Energy responsive conformal device
View Patent ↗Sealing devices are presented. The sealing device includes a first material and a second material. The first material responds to energy inputs differently than the second material. The first and second material are operatively connected and configured to be inserted into an orifice.
1. A sealing device configured to be inserted into an orifice comprising:
a first material; and
a body having a second material at least on a portion of an outer surface of the body, the body having first and second ends, the body including a first portion proximate the first end and a second portion proximate the second end,
wherein the first material is disposed outside of the body on the first portion and on the second material, the first material including plural sub elements,
a material property of the first material is changed in response to activation by an energy input after being inserted into the orifice, and
the activation by the energy input causes the first material to conform to the orifice and to seal the orifice in a vicinity of the first portion of the body exclusive of the second portion.
2. The device according to claim 1 , where the energy input includes at least one of a temperature change, a current change, a PH change, or a voltage change.
3. The device according to claim 1 , where the energy input is a temperature change, where the material property of the first material is changed in response to the temperature change by at least one of a volume, a viscosity, or a skin friction.
4. The device according to claim 1 , where the orifice is at least one of an ear canal, an anus, a vein, a nose, a pipe, a recess, and an artery.
5. The device according to claim 1 , where the first material is arranged about the body in a circumferential direction of the body.
6. The device according to claim 5 , where the material property of the first material changes in a radial direction of the body perpendicular to the circumferential direction.
7. The device according to claim 1 , where at least one of the plural sub elements responds differently in response to the activation by the energy input.
8. The device according to claim 1 ,
where at least one of the plural sub elements includes an arc segment extending around a portion of a circumference of the body.
9. The device according to claim 1 , where a material property of the second material is changed in response to the activation by the energy input.
10. The device according to claim 9 , where the material property of the second material is configured to change differently than the material property of the first material in response to the activation by the energy input.
11. The device according to claim 10 , where the energy input is a temperature change, where the first material responds to the temperature change differently than the second material by the first material expanding in volume more than the second material, where the expanding of the first material at least partially seals the orifice.
12. The device according to claim 10 , where the energy input is a temperature change, where the first material responds to the temperature change differently than the second material by the first material changing a viscosity more than the second material, where the changing of the viscosity of the first material conforms a portion of the first material to the orifice.
13. The device according to claim 1 , where the plural sub elements are disposed along an axial direction of the body.
14. The device according to claim 1 , where the plural sub elements are configured as annular rings disposed along an axial direction of the body.
15. The device according to claim 1 , where the plural sub elements are colocated relative to a radial direction of the body.
16. The device according to claim 1 , A sealing device configured to be inserted into an orifice comprising:
a first material; and
a body having a second material at least on a portion of an outer surface of the body, the body having first and second ends, the body including a first portion proximate the first end and a second portion proximate the second end,
wherein the first material is disposed outside of the body on the first portion and on the second material,
a material property of the first material is changed in response to activation by an energy input after being inserted into the orifice,
the activation by the energy input causes the first material to conform to the orifice and to seal the orifice in a vicinity of the first portion of the body exclusive of the second portion, and
where the first material extends helically around the body.