Articulated Surgical Scope Layout for Collision-Free Robotic Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surgical scopes in robotic systems consume valuable workspace and restrict the motion of other instruments due to their rigid configuration, limiting reach and access, and risking collisions.
Innovation Solution
A surgical scope with a deflectable shaft and a cannula with a distal articulation joint, allowing for remote positioning and enhanced maneuverability within the patient's body cavity, providing greater reach and access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid surgical scope is used in robotic systems, then the scope provides structural stability, but it consumes valuable workspace and restricts the motion of other instruments
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical scope is divided into multiple articulation segments that can independently move relative to each other. The distal articulation joint allows the scope to bend and navigate around obstacles, while the proximal articulation joint provides additional degrees of freedom. This segmentation enables the scope to maintain stability at each segment while achieving overall flexibility to avoid collisions and access confined spaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The surgical scope transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic articulated structure. The articulation joints allow the scope to change its configuration in real-time during surgical procedures, adapting to the spatial requirements of different surgical instruments and patient anatomy. This dynamic capability enables the scope to optimize its path through the body cavity, reducing workspace consumption while maintaining structural integrity.
2Shape
If a rigid surgical scope is used, then the scope maintains its shape, but it limits reach and access to confined spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The scope is segmented into multiple rigid sections connected by articulation joints. Each segment maintains its shape and structural integrity, while the joints between segments allow the overall scope to bend and extend into confined spaces. This segmentation enables the scope to achieve greater effective reach by navigating around obstacles rather than requiring a straight-line path.
Solution Approach 2:
The articulated scope can assume curved configurations to navigate the complex three-dimensional space of the body cavity. The articulation joints enable the scope to follow curved paths and access confined spaces that would be inaccessible to a straight rigid scope, effectively increasing reach capability without compromising the structural integrity of individual segments.
3Device complexity
If a rigid surgical scope is used, then the scope is simple in structure, but it risks collisions with other instruments
Solution Approach 1:
The scope is divided into multiple segments with articulation joints that provide independent control. This segmentation allows each segment to be positioned and oriented independently, enabling the scope to navigate around other surgical instruments and avoid collisions. The additional structural elements required for articulation are offset by the ability to perform complex maneuvers that prevent instrument interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The articulated scope provides dynamic adaptability that allows real-time adjustment of its configuration to avoid collisions with other instruments. The articulation joints enable the scope to change its path and positioning in response to the movements of other surgical tools, enhancing reliability by preventing collisions despite the increased structural complexity.
4Ease of operation
If the controller is positioned far from the patient, then the surgeon has better ergonomics, but the scope consumes more workspace
Solution Approach 1:
The articulated scope with multiple articulation joints can bend and fold to accommodate the extended positioning of the controller. The distal and proximal articulation joints allow the scope to create gentle curves that reach from the remote controller position to the surgical site, reducing the effective workspace requirement while maintaining ergonomic controller placement for the surgeon.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a controller, a robotic arm in communication with the controller and having a head, and a surgical scope coupled with the head and having a scope shaft sized and configured to be inserted through an opening in a body wall and into a body cavity of a patient. The controller is programmed to control the robotic arm to manipulate the surgical scope relative to the patient while inhibiting the head from entering a predefined zone of a robotic arm workspace that overlies the body wall.