Surgical Clip Applier Driving Structure for Stable Clamping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surgical clip appliers have unstable transmission and imprecise position control, leading to incomplete and rough clamping operations.
Innovation Solution
The operating structure includes a body with a front driving element, a restoring spring, a press-control element, a front driving arm, a lower driving arm, a tooth positioning element, and a counting unit with a ratchet wheel, which ensures precise and stable driving of the clip clamping unit through a combination of pivotally connected components and springs, enabling complete and controlled clamping operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional operating structure is used, then the device can perform basic clamping operations, but the transmission is unstable and position control is imprecise
Solution Approach 1:
The operating structure is divided into multiple independent driving arms (front driving arm, lower driving arm, rear driving arm) that work in sequence. Each arm is responsible for a specific phase of the clamping operation, which segments the transmission path and reduces cumulative errors, thereby improving both transmission stability and position control precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic elements including springs (restoring spring, compression spring) that provide elastic compensation for transmission variations. These dynamic components allow the mechanism to adapt to minor dimensional variations and maintain stable transmission, resolving the contradiction between reliability and precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If a conventional operating structure is used, then the device structure exists, but the clamping operation is incomplete and rough
Solution Approach 1:
The tooth positioning element with positioning teeth performs preliminary positioning of the driving arms before the actual clamping action. This preliminary positioning ensures that each driving arm engages at the correct position, guaranteeing complete and smooth clamping operations while managing complexity through structured sequencing.
Solution Approach 2:
The lower driving arm acts as an intermediary between the press-control element and the front driving element. It transfers and refines the motion control, ensuring complete clamping operation while distributing the complexity across multiple controlled components rather than a single complex mechanism.
3Measurement precision
If the operating structure lacks positioning mechanisms, then the device is simpler, but the position control is imprecise
Solution Approach 1:
The compression spring provides beforehand cushioning by maintaining constant contact between the tooth positioning element and the lower driving arm. This elastic cushioning compensates for minor positioning variations and ensures precise position control without requiring overly complex rigid positioning mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides enhanced transmission stability and precision, ensuring complete and smooth clamping operations with unidirectional control and precise counting of clips used.
Implementation Method 1
a restoring spring for driving the front driving element to move backward
Implementation Method 2
A compression spring presses against the lower driving arm and the tooth positioning element
Data Source
AI summary
An operating structure of a surgical clip applier is provided to drive a clip clamping unit. The operating structure of the surgical clip applier comprises: a body; a front driving element for driving the clip clamping unit; a restoring spring for driving the front driving element to move backward; a press-control element pivotally connected to the body; a front driving arm pivotally connected to the press-control element; and a lower driving arm with two ends pivotally connected to the body and the front driving arm, respectively, to drive the front driving element to move forward.