Rail-Guided Actuation Beams for Anti-Buckling Endoscopic Instruments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing endoscopic surgical instruments face challenges in reducing envelope diameter while maintaining functionality, as actuation forces can cause mechanisms to buckle or break, necessitating a solution to support actuation mechanisms effectively.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a beam supported by movable bearings and rails that minimize friction and prevent buckling, allowing for a smaller instrument profile while maintaining actuation force, with optional use of springs for additional support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the envelope diameter of surgical instruments is reduced, then the instrument size is improved, but the actuation mechanisms become