Surgical Cutting Blade Garage Mechanism for Safe Force-Limited Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Minimally invasive surgical instruments face challenges in positioning and detecting components during actuation due to limited visibility and remote operation, making it difficult to correct fault conditions and ensuring safety for both the patient and medical personnel.
Innovation Solution
A surgical cutting instrument with a drive unit, end effector, and garage mechanism that houses the cutting blade when not in use, utilizing a restraining mechanism and motor/actuator to control the blade's position, ensuring safe and precise cutting operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the cutting blade is kept extended for easy access, then the cutting capability is improved, but the risk of accidental tissue damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting blade is pre-positioned in a retracted state within the garage mechanism before the surgical procedure begins. This preliminary positioning ensures that the blade is ready for immediate use when needed while maintaining a safe default position that prevents accidental contact with tissue throughout the procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The garage mechanism serves as an intermediary structure between the cutting blade and the surrounding surgical environment. This intermediate garage structure provides a protective barrier that isolates the dangerous cutting blade from direct exposure to tissue, allowing the blade to be stored safely when not in use while remaining accessible when needed.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the cutting blade is retracted to a garage position for safety, then the risk of accidental damage is reduced, but the response time for cutting operations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting blade is pre-positioned within the garage mechanism in a ready state, with all necessary alignment and support structures already in place. This preliminary preparation allows the blade to be deployed rapidly when needed, as no complex positioning or alignment is required during the actual cutting operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The garage mechanism is designed to allow rapid transition of the cutting blade from the retracted garage position to the extended cutting position. The mechanical design enables the blade to skip through the intermediate positions quickly, minimizing the time the blade is in transit and maximizing the speed of deployment when cutting is required.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a restraining mechanism is added to control the cutting blade, then the safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The restraining mechanism is merged with the garage structure itself, rather than being a separate independent system. The garage mechanism incorporates the restraining function directly into its design, combining the blade storage, positioning, and restraining functions into a single integrated structure, thereby reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The garage mechanism serves multiple functions simultaneously: it stores the cutting blade when not in use, positions the blade for rapid deployment, provides restraining force to control blade movement, and protects the blade from damage. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components for each function.
4Volume of moving object
If the end effector size is minimized for minimally invasive access, then the invasiveness is reduced, but the visibility and fault detection capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting blade is nested within the garage structure, which itself is part of the end effector assembly. This nested arrangement allows the cutting blade and its restraining mechanism to be housed within the compact end effector volume, maintaining the minimally invasive size while still providing the necessary safety and control functions.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for operating an instrument include a computer-assisted device having one or more processors, a motor or other active actuator, and an articulated arm configured to support the instrument having a cutting blade. The one or more processors are configured to control, using the motor or other active actuator, the instrument according to a force or torque limit profile. The force or torque limit profile includes a first force or torque limit used when extending the cutting blade from a first position to a second position, a second force or torque limit used when retracting the cutting blade from the second position to a third position between the first position and the second position and further retracting the cutting blade to the first position, and a third force or torque limit used while the cutting blade is in the first position.