Electrocautery End Tool With Rotatable Jaws and Blade Wire Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical instruments for electrocautery lack the ability to rotate in multiple directions and intuitively match the movement of a manipulation portion, which can hinder precision and efficiency in surgeries.
Innovation Solution
The surgical instrument features an end tool with independently rotatable jaws, pulleys, and a blade assembly that allows for yaw and pitch rotations, facilitated by a guide tube and blade wire system, enabling intuitive movement matching.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the end tool is designed with fixed jaw structure, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability and precision in surgical procedures deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The end tool is divided into independent rotatable jaw components (first jaw and second jaw) that can rotate independently about a common rotation shaft. Each jaw is connected through separate linkages (first link and second link) to independent pulleys, allowing individual rotation and movement control. This segmentation enables multi-directional rotation capability while maintaining manageable structural complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The end tool incorporates dynamic elements including rotatable jaws, movable pulleys, and flexible blade wires that can change their configuration during operation. The blade assembly can move between retracted and extended positions, and the guide tube can bend to accommodate rotational movements. These dynamic features provide adaptability for various surgical tasks while the wire-based actuation system keeps the overall structure relatively simple.
2Ease of operation
If the blade assembly is made extendable and rotatable, then the ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blade actuation system replaces complex mechanical linkages with a flexible blade wire that runs through a guide tube. The blade wire is wound around pulleys that rotate with the jaws, using elastic deformation of the wire to transmit force. This substitution of rigid mechanical connections with flexible wire transmission simplifies the mechanism while enabling intuitive operation, as the blade movement naturally follows the jaw rotation without requiring additional actuators or complex control mechanisms.
3Productivity
If multiple rotation shafts and pulleys are added, then the productivity and precision are improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functional elements are merged into integrated components. The first link and second link are combined with the pulley assembly, and the guide tube is integrated with the blade wire routing. The rotation shaft serves both as the common rotation axis for the pulleys and as the structural backbone for the linkage system. This merging reduces the number of separate precision-critical interfaces and simplifies assembly, while still enabling multi-directional rotation and blade extension for efficient surgical procedures.
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
This design enhances operator convenience, accuracy, reliability, and speed in surgical procedures by aligning manipulation and tool movements, improving surgical precision and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a blade wire (307) of which at least a part is in contact with the blade assembly to transfer a driving force required to move the blade to the blade
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a surgical instrument for electrocautery, and in particular, a surgical instrument for electrocautery installed on a robot arm or manually operable in order to be used in laparoscopic surgery or other various surgeries.