Other

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

H Aaron Christmann

Thomas D Egan

Larry H Dodge

James R Watts

Ulf B Dunberger

A torque-measurement device that has a rotational axis, and wherein the torque-measurement device includes an inner tubular structure, an outer tubular structure, and a plurality of ribs that each have a length dimension in a rib-length direction parallel to the rotational axis, a rib-width dimension in a width direction perpendicular to the length direction and extending radially rotational axis, and a minimum rib-thickness dimension in a thickness direction perpendicular to the length direction and perpendicular to the width direction, wherein the length dimension is greater than the width dimension and the width dimension is greater than the thickness dimension, wherein each of the plurality of ribs has a center plane that lies in the rib-length direction and the rib-width direction, and wherein a torque applied between the inner tubular structure and the outer tubular structure results in an angular displacement of inner tubular structure relative to the outer tubular structure.

Rotatable torque-measuring apparatus and method

An irrigation system for use in endoscopic procedures for maintaining and controlling flow of irrigation fluid to an internal body irrigation site. The system includes a tubing set comprising inflow and outflow lines and a cassette, and an fluid control module comprising a race and a pumping mechanism that squeezes the inflow line of the tubing set against the race to pump fluid to the irrigation site. The cassette includes a through opening exposing a portion of the inflow line to the race and pumping mechanism so that the cassette merely holds the inflow line in alignment with the pumping mechanism but is not required to resist the compressive force of the pumping mechanism. The cassette may include a second through opening exposing a portion of the outflow line to a valve mechanism to regulate pressure independently of the pump mechanism, and rib-or-groove alignment mechanism to align the inflow line with the pumping mechanism and the outflow line with the valve mechanism.

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Afton, MN, United States of America

H Aaron Christmann