Surgical Energy Handle Levers for Visible Output State Feedback
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing energy treatment tools lack user-friendly mechanisms for surgeons to determine the current output state of energy applied to a target site, as the push buttons return to their original state after a changing operation, making it difficult to ascertain the energy setting.
Innovation Solution
The energy treatment tool incorporates exposed levers that move in response to operator inputs, associated with a driver that switches between contact states to signal energy output changes, and a control device to manage tool operations, enhancing user feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If push buttons are used to change energy output state, then the device structure is simple, but the operator cannot determine the current energy output state
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces visual feedback through levers that remain in different positions to indicate the current energy output state. When the operator presses a push button, the corresponding lever moves to a specific position that visually displays the selected state, providing continuous feedback about the system's current configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces levers as intermediary elements between the push buttons and the energy output control. The levers translate the momentary push button activation into sustained positional indicators, serving as a mechanical mediator that preserves state information without adding electronic complexity.
2Ease of operation
If push buttons return to original state after operation, then the button mechanism is simple, but the operator cannot determine whether changing operation has been performed
Solution Approach 1:
The lever provides continuous visual feedback about the current energy output state by maintaining its position after the push button is released. This allows the operator to immediately see whether a changing operation has been performed and what the current state is, without needing to remember or check other indicators.
Solution Approach 2:
The lever is pre-positioned to correspond to different energy output states, and the push button activation causes the lever to move to the appropriate pre-determined position. This preliminary arrangement of lever positions enables immediate visual confirmation of the selected state without requiring additional processing or display elements.
3Ease of operation
If levers are exposed outside the grip, then the operator can easily see and operate them, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The lever serves multiple functions: it acts as a mechanical linkage to transmit the push button force to the driver, and simultaneously serves as a visual indicator of the current energy output state. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate indicator elements, offsetting the added mechanical complexity with functional consolidation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the indicator function with the mechanical linkage function by using the same lever component for both purposes. The lever is both the transmission element that moves the driver and the display element that indicates the selected state, combining two functions into a single structural element.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
An energy treatment tool 2 includes: an end effector configured to apply energy to treat a living tissue; a sheath 10 provided along a longitudinal axis; a grip 6 supporting the sheath 10 and to be held by an operator; first and second levers 8C provided in a state of being exposed to the outside of the grip, each lever 8C being configured to move in response to a changing operation by an operator, the changing operation being for changing an output state of energy at the end effector; a base member 14 arranged inside the grip 6; and a driver 18 movably attached, together with the first and second levers 8C, to the base member 14, the driver 18 being configured to move the first and second levers 8C in association with each other in response to the changing operation on the first or second lever 8C.