Multi-wire Endoscope Basket with Twisted Shaft and Breaking Connections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current multi-wire instruments for endoscopes, such as calculus collecting basket instruments, face difficulties due to unintended tearing of connection points during use, which can lead to incomplete stone removal and retention of instrument parts in tissue.
Innovation Solution
The individual wires form a continuous shaft section from the distal to the proximal end, with predetermined breaking connections at the distal end, eliminating the need for additional shaft wires and reducing the risk of connection point failure. The wires are twisted in the shaft section and untwisted in the basket-forming section to enhance loading capacity and stability, with a distal terminating body providing atraumatic properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If individual wires are fixed to a separate shaft wire, then the instrument can be manufactured with a stable shaft section, but the connection points are prone to unintended tearing during use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the shaft wire and individual wires into a single integrated structure where the shaft section is formed by the individual wires themselves combined and held together, eliminating separate connection points between distinct components. This combining approach resolves the contradiction by removing the vulnerable interface while maintaining structural stability through the integrated wire assembly.
2Reliability
If additional shaft wires are used to secure individual wires, then connection reliability improves, but the cross-sectional diameter increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the need for additional shaft wires by having the individual wires form the shaft section collectively through their combination and mutual twisting. This merging approach maintains connection reliability while minimizing the cross-sectional diameter, as the same wire material serves dual purposes as both functional wires and shaft structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The individual wires serve multiple functions: they form the functional distal section, constitute the shaft section when combined, and provide mutual support through twisting. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate shaft wires, thereby maintaining reliability without increasing the cross-sectional diameter.
3Strength
If the shaft section is formed by additional wires, then structural strength is improved, but the instrument complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the shaft-forming function with the individual wires themselves, eliminating the need for separate shaft wires. The shaft section is formed by the individual wires held together and twisted, reducing the number of distinct components and simplifying the overall instrument structure while maintaining necessary strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The individual wires perform multiple roles including forming the functional distal section, constituting the shaft section when combined, and providing structural strength through their twisted arrangement. This multi-functionality reduces device complexity by eliminating redundant components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design minimizes the risk of undesirable tearing, allows for controlled release of collected calculi during overload, and enables a smaller cross-sectional diameter while maintaining necessary strength and flexibility, facilitating easier insertion and operation within tissue canals.
Implementation Method 1
the individual wires are twisted in the shaft section and untwisted in the basket-forming section to enhance loading capacity and stability
Implementation Method 2
For this purpose, a superelastic material, such as an NiTi alloy, such as nitinol, can be preferably used for the individual wires
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-wire instrument has a distal functional section, in which a plurality of individual wires form a wire basket, wherein they are combined at a distal end and connected to one another by being joined directly to one another or to a distal terminating body while forming a respective predetermined breaking connection. A shaft section extends between the distal functional section and a proximal end region of the multi-wire instrument. The individual wires extend in one piece from their distal end to the proximal end region of the multi-wire instrument and the shaft section is formed by the individual wires, which are combined there and held together. The individual wires are twisted together in the entire shaft section up to the basket-forming functional section, wherein they merge from the twisted distal end of the shaft section with radial widening, and/or the individual wires are twisted together in a distal end region which adjoins the basket-forming functional section in a distal manner and in this case abut one another along this twisting.