Calibrated Motor Assembly for Surgical Clamping Torque Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical instruments, such as staplers and vessel sealers, face challenges in controlling torque parameters, leading to improper clamping and tissue gaps, which can result in inadequately formed staples or seals.
Innovation Solution
A calibrated motor assembly is provided, which includes a method of calibrating motors through initial and final calibration, wearing in the motor, and storing calibration data. This motor assembly is coupled with a clamping device and a system to control the operation of the motor, ensuring precise torque management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional motor control is used in surgical instruments, then the device complexity is reduced, but the torque control precision deteriorates leading to improper clamping and tissue gaps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing calibration procedures before the surgical instrument is used. The calibration process pre-determines the relationship between motor parameters and actual clamping force, storing these calibration data in memory. During actual surgery, the pre-calibrated motor controller uses this stored data to achieve precise torque control without requiring complex real-time adjustments, thus improving torque control precision while maintaining relatively simple device complexity.
2Manufacturing precision
If motor calibration and wearing-in procedures are implemented, then the manufacturing precision improves, but the productivity decreases due to additional processing steps
Solution Approach 1:
The calibration and wearing-in procedures are performed as preliminary actions during the manufacturing process. By completing these precision-critical steps before the product is shipped to the customer, the patent ensures high manufacturing precision is achieved upfront. The calibration data is stored in the motor assembly, so no additional calibration steps are needed at the surgical site, thus minimizing the impact on overall productivity while ensuring precise motor control.
Solution Approach 2:
The motor assembly is designed to be self-calibrating through the wearing-in process, where the motor naturally settles into its optimal operating characteristics through controlled use. This self-service approach reduces the need for complex external calibration equipment and manual adjustments, improving manufacturing precision while requiring minimal additional processing time compared to traditional manual calibration methods.
3Reliability
If torque parameters are not properly controlled, then the ease of operation is maintained, but the reliability deteriorates due to improper clamping and inadequate staple formation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by using calibrated motor controllers that continuously monitor and adjust motor output based on stored calibration data. The system measures actual motor performance during operation and compares it against the calibrated reference values, automatically adjusting torque parameters to maintain proper clamping force. This feedback mechanism ensures reliable clamping and staple formation while requiring minimal operator intervention, thus improving reliability without compromising ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical system includes a surgical arm a control system, and a motor assembly. The surgical arm is configured to removably couple an instrument to the surgical system. The surgical arm is adjustable to different configurations to change a position of an instrument coupled to the surgical arm. The motor assembly is separate from the control system and includes a motor, a memory to store calibrated parameters of the motor, and electronics coupled to the memory and the motor. The electronics are configured to retrieve the calibrated parameters of the motor from the memory, provide the calibrated parameters of the motor to the control system, receive an instruction for driving the motor from the control system, and send a control signal to the motor based on the instruction. The instruction is based on the calibrated parameters of the motor.