Angled Instrument Assembly Inner Elbow Geometry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surgical procedures often require access to target sites obstructed by human anatomy or other instruments, making it difficult to use straight instruments, and existing solutions like U-joints, crown gears, and sleeves are complicated, prone to wear, or require excessive force.
Innovation Solution
An angled instrument assembly with a driver shaft and tool bit engagement assembly, featuring a straight and angled passage segment junction with a modified inner elbow and drafted tool bit engagement, allowing for easier axial movement and rotation within the angled sleeve.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a U-joint at the terminal end is used to access obstructed target sites, then access to non-straight passages is enabled, but the device becomes complicated requiring multiple instruments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the guide function and the driving function into a single integrated angled instrument assembly. The angled sleeve serves as both the guide passage and the housing for the driver shaft, eliminating the need for separate guide instruments and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining adaptability to obstructed target sites
2Adaptability or versatility
If crown gears are used at the end of the tool to access obstructed target sites, then access is enabled, but the gears wear easily and require significant force increasing user fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the crown gear mechanism from the system. Instead of using gears to navigate the angled passage, the driver shaft is designed to directly follow the angled path defined by the sleeve's internal geometry, removing the wear-prone gear components entirely while maintaining the ability to access obstructed target sites
3Adaptability or versatility
If crown gears are used to access obstructed target sites, then access is enabled, but significant force must be applied which may fatigue the user
Solution Approach 1:
By removing the crown gear mechanism, the patent eliminates the need for users to apply significant force to prevent gear slipping. The direct-drive configuration allows the driver shaft to rotate freely within the angled sleeve, dramatically reducing operational force requirements and user fatigue
4Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If sleeves are used to guide a drilling or screwing tool to the target site, then guidance is provided, but the sleeves are typically large and bulbous
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested configuration where the driver shaft is received within the angled sleeve, and the tool bit is received within the driver shaft. This nested arrangement allows the guidance function to be provided by a compact sleeve structure without requiring large bulbous dimensions, as each component fits within the previous one
Data Source
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Figure 2
AI summary
An angled instrument assembly includes an angled sleeve, a driver shaft, and a tool bit. The angled sleeve includes a straight passage segment that meets an angled passage segment at a junction. The junction includes an inner elbow and an outer elbow. Material is removed from the inner surface of the inner elbow in order to improve the ease with which the driver shaft can be moved in and out of the angled sleeve. The assembly can also include drafted female or male engagement bodies for facilitating the engagement and disengagement of the tool bit with a tool bit engagement assembly located at the distal end of the driver shaft.