Deformable Support Portion for Minimally Invasive Transfer Instrument
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current transfer instruments for medical sheets are bulky, leading to invasive procedures and complex manufacturing processes due to their design.
Innovation Solution
A transfer instrument with a deformable support portion that can be curved and retracted into a cylindrical shape, allowing for a smaller diameter and easier manufacturing, featuring a shaft and support portion that moves axially within the instrument to unfold and support medical sheets for minimally invasive procedures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the support portion is designed to be sheet-shaped and unfolded for medical sheet transfer, then the transfer function is effective, but the diameter of the transfer instrument becomes large causing invasion
Solution Approach 1:
The support portion is designed to be dynamically changeable between two states: an unfolded sheet-shaped state for effective medical sheet transfer, and a curved retracted state for reducing instrument diameter. This dynamic transformation allows the instrument to adapt its configuration based on operational needs, resolving the contradiction between transfer effectiveness and invasiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The support portion is configured to be nested within the outer cylinder when retracted, with the curved shape allowing it to fit inside the cylindrical housing. This nesting arrangement enables the instrument to achieve a compact diameter for minimally invasive procedures while still accommodating the full support portion when needed for transfer operations
2Length of moving object
If the support portion is designed with complex folding structures to reduce diameter, then invasiveness is reduced, but manufacturing becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The support portion is segmented into distinct functional regions: a curved retracted configuration for compact storage and a sheet-shaped unfolded configuration for transfer operations. This segmentation allows each region to be optimized independently, with the curved portion simplifying manufacturing while the sheet-shaped portion providing necessary transfer functionality, thereby reducing overall manufacturing complexity compared to complex folding structures
Data Source
AI summary
A transfer instrument includes an outer cylinder and a carrier member (first carrier member) including a shaft (first shaft) and a support portion (first support portion) having a sheet shape. The support portion is retracted in the outer cylinder with the support portion deformed into a curved shape at a first position where the shaft is moved in a proximal end direction relative to the outer cylinder so as to cause the support portion to retract in the outer cylinder. When a center portion of a front surface of the first support portion in a width direction faces upward in an unfolded state of the first support portion, both sides of the front surface of the first support portion in the width direction face upward.