Endoscopic Manipulator Guide Insert Friction Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing manipulators, particularly endoscopic ones, face challenges with high friction and wear due to flexible force transmission elements with large surface areas and high flexibility, leading to increased risk of damage and reduced precision in delicate operations.
Innovation Solution
A guide insert within the shaft guides a pull or push rod with a constant or location-independent cross-section, reducing friction and wear, and featuring alternating support and flexible sections or a helical structure to enhance flexibility and reduce stress concentrations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a flexible force transmission element with large surface area is used, then flexibility is improved, but friction and wear increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a thin-walled tubular guide insert structure that provides flexibility while maintaining a small cross-sectional area. The thin walls allow the structure to bend and adapt to curved paths without requiring a large surface area, thereby reducing friction and wear compared to traditional flexible elements with larger cross-sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide insert features locally reinforced sections at critical stress points while maintaining thin walls in other areas. This localized strengthening provides necessary structural integrity and resistance to wear at high-stress regions without increasing the overall surface area that contacts the shaft, thus balancing flexibility with reduced friction.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If the cross-section of the transmission element is reduced to minimize friction, then friction is reduced, but strength and resistance to damage decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The tubular guide insert utilizes a thin-walled structure that maintains small cross-sectional area to minimize friction with the shaft, while the tubular geometry itself provides inherent structural strength and resistance to damage. The hollow cylindrical form distributes stresses effectively without requiring large material cross-sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide insert is constructed from composite materials that provide high strength-to-weight ratio and high strength-to-cross-sectional-area ratio. These materials enable the structure to maintain small dimensions for reduced friction while simultaneously providing sufficient strength and damage resistance through superior material properties.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a helical or flexible structure is used to increase flexibility, then adaptability is improved, but stress concentrations and crack risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The thin-walled tubular structure provides flexibility through its geometric configuration and material properties rather than through helical winding or sharp bends. The smooth continuous tubular geometry avoids stress concentrations that would arise from helical structures, maintaining reliability while achieving the necessary flexibility for curved shaft applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide insert incorporates localized geometric features and material property variations at specific sections to enhance flexibility where needed while maintaining uniform, stress-distributing geometry in other areas. This prevents stress concentrations and crack initiation while providing the required adaptability for curved paths.
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 allows for more precise and sensitive operations with reduced risk of damage, as the small cross-section of the transmission element minimizes static friction and wear, while the flexible sections accommodate curvature and reduce the likelihood of cracks.
Implementation Method 1
the small cross-section of the transmission element minimizes static friction and wear
Implementation Method 2
the flexible sections accommodate curvature
Data Source
Figure 1~5
AI summary
A manipulator (10) comprises a proximal end (11), a distal end (12) with a manipulation device (50), a shaft (30) between the proximal end (11) and the distal end (12), and a transmission element (40) for transmitting at least either a force or a movement between the proximal end (11) and the distal end (12). A guide insert (60) for guiding the transmission element (40) is provided in the shaft (30), wherein the transmission element (40) is displaceable relative to the guide insert (60) in the longitudinal direction of the shaft (30).