Endoscopic Positioning Unit With Expandable Fixation and Decoupling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing minimally invasive medical devices face challenges in achieving precise interventions within the body due to lower precision in locating the endoscope and external movements affecting the intervention tool, often requiring cumbersome imaging procedures and potentially harming the tissue with anchoring mechanisms.

Innovation Solution

A medical endodevice with an elongated liaising structure, an intervention tool, a positioning unit with a moving formation and expandable members, and a decoupling structure, allowing precise manipulation of target tissue while minimizing tissue affection, using expandable members to fix the positioning unit in the body cavity without piercing and enabling decoupling for stability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If screw or pin means are used for anchoring the positioning unit to the fixing tissue, then robust fixation is achieved, but the tissue is affected or harmed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefixation reliabilityVSAvoidtissue harm

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical anchoring system (screws or pins that physically penetrate tissue) with a magnetic anchoring system. The positioning unit contains a magnet that interacts with a ferromagnetic element in the fixing tissue, providing robust fixation through magnetic attraction without mechanical penetration or incision of the tissue.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a magnetic field as an intermediary between the positioning unit and the fixing tissue. Instead of direct mechanical contact, the magnetic field serves as the mediating force that transmits the anchoring action, allowing the positioning unit to be firmly fixed to the tissue without physical penetration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Stability of the object's composition

If the positioning unit is firmly fixed to the fixing tissue, then stability during intervention is achieved, but external movements still affect the intervention tool

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepositioning unit stabilityVSAvoidintervention precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the positioning unit into two functionally independent parts: a fixed portion that is magnetically anchored to the fixing tissue to provide stable positioning, and a movable portion that can independently adjust the position and orientation of the intervention tool. This segmentation allows the fixed part to provide stability while the movable part compensates for external disturbances and maintains intervention precision.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a dynamic adjustment mechanism in the movable portion of the positioning unit, allowing real-time compensation for external movements. The movable portion can dynamically adjust the intervention tool's position and orientation in response to external disturbances, maintaining precision even when the fixed portion remains stable.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Ease of operation

If the endoscope is manually operated to reach the target location, then the intervention can be performed, but the precision of locating the endoscope face is lower than the intervention precision

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanual operation flexibilityVSAvoidendoscope localization precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a magnetic field as an intermediary for positioning the endoscope. The magnetic interaction between the positioning unit and the fixing tissue provides precise localization of the endoscope face, overcoming the limitations of manual operation while maintaining operational flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS20250352265A1Medical endodevice

Publication Date: 2025.11.20 UNIVERSITY OF BASEL

AI summary

A medical endodevice (1) for an intervention inside a body cavity (54) of a body of a human or animal being (5), comprising an elongated liaising structure (2; 29), an intervention tool (7), a positioning unit (3), a decoupling structure and at least two expandable members (62). The elongated liaising structure (2; 29) has a distal end (211; 2119) arrangeable in the body cavity (54) and a proximal end arrangeable outside the body while the distal end (211; 2119) is in the body cavity (54). The intervention tool (7) is arranged to manipulate a target tissue inside the human or animal body, wherein the intervention tool (7) is arranged at the distal end (211; 2119) of the liaising structure (2; 29). The positioning unit (3) has a moving formation (32) arranged to dislocate the intervention tool (7) relative to the target tissue. The decoupling structure is arranged to decouple the positioning unit (3) once it is arranged in the body cavity (54). The at least two expandable members (62) are mounted to the positioning unit (3) and configured to fix the positioning unit (3) in the body cavity (54) when being expanded.