Apparatus for acting by means of ultrasonic vibrations upon an object

Claim 3

The device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the part upstream of said blowpipe (2), in relation to said projectile (1), is directly subjected to the cyclic pressure of a compressor cylinder, said projectile circulating in the forward sense during the high-pressure phase, and in the return sense during the low-pressure phase.

Claim 4

The device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said blowpipe is pneumatically connected, toward its downstream end, to an auxiliary reservoir (8), in order that air accumulated in the latter ensures the return of said projectile (1) towards its starting position.

Claim 5

The device as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, characterised in that said compressor comprises regulable means for permitting the adjustment of the quantity of air in the propulsion circuit and, in consequence, of the amplitude of the shock waves.

Claim 6

The device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the projectile (1) is propelled by a sequential supply to the blowpipe (2) from a source of compressed air of a practically constant pressure.

Claim 7

The device as claimed in claim 1 and intended to be used as an lithotriptor, characterised in that the waveguide is a rod (4), of diameter and length which are compatible with its passage through an apparatus of the renonscope type and operating on the stone by contact chipping.

Claim 8

The device as claimed in claim 1 and intended to be used for the destruction, by non-invasive means, of harmful objects, which are situated in a living organism, characterised in that the waveguide comprises an ellipsoidal reflector (19), with extracorporal focus (16) from which the projectile (1) comes to strike the surface of a liquid (18), via a fine sealing membrane with high strength (17), to produce shock waves thereat, the other focus of the reflector (19) being capable of being brought to the place where the object to be destroyed is situated, the liquid (18) ensuring the continuity of the acoustic impedance between the first focus (16) and the part of the body of the patient close to the second focus (21) and the transfer of the shock waves from the first (16) to the second focus (21).

Claim 9

The device as claimed in claim 1, and intended to be used for the destruction, by non-invasive means, of harmful objects situated in a living organism, characterised in that the waveguide comprises means (27, 28) for concentrating on a practically linear first focus (39), of circular shape, the shock waves produced at its entrance interface (9a), and a reflector (19a), the surface of which is that created by the rotation of an ellipse about an axis (X) of the device passing through the center of said circle (39) and a focus of which follows said circle (39), while its other focus (21a) remains constantly at a same point (21) of said axis (X), and that a conical deflector (26) is disposed in proximity to said circular linear focus (39), to pass to the reflector (19a) the part of the shock waves originating from this circular focus which, in its absence, would not reach this reflector (19a), practically to ensure thereby the transfer of all the shock waves from the first focus (39) to the second (21a), a liquid being disposed between the reflector (19) and the part of the body of the patient close to the object to be destroyed, when the second focus (21a) has been brought into the interiour of this object.

Claim 10

The device as claimed in claim 8, characterised in that said shock waves are guided, via a first section (4a) of said waveguide, between circular coaxial jaws (27, 28), separated by less than one wavelength measured in said liquid, constituted by the exit face (28) of said waveguide section (4a, 4c) and a reactive mass (24), in such a manner as to generate, in the liquid contained between said jaws (27, 28), centrifugal waves which, proceeding from a geometric circle forming the first focus (39), which is extracorporal and situated in proximity to the external edge of said jaws, radiate into the liquid volume which is open in front of them, as far as to the second focus (21a), which is intracorporal and at which they concentrate.

Claim 11

The device as claimed in claim 9 and in which the radius of the geometric circle forming the locus of the extracorporal first focus (39) is small enough to be disregarded, characterised in that the active surface of the reflector (19a) has the shape of an ellipsoid.