Crossed Structural Backbones for Flexible Surgical Instruments

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional rigid surgical instruments are inflexible and have a limited working range, making them unsuitable for single-port laparoscopic minimally invasive surgery, which requires complex hand-eye coordination and restricted design, limiting their clinical application.

Innovation Solution

A flexible surgical instrument with structural backbones in a crossed arrangement, comprising a distal and proximal structural body connected via a middle connection body, allowing for willful turning movements through a driving handle, and incorporating redundant structural backbones for stability and a surgical end effector driven by control wires for precise operation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If traditional rigid surgical instruments are used, then structural stability is maintained, but flexibility and working range are limited

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveflexibilityVSAvoidstructural stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The surgical instrument is divided into multiple segments including a proximal structural body, a distal structural body, and a middle connection body. Each segment contains structural backbones that can independently move relative to each other, enabling the instrument to bend and adapt to different surgical paths while maintaining overall structural integrity through the connection bodies.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The instrument transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic flexible structure. The structural backbones in each segment are designed to move relative to one another, allowing the instrument to dynamically adjust its shape and configuration during surgery. This dynamic capability enables the instrument to navigate complex anatomical paths while maintaining operational stability at the distal end.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Object-affected harmful factors

If single-port laparoscopic setup is used, then surgical invasiveness is reduced, but instrument design complexity and operational difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesurgical invasivenessVSAvoidinstrument design complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The middle connection body is designed to connect the proximal and distal structural bodies through a nested arrangement. The connection body contains guiding passages and structural elements that accommodate the movement of backbones from both segments, creating a compact integrated structure that reduces overall instrument complexity while enabling flexible single-port access.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The middle connection body acts as an intermediary component that mediates between the proximal control structure and the distal functional structure. It contains structural backbone guiding passages and connection mechanisms that translate proximal movements into controlled distal movements, simplifying the overall design by providing a dedicated interface between control and execution elements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Ease of operation

If traditional rigid instruments with pulling wires are used, then operational control is achieved, but hand-eye coordination complexity and working range limitations persist

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoperational controlVSAvoidworking range

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The traditional pulling wire mechanism is replaced with a structural backbone system where backbones directly transmit control forces from the proximal to distal segments. This mechanical substitution eliminates the need for flexible wires and complex cable management, providing more direct and precise control while expanding the instrument's working range through the flexible segmented structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The instrument design changes the mechanical parameters of control transmission by using rigid structural backbones instead of flexible pulling wires. This parameter change enables more precise force transmission and broader angular ranges of motion, improving both ease of operation and working range simultaneously through optimized structural geometry and material properties.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS12121226B2Flexible surgical instrument with structural bones in a crossed arrangement

Publication Date: 2024.10.22 BEIJING SURGERII ROBOTICS CO LTD

AI summary

The present disclosure generally relates to a surgical instrument. In some embodiments, the flexible surgical instrument, comprising: a distal structural body comprising first distal structural segment and second distal structural segment, the first distal structural segment comprising a first distal fixing disk and first distal segment structural backbones, the second distal structural segment comprising a second distal fixing disk and second distal segment structural backbones; and a proximal structural body comprising a proximal structural segment, the proximal structural segment comprising a proximal fixing disk, first proximal segment structural backbones, and second proximal segment structural backbones, the first proximal segment structural backbones being connected to the first distal segment structural backbones in a crossed arrangement; or the second proximal segment structural backbones being connected to the second distal segment structural backbones in a crossed arrangement.