position, the motor power condition, the motor RPM, and other suitable inputs.
179. The kit of claim 176, wherein the controller sends at least one output signal.
180. The kit of claim 179, wherein the controller sends at least one of the following output signals, a repositioning location signal for the traction wheel, an alternator field current modulation signal, a motor operation signal, an engagementdisengagement of the traction wheel signal, and other suitable output signals.
181. The kit of claim 171, wherein the at least one energy recovery device is directly coupled to the weighted drive member.
182. The kit of claim 171, wherein the at least one energy recovery device is directly coupled to the motor.
183. The kit of claim 171, wherein the at least one energy recovery device is a tractive member coupled to an energy recovery mechanism.
184. The kit of claim 183, wherein the energy recovery mechanism is a generator, an alternator, a permanent magnet device or a stator.
185. The kit of claim 171, wherein the controller intermittently engages said at least one energy recovery device in response to a control input.
186. The kit of claim 185, wherein the control input is one of a foot pedal, a lever, a slideable switch, or a push button switches.
187. The kit of claim 171, wherein the weighted member is a weighted disk-shaped member.
188. The kit of claim 187, wherein the weighted disk-shaped member has a substantial amount mass concentrated along an outer perimeter of the member.
189. The kit of claim 171, wherein the at least on energy recovery device further comprises a first energy recovery device.
190. The kit of claim 189, wherein the at least one energy recovery device further comprises a second energy recovery device.
191. The kit of claim 70, further comprising an intermittent engagement device is one of a spring with tension arm and micro controller, a switch with a motor and a screw or a clutch mechanism.
192. The kit of claim 171, wherein the at least one energy recovery device has a field strength and the field strength is adjusted according to a condition of movement of the drive system kit.
193. The kit of claim 192, wherein, during an acceleration condition of the drive system kit the at least one energy recovery device is not powered.
194. The kit of claim 192, wherein, during a coasting condition of the drive system kit, the at least one energy recovery device is engaged and adjusted to maximize energy recovery.
195. A vehicle comprising:
an at least one set of wheels;
an at least one drive system for each of the corresponding at least one set of wheels, the drive system comprising;
a first at least one power storage device;
an at least one motor intermittently energized and de-energized through a control device;
an at least one weighted drive member coupled to the motor;
an at least one energy recovery device returning energy to the at least one power storage device when the weighted drive member is moving;
a drive unit intermittently coupled to said at least one weighted drive member such that the motor drives the at least one weighted drive member which in turn drives the drive unit when the drive unit is engaged and, when the drive unit is disengaged from the weighted drive unit, ceases to drive the vehicle but allows the weighted drive member to continue in an energized state and drive the energy recovery device.