Gimbal Mount Bellows Biasing for Surgical Seal Alignment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional seal assemblies for minimally invasive surgical procedures struggle to accommodate a wide range of instrumentation sizes and maintain seal integrity during angular manipulation, often leading to damage and leakage due to frictional issues between the gimbal mount and seal housing.

Innovation Solution

A surgical access device with a seal assembly that includes a gimbal mount and a bellows attached to the seal housing, allowing for angular movement and reducing friction by biasing the longitudinal passage towards the central axis, thereby minimizing the risk of damage and enhancing sealing efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a conventional seal assembly is used to accommodate a wide range of instrumentation sizes, then the seal assembly must be designed with a large passage, but this causes friction between the gimbal mount and seal housing that prevents proper alignment and leads to damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccommodation of instrumentation sizesVSAvoidseal integrity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The seal assembly incorporates a movable valve with a longitudinal passage that can dynamically adjust its position and orientation relative to the seal housing. The valve is biased toward alignment with the central longitudinal axis through the bellows mechanism, allowing it to move and adapt to instruments of varying sizes while maintaining sealing integrity and reducing friction during angular manipulation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The bellows mechanism changes the physical state and position of the valve by providing biasing force that moves the longitudinal passage toward alignment with the central longitudinal axis. This parameter change in valve position reduces friction and prevents damage while accommodating instruments of different diameters.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of operation

If the gimbal mount is allowed angular movement to accommodate instrument manipulation, then ease of operation improves, but friction increases causing misalignment and potential damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveangular manipulation of instrumentationVSAvoidfriction between gimbal mount and seal housing

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The bellows acts as an intermediary mechanism between the gimbal mount and seal housing, providing a biasing force that mediates the frictional relationship. By pushing the longitudinal passage toward alignment with the central axis, the bellows reduces friction and prevents damage while allowing necessary angular movement for instrument manipulation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The bellows applies a preliminary biasing force to the gimbal mount that counteracts the harmful frictional effects before they can cause misalignment or damage. This preliminary action keeps the longitudinal passage aligned with the central longitudinal axis, preventing the harmful friction that would otherwise occur during angular manipulation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

3Force

If the bellows is attached to the sidewall of the seal housing to provide biasing force, then the biasing effectiveness improves, but the height of the seal housing must be reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebiasing force on gimbal mountVSAvoidheight of seal housing

Core Design Contradiction:

ForceVSLength of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The bellows is attached to the sidewall of the seal housing rather than extending vertically, transferring the biasing force application to a different spatial dimension. This sidewall attachment provides effective biasing force to the gimbal mount while reducing the vertical height requirement of the seal housing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS11540821B2Surgical access device including gimbal mount cooperating with bellows

Publication Date: 2023.01.03 COVIDIEN LP

AI summary

A surgical access device includes a seal assembly having a seal housing and a gimbal mount disposed within the seal housing, the seal housing defining a central longitudinal axis and having a longitudinal passage for receiving at least one surgical object therethrough and the gimbal mount adapted for angular movement relative to the central longitudinal axis. The surgical access device also includes a bellows configured to engage at least a portion of the gimbal mount, the bellows dimensioned and adapted to establish a biasing relationship with the gimbal mount, such that the bellows overcomes a frictional relationship between the gimbal mount and the seal housing, thereby moving the gimbal mount towards a position in which the passage of the gimbal mount is aligned with the central longitudinal axis. The bellows is configured to be attached to a side wall of the seal housing.