Flexible Surgical Instrument with Segmented Structural Backbones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rigid surgical instruments used in single-port laparoscopic surgery face challenges with complex hand-eye coordination, limited flexibility, and small operation range, limiting their application in clinical practice.
Innovation Solution
A multi-degree-of-freedom flexible surgical instrument featuring a flexible continuous body structure with a distal and proximal structural body, a middle connecting body, and a driving unit, including a motorized distal segment driving assembly and a surgical end effector mechanism, allowing for enhanced flexibility and control through a series of structural backbones and actuation wires.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional rigid surgical instruments are used in single-port laparoscopic surgery, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the flexibility is limited and the operation range is small
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical instrument is divided into multiple segments including a proximal structural body, a distal structural body, and a middle connecting body. Each segment contains structural backbones that can independently bend and rotate, enabling the instrument to achieve complex spatial configurations while maintaining manageable structural complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The instrument transitions from a rigid structure to a dynamic flexible structure where the structural backbones can bend and rotate at multiple joints. This allows the instrument to adapt its shape and orientation dynamically during surgery, significantly improving flexibility and operation range while the control system manages the complexity through coordinated actuation
2Ease of operation
If conventional rigid surgical instruments are used, then the device complexity is low, but the hand-eye coordination operation requirements are complicated
Solution Approach 1:
A control system acts as an intermediary between the operator and the flexible instrument. The control system receives input from the operator and translates it into coordinated actuation of multiple structural backbones, simplifying the operation by abstracting away the complexity of controlling each segment individually while maintaining precise control over the instrument's configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct mechanical manipulation of rigid instruments with a controlled flexible system that uses actuation mechanisms (such as motors or pneumatic actuators) to move the structural backbones. This substitution allows for smoother, more precise motion control and reduces the complexity of hand-eye coordination required by the operator
3Adaptability or versatility
If a flexible continuous body structure with multiple structural backbones is used, then the flexibility and operation range are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The middle connecting body serves multiple functions: it connects the proximal and distal structural bodies, provides guide channels for structural backbones, and acts as a support structure for the control system. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, thereby managing structural complexity while maintaining flexibility and operation range
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed is a multi-degree-of-freedom flexible surgical instrument, comprising a flexible continuous body structure (10) and a driving unit (20). The flexible continuous body structure (10) comprises a distal structural body (11), a proximal structural body (16) and a middle connecting body (15). The distal structural body (11) comprises a first distal structural segment (12) and a second distal structural segment (13). The proximal structural body (16) comprises a proximal structural segment. Second segment structural backbones (163) located on the proximal structural segment are securely connected in one-to-one correspondence to or are the same as second segment structural backbones (133) located on the second distal structural segment (13). The middle connecting body (15) comprises channel fixing plates (152), channel fixing blocks (153), first structural backbone guide channels (151) and second structural backbone guide channels (154). The driving unit (20) comprises a proximal structural segment driving handle (21) and a first distal structural segment driving assembly (22), the proximal structural segment driving handle (21) being securely connected to a proximal fixing disk (162). The first distal structural segment driving assembly (22) is located between the two channel fixing plates (152), and an output end of the first distal structural segment driving assembly comprises two sliders (228) moving in opposite directions along a straight line. One end of a first segment structural backbone (123) is securely connected to the slider (228), and the other end of the first segment structural backbone passes through the channel fixing block (153), the first structural backbone guide channel (151) and first distal spacing disks (121) in sequence and is then securely connected to a first distal fixing disk (122).