Sterile Camera Tube Loop for Robotic Surgery Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing camera systems used in medical procedures, such as laparoscopic and robotic surgery, face issues with size, resolution, sterilization, reliability, and difficulty in replacement during procedures.
Innovation Solution
A visualization device for single port robotic surgery that includes a housing with a camera tube and rollers, allowing the camera tube to form a loop and be extended or retracted, with actuators for pan and tilt functionality, and a sterile barrier to prevent contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a camera system is miniaturized for use inside body cavities, then the camera can be inserted through small incisions, but the camera size becomes too small to achieve adequate image resolution and requires sophisticated miniaturization techniques
Solution Approach 1:
The camera tube is inserted through the insertion device channel, with the camera positioned at the distal end inside the body cavity while the proximal end remains outside. This nested configuration allows the camera to be miniaturized for insertion while maintaining functional capabilities through the hierarchical arrangement of components within the insertion device
Solution Approach 2:
The camera tube forms a loop configuration with portions extending in different spatial dimensions. The distal end enters the body cavity through the insertion device channel while the proximal end exits through a different opening, creating a three-dimensional loop that accommodates miniaturization constraints while maintaining imaging functionality
2Adaptability or versatility
If the camera tube is made flexible to navigate body cavities, then the camera can reach difficult-to-access sites, but the tube becomes difficult to sterilize and control
Solution Approach 1:
The camera tube is divided into distinct segments: a flexible distal portion that can navigate body cavities and a more rigid proximal portion that maintains structural integrity for sterilization and control. This segmentation allows the flexible section to adapt to anatomical structures while the segmented design enables proper sterilization protocols to be applied to each section
Solution Approach 2:
The insertion device channel acts as an intermediary structure that guides and constrains the flexible camera tube. The channel provides a defined pathway that maintains control over the flexible tube while allowing it to reach difficult-to-access sites within the body cavity
3Length of stationary object
If the camera tube length is increased to reach distant sites, then the camera can image deeper body cavities, but the tube becomes more prone to contamination and harder to manage
Solution Approach 1:
The camera tube is pre-configured in a loop formation with the distal end inserted through the insertion device channel before the procedure begins. This preliminary positioning establishes a controlled configuration that minimizes exposure to contamination while maintaining the ability to reach distant sites within the body cavity
Solution Approach 2:
The insertion device channel serves as a sterile intermediary barrier between the external environment and the internal body cavity. The channel maintains a defined sterile pathway that allows the camera tube to extend to distant sites while protecting against contamination through the controlled interface provided by the channel
4Stability of the object's composition
If the camera tube is made rigid to maintain orientation, then the camera maintains stable imaging position, but the tube cannot navigate curved paths in body cavities
Solution Approach 1:
The camera tube is segmented into flexible and rigid portions, allowing the flexible distal section to navigate curved anatomical paths while the rigid proximal section maintains stable orientation and positioning. This segmentation enables both navigability and orientation stability to be achieved in different sections of the same tube
Solution Approach 2:
The camera tube incorporates flexible materials and thin-walled construction in the distal portion that allow bending and navigation through curved body cavity paths. These flexible sections maintain structural integrity while enabling the tube to conform to anatomical structures, whereas more rigid sections provide stable orientation for imaging
Data Source
AI summary
In some embodiments, an insertion device for a robotic surgery apparatus can include a first portion with a plurality of instrument channels configured to removably house a plurality of surgical instruments and first and second camera channels positioned in an interior of the first portion and extending along substantially the entire length of the first portion. The first camera channel can removably house a primary camera tube, and the second camera channel can include a secondary camera. The device can include a second portion with an insertion channel terminating at a first end with a first opening permitting the primary camera tube to pass through and terminating at a second end opposite the first end with a second opening aligned with the first camera channel of the first portion. The insertion channel can permit the primary camera tube to pass through the insertion channel and enter the first camera channel.