Flexible Continuum Surgical Instrument for Miniaturization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical instruments for minimally invasive surgeries, such as single-port laparoscopic and natural orifice transluminal non-invasive surgeries, face challenges in miniaturization and improving moving performance due to their rigid structures and reliance on wire rope mechanisms, which limit their flexibility and maneuverability.
Innovation Solution
A flexible surgical instrument system featuring a continuum structure with a distal, middle, and proximal segment linked by a transmission driving unit, allowing for arbitrary bending and turning through gear and oscillation motion mechanisms, enabling precise control of surgical end effectors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a rigid structure with wire rope mechanism is used, then the surgical instrument can be driven to turn at hinge joints, but the instrument cannot be miniaturized and has poor moving performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional rigid structure with a flexible continuum structure consisting of multiple segments connected by flexible joints. The instrument shaft is constructed with alternating rigid and flexible sections, allowing continuous bending and turning without the need for wire ropes and pulleys, thereby enabling miniaturization while maintaining maneuverability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the wire rope and pulley mechanical transmission system with a direct flexible continuum structure actuated by miniature motors. This eliminates the complex wire rope mechanism and allows for significant size reduction of the instrument while improving its flexibility and moving performance.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a single-port or natural orifice approach is used, then trauma to the patient is reduced, but the preparation of surgical instruments becomes extremely stringent
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the surgical instrument into multiple modular segments (distal structure, middle connecting body, proximal structure) that can be independently manufactured and assembled. This modular design simplifies the preparation process while maintaining the ability to access surgical sites through single-port or natural orifice approaches with minimal patient trauma.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a dynamic flexible continuum structure that can adapt its shape and configuration to pass through narrow access channels. The instrument can bend and turn continuously to navigate complex anatomical pathways, making it feasible to perform minimally invasive surgeries through small incisions or natural orifices without overly stringent preparation requirements.
3Ease of operation
If a pre-bent sleeve is added to improve moving performance, then the performance is improved to a certain extent, but the fundamental problems of traditional instruments cannot be solved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent fundamentally changes the structural parameters of the surgical instrument by transitioning from a rigid or semi-rigid structure with fixed hinge joints to a flexible continuum structure with continuous degrees of freedom. This parameter change enables the instrument to achieve superior moving performance and maneuverability that cannot be obtained by simply adding pre-bent sleeves to traditional designs.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a flexible surgical instrument system, comprising a flexible continuum structure consisting of a distal structure, a middle connecting body and a proximal structure linked in sequence, and further comprising a transmission driving unit linked to the proximal structure. The transmission driving unit comprises a plurality of transmission mechanisms respectively driving corresponding proximal segments. The transmission mechanisms are operable to control the direction of a bending plane of the proximal segments and to control the bending angle of the proximal segments in the bending plane, so as to drive the proximal segments in the proximal structure to bend or turn in any arbitrary direction, and to further drive distal segments in the distal structure linked thereto to bend or turn in the opposite direction.