Deployable Tube Apparatus for Flexible Instrument Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing minimally invasive medical systems lack effective support for flexible interventional instruments, leading to undesirable deformation during insertion into the patient's anatomy, which can damage internal components like optical fiber shape sensors or endoscopic equipment.
Innovation Solution
A deployable tube apparatus with a flexible sheet coiled about a spool, transitioning from a laterally unfurled condition to a deployed tubular condition, providing lateral support to elongated flexible surgical instruments by maintaining tension and stability through a spool guide and slide fastener mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If flexible material is used for interventional instruments to enable maneuverability through patient's body, then ease of operation is improved, but instrument stability deteriorates causing bending, twisting, or buckling during insertion
Solution Approach 1:
A support element is introduced as an intermediary component within the flexible interventional instrument to prevent bending, twisting, or buckling. This support element acts as a mediator between the flexible outer material and the internal components, providing structural stability while allowing the instrument to maintain its flexible nature for maneuverability through patient anatomy.
Solution Approach 2:
The instrument employs a flexible outer material that forms a protective sheath around the support element and internal components. This flexible shell maintains the instrument's ability to navigate through anatomical structures while the embedded support element prevents deformation, creating a composite structure that combines flexibility with stability.
2Ease of operation
If flexible material is used for interventional instruments, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to risk of damage to internal components like optical fiber shape sensors
Solution Approach 1:
The support element serves as a protective intermediary that shields internal components such as optical fiber shape sensors from mechanical damage. By positioning the support element within the instrument structure, it prevents direct contact between external forces that could cause bending or twisting and the sensitive internal components, thereby enhancing reliability during maneuverability operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The support element is pre-installed within the flexible instrument to provide beforehand cushioning and protection against potential deformation. This preventive measure ensures that internal components are protected from mechanical stress before any maneuvering occurs, reducing the risk of damage to sensitive elements like optical fibers during insertion and navigation through patient anatomy.
3Stability of the object's composition
If current support systems are used for interventional instruments, then instrument stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The solution employs a flexible outer material that forms a simple protective sheath around the support element and internal components. This flexible shell approach provides structural support and stability without requiring complex mechanical structures, thereby maintaining instrument stability while minimizing the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A deployable tube apparatus may include a spool and a flexible sheet coiled about the spool in a laterally unfurled condition. The flexible sheet may have a first lateral margin and a second lateral margin, and may be deployable from the laterally unfurled condition with the first and the second lateral margins spaced from each other to a deployed tubular condition where the first and the second lateral margins are coupled to each other to form an enclosed lumen. The deployable tube apparatus may provide lateral support to an elongated flexible instrument, such as a catheter. Methods of creating and using the deployable tube apparatus are described.