Articulating Introducer Cannula for Robotic Scope Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surgical scopes in robotic systems often occupy valuable workspace and restrict the range of motion of surgical instruments due to their rigid configuration, leading to potential collisions and limited access within the surgical workspace.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a surgical scope with a deflectable shaft and a cannula featuring a distal articulation joint, allowing for greater flexibility and access by positioning the scope's base remotely from the entry point into the body cavity, and enabling the scope and its robotic arm to be positioned away from the insertion site.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid surgical scope configuration is used, then structural stability is maintained, but workspace occupancy increases and range of motion is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical scope shaft is transformed from a rigid structure to a dynamically flexible structure that can bend and articulate. The flexible shaft with articulation section allows the scope to adapt its configuration during insertion and positioning, enabling navigation around anatomical structures while maintaining structural integrity through controlled flexibility rather than rigidity.
Solution Approach 2:
The scope shaft is divided into distinct functional sections: a flexible proximal shaft, an articulation section with controlled bending capability, and a distal shaft portion. This segmentation allows each section to perform its specific function - the flexible proximal section absorbs insertion stresses, the articulation section provides directional control, and the distal section maintains positioning stability.
2Ease of operation
If the surgical scope base is positioned near the insertion site, then control precision is improved, but workspace accessibility is reduced and collisions may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The scope base is repositioned from the traditional location near the insertion site to a remote location outside the immediate surgical workspace. The flexible shaft acts as a transmission medium, transferring control from the remote base through the patient's body to the distal tip. This dimensional repositioning allows the control mechanism to be located in an accessible area while the working end reaches deep into the surgical site without obstruction.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible shaft serves as an intermediary element that couples the remotely positioned scope base to the distal tip within the surgical site. This intermediary transmission mechanism allows control forces and motions to be transmitted through the flexible shaft across the patient's body, enabling remote operation while maintaining precise control at the distal end.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid cannula structure is used, then positioning stability is maintained, but adaptability to different insertion angles is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cannula is designed with an articulation joint at its distal end, transforming it from a rigid fixed-structure to a dynamically adjustable structure. The articulation joint allows the distal end of the cannula to bend and articulate at multiple angles, enabling adaptation to different insertion paths and anatomical configurations while maintaining stable positioning through controlled articulation rather than rigid fixation.
Solution Approach 2:
The articulation joint is pre-configured with biasing elements that prepare the cannula for articulation before insertion. The biasing mechanism pre-loads the articulation joint, allowing it to smoothly transition between angular positions during insertion and positioning, facilitating easy adaptation to different insertion angles without requiring complex real-time adjustments.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes a proximal structure configured to be positioned extracorporeally relative to a patient, and a distal structure extending distally from the proximal structure and configured to be passed through a body wall and into a body cavity of the patient. The distal structure cooperates with the primary structure to define a primary axis and a working channel sized and configured to receive and guide a surgical scope shaft distally therethrough along the primary axis. The proximal structure has a greater maximum dimension in a direction transverse to the primary axis than the distal structure. The apparatus further includes an articulation feature at a distal end of the distal structure that is configured to articulate relative to the proximal structure to direct the surgical scope shaft along a secondary axis that is angled relative to the primary axis.