Mounting expander sleeve and tool storage set

Abstract

Medical receiving expander sleeve (1) for a medical tool receiving set for the plug-in mounting of medical shank tools (W), comprising: • a insertion plate (4) having an insertion hole (10) for inserting a medical shank tool (W) into the receiving expander sleeve (1); • a base plate (6) axially spaced from the insertion plate (4) for axially supporting an already inserted medical shank tool (W); • a plurality of circumferentially spaced axial / longitudinal bars (8), which are each fixed to the mutually facing plate sides, preferably in the area of ​​the respective outer circumferences of the insertion and base plates (4, 6), integrally formed or formed in one piece, such that they converge towards each other in a funnel- or frustoconical shape from the insertion plate (4) towards the base plate (6); • a plurality of clamping projections (12) which are attached to theare arranged on the circumferential edge of the insertion hole (10) formed by the insertion plate (4) and project radially inwards and a fastening groove (16) for fastening the receiving expander sleeve (1) to / in a perforated plate (14), wherein the fastening groove (16) is formed on the circumferential edge of the insertion plate (4) and surrounds it either completely or in sections.

Description

Technical FieldThe present disclosure relates to a receiving expander sleeve for a tool storage set for receiving surgical shaft tools in a plug-mounted manner, and to a tool storage set having the receiving expander sleeve and optionally a holding device.BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSUREIn modern surgery, a large number of different instrument heads / tools, such as drilling or milling tools (with tool shank), are used, which can each be removably inserted / inserted onto / into a handpiece having an instrument drive / motor. This allows the operator to change the instrument shaft with distal instrument head / effector mounted / inserted on / into the handpiece during operation of the handpiece depending on the requirement of the application. In order to allow the operator to access these instrument heads as easily as possible (hereinafter referred to only as tools), the tools are usually stored in an orderly manner in a surgical tool storage set, as is also known, for example, from the hand-held work, for example for drill sets. In order to avoid damage to the tools and to ensure rapid finding of a required tool, the tools are not stored loosely, however, but are held in a fixing / clamping manner in receiving expander sleeves, which in turn are inserted into a hole matrix of the tool set (in the simplest case a perforated plate) or fixed therein.In this way, the individual tools are arranged in a coaxial / parallel spaced relationship.Prior ArtConventional tool storage sets of this type for the storage / storage of surgical tools belong to the general state of the art. These known tool storage sets essentially have a first perforated plate (a so-called sleeve plate), which is designed as a usually metallic plate with a perforated matrix of round holes of different sizes. Receiving expander sleeves for receiving shank tools are inserted / insertable into the holes or fixed therein. The receiving expander sleeves each have an insertion opening for a specific surgical tool. Surgical tools have a distal tool engagement portion (effector) and a proximal shaft portion, wherein receiving expander sleeves having different diameters of the tool receiving openings allow the correct and seat-fitting reception of tools having different shaft diameters. In addition, the tool set can have a second perforated plate (a so-called bottom plate) connected to the first perforated plate, which is spaced apart parallel to the first perforated plate and partially co-determines an insertion depth of the surgical tools.Besides the gentle storage of surgical tools, the thorough cleaning and sterilization of surgical tools is of greatest importance. Conventional receiving expander sleeves are designed as a solid, cylindrical plastic sleeve with an elastically radially expandable inlay, whereby although the tool inserted therein is securely held, sufficient cleaning fluids (e.g., cleaning fluids or cleaning gases) flow around the tools stored therein is made more difficult or even prevented.To improve the flow around the tools, a receiving expander sleeve is known, for example, from EP 3 154 095 B1, which has a cylindrical hollow body made of plastic and provided with radial apertures, and inwardly projecting filigrane clamping arms preferably made of plastic or metal which are inserted inside the hollow body. The comparatively massive cylindrical hollow plastic body serves for fastening the receiving expander sleeve to a holding device having a perforated plate, whereas the delicate clamping arms serve for point-like contacting of the tool inserted into the receiving expander sleeve with the smallest possible contact surface.US 2017 / 0143449 A1 likewise discloses a receiving expander sleeve having a cylindrical outer hollow body and an inner tool holding insert. The cylindrical outer hollow body has on its one end face an outer, circumferential collar which serves as a stop flange in order