Microsurgical Handle Actuation Mechanism for Precision Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surgical instruments designed for small incisions often require significant effort to control, leading to unintentional manipulation due to the need for substantial force or awkward lever adjustments, which can complicate procedures, especially in confined spaces like the eye.
Innovation Solution
A microsurgical handle with an actuation structure featuring a plurality of actuation arms and extension joints that can be compressed or decompressed to extend or retract the instrument's distal end relative to the proximal end, allowing for precise control with minimal effort through a mechanism of extension and retraction of joints and mechanisms, facilitating easier manipulation within small incisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a surgical utility is controlled by a lever or switch on an instrument handle, then the surgeon can actuate the surgical utility, but the surgeon must adjust the orientation of the surgical instrument to actuate the control, increasing manipulation complexity
Solution Approach 1:
A button is introduced as an intermediary control element between the surgeon's hand and the surgical utility actuation mechanism. The button is positioned to be easily accessible within the confined space of a small surgical incision, allowing the surgeon to actuate the surgical utility without needing to adjust the orientation of the entire surgical instrument shaft. This intermediary control element simplifies the operation by providing a direct actuation interface that does not require complex orientation adjustments.
2Reliability
If a surgical utility control requires the surgeon to apply significant force, then the control can be actuated reliably, but it becomes difficult to manipulate the control without unintentionally moving the surgical instrument
Solution Approach 1:
The button serves as an intermediary that couples the surgeon's finger to the surgical utility actuation mechanism. By designing the button to be easily accessible and requiring minimal force to actuate, the system allows reliable control of the surgical utility while preventing unintentional movement of the surgical instrument. The button's positioning and mechanical design ensure that only deliberate finger pressure on the button will trigger actuation, filtering out unintended movements.
Solution Approach 2:
The control interface is localized to a specific button positioned within easy reach of the surgeon's finger, separate from the main surgical instrument shaft. This local quality allows the control to be actuated with minimal force through direct finger pressure, while the rest of the surgical instrument remains stable and unaffected by the actuation force.
3Ease of operation
If a surgical utility control only requires very small force, then the surgeon can manipulate the control easily, but unintentional manipulation may occur during the procedure
Solution Approach 1:
The button acts as a deliberate intermediary control that requires intentional finger pressure to actuate. While the button can be easily manipulated with minimal force, its positioning and mechanical design ensure that only purposeful actions will trigger the surgical utility. The button serves as a conscious control interface that separates the actuation function from the surgical instrument, allowing easy manipulation while maintaining reliability through intentional design.
Data Source
AI summary
A microsurgical handle and instrument may include an actuation structure having an actuation structure distal end and an actuation structure proximal end, a plurality of actuation arms of the actuation structure, and an actuation structure base. A compression of the actuation structure may be configured to extend the actuation structure distal end relative to the actuation structure proximal end. A compression of the actuation structure may be configured to expand an extension joint of an actuation arm of the plurality of the actuation arms. A decompression of the actuation structure may be configured to retract the actuation structure distal end relative to the actuation structure proximal end. A decompression of the actuation structure may be configured to collapse an extension joint of an actuation arm of the plurality of actuation arms.