Endoscopic Torque Sheath with Shape-Locking Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a challenge in designing endoscopic systems that effectively combine reusable and disposable components with modular functional capabilities, allowing for versatility and cost-effectiveness in performing diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
Innovation Solution
The endoscopic system consists of a combination of a reusable shapelocking assembly and a disposable assembly, with the disposable assembly acting as a barrier against body fluids and maintaining the reusable assembly in a sterile condition, and includes a flexible tubular body with a steering mechanism and tool locking mechanism for enhanced maneuverability and procedural flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a shapelocking assembly with multiple precision components is used, then the endoscopic system can perform complex surgical procedures, but the cost increases and the system becomes less suitable for single-use applications
Solution Approach 1:
The endoscopic system is divided into modular components: a reusable handle assembly containing the shapelocking mechanism and a disposable shaft assembly. This segmentation allows the complex shapelocking functionality to be concentrated in a reusable portion while the disposable portion remains simpler in construction, resolving the contradiction between procedural capability and overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The reusable handle assembly with shapelocking capability is designed to accommodate multiple different disposable shaft assemblies for various surgical procedures. This multi-functionality allows one complex assembly to serve multiple procedural needs, reducing the need for multiple specialized assemblies and thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining versatility.
2Productivity
If reusable assemblies are used, then cost is reduced through reuse, but maintaining sterility and preventing contamination becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates reusable and disposable portions, with the disposable shaft assembly acting as a barrier that maintains sterility. The reusable handle can be sterilized and reused, while the disposable shaft is discarded after single use, eliminating cross-contamination risks. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing reuse of expensive components while ensuring sterility through disposable barriers.
Solution Approach 2:
A disposable shaft assembly is introduced as a single-use component that acts as a sterile barrier. This disposable element is discarded after one use, ensuring that the reusable portions remain sterile without requiring complex sterilization protocols for the entire system. This approach maintains cost-effectiveness by reusing expensive components while ensuring reliability through disposable sterile barriers.
3Ease of operation
If a flexible shaft is used, then the endoscope can navigate complex anatomical paths, but torque transmission and steering control are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft assembly incorporates a shapelocking mechanism that allows dynamic transition between flexible and rigid states. During navigation, the shaft remains flexible for ease of movement. When positioning or manipulating tools, the shapelocking mechanism engages to provide rigid support for improved torque transmission. This dynamic property resolves the contradiction between flexibility for navigation and rigidity for torque transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical properties of the shaft are changed through the shapelocking mechanism, which alters the stiffness parameter of the shaft. In the unlocked state, the shaft is flexible with low stiffness for easy navigation. When locked, the stiffness parameter increases significantly, providing rigid support for torque transmission and precise steering control. This parameter change resolves the contradiction between navigate ability and torque transmission.
Data Source
AI summary
An endoluminal surgical instrument has first and second steering controls on a handle. A flexible shaft attached to the handle has a distal steerable end including a first link and a second link separated by a plurality of intermediate links. First and second steering elements, such as pairs of steering wires, are linked to first and second steering controls and to the first and second links. One or more of the links is pivotable through an angle of at least 30 degrees relative to an adjoining link. The set back position of the second steering elements from the first steering elements, and the pivoting capability of the links allows the steerable end to be steered into a small bend radius. This makes the instrument highly maneuverable for use in endoluminal surgery, such as incision-less surgery of the stomach.