ELONGATED MEDICAL DEVICE SUITABLE FOR INTRAVASCULAR INSERTION, OPTICAL FORCE SENSING ASSEMBLY FOR AN ELONGATED MEDICAL DEVICE AND METHOD OF MAKING A MEDICAL OPTICAL FORCE SENSING ASSEMBLY
The present invention concerns an elongated medical device (1) suitable for intravascular insertion. Said device comprising a flexible elongated body (2) having a distal portion (3) with a distal end (4) and a proximal portion (5) and an optic force sensing assembly (20) disposed within said flexible elongated body (2) proximate said distal end. The optical force sensing assembly (20) comprises a light source (30), which defines a linear optical light source axis (A), and an optical sensor (40), which faces the light source (30) and which defines a linear optical sensor axis (B) and whereat the optical sensor (40) is arranged in a distance (d0, d1) to the light source along the optical sensor axis (B), a mounting assembly (50) for the optical sensor (40) and the light source (30) which allows for relative movement of the light source (30) against the optical sensor (40) at least in the directions X, Y, Z of the Cartesian coordinate system, wherein direction Z is parallel to the direction of the optical sensor axis (B) at least in an initial state of the optical force sensing assembly (20) and whereby X and Y directions are perpendicular to each other as well as perpendicular to Z direction.
