Optical Fiber Strain Sensing in Hinged Medical Tools
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical instruments, including remotely operated ones, often lack sufficient sensing capability to provide appropriate tactile feedback, making it difficult to determine tool strain, pivoting degree, and wear, which can affect performance and safety.
Innovation Solution
A hinged tool with an optical fiber fixed at a load application region, allowing strain measurement and correlation to tool strain and pivoting degree, enabling feedback and wear determination, and a control system to adjust the tool based on these measurements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If medical instruments are operated remotely without sufficient sensing capability, then the operational reach and accessibility are improved, but the tactile feedback and user confidence deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by integrating optical fibers that detect strain and bending in the instrument shaft, converting mechanical deformations into optical signals. This provides real-time information about instrument position and applied forces, restoring tactile feedback to the remote operator through visual or haptic display systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct mechanical tactile feedback with an optical sensing system. Instead of relying on the operator's physical sense of touch through mechanical contact, the system uses optical fibers to detect mechanical strain and convert it into optical signals that can be processed and displayed, substituting mechanical sensation with optical measurement and digital feedback.
2Measurement precision
If optical fiber is fixed to the first member at the load application region, then the measurement precision of tool strain is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies multi-functionality by using the optical fiber for multiple purposes: it serves as both a structural reinforcement element within the instrument shaft and a sensing element for detecting strain and bending. This integration of structural and sensing functions reduces the need for separate components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while maintaining high measurement precision.
3Measurement precision
If the optical fiber bends when members are pivoted, then the sensing capability for pivoting degree is improved, but the reliability of the optical fiber may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible shells by routing the optical fiber through flexible conduits or protective sheaths that allow the fiber to bend with the pivoting motion of instrument members. This flexible protection maintains the optical fiber's durability by preventing sharp bends or mechanical damage while still allowing the fiber to detect bending and pivoting movements accurately.
4Measurement precision
If distributed strain measurement is implemented along the instrument shaft, then the measurement precision of force distribution is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the optical fiber as an intermediary element that is embedded within or attached to the instrument shaft. The fiber acts as a mediator that translates distributed mechanical strain along the shaft into optical signals that can be measured and processed. This intermediary approach enables distributed force measurement without requiring complex sensor arrays, as the optical fiber itself serves as the distributed sensing medium.
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 solution provides precise tactile feedback and wear assessment, enhancing the performance and safety of medical instruments by allowing more precise force application and extending the tool's useful life.
Implementation Method 1
the optical fiber bends when the first member and the second member are pivoted with respect to one another
Implementation Method 2
An optical fiber is fixed to the first member at a load application region
Data Source
AI summary
A hinged tool includes a first member; a second member pivotally connected to the first member at a pivot; and an optical fiber. The optical fiber is fixed to the first member at a load application region and fixed to at least one of the pivot and the second member at a location such that the optical fiber bends when the first member and the second member are pivoted with respect to one another. A method of using a hinged tool includes measuring fiber strain in an optical fiber fixed to the hinged tool, and determining at least one of tool strain applied to the hinged tool and a degree of pivoting of the hinged tool using the fiber strain.