Nested Surgical Camera Assembly Single-Access Visualization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Minimally-invasive surgical procedures face challenges in visualizing internal surgical sites due to the need for multiple access openings for surgical cameras and illumination sources, which increases insertion/removal complexity and space usage within the body.
Innovation Solution
A surgical camera assembly comprising a camera member with a shaft and a receptacle member that mechanically and electrically couple, allowing for single-access insertion and reducing the need for multiple openings by establishing electrical communication through a friction-fit or releasable engagement, enabling panoramic and three-dimensional visualization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If multiple surgical cameras and illumination sources are inserted through the same access portal, then panoramic and three-dimensional visualization is achieved, but valuable space within the access portal is consumed and insertion/removal complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The camera member is inserted through the shaft of another camera member, with the inner camera's shaft passing through the outer camera's shaft. This nested configuration allows multiple cameras to occupy the same access portal space while maintaining separate optical paths and viewing angles, achieving panoramic and three-dimensional visualization without requiring separate access portals for each device.
2Ease of operation
If multiple access openings are created to accommodate separate surgical cameras and illumination sources, then device spacing is improved, but tissue trauma increases and scarring is exacerbated
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple surgical devices (cameras and illumination sources) are combined into a single integrated assembly that accesses the surgical site through one common portal. The cameras are nested within shared shaft structures, and illumination sources are integrated into the same access pathway, eliminating the need for multiple separate access openings and thereby reducing tissue trauma and scarring.
3Reliability
If multiple access openings are created for separate surgical instrumentation, then device functionality is maintained, but the number of insertion/removal operations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shared shaft structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides mechanical support for nested cameras, conducts electrical signals from multiple camera members, and maintains a common access pathway through tissue. This multi-functional design allows all cameras and illumination sources to be inserted and removed as a single integrated unit, eliminating repeated insertion/removal operations while preserving complete device functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical camera assembly includes a camera member and a receptacle member. The camera member includes a camera head and a shaft. The shaft includes at least one electrical contact positioned towards a free end thereof. The at least one electrical contact is electrically coupled to the camera head. The receptacle member is configured to releasably receive the free end of the shaft and includes at least one electrical contact that is configured to electrically couple to the at least one electrical contact of the shaft to establish electrical communication between the camera head and the receptacle member when the free end of the shaft is received within the receptacle member.