Coupler Collars for Sterile Wrapper Sealing in Surgical Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current coupling devices for percutaneous surgical instruments and driving tools face challenges in ensuring a good seal, maintaining precise positioning, and preventing contamination, with existing solutions either failing to provide a complete seal, allowing impurities to pass, or being costly and difficult to clean.
Innovation Solution
A coupler with a distal, proximal, and central portion configuration, featuring a bearing collar and retaining collar to deform a flexible wrapper and form a protective barrier, preventing impurities from propagating between the sterile and non-sterile elements, while allowing for precise alignment and rotation of the surgical instrument.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a sterile flexible wrapper is used to cover the driving tool, then contamination is prevented, but the wrapper may allow impurities to pass through or fail to provide a complete seal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a sterile flexible wrapper (a thin film structure) to envelop the driving tool, providing a barrier against contamination. The wrapper's flexibility allows it to conform to the tool's shape while maintaining integrity. This directly addresses the contradiction by using a flexible film that prevents contamination while the design ensures complete sealing through proper configuration and engagement with the coupler.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible wrapper acts as an intermediary barrier between the non-sterile driving tool and the sterile surgical instrument. It mediates the connection by allowing mechanical force transmission while maintaining sterile isolation. The wrapper's design ensures it completely seals around the tool, preventing impurity passage while enabling the driving function.
2Reliability
If a coupler with multiple collars is used to seal and position the wrapper, then sealing and positioning are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The coupler is segmented into distinct functional components: a bearing collar for axial positioning and a retaining collar for sealing. This segmentation allows each collar to perform its specific function effectively, improving overall reliability while keeping the design modular and manageable. The segmented structure prevents impurities from passing between components.
Solution Approach 2:
The bearing collar and retaining collar are merged into a single integrated coupler assembly that works together to provide both positioning and sealing functions. This combination achieves reliable sealing and positioning without requiring separate independent mechanisms, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while maintaining high reliability.
3Manufacturing precision
If the bearing collar deforms the flexible wrapper axially, then precise axial positioning is achieved, but the wrapper may be damaged or compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing collar is designed to deform the flexible wrapper axially in a controlled manner during the coupling process. This preliminary deformation prepares the wrapper for its final sealed position, ensuring precise axial positioning of the driving tool relative to the surgical instrument. The deformation is controlled to maintain wrapper integrity while achieving the required positioning precision.
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 ensures a reliable seal, precise positioning, and reduced risk of contamination, while being cost-effective and easy to manufacture, allowing for efficient and precise operation of percutaneous surgical instruments with motorized driving tools.
Implementation Method 1
a bearing collar extending transversely to the coupling axis and configured to axially deform a distal end of a flexible wrapper surrounding the driving tool
Implementation Method 2
a retaining collar extending along the coupling axis at least partially covering the proximal portion so as to be able to keep the distal end of the sterile flexible wrapper between the retaining collar and the housing of a driving tool
Data Source
AI summary
A coupler (2) for the sterile coupling of a percutaneous surgical instrument to a rotational-driving tool (3), extending along a coupling axis (A). The coupler (2) has a distal portion (27) configured to be connected removably to a percutaneous surgical instrument, a proximal portion (28) configured to be connected removably to a driving tool (3), a central portion (29) arranged between the distal (27) and proximal (28) portions. The central portion has a bearing collar (240) extending transversely to the coupling axis (A) and configured to axially deform a distal end of a flexible wrapper (1) surrounding the driving tool (3) when the proximal portion (28) is connected to this driving tool (3). The central portion also has a retaining collar (243) extending along the coupling axis (A) at least partially covering the proximal portion (28) to keep the distal end of the sterile flexible wrapper (1) between the retaining collar (243) and the housing (36) of a driving tool (3) when the proximal portion (28) is connected to the driving tool (3).