Endoscopic Instrument Connecting Body Spring Nesting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical instruments for endoscopic surgery face difficulties in cleaning due to exposed spring elements, which create edges and crevices, and pose a risk of malfunctions from tissue or material getting caught, leading to jamming and operational issues.
Innovation Solution
The spring element is integrated into a channel within the connecting body, allowing for a compact design that maximizes space and reduces external edges, with a conical coil spring arrangement that minimizes the risk of electrical voltage transmission to the user.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the spring element is arranged outside the connecting body, then the locking mechanism is simple and easy to manufacture, but the instrument becomes difficult to clean and prone to malfunctions
Solution Approach 1:
The spring element is nested within the connecting body structure, specifically housed in a recess that integrates it into the overall instrument design. This nesting approach eliminates external spring components while maintaining the locking mechanism's functionality, thereby improving cleanability without complicating manufacturing
Solution Approach 2:
The spring element is extracted from the external arrangement and repositioned internally within the connecting body. This extraction resolves the contradiction by removing the harmful external exposure while preserving the essential locking function through internal integration
2Device complexity
If the spring element is arranged outside the connecting body, then the locking mechanism is simple, but tissue or material can get caught on the spring edges causing malfunctions
Solution Approach 1:
The spring element is nested within the connecting body's internal structure, specifically in a recess that encloses it. This prevents tissue or material from accessing the spring edges while maintaining the mechanical simplicity of the locking mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The recess structure acts as an intermediary barrier between the spring element and the external environment. It allows the spring to perform its locking function while preventing direct contact between spring edges and tissue/material that could cause malfunctions
3Ease of manufacture
If the spring element is arranged outside the connecting body, then the locking mechanism is straightforward, but the instrument has more edges and crevices making cleaning cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The spring element is nested within the connecting body, reducing the number of external edges and crevices. This integration maintains manufacturing simplicity while significantly improving cleaning efficiency by creating a smoother, more accessible instrument surface
Solution Approach 2:
The spring element housing is merged with the connecting body structure, eliminating separate external components. This merging reduces the total surface area requiring cleaning while maintaining the locking mechanism's ease of manufacture
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 usability, safety, and cleaning efficiency by eliminating external spring-related issues and reducing the risk of electrical hazards, while maintaining a lightweight and slender instrument form.
Implementation Method 1
the locking slider is held in the locked position by the tension of a spring element
Data Source
AI summary
A medical instrument for endoscopic surgery, including a sheath tube having a distal and a proximal end and a connecting body arranged at the sheath tube's proximal end area, whereby the sheath tube and connecting body are penetrated in axial direction by a common channel, through which an elongated actuating element passes, an end body connectable to connecting body having a hand grip attached for operating the medical instrument, a locking slider, which is slidably housed in a channel oriented at an angle to the channel within connecting body, whereby the actuation area of locking slider projects from connecting body and can be actuated to locked and free positions using finger pressure, such that the end body coupled to connecting body is positively locked to connecting body in the locked position, and the end body in the free position can be detached from connecting body.