Nozzle, coating device, and coating method
A nozzle, a coating device, and a coating method are able to selectively and easily apply a coating liquid to desired portion of a medical elongated body. The nozzle includes a nozzle distal portion that is provided with a holding space in which a coating liquid to be applied to a shaft can be held, and a nozzle main body portion that is provided with a lumen through which the coating liquid is delivered to the nozzle distal portion, and an opening portion via which the lumen and the holding space communicate with each other.
1 . A nozzle comprising:
a nozzle distal portion including a holding space to hold a coating liquid to be applied to a medical elongated body;
a nozzle main body portion that possesses a distal end, the nozzle distal portion being located at the distal end of the nozzle main body, the nozzle main body portion including a lumen through which the coating liquid is delivered to the nozzle distal portion;
the nozzle main body portion including an opening via which the lumen and the holding space communicate with each other so that the coating liquid delivered through the lumen passes through the opening and enters the holding space;
the nozzle distal portion including a first bifurcated portion and a second bifurcated portion that are bifurcated at the distal end of the nozzle main body portion; and
wherein each of the first bifurcated portion and the second bifurcated portion includes a first part that extends from the nozzle main body portion and possesses a distal end, and a second part that substantially linearly extends from the distal end of the first part, and the holding space being located between the first part and inner surfaces of the second part of the first and second bifurcated portions, and wherein the first parts of the first and second bifurcation portions extend symmetrically in directions that diverge away from each other, and the second parts of the first and second bifurcation portions extend parallel to each other.
2 . The nozzle according to claim 1 , wherein the nozzle main body portion possesses a proximal end opposite the distal end of the nozzle main body portion, the distal end of the nozzle main body portion being located closer to the holding space than the proximal end of the nozzle main body portion.
3 . The nozzle according to claim 2 , wherein the first bifurcated portion and the second bifurcated portion each include a distal end that is a free distal end, the free distal end of the first bifurcated portion and the free distal end of the second bifurcated portion being spaced apart from one another so that a space exists between the free distal end of the first bifurcated portion and the free distal end of the second bifurcated portion to allow insertion of the medical elongated body into the holding space from a distal side of the space.
4 . The nozzle according to claim 1 , wherein the nozzle distal portion includes an insertion portion that allows insertion of the medical elongated body into the holding space from a distal side of the nozzle distal portion.
5 . The nozzle according to claim 1 , wherein the coating liquid held in the holding space and the coating liquid applied to the medical elongated body is aspirated via the opening portion and the lumen of the nozzle main body portion.
6 . A nozzle comprising:
a nozzle distal portion including a holding space to hold a coating liquid to be applied to a medical elongated body;
a nozzle main body portion that possesses a distal end, the nozzle distal portion being located at the distal end of the nozzle main body, the nozzle main body portion including a lumen through which the coating liquid is delivered to the nozzle distal portion;
the nozzle main body portion including an opening via which the lumen and the holding space communicate with each other so that the coating liquid delivered through the lumen passes through the opening and enters the holding space; and
wherein nozzle main body portion includes a distal end portion that extends in an extending direction, the nozzle distal portion including first and second spaced apart portions that project distally away from the nozzle main body portion, each of the first and second spaced apart portions terminating in a distal end that is a free end, the first portion having an intermediate point that is between the free end of the first portion and the distal end of the nozzle main body portion, the second portion having an intermediate point that is between the free end of the second portion and the distal end of the nozzle main body portion, a distance between the free ends of the first and second portions of the nozzle distal portion in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction being less than a distance between the intermediate point of the first portion of the nozzle distal portion and the intermediate point of the second portion of the nozzle distal portion in the direction perpendicular to the extending direction.
7 . A coating device for coating a medical elongated body comprising:
a nozzle comprised of a nozzle main body portion and a nozzle distal portion, the nozzle main body portion possessing a distal end at which is located the nozzle distal portion, the nozzle distal portion being located at the distal end of the nozzle main body, the nozzle distal portion including a holding space to hold a coating liquid to be applied to the medical elongated body that extends in an axial direction, the nozzle main body portion including a lumen through which the coating liquid is delivered to the nozzle distal portion, and the nozzle main body portion including an opening portion that communicates with the lumen and opens into the holding space, the nozzle distal portion includes two spaced apart portions that project in a distal direction away from the nozzle main body portion, each of the two spaced apart portions include a bifurcation portion and a linearly extending portion, the bifurcations portions symmetrically extending in a direction that diverges away from one another and the linearly extending portions extending substantially parallel to one another, and wherein the holding space is between the two spaced apart portions and an inner surface of the linearly extending portion of the two spaced apart portions; and
an actuator that controls movement of the nozzle and/or the medical elongated body so that the coating liquid is applied to an axial portion of the medical elongated body by relatively moving, in a state where a part of the medical elongated body is disposed in the holding space, the nozzle and the medical elongated body along the axial direction of the medical elongated body.
8 . The coating device according to claim 7 , further comprising:
an opening of the nozzle main body portion opening into the part of the holding space bordered by the two spaced apart portions of the nozzle distal portion.
9 . The coating device according to claim 7 , wherein the two spaced apart portions each having a free end, the free end of the two spaced apart portions being spaced from one another to define an insertion opening through which is insertable the medical elongated body to allow the medical elongated body to be inserted into the holding space, the insertion opening being located distal of the opening.
10 . The coating device according to claim 7 , wherein the actuator that controls movement of the nozzle and/or the medical elongated body moves the nozzle in an up-and-down direction as the nozzle coats the medical elongated body.