to prevent axial slipping through / plugging through of the outer hollow body when the receiving expander sleeve is inserted into the perforated plate.Although these known receiving expander sleeves are distinguished by high stability, they also have the disadvantage that the hollow plastic body has radial apertures in order to allow the cleaning fluid to penetrate and rinse around, it is still possible, for example, for tissue residues and similar contaminants to collect on the receiving expander sleeve. A further decisive disadvantage of these known receiving expander sleeves is, moreover, that the hollow plastic bodies are expensive and complicated to produce, assemble and equip.In order to be able to withstand high temperatures during sterilization, the plastic parts must be made of special temperature-resistant plastic, which increases the manufacturing costs. In order to be able to meet this medical requirement, the material PEEK is generally used, which as such is cost-intensive and difficult to process and has a limited service life. In addition, in the case of a multipart construction of the receiving expander sleeve, in particular with the hollow plastic body and the metal clamping arms inserted or inserted therein, it is necessary to combine the individual components by manual manual manual manual work. This is not only time consuming, but also involves the risk of damage to the receiver expander sleeves or erroneous merging during assembly. Moreover, contamination of plastic often remains adhering for longer than to other materials such as metal because of its positive surface charge, which additionally makes cleaning of the receiving expander sleeve more difficult. Even when the tool set is dried after cleaning, the massive construction of conventional tool sets and their production material plastic has proven to be disadvantageous.However, the metal clamping arms of the tool support sets and receiving expander sleeves known from the prior art which are inserted into the hollow plastic body cannot be fastened, or cannot be fastened in a stable manner, to the holding device of the known tool sets without the hollow plastic bodies.Finally, WO 2022 / 189410 A1 discloses a tool mounting set having a receiving expander sleeve on which, in addition to the metallic clamping arms for holding the tool, fastening portions are formed either on additional (further / separate) metallic fastening arms or on in each case one axial section of the metallic clamping arms themselves, in order to fasten the receiving expander sleeve alone to the holding device / perforated plate. These fastening sections are distinguished in particular in such a way that they are designed to be elastically deformable (because they are metallic) and also radially curved or angled (radially outwards), so that they can be inserted (because of their elasticity) in a radially clamping manner (and in a clawed manner) into the holding device / perforated plate and, in their radially clamped state, can engage behind the holding device / perforated plate counter to an insertion direction of the tool by their radial curvature or angling, so that they can be fastened to the holding device in a positive-locking manner both (radially) in a non-positive-locking manner and (axially) in a positive-locking manner.This means that the receiving expander sleeve known from the aforementioned last-mentioned prior art completely dispenses with a cylindrical outer hollow body made of plastic for fastening the receiving expander sleeve in the perforated plate and instead forms the previous metal inlay for clampingly mounting a tool itself with fastening arms or fastening sections. However, this embodiment still requires a metallic design of the receiving expander sleeve in order to achieve sufficient stability.Brief Description of the DisclosureIn view of the above state of the art, the object of the present disclosure is to provide a receiving expander sleeve for a or a tool storage set and a tool storage set which are simple and cost-effective to produce, ensure efficient cleaning and / or sterilization and enable a simple and simultaneously stable attachment of the receiving expander sleeve to a mounting device of the tool storage set.The object of the present disclosure is achieved by a receiving expander sleeve for a tool storage set having the features of patent claim 1 and by a tool storage set having the features of the subordinate patent claim. Advantageous refinements are the subject matter of the dependent claims.The core of the disclosure therefore consists in that only one (outer) hollow body made of plastic, preferably a silicone plastic, is now provided for the receiving expander sleeve (and therefore no metallic inlay known from the prior art is used), on which both at least one fastening section (a number of fastening sections for engaging with a mounting device / perforated plate and a number of clamping regions, or clamping projections or clamping arms (integral with material), are formed / formed, via which a clamping force is exerted on an inserted shank tool. In order to achieve the required stability of the receiving expander sleeve, the hollow plastic body (in particular a hollow silicone body, which is also referred to below as