US8,360,982(Method and apparatus for operating a micromotor in a fluid using a moisture barrier)

US8,360,982(General Electric Company)

タイトルでの不定冠詞：
Method and apparatus for operating a micromotor in a fluid using a moisture barrier
（なんとなく抵抗あるが、別にいいのか・・・？）

要約：
A device and a method for sealing a micromotor with an optional associated gearbox are disclosed where（こういうwhereは何となく嫌われたような気がする。文法というより、文体の問題？まあwhereでつなぐ必要も無いし・・・） in one aspect of the present invention, a catheter tip comprises（compriseは要約では避けるよう言われる場合もある）a micromotor; an ultrasound imaging transducer; a gearbox mechanically coupled to the micromotor, the gearbox having a rotatable portion mechanically coupled to the ultrasound imaging transducer array; and a moisture barrier disposed so as to reduce or prevent acoustic coupling fluid from entering both the gearbox and the micromotor.

クレーム１：
1. A catheter tip comprising: a micromotor disposed in an acoustic coupling fluid; an ultrasound imaging transducer rotatably coupled to said micromotor and disposed in the acoustic coupling fluid; a rotatable portion rotatably coupled to said ultrasound imaging transducer; and a moisture barrier comprised of（構成される、から成る）one of a flexible membrane boot or a membrane seal（選択肢のor) including a resilient opening, the moisture barrier disposed（being disposedでもＯＫ？）so as to reduce or prevent the acoustic coupling fluid from entering said micromotor, wherein（独立項でのwherein節）the membrane seal including the resilient opening is shaped and sized to（するように）attach to said micromotor and configured（形成） substantially circular and having a generally cylindrical membrane rim extending from a circumferential perimeter, the cylindrical membrane rim being retained by at least one membrane ring and wherein the membrane seal is configured to（形成？構成？）minimize rotational torque load on the micromotor and allow for rotational motion between the micromotor and the rotatable portion; wherein said flexible membrane boot is shaped and sized to enclose said micromotor and the rotatable portion and wherein said flexible membrane boot is configured to allow for rotational motion between the micromotor and the rotatable portion.

発明の背景冒頭：
The subject matter（the inventionは避けているのか？他の部分でpresent inventionは頻繁に使っているが・・・やっぱり初っ端だから？）disclosed herein relates to micromotor assemblies and, in particular, to micromotors with gearboxes operating in fluid environments.

悪化、悪影響：
"The performance and reliability of a micromotor operating in a fluid environment can be adversely affected by the seepage of the fluid into the micromotor"

対応：
"Fluid in the gearbox may substantially increase friction loading on the micromotor and correspondingly decrease the amount of torque available to drive an external load"

利用：
"Medical cardiac interventional procedures, such as real-time three-dimensional intra-cardiac echocardiography (4D ICE), for example, typically make use of a catheter-guided transducer array"

軽減、低減：
"The catheter also encloses a micromotor assembly for which it is desirable to avoid, or to mitigate, any additional functional loading resulting from the possible incursion of fluid into moving mechanical parts"

するように、such that:
1) "The imaging catheter tip 10 includes a micromotor 11 with an associated gearbox 13 such that the micromotor 11 can impart an oscillating motion to an imaging transducer 21, the oscillation occurring about an axis of a drive shaft 23 as indicated by rotation arrow 25"（マイクロモータ11が～できるようなギアボックス13）
cf.
(i) with an associated gearbox 13 enabling (that enables/allows/permits; configured to enable) the micromotor 11 to impart an oscillating motion to...

2) "The catheter tip 40 includes a membrane seal 60 attached to the gearbox housing 49, such that the output drive shaft 51 extends through a resilient shaft opening 61 in the membrane seal 60"（シャフト51が開口61を貫通するように、シール60がハウジング49に取り付けられている）

such thatである必要性はあるのだろうか？
cf.
(i) attached to the gearbox housing 49, with the output drive shaft 51 extending through a resilient shaft opening 61 in the membrane seal 60

(ii) attached to the gearbox housing 49 while allowing the output drive shaft 51 to extend through a resilient shaft opening 61 in the membrane seal 60

(iii) attached to the gearbox housing 49 in such a manner as to allow the output drive shaft 51 to extend through a resilient shaft opening 61 in the membrane seal 60

