Forceps Drive Link Assembly With Force-Limiting Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional medical devices, such as forceps, face challenges in reducing packaging space, simplifying design and manufacturing, improving user experience, increasing stability, and preventing damage during use.
Innovation Solution
The development of a medical device with a handpiece that includes an actuation system allowing for the control of end effectors, featuring a drive shaft motion transfer assembly with a force-limiting mechanism to prevent damage and enhance user interaction, along with a rotational actuator for precise tissue manipulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a force-limiting mechanism is added to the drive shaft motion transfer assembly, then damage prevention and reliability are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The force-limiting mechanism includes a spring element that is pre-compressed between a drive shaft and a motion transfer body. This spring acts as a cushion that absorbs excess force before it can cause damage to the forceps or surrounding tissue. The spring is positioned in advance within the motion transfer assembly, ready to engage when force thresholds are exceeded, thereby preventing damage while maintaining system reliability.
2Ease of operation
If the drive shaft motion transfer assembly is designed with precise force control, then user control and ease of operation are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The motion transfer assembly is divided into distinct functional segments: a drive shaft for force input, a spring element for force regulation, and a motion transfer body for controlled output. Each component can be manufactured independently using standard machining processes, then assembled together. This segmentation allows for simplified manufacturing of individual parts while achieving complex force control functionality through their interaction.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the rotational actuator is integrated into the handpiece, then device stability and compactness are improved, but packaging space reduction becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The rotational actuator is nested within the handpiece housing, with its rotational components arranged concentrically around the drive shaft. The actuator's rotational mechanism is positioned inside the existing handpiece structure, utilizing the internal volume efficiently. This nesting approach maintains device stability by keeping the actuator integrated and compact, while minimizing the increase in overall handpiece volume.
Data Source
AI summary
Medical devices for operating an end effector including a housing, a drive shaft, a drive body and a drive link. The drive shaft is moveable relative to the housing to actuate the end effector. The drive body is operably coupled to the drive shaft. The drive body includes a proximal collar and a distal collar. The drive link includes a proximal cam surface and distal cam surface, and the drive link is operatively coupled to the housing and actuatable to translate the drive shaft with respect to the housing. The proximal cam surface is configured to interface with the proximal collar when the drive link displaces proximally to translate the drive body in a proximal direction, and the distal cam surface is configured to interface with the distal collar when the drive link displaces distally to translate the drive shaft in a distal direction.