a silicone sleeve) has an (at least outer, preferably also inner) funnel shape, in particular a truncated cone shape, with a large-diameter end face / end plate and a small-diameter end face / end plate, wherein the two (axially parallel-spaced) end faces / end plates are connected to one another by a plurality of circumferentially spaced longitudinal / axial rods (substantially on the circumferential edge side).The small-diameter end face / end plate represents a tool support base and is preferably designed as a closed plate for this purpose. This small-diameter end plate can preferably also be formed quasi necessarily by the longitudinal / axial rods being / are joined (radially) at their respective axial ends and being connected (fused, cast, etc.) to one another. An inner circumference defined by the longitudinal / axial rods in the axial region of the small-diameter end plate (including directly above the small-diameter end plate) can optionally furthermore form a first, radially acting clamping section for an inserted shank tool. The large diameter end plate has a central through / tool insertion hole with a number / plurality of circumferentially spaced radially inwardly protruding clamping regions in the form of (clamping) projections as the second clamping portion and with an outer circumferential groove (closed or formed as circumferentially spaced groove portions) as the fastening portion(s) for fastening the receiving expander sleeve in the holder / orifice plate.The inner radius defined by the (clamping) projections is preferably dimensioned such that the (clamping) projections are radially deformed when a shank diameter determined by the shank tool is inserted, in order to exert a clamping force on the shank tool.Preferably, the (clamping) projections projecting radially inward are rounded toward the top side of the large-diameter end plate in order to facilitate insertion of a shank tool and to avoid damage (tearing away of the projections during the insertion process).This embodiment provides the following advantages:• The funnel shape of the receiving expander sleeve allows it to be pressed easily into the fastening hole of the holding device / perforated plate or to be drawn in from the opposite side of the perforated plate until the latter latches into the circumferential groove(s) as fastening portion(s). The holding device / perforated plate thus stabilizes the large-diameter end plate on the circumferential side in such a way that it cannot be radially expanded by an inserted tool via the clamping projections. As a result, the clamping force results essentially exclusively from the elastic deformation of the (clamping) projections, wherein this is transferred via the large-diameter end plate or the groove(s) to the hole edge of the perforated plate and thus a stable fastening of the receiving expander sleeve in the perforated plate is ensured (Actio-Reactio principle).• The groove shape of the fastening section holds the receiving expander sleeve in the holding device / perforated plate, as it were, both when a tool is inserted and pulled out.• The longitudinal / axial rods, which taper conically towards one another in the axial direction starting from the large-diameter end plate, form a rod grid cage which can easily be penetrated for a cleaning liquid or vapor, so that the circulation of cleaning / sterilizing fluid around an inserted tool is ensured.• The small diameter end plate radially holds the longitudinal / axial rods together immediately above the small diameter end plate, so that the truncated cone shape can be maintained even when the shaft tool is inserted.• The small diameter of the end plate forming the sleeve base is rigid and stable and therefore particularly long-lived.• The receiving expander sleeve can be produced completely from plastic, in particular silicone plastic, in an injection molding process, which is very inexpensive.The receiving expander sleeve according to the disclosure is explained in more detail below on the basis of a preferred exemplary embodiment with reference to the accompanying figures.DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURESFIG. 1 shows three differently dimensioned receiver expander sleeves according to the present disclosure from four different directions, FIG. 2 shows one of the three receiving expander sleeves from FIG. 1 in a state in which it is installed in a perforated plate and is fitted with a tool, FIG. 3 shows the receiving expander sleeve and perforated plate from FIG. 2 in a longitudinal section, and FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of a fastening groove for fastening the receiving expander sleeve from FIG. 1 in a perforated plate.According to FIG. 1, a receiving expander sleeve 1 according to the present disclosure has an upper, preferably circular (but possibly also angular) end plate (annular disk) 4 for inserting a shank tool W, a (preferably circular or angular) lower end plate 6 for axially supporting an already inserted shank tool W, and a plurality of axial / longitudinal rods 8, which are respectively fixed, integrally formed or formed on the mutually directed end plate sides (preferably in the region of the respective plate outer peripheries) of the upper and lower end plates 