3) "the membrane seal 60 is disposed so as to reduce or prevent the acoustic coupling fluid from leaking into the interior of the gearbox 43"

位相：
"As the imaging transducer 21 is oscillated, a plurality of transducer elements in the imaging transducer 21 are electronically phased to form an electronic image"（位相を調節する？）

設ける、備える、配設、配置、供給：
"An acoustic coupling fluid 29 may be provided inside the catheter housing 27 as a medium for coupling ultrasound energy between the imaging transducer array 21 and a fluid medium (not shown) external to the imaging catheter tip 10"

従って：
"Accordingly, the micromotor 11, the gearbox 13, and the imaging transducer 21 are typically disposed within the acoustic coupling fluid 29"

出力：
"operational torque needs to be efficiently outputted from the gearbox 13 to oscillate the imaging transducer 21"

すなわち：
"That is, it may not be feasible to increase the power output of the micromotor 11 so as to overcome the additional friction loading in the gearbox 13 resulting from the possible influx of ambient fluid"

等、例えば：
1) "Moreover, simply increasing drive power to overcome higher gearbox loading may result in excessive heat buildup in the micromotor 11 and thus not conform to thermal regulations, such as may be set by regulatory agencies"

2) "FIG. 1 shows an imaging catheter tip 10 for use in a conventional cardiac interventional procedure, such as exemplified, for example, in commonly-assigned U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2008/0097403"（冗長な気もするが）

必要：
"What is needed is an improved device and method for sealing a micromotor with an associated gearbox operating in a fluid environment"

よくある書き出し：
"In one aspect of the present invention, a catheter tip is disclosed comprising:"
cf.
1) there is disclosed a catheter tip comprising:
2) One aspect of the present invention provides/discloses a catheter tip comprising:
3) In one aspect of the present invention, a catheter tip includes"（クレーム移行句として以外のcompriseの使用を嫌うクライアントもある）

周り：
"a micromotor and integral gearbox with a membrane seal attached about an output shaft"

構成：
"Disclosed are several embodiments of micromotor assemblies configured for protection from liquid incursion including: use of a fluid seal around the gearbox output"

comprise:
"The catheter tip 40 comprises a micromotor 41 mechanically coupled to a gearbox 43 which is, in turn, mechanically coupled to an ultrasound imaging transducer array 53"
（なぜ敢えてcomprise？includeとの違いは？）

当業者には明らか：
"As can be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the gearbox housing 49 may be optional and is shown for clarity of illustration"

平面：
"a one-dimensional planar transducer array"

言うまでもなく（？）：
it should be understood that an ultrasound transducer used in the catheter tip 40, or in any of the additional exemplary embodiments disclosed herein"

選択肢のor：
1) "is not limited to this configuration（構成）and may comprise any of: (i) a single transducer element, or (ii) a one-dimensional or two-dimensional, linear, sector, annular, convex, or curved ultrasound transducer array, as well known in the relevant art"

2) 2. The catheter tip of claim 1, wherein said ultrasound imaging transducer comprises a device selected from the group consisting of: a single transducer element, a one-dimensional transducer array, a two-dimensional transducer array, a linear transducer array, a sector transducer array, an annular transducer array, a convex transducer array, or a curved transducer array.
（日本人感覚からすればandだと思うがＷ。どっちでもＯＫ？）

張力：
"Preferably, the shaft opening 61 is in tension about the output drive shaft 51 so as to provide a barrier against the entry of the acoustic coupling fluid 29 into the membrane seal 60 at the output drive shaft 51"（シャフトの周りに張力を生じている）

ここでは：
"For clarity of illustration, the membrane seal 60 is here shown spaced apart from the gearbox housing 49"

作製、作る：
"the membrane seal 60 may be fabricated from a substantially circular membrane 63 formed from an elastic material, such as silicone"

周方向端部：
"The circular membrane 63 preferably has a generally cylindrical membrane rim 65 extending from the circumferential perimeter of the circular membrane 63"

保持：
"The cylindrical membrane rim 65 may be retained between an outer membrane ring 67 and an inner membrane ring 69 to form the membrane seal 60"

形成：
"The outer membrane ring 67 and the inner membrane ring 69 may be formed from a metal such as stainless steel or nitinol"

仮定法：
"This forming process would provide for desirable tension in the assembled membrane 63 or 73 about the respective cylindrical membrane rim 65 or 75"（～すれば～であろう）