Medical Manipulator Adapter Air Chamber Drip-Proofing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical manipulator systems face challenges in separating clean and unclean regions when attaching surgical instruments sterilized by high-pressure steam or ethylene oxide gas to drive parts that do not withstand sterilization, leading to contamination risks and manufacturing complexities.
Innovation Solution
A medical manipulator system with a surgical instrument unit, a drive unit, and an adapter that includes a translatory transmission part for force transmission and a drip-proof part with two elastic bodies forming an air chamber to separate the clean and unclean regions, ensuring effective sterilization and assembly without contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the surgical instrument is attached directly to the drive part, then the structure is simple, but the clean region and unclean region are mixed causing contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The adapter device is divided into distinct functional segments: a first portion that contacts the sterilized surgical instrument (clean region) and a second portion that contacts the non-sterilized drive part (unclean region). This segmentation allows the clean and unclean regions to be physically separated while maintaining a simple overall structure, thus resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and contamination prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The adapter device serves as an intermediary component between the surgical instrument and the drive part. It acts as a barrier that prevents direct contact between the clean surgical instrument and the unclean drive part, thereby preventing contamination while maintaining structural simplicity. The adapter's first portion interfaces with the clean region and the second portion interfaces with the unclean region, creating an effective separation.
2Reliability
If a sterile surgical adapter with rotation mechanism is used, then the clean region and unclean region are separated, but the proximal end becomes large
Solution Approach 1:
The rotation mechanism is extracted from the adapter device and relocated to the drive part. The adapter device only contains the necessary portions for connection and separation of clean and unclean regions, without any rotation mechanism. This extraction allows the adapter to remain compact and small in size while still achieving effective separation of clean and unclean regions, thus resolving the contradiction between region separation and size reduction.
3Reliability
If a bellows-shaped connection part is used, then the clean region and unclean region are separated, but the bellows hinders translatory movement and wire loosening occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The adapter device is designed as a disposable component that is discarded after a single use. This eliminates the need for complex, reusable mechanisms like bellows that require maintenance and can fail. The simple, disposable adapter structure effectively separates clean and unclean regions without hindering translatory movement or causing wire loosening, thus resolving the contradiction between region separation and operational smoothness.
4Reliability
If a fit tolerance structure for drip-proofing is used, then the clean region and unclean region are separated, but it is difficult to manufacture and assemble
Solution Approach 1:
The adapter device incorporates flexible sealing portions made of elastic materials that can deform to accommodate variations in manufacturing tolerances and assembly conditions. These flexible sealing portions effectively prevent fluid leakage and separate clean and unclean regions without requiring extremely tight fitting tolerances, thus resolving the contradiction between drip-proofing effectiveness and ease of manufacture and assembly.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively separates clean and unclean regions, preventing contamination during surgical instrument attachment and operation, while simplifying sterilization processes and reducing manufacturing costs through a drip-proof structure that maintains separation without requiring tight fitting tolerances.
Implementation Method 1
a drip-proof part that separates a side of the surgical instrument unit and a side of the drive unit in the translatory transmission part. The drip-proof part has a structure in which two elastic bodies each having a two-fold structure are arranged to face each other. An air chamber is provided between the surgical instrument unit side and the drive unit side in the translatory transmission part by connecting both ends with the translatory transmission part to separate the surgical instrument unit side and the drive unit side.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a medical manipulator system that prevents a clean region and an unclean region from being mixed between a surgical instrument subjected to sterilization processing and a drive part not subjected to the sterilization processing. The medical manipulator system includes a surgical instrument unit including a surgical instrument at a front end, a drive unit that drives the surgical instrument, and an adapter that attaches the surgical instrument unit to the drive unit. The adapter includes: a translatory transmission part that transmits a driving force generated by the drive unit to the surgical instrument unit; and a drip-proof part that separates the surgical instrument unit side and the drive unit side in the translatory transmission part. The drip-proof part includes an air chamber between the surgical instrument unit side and the drive unit side in the translatory transmission part.