4, 6 in order to connect them to one another. The axial / longitudinal rods 8 are spaced apart from one another at preferably uniform circumferential distances. This forms slot-like openings or gaps between the respectively adjacent axial / longitudinal rods 8, so that the receiving expander sleeve 1 is basically given a screen-basket-like shape.The upper end plate 4 (hereinafter referred to as insert plate 4) has a large diameter, whereas the lower end plate 6 (hereinafter referred to as bottom plate 6) has a small diameter. Since the axial / longitudinal rods 8 are each fixed to the two plates 4, 6 in the peripheral edge region thereof (in one piece of material), the axial / longitudinal rods 8 almost necessarily converge in the shape of a funnel / truncated cone in the direction of the base plate 6 starting from the large-diameter insert plate 4.While the base plate 6 is preferably designed as a closed plate, the insert plate 4 has a central (insert) opening 10. This insertion opening 10 is designed in the form of a so-called flower cutout. In other words, the insert plate 4 has, in particular according to FIG. 2, a preferably (imaginary) circular, centrally arranged through hole, the edge region of which is equipped with a plurality of radially inwardly projecting projections 12 (integral with material), which together define an inner diameter. The inner diameter is slightly smaller than the shaft diameter of a medical shaft tool to be expected, as a result of which an inserted medical shaft tool is clamped peripherally by the projections 12.The projections 12 are preferably placed at those angular positions between the axial / longitudinal bars 8 (in the region of the gaps / apertures) in particular according to FIG. 1 and therefore preferably correspond in number to the axial / longitudinal bars 8. Each of the preferably web / strip-shaped projections 12 is rounded at its upper side / edge / corner, i.e. facing away from the base plate 6, and protrudes freely inwards in the longitudinal direction of the receiving expander sleeve 1, in order to simplify insertion of a shank tool into the through hole 10 and to avoid tearing of the projections 12 during the insertion process.The projections 12 are preferably wedge-shaped (pointed in the direction of the inner side) and can be flattened at their radially inner free ends / edges / edges (for forming a flat contact on the inserted shank tool) or formed sharp / sharp-edged (for forming a substantially cutting-like or point-like contact on the inserted shank tool). In the first case (flat contact), a comparatively high clamping force can be applied to an inserted shaft tool, whereas in the second case (sharp / sharp-edged contact), improved wetting of an inserted shaft tool with cleaning / disinfecting / sterilizing fluid can be achieved, since the tool shaft area covered by the projections 12 is comparatively small. In principle, however, it is also possible to provide nub-shaped projections comparable to hemispherical or conical projections.For mounting the receiving expander sleeve 1 on / in a perforated plate 14, the insert plate 4 of the receiving expander sleeve 1 according to FIG. 3 is formed with a closed (latching) groove 16 running circumferentially around the edge (in the circumferential direction) and interruptedly around the edges, the groove having a groove width which is matched to the expected perforated plate thickness, in such a way that the perforated plate 14 can latch into the circumferential groove 16 under clamping stress, as is likewise shown in FIG. 3. As a result, the perforated plate 14 acts like a rigid surround (exclusively) around the upper insert plate 4 and thus prevents a radial widening of the insert plate 4, in particular during the insertion process of a shank tool W.At this point, it should be pointed out that an optimum flow of cleaning / sterilization fluid around the receiving expander sleeve 1 and the shaft tool W inserted therein is of particular importance for the cleaning / sterilization result. It is therefore to be ensured that the total contact area between the shaft tool and the receiving expander sleeve, but also between the receiving expander sleeve and the perforated plate, is kept as small as possible.For this reason, elevations 18 are preferably provided in the circumferential (latching-in) groove 16, which are arranged at a further preferably uniform circumferential spacing and which are intended to ensure that as far as possible no flat contact is produced from groove 16 to perforated plate 14, but rather only a point contact, in order thus to enable better flushing through the groove gap. These elevations 18 thus secure / provide a spacing / flushing gap between the upper side of the perforated plate 14 and the upper flank of the latching / fastening groove 16 and / or the lower side of the perforated plate 14 and the lower flank of the latching / fastening groove 16 and / or between the hole jacket surface of the perforated plate 14 and the bottom surface of the latching / fastening groove 16.The mode of operation of the receiving expander sleeve 1 according to the disclosure can be summarized as follows:The receiving expander sleeve 1 according to the preferred embodiment of the disclosure is made in