Laparoscopic Handpiece with Aiming Beam and Articulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical instruments face challenges in effectively accessing and treating selected tissue, particularly with non-visible energy beams like CO2 lasers, due to difficulties in targeting and optimizing tissue treatment which varies among patients and tissues.
Innovation Solution
An articulating instrument with a distal assembly of pivotally interconnected links and a cable actuation system that allows controlled articulation, combined with physical features for aiming and tissue manipulation, such as a spatula or duckbill tip, to facilitate precise tissue treatment and energy delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a non-visible energy beam (CO2 laser) is used for surgical treatment, then tissue treatment capability is improved, but targeting precision deteriorates due to inability to visually track the beam
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a visible aiming beam as an intermediary that guides the non-visible CO2 laser beam to the target tissue. The aiming beam serves as a visual mediator that allows surgeons to precisely locate and track the position where the invisible therapeutic beam will deliver energy, thereby resolving the targeting precision problem while maintaining the tissue treatment capabilities of the CO2 laser.
2Adaptability or versatility
If surgical instruments are designed to bend in multiple directions to assist insertion and tissue manipulation, then access to selected tissue is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional articulation mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamically articulating distal assembly with pivotally interconnected links that can continuously vary their configuration during insertion and manipulation. This dynamic articulation allows the instrument to adapt to different anatomical pathways and tissue locations without requiring multiple discrete locking mechanisms, thereby improving access capability while controlling overall device complexity through smooth continuous motion.
3Measurement precision
If continuous variation in articulation is implemented, then precision of tissue manipulation is improved, but mechanism complexity increases due to removal of locking mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the locking mechanisms from the articulation system, replacing them with a cable actuation system that provides continuous articulation control. By taking out the discrete locking components, the design achieves smoother continuous variation in articulation angles, improving manipulation precision while actually reducing mechanical complexity through fewer parts and simpler actuation.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 2A~2E
Figure 3
AI summary
An articulating instrument including a distal assembly having first and second configurations and intermediate configurations between them. At least one of the first and second configurations is substantially stable such that the distal assembly of the instrument has a tendency to remain in the stable configuration when placed in that configuration by a user of the instrument. Preferably, the distal assembly terminates in a distal tip unit defining at least one distal feature that is useful for manipulating tissue.