Curved Needle Track Drive System for Minimally Invasive Suturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing needle driver devices for suturing procedures are bulky and prone to wear, making them inefficient and unreliable, especially in minimally invasive surgical applications where space is limited.
Innovation Solution
A needle driver device with a curved needle track and a drive system comprising a first and second drive member, along with a needle driver link that moves in an arcuate path, allowing for efficient rotation of the needle around the track without increasing the device's overall size, and featuring a tapered profile to enhance robustness and longevity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a needle driver device is designed to be compact for minimally invasive procedures, then the device occupies minimal space, but the mechanical parts become more complex and wear increases
Solution Approach 1:
The needle driver device is divided into distinct functional modules: a needle track module defining a curved path, a drive system module with first and second drive members, and a needle driver link module. This segmentation allows each module to be optimized independently for compactness while maintaining robust mechanical connections through standardized interfaces, reducing overall complexity despite the compact form factor.
Solution Approach 2:
The design nests the needle driver link within the curved needle track, and the drive members within the link mechanism. This nested arrangement allows multiple functional components to occupy overlapping spatial volumes, achieving a compact overall device size while maintaining sufficient mechanical robustness through the hierarchical structuring of components.
2Device complexity
If the needle driver link follows the same arcuate path as the needle track, then the mechanism is simpler, but the distal end portion cannot achieve proper engagement and disengagement of the needle
Solution Approach 1:
The needle driver link is designed with asymmetric kinematics where the distal end portion follows a different arcuate path than the needle track. This asymmetry is intentional: the link's path has different curvature and orientation characteristics that enable the distal end to properly engage and disengage the needle at specific points in the motion cycle, while the proximal end follows a simpler path for drive transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The needle driver link acts as an intermediary mechanism between the drive members and the needle. By allowing the distal end to follow a different path than the needle track, the link mediates the motion transformation needed to achieve reliable needle engagement and disengagement, converting the rotational motion of drive members into the precise linear and rotational motion required at the needle interface.
3Device complexity
If the offset distances from drive member axes to needle driver link coupling locations are equal, then the mechanism is more symmetric and simpler, but the distal end portion cannot traverse the required arcuate path to engage and disengage the needle
Solution Approach 1:
The design intentionally introduces asymmetry in the mechanical coupling locations: the first portion of the needle driver link is coupled to the first drive member at a first offset distance, while the second portion is coupled to the second drive member at a second offset distance that differs from the first. This asymmetric configuration enables the distal end portion to traverse the required arcuate path for proper needle engagement and disengagement, while the proximal end maintains sufficient symmetry for balanced drive transmission.
Data Source
AI summary
A needle driver device comprises a needle track defining a curved path and a drive system configured to operably engage with and drive a needle along the needle track. The drive system comprises a first drive member, a second drive member, and a needle driver link. The first drive member is rotatable about a first drive member axis, and the second drive member is rotatable about a second drive member axis spaced apart from the first drive member axis. The needle driver link comprises a distal end portion removably engageable with a needle that is positionable in the needle track, the distal end portion being movable along an arcuate-shaped path proximate the needle track. Devices, systems, and methods relate to needle driver devices.