Medical Observation Device Gear Backlash Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical observation devices with intermeshing gears experience backlash, leading to idle running time when reversing direction, which prevents immediate change in the field of view.
Innovation Solution
A medical observation device with a controller that performs first and second controls to adjust the gear distances, reducing backlash by half, allowing immediate field of view changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If two intermeshing gears are used in the power transmission path, then power can be transmitted from the motor to the joint, but backlash between the gears causes idle running time when reversing direction
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit performs preliminary action by rotating the motor in the reverse direction before the actual operation to eliminate backlash. This preliminary rotation ensures that the gear teeth are properly engaged, preventing idle running time when the operation is executed.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit applies preliminary anti-action by rotating the motor in the opposite direction to counteract the backlash effect. This reverse rotation pre-compresses the gear mesh, ensuring immediate power transmission in the subsequent operational direction.
2Ease of operation
If the motor is rotated in reverse direction after forward rotation, then the field of view can be changed, but the gears experience idle running time due to backlash
Solution Approach 1:
Before changing the field of view in the reverse direction, the control unit performs a preliminary reverse rotation to eliminate gear backlash. This ensures that when the actual field of view change operation is performed, the gears are already engaged and no idle running time occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit maintains continuity of useful action by eliminating gaps caused by backlash. Through preliminary reverse rotation, the gear engagement is continuous, ensuring that the field of view changes immediately without interruption or idle running time.
Data Source
AI summary
A medical observation device includes: an imaging device; a support unit that supports the image-capturing unit and includes arms and joints rotatably connecting the arms; a motor that applies power to at least one of the joints, and rotates two of the arms connected at the joint relative to each other; a gear mechanism that includes two intermeshing gears and is disposed in a power transmission path from the motor to the at least one joint; an operation receiver that receives a user operation; and a controller that performs first control for causing the motor to rotate in accordance with the user operation received by the operation receiver and performs second control after the first control is completed and rotation of the motor is stopped.