Drive Screw and Beam Linkage for Cost-Effective Surgical Staplers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electromechanical surgical devices are expensive to manufacture and operate, with a need for improved mechanical linkages to reduce costs while maintaining effectiveness in surgical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A surgical system featuring a handle housing, jaw assembly with a removable cartridge assembly and anvil, a drive beam, and a flexible drive shaft mechanism that includes a drive screw and drive link for efficient tissue clamping and stapling, allowing for cost-effective production and operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional electromechanical surgical devices are used, then surgical functionality is achieved, but manufacturing and operating costs are high
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical device is divided into separate functional modules: a reusable handle assembly and disposable loading units. This segmentation allows the expensive precision components to be manufactured once and reused, while the disposable units can be produced more economically using simpler manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs disposable loading units that are discarded after a single use. These disposable units contain the fasteners and driving mechanisms, eliminating the need to sterilize and maintain expensive components, thereby reducing overall manufacturing and operating costs while maintaining surgical reliability.
2Manufacturing precision
If complex mechanical linkages are used, then surgical precision is maintained, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical linkages with a more straightforward drive mechanism. The drive screw directly converts rotational motion to linear motion of the drive beam, eliminating the need for intermediate linkages, gears, or cam mechanisms while maintaining surgical precision through direct mechanical coupling.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive beam serves as an intermediary element that directly transmits force from the drive screw to the jaw assembly. This single intermediary component simplifies the mechanical pathway while ensuring precise force transmission for tissue clamping and fastening operations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a flexible drive shaft is used, then articulation and reach are improved, but mechanical efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The drive shaft is designed with controlled flexibility, allowing it to bend and articulate to reach surgical sites while maintaining sufficient torsional stiffness to efficiently transmit rotational force from the handle to the drive screw. This dynamic design optimizes both adaptability and mechanical efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive shaft employs a flexible construction with segmented or corrugated structure that allows bending without significant energy loss. The flexible yet torsionally rigid design enables articulation while maintaining efficient power transmission to the distal components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides a cost-effective solution for electromechanical surgical devices with improved mechanical linkages, enhancing the efficiency and affordability of surgical procedures while maintaining performance.
Implementation Method 1
a drive screw supported within the removable cartridge assembly, the drive screw having a threaded portion, wherein the drive beam is threadably coupled to the threaded portion of the drive screw such that rotation of the drive screw imparts longitudinal movement of the drive beam
Implementation Method 2
an elongated body configured to interconnect the handle assembly and the jaw assembly, the elongated body including a flexible drive shaft mechanically coupling the drive screw to an actuation shaft of the handle assembly, wherein the drive shaft transfers rotational motion of the actuation shaft to the drive screw
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
An end effector, comprising: a first jaw member; a second jaw member pivotably coupled to the first jaw member and movable relative to the first jaw member; a drive beam positioned to engage the first jaw member and the second jaw member, the drive beam longitudinally movable through the first and second jaw members; a drive screw defining a longitudinal axis and being supported within the first jaw member, the drive screw including a threaded portion coupled to the drive beam such that rotation of the drive screw imparts longitudinal movement of the drive beam along the second jaw member to move the second jaw member; and a drive link having a proximal engagement portion configured to be coupled to a drive shaft and a distal engagement portion coupled to a proximal end of the drive screw, the drive link being disposed in non-parallel relation to the longitudinal axis of the drive screw.