its entirety (exclusively) of a plastic material, preferably a silicone plastic, which has a certain / certain intrinsic elasticity, which allows the expander sleeve 1 and in particular the insert plate 4 to be elastically deformed manually.Due to the funnel / truncated cone shape of the receiving expander sleeve 1, the latter can be easily inserted / retracted into a receiving hole of the perforated plate 14, wherein the axially / longitudinally oriented rods 8 oriented in the manner of a funnel serve as an insertion guide.Due to the inherent elasticity of the (entire) receiving expander sleeve 1, it is also possible to press / retract its insertion plate 4 into the hole edge of the perforated plate 14 in the region of the circumferential groove 16 and thus latch / clamp the receiving expander sleeve 1 in the perforated plate 14 against a further axial displacement.This is promoted in particular by the fact that, for example, the bead (upper groove flank) on the insert plate 4 which comes to lie above the perforated plate has a higher deformation resistance against pushing through or pulling through the same through a hole of the perforated plate 14 than the bead (lower groove flank) which comes to lie below the perforated plate "Above / below" relates in the present case in each case to the installed state of the receiving expander sleeve 1.This prevents the entire receiving expander sleeve 1 from being unintentionally pulled completely through the perforated plate 14 once the resistance to pulling through of the underlying bead / groove flank has been overcome.In order to achieve this, the outer diameter of the upper bead / groove flank can be greater than that of the lower bead / groove flank (i.e. the upper flank of the fastening groove is higher than the lower flank of the fastening groove) and / or the upper bead is thicker than the lower bead as seen in the axial direction and / or the material in the region of the upper bead has a higher modulus of elasticity than the material in the region of the lower bead (this can be achieved by different materials or by a "stiffer" insert, for example in the form of a plastic or metal ring, in the upper bead; this can possibly also be realized by post-processing the upper bead).When a medical shaft tool W is to be inserted into the receiving expander sleeve 1, it is first inserted into the insertion hole 10 of the insertion plate 4, the projections 12 formed thereon being elastically deformed and applying a clamping / holding force to the shaft tool W as an upper clamping portion. Since the projections 12 are placed in the axial region of the insert plate 4, which in turn is radially supported on the perforated plate 14 on its circumference via the circumferential groove 16, preferably the elevations 18 arranged therein, the insert plate 4 is not (slightly) radially expanded, so that, despite the silicone plastic material on the upper clamping section, a sufficient clamping force can be generated on the shank tool W. At the same time, the clamping force is passed on radially to the hole edge of the perforated plate 14 via the elastically deformable insert plate 4 (Actio-Reactio principle) and causes there a stable bracing of the insert plate 4 in the perforated plate 14.As the medical shaft tool W is further introduced, it can come into (line) contact with the inner sides of the conically converging axial / longitudinal rods 8 at some point on its lower end edge depending on its shaft diameter, as a result of which a lower clamping section offset axially with respect to the upper clamping section can form quasi independently. As a result, in this configuration, a further insertion of the medical shaft tool W into the receiving expander sleeve 1 can first be hindered and, furthermore, the inserted shaft end can be clamped peripherally (and thus the shaft stabilized). However, if the shaft tool W is pressed even further into the receiving expander sleeve 1 in this state, the tool shaft comes into axial abutment with the base plate 6 at some time, as a result of which the insertion process is finally ended.If the inserted medical shaft tool W is now to be pulled out of the receiving expander sleeve 1 again, the total clamping force can possibly be reduced due to the funnel shape (over the pull-out path), namely by, for example, first cancelling the clamping force at the lower clamping section (close to the base plate 6), as a result of which the pulling-out process is facilitated overall. This effect naturally occurs only when the shaft diameter of the inserted shaft tool W exceeds a specific value (depending on the diameter of the base plate). If no clamping force is generated there, for example because the inserted shank tool is too small in diameter with respect to the base plate, the clamping effect in the region of the lower clamping section is of course eliminated.That is, the main clamping force on an inserted shank tool W is basically generated in the upper clamping section (on the insertion plate 4), whereas a secondary clamping force in the lower clamping section (close to the base plate 6) only exceptionally occurs depending on the diameters of the tool shank and the base plate and is therefore optional.Since, furthermore, the insert plate 4 is