IVUS SYSTEM WITH ROTARY CAPACITIVE COUPLING
An imaging system comprises a catheter having a lumen, a rotatable imaging probe within the catheter lumen including a distal transducer and first and second conductors coupled to the transducer, and a coupler that couples the rotatable first and second conductors to non-rotatable third and fourth conductors, respectively. The coupler includes a rotary capacitive coupler.
1 . An imaging system comprising:
a catheter having a lumen;
a rotatable imaging probe within the catheter lumen including a distal transducer and first and second conductors coupled to the transducer; and
a coupler that couples the rotatable first and second conductors to non-rotatable third and fourth conductors, respectively, the coupler including a rotary capacitive coupler.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the coupler comprises a parallel plate capacitor.
3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the coupler comprises a first parallel plate capacitor that couples the first conductor to the third conductor and a second parallel plate capacitor that couples the second conductor to the fourth conductor.
4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the coupler comprises a parallel plate capacitor that couples the first conductor to the third conductor and a cylindrical surface concentric capacitor that couples the second conductor to the fourth conductor.
5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the coupler comprises a cylindrical surface concentric capacitor.
6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the coupler comprises a first cylindrical surface concentric capacitor that couples the first conductor to the third conductor and a second cylindrical surface concentric capacitor that couples the second conductor to the fourth conductor.
7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the coupler comprises a conical surface concentric capacitor.
8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the coupler comprises a conical surface concentric capacitor that couples the first conductor to the third conductor and a parallel plate capacitor that couples the second conductor to the fourth conductor.
9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the coupler comprises a conical surface concentric capacitor that couples the first conductor to the third conductor and a cylindrical surface concentric capacitor that couples the second conductor to the fourth conductor.
10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the coupler comprises a first conical surface concentric capacitor that couples the first conductor to the third conductor and a second conical surface concentric capacitor that couples the second conductor to the fourth conductor.
11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the coupler is within the catheter.
12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the coupler is outside of the catheter.
13 . An imaging system comprising:
a catheter having a lumen;
a distal rotatable imaging probe within the catheter lumen including a first transducer, first and second conductors coupled to the first transducer, a second transducer, and third and fourth conductors coupled to the second transducer;
a rotary capacitive coupler that couples the rotatable first and second conductors to non-rotatable fifth and sixth conductors, respectively; and
a rotary inductive coupler that couples the rotatable third and fourth conductors to non-rotatable seventh and eighth conductors, respectively.
14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the rotary capacitive coupler comprises a parallel plate capacitor.
15 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the rotary capacitive coupler comprises a first parallel plate capacitor that couples the first conductor to the third conductor and a second parallel plate capacitor that couples the second conductor to the fourth conductor.
16 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the rotary capacitive coupler comprises a parallel plate capacitor that couples the first conductor to the third conductor and a cylindrical surface concentric capacitor that couples the second conductor to the fourth conductor.
17 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the rotary capacitive coupler comprises a cylindrical surface concentric capacitor.
18 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the rotary capacitive coupler comprises a first cylindrical surface concentric capacitor that couples the first conductor to the third conductor and a second cylindrical surface concentric capacitor that couples the second conductor to the fourth conductor.
19 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the rotary capacitive coupler comprises a conical surface concentric capacitor.
20 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the rotary capacitive coupler comprises a conical surface concentric capacitor that couples the first conductor to the third conductor and a parallel plate capacitor that couples the second conductor to the fourth conductor.
21 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the rotary capacitive coupler comprises a conical surface concentric capacitor that couples the first conductor to the third conductor and a cylindrical surface concentric capacitor that couples the second conductor to the fourth conductor.
22 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the rotary capacitive coupler comprises a first conical surface concentric capacitor that couples the first conductor to the third conductor and a second conical surface concentric capacitor that couples the second conductor to the fourth conductor.
23 . An imaging system comprising:
a catheter having a lumen;
a rotatable imaging probe within the catheter lumen including a distal transducer; and
a coupler including a rotary capacitive coupler that couples the rotatable transducer to non-rotatable first and second conductors and a rotary inductive coupler that couples the rotatable transducer to third and fourth non-rotatable conductors.