I claim:
1. A vessel cleaning system for clearing an obstruction in a patient’s vessel, the system comprising:
a housing connected to a flexible-tube having an open distal end;
a motor-driven flexible agitator-shaft rotatably disposed in said flexible-tube; and
a flexible distal-agitator made of a spiral wire being connected to said agitator-shaft, said distal-agitator having an asymmetrical shape so that it extends from said open distal end only to one side of said longitudinal axis of the agitator-shaft, to break the obstruction into pieces while rotating with an effective diameter that is larger than its cross-sectional diameter.
2. As in claim 1 wherein direction of the winding of said distal-agitator relative to the direction of rotation of said distal-agitator is such that said distal-agitator unscrews itself from tight engagements with its surroundings.
3. As in claim 1 wherein said distal-agitator and at least part of said agitator-shaft are made of one continuous spiral wire.
4. As in claim 1 wherein said agitator-shaft comprises a spiral wire that is longitudinally compressible so that said distal-agitator can enter into said flexible-tube when it unscrews itself and retracts from tight engagements with its surroundings.
5. As in claim 1 wherein said agitator-shaft comprises a spiral wire that longitudinally contracts and pulls said distal-agitator into said flexible-tube when said distal-agitator unscrews itself from tight engagements with its surroundings.
6. As in claim 1 wherein said agitator-shaft comprises a spiral wire and a central tension member that ties a proximal and a distal end of said agitator-shaft one to the other and thereby limits the longitudinal extension of said agitator-shaft.
7. As in claim 1 wherein said distal-agitator has a rounded distal-tip.
8. As in claim 1 wherein a distal-tip of said distal-agitator is molten and solidified to form a rounded atraumatic distal-tip.
9. As in claim 1 wherein said agitator-shaft and said distal-agitator are made from a continuous flattened spiral wire that is wound on its flattened side.
10. As in claim 1 wherein said agitator-shaft radially supports said flexible-tube while said rotary agitator system is operated in a curved vessel.
11. As in claim 1 wherein a catheter is used to guide said flexible-tube into the vessel, said catheter having a barrier at its distal end section for temporarily blocking blood flow through the vessel.
12. As in claim 1 wherein said housing defines a passageway that connects an external port to said flexible-tube.
13. As in claim 1 wherein the catheter is inserted into the vessel through an introducer.
14. As in claim 12 wherein said introducer has a first side port through which fluid and particles are introduced into or removed from the vessel.
15. As in claim 1 wherein said agitator-shaft is mechanically connected to an output shaft of said motor by a coupling made of electrically isolating material.
16. As in claim 1 wherein said motor has a casing, at least a portion of said casing is made of conductive material and a first wire and a second wire supply electricity causing an output shaft of said motor to rotate, wherein a first capacitance is interposed between said portion of said casing and said first wire, a second capacitance is interposed between said portion of said casing and said second wire, and a third capacitance is interposed between said first wire and said second wire.
17. As in claim 1 wherein a bending radius of a proximal section of said flexible-tube is limited by a radius of curvature of a wall of a depression formed in said housing around the point at which said flexible-tube is connected to said housing.
18. A method for removing an obstruction from within a patient’s vessel comprising:
inserting into the vessel a vessel cleaning system having a housing connected to a flexible-tube, a motor-driven flexible agitator-shaft rotatably disposed in the flexible-tube, and an offset distal-agitator connected to the agitator-shaft, the distal-agitator having an asymmetrical shape so that it extends from the open distal end only to one side of the longitudinal axis of the agitator-shaft; and
rotating the distal-agitator with an effective diameter that is larger than its cross-sectional diameter and at a speed sufficient to break the obstruction into pieces.
19. As in claim 18 wherein the vessel cleaning system is advanced into the vessel through an introducer or a catheter.
20. As in claim 18 wherein the distal-agitator is rotated at such speed that a centrifugal force elastically deforms it and increases said effective diameter.
21. A method for removing an obstruction from within a patient’s vessel comprising:
inserting into the vessel a vessel cleaning system having a housing connected to a flexible-tube, a motor-driven flexible agitator-shaft rotatably disposed in the flexible-tube, and an offset distal-agitator connected to the agitator-shaft extending from the open distal end, whereas the distal-agitator is at least partially made of a spiral wire; and
rotating the distal-agitator with an effective diameter that is larger than its cross-sectional diameter at a speed sufficient to break the obstruction into pieces and in a direction, relative to the direction of the winding of the distal-agitator, that the distal-agitator unscrews itself from tight engagements with its surroundings.
22. As in claim 21 wherein the vessel cleaning system is advanced into the vessel through an introducer or a catheter.
23. As in claim 21 wherein the distal-agitator is rotated at such speed that a centrifugal force elastically deforms it and increases the effective diameter.
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. A member with concave portions used to manufacture a member with convex portions, each of the member with concave portions and the member with convex portions having two major surfaces, a plurality of convex portions being formed on one of the two major surfaces of the member with convex portions, the member with concave portions comprising:
a first region provided on one of the two major surfaces of the member with concave portions, a plurality of first concave portions being formed in the first region and used to form the plurality of convex portions of the member with convex portions; and
a second region provided on the one major surface of the member with concave portions, the second region being located adjacent to the first region, a plurality of second concave portions being formed in the second region as dummies.
2. The member with concave portions as claimed in claim 1, wherein the member with convex portions is a microlens substrate provided with a plurality of microlenses formed from the plurality of convex portions.
3. The member with concave portions as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of first concave portions has a substantially elliptic shape when viewed from above the one major surface of the member with concave portions.
4. The member with concave portions as claimed in claim 3, wherein the second region is arranged adjacent to the first region in at least one side of the short axis direction of each of the plurality of first concave portions.
5. The member with concave portions as claimed in claim 3, wherein the plurality of first concave portions are arranged in a houndstooth check manner,
wherein the depth of each of the plurality of first concave portions is defined as D (\u03bcm) and the length of each of the plurality of first concave portions in the short axis direction is defined as L1 (\u03bcm), then D and L1 satisfy the relation: 0.90\u2266L1D\u22665.0, and
wherein a share of the plurality of first concave portions in a usable area where the plurality of first concave portions are formed when viewed from above the one major surface of the member with concave portions is 90% or more.
6. The member with concave portions as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of first concave portions include a first column of first concave portions and a second column of first concave portions which is adjacent to the first column of first concave portions, and the first column of first concave portions is shifted by a half pitch of each of the plurality of first concave portions in a short axis direction thereof with respect to the second column of first concave portions when viewed from above the one major surface of the member with concave portions.
7. The member with concave portions as claimed in claim 1, wherein the member with concave portions is formed of a material having transparency.
8. The member with concave portions as claimed in claim 3, wherein, in the case where the length of each of the plurality of first concave portions in the short axis direction thereof is defined as L1 (\u03bcm) and the length of each of the plurality of first concave portions in the long axis direction thereof is defined as L2 (\u03bcm), then L1 and L2 satisfy the relation: 0.10\u2266L1L2\u22660.99.
9. A method of manufacturing a member with convex portions, the member with convex portions being manufactured using the member with concave portions defined by claim 1.
10. The method as claimed in claim 9, the method comprises the steps of:
preparing the member with concave portions;
supplying a resin material having fluidity onto one major surface of the member with concave portions on which the plurality of first and second concave portions are formed;
solidifying the resin material to form a base member; and
releasing the base member from the member with concave portions.
11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the base member releasing step includes the steps of:
releasing the base member from the second region of the member with concave portions; and
releasing the base member from the first region of the member with concave portions.
12. A member with convex portions manufactured using the method defined by claim 9.
13. The member with convex portions as claimed in claim 12, wherein the member with convex portions is formed of a material having transparency.
14. A transmission screen comprising:
a Fresnel lens formed with a plurality of concentric prisms on one major surface thereof, the one major surface of the Fresnel lens constituting an emission surface thereof; and
the member with convex portions defined by claim 12, the member with convex portions being arranged on the side of the emission surface of the Fresnel lens so that one major surface thereof on which the plurality of convex portions have been formed faces the Fresnel lens.
15. A rear projection comprising the transmission screen defined by claim 14.