Endoscopic Joint Part Toothed Body Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical-endoscopic instruments with angulated instrument heads suffer from limited moment transmission and coarse angular bending control due to the design of the joint part and pull cable system, restricting precise manipulation within cavities.
Innovation Solution
The instrument features a toothed body with a cog segment at the proximal end of the joint part, meshed with a rotatably mounted toothed body in the shank, allowing for linear pull cable routing and enhanced moment transmission through an actuation roller, enabling precise angular bending of the instrument head via a rotational movement, and a roller body pairing for controlled angular bending.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the joint part is articulated with lateral deflection of +/-60° to enable angular bending of the instrument head, then the instrument head can be positioned at different angles, but the angular bending control becomes coarse and limited to a maximum of +/-120°
Solution Approach 1:
The joint part is segmented into a first joint part and a second joint part, each capable of independent angular deflection. The first joint part provides coarse angular positioning while the second joint part enables fine angular adjustments, allowing the instrument head to achieve precise angular control through combined action of both segments
Solution Approach 2:
The joint part transitions from a static fixed-angle structure to a dynamic multi-segmented structure with independent degrees of freedom. Each segment can be independently actuated to achieve varying angular positions, enabling both coarse and fine angular control through dynamic reconfiguration
2Device complexity
If the pull cables are led directly to the joint part for controlling angulation, then the control mechanism is simple, but only comparatively small moments can be transmitted onto the joint part
Solution Approach 1:
A toothed wheel acts as an intermediary mechanism between the pull cables and the joint part. The pull cables are led to the toothed wheel which converts linear cable tension into rotational torque, thereby amplifying the moment transmitted to the joint part while maintaining cable routing simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The direct mechanical connection between pull cables and joint part is replaced with a gear mechanism (toothed wheel). This substitution transforms the force transmission mechanism, allowing small cable forces to generate large moments through mechanical advantage provided by the gear system
3Adaptability or versatility
If the joint part undergoes lateral deflection to achieve angular bending, then the instrument head can be angled, but the pull cables must accommodate the angular bending region which complicates the cable routing
Solution Approach 1:
The toothed wheel serves as a mediator that decouples the pull cable routing from the joint part articulation. The cables are routed to the toothed wheel which remains stationary or has minimal movement, while the joint part articulates independently, thereby simplifying cable routing while maintaining full angular capability
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 precise and controlled angular bending of the instrument head relative to the shank, increasing the moment available for manipulation and enabling finer adjustments within the cavity, overcoming the limitations of existing instruments.
Implementation Method 1
a toothing, preferably in the form of a cog segment, is formed at the proximal end of the joint part, wherein this toothing is meshed with a toothed body which is rotatably mounted in the shank
Implementation Method 2
a roller body pairing for the purpose of ensuring a controlled angulation of the tool carrier relative to the shank
Data Source
AI summary
An instrument, particularly a medical endoscopic instrument or technoscope, includes a shank (2) and an instrument head (6). The instrument head includes at least one joint part (12) articulated on the distal shank end in an angularly bendable manner and a tool carrier (14) which at the distal side is articulated on the joint part (12) in an angularly bendable manner in the angular bending plane of the joint part (12). A toothing is meshed with a toothed body (26) rotatably mounted in the shank (2) and is coupled in movement to a pull cable pair for the movement control of the instrument head (6). The toothing is formed at the proximal end of the joint part (12).