Articulating Surgical Instrument With Reduced Cable Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical robotic systems face limitations in dexterity and complexity due to the number of wires and cables required for controlling instruments with multiple degrees of freedom, which can complicate surgical procedures and increase the size of the instrument shaft.
Innovation Solution
The use of a surgical instrument design with a reduced number of cables, utilizing a combination of upper and lower cables to achieve pitch, yaw, and jaw actuation, along with a shaft that can articulate in multiple degrees of freedom, and incorporating a mechanism to deliver both mechanical and electrical energy through the same cables, reducing the overall size and complexity of the instrument.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple wires and cables are used to control instruments with multiple degrees of freedom, then the dexterity and control capability are improved, but the device complexity and instrument shaft size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate cables (upper and lower cables) into a unified cable system that controls multiple degrees of freedom (pitch, yaw, and jaw actuation) through a integrated cable management mechanism, reducing the total number of cables while maintaining full control capability
Solution Approach 2:
The cable system is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously - the same upper and lower cables control both pitch and yaw motions as well as jaw actuation, making the cable system multi-functional and reducing the need for separate dedicated cables for each degree of freedom
2Measurement precision
If multiple separate cables are used for pitch, yaw, and jaw actuation, then the control precision is improved, but the instrument shaft size increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple cable functions are merged into a reduced cable set where upper and lower cables work together to control pitch, yaw, and jaw actuation, thereby reducing the instrument shaft diameter required to accommodate the cables
3Reliability
If separate mechanisms are used for mechanical and electrical energy delivery, then the functional reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates mechanical cable-driven actuation and electrical energy delivery into a unified system where the same cable infrastructure serves both mechanical control and electrical power/signal transmission functions, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining functional reliability
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical instrument for use with a robotic manipulator includes an end effector assembly having one or two end effector members, each having a distal treatment end, a proximal end, and a tendon pass-through. Each end effector member is sandwiched between a corresponding pair of pulley members that, when assembled define an annular tendon pathway that is between the pulley members and that is aligned with the pass-through. For each end effector member, a tendon having a distal loop portion ends through the tendon pass-through, with its legs passing proximally from the pass-through, extending in opposite directions around the tendon pathway and proximally through the instrument's shaft.