Medical Instrument Steering Modes for Safe Passage Retraction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Navigating medical instruments through complex and sensitive body passages is challenging due to their circuitous and multi-branched nature, posing risks of harm to the patient's tissues during insertion and retraction.

Innovation Solution

A medical system with actuators and control means that steers the instrument according to insertion and retraction modes, providing automatic navigation assistance with manual override, ensuring safe and efficient movement through body passages.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If automatic navigation mode is used to steer the medical instrument through body passages, then navigation efficiency and safety are improved, but operator control and manual intervention capability deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenavigation efficiencyVSAvoidoperator control

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The control system dynamically switches between automatic navigation mode and manual control mode based on operational needs. During insertion, the system operates in automatic mode following a pre-programmed path, and during retraction, it switches to manual mode allowing operator control, thereby resolving the contradiction between navigation efficiency and operator control

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Measurement precision

If the medical instrument is steered actively during retraction to maintain position, then navigation precision is improved, but tissue damage risk worsens due to excessive physical contact

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenavigation precisionVSAvoidtissue damage

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of actively steering the instrument during retraction to maintain precision, the system inverts the approach by allowing passive retraction where the instrument follows the path of least resistance through the body passages, minimizing contact forces with tissue while still achieving successful retraction

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Ease of operation

If manual control mode is used during insertion, then operator control is improved, but navigation time and complexity worsen

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoperator controlVSAvoidnavigation time

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The navigation process is segmented into distinct phases: insertion phase operated in automatic mode for efficiency, and retraction phase operated in manual mode for control. This segmentation allows each phase to be optimized independently, reducing overall navigation time while maintaining operator control where needed

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS12551092B2Medical system with multiple operating modes for steering a medical instrument through linked body passages

Publication Date: 2026.02.17 INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS INC

AI summary

A controller operates in different operating modes to control movement of a distal tip of a medical instrument when inserting and retracting the medical instrument through linked body passages. When inserting the medical instrument, the controller normally operates in an automatic navigation mode unless manually overridden to operate in a manual mode. When retracting the medical instrument, the controller normally operates in a zero-force mode to allow the distal tip to freely move so that it may comply with the shape of the passages as the medical instrument is being retracted through the linked body unless manually overridden to operate in a manual mode.