surrounded by the encircling fastening groove, into which the perforated plate 14 engages in a radially supporting manner, the clamping force exerted on the shank tool W in the upper clamping section is determined substantially exclusively from the deformation of the (clamping) projections 12 and can therefore be reliably adjusted by means of the dimensioning thereof.The present disclosure relates in summary to a receiving expander sleeve 1 of a tool storage set for receiving medical tools W in a plug-in manner, having at least one fastening section 16 which is adapted and provided to cooperate directly with a perforated plate 14 of the tool storage set, wherein the receiving expander sleeve 1 has a funnel or truncated cone shape with the fastening section 16 in the large-diameter region of the receiving expander sleeve 1, in which a tool insertion opening (which leads into the receiving expander sleeve 1) is also arranged, and wherein the entire receiving expander sleeve 1 is manufactured from a plastic, preferably a silicone plastic.References included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedEP 3 154 095 B1

[0006] US 2017 / 0143449 A1

[0007] WO 2022 / 189410 A1

[0011]

Claims

Medical receiving expander sleeve (1) for a or a medical tool receiving set for receiving medical shaft tools (W) in a plug-in manner, comprising • an insertion plate (4) having an insertion hole (10) for inserting a medical shaft tool (W) into the receiving expander sleeve (1), • a base plate (6) spaced apart axially from the insertion plate (4) for axially supporting an already inserted medical shaft tool (W), • a plurality of circumferentially spaced axial / longitudinal rods (8) which are each fixed, integrally formed or formed in one piece on the mutually directed plate sides, preferably in the region of the respective outer peripheries of the insertion and base plates (4, 6), in such a way that they converge in funnel-shaped or truncated cone-shaped manner proceeding from the insertion plate (4) in the direction of the base plate (6), • a plurality of clamping projections (12) which are arranged on the peripheral edge of the insertion hole (10) formed by the insertion plate (4) and project radially inward, and • a fastening groove (16) for fastening the receiving expander sleeve (1) to / in an aperture plate (14), wherein the fastening groove (16) is formed on the peripheral edge of the insertion plate (4) and surrounds the latter closed or divided into sections.Medical receiving expander sleeve (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that it is made from a plastic material, preferably a silicone plastic, preferably injection moulded.Medical receiving expander sleeve (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the projections (12) taper radially inwards in a wedge-shaped manner and form a contact surface, a contact edge or a contact point at their free ends.Medical receiving expander sleeve (1) according to claim 3, characterised in that the projections (12) are formed in planar extension towards the outer side of the insert plate (4) and are rounded towards the contact surface, contact cutting edge or contact point.Medical receiving expander sleeve (1) according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the projections (12) are placed between the axial / longitudinal rods (8) as viewed in the circumferential direction.Medical receiving expander sleeve (1) according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 5, characterised bya number of elevations (18) within the fastening groove (16), which are arranged at a preferably uniform circumferential spacing and which are provided in order to respectively produce a point contact from groove (16) to perforated plate (14)Medical receiving expander sleeve (1) according to claim 6, characterised in that the elevations (18) are arranged on the groove base and / or on the upper groove flank as seen in the insertion direction and / or on the lower groove flank as seen in the insertion direction.Medical receiving expander sleeve (1) according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the upper groove flank, viewed in the insertion direction, has a higher deformation resistance than the lower groove flank, viewed in the insertion direction.Medical receiving expander sleeve (1) according to claim 8, characterised in that the upper groove flank, viewed in the insertion direction, has a larger external diameter and / or is thicker, and / or consists of a more rigid material than the lower groove flank, viewed in the insertion direction.Medical tool storage set for the plug-in accommodation of medical shaft tools (W), having a medical accommodation expander sleeve (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 9, and a holding device which has as a perforated plate (14) with preferably round holes for the insertion of a number of accommodation expander sleeves (1), characterized in that the perforated plate (14) has a plate wall thickness which corresponds to the free gap width of the circumferential groove (16) of the accommodation expander sleeve (1), in particular in the region of the elevations (18) preferably with a specific excess in the groove width direction.

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