Flexible Guide Tube Shape Control for Tool Insertion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Minimally invasive medical procedures face difficulties in inserting or removing tools through flexible guide tubes due to friction and potential damage from sharp bends, requiring excessive force that can harm the tool or guide tube.
Innovation Solution
A robotically controlled medical system that determines the shape of the guide tube and automatically adjusts to a suitable insertion/removal configuration, allowing tools to be inserted or removed without excessive force by retracting the guide tube to a configuration with a less sharp bend, enabling safe and efficient tool deployment and retrieval.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the guide tube is made flexible enough to follow natural lumens with sharp bends, then the guide tube can reach target sites in convoluted pathways, but the tool insertion and removal becomes difficult due to friction and potential damage from sharp bends
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically changes the guide tube configuration between two states: a target configuration with sharp bends for reaching difficult locations, and an insertion/removal configuration with reduced bends for easy tool access. The control system automatically transitions between these configurations based on operational needs, making the guide tube adapt its shape rather than being statically flexible or rigid
Solution Approach 2:
The guide tube configuration is segmented into distinct operational modes (target configuration and insertion/removal configuration). Each configuration serves a specific function, and the system transitions between them as needed. This segmentation allows the guide tube to optimize its shape for different operational phases without compromise
2Ease of operation
If excessive force is applied to insert or remove tools through sharp bends, then tool insertion and removal becomes possible, but the tool or guide tube may be damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by automatically reconfiguring the guide tube to an insertion/removal configuration with reduced bends before tool insertion or removal is attempted. This preliminary reconfiguration eliminates the need for excessive force during tool manipulation, preventing damage to both the tool and guide tube while ensuring smooth operation
3Ease of operation
If the guide tube is retracted to a configuration with less sharp bends for tool insertion, then tool insertion becomes easier, but the system requires automatic configuration management
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically detecting when tool insertion or removal is needed and autonomously transitioning the guide tube between configurations. The control system monitors operational state and initiates configuration changes without user intervention, reducing the perceived complexity for the operator while maintaining sophisticated configuration management internally
Data Source
AI summary
A robotic medical system with a flexible guide tube such as a lung catheter can record the shape of the guide tube in a target configuration. If the shape includes a bend that is sharper than a sharpest permitted bend for insertion or removal of a tool such as a biopsy needle, a control system can find any locations of sharp bends and automatically retract the guide tube to a location associated with a sharp bend. With the tip backed up to that location, the needle can be inserted into or removed from the catheter. The control system can automatically move the catheter between the target configuration and the retracted configuration of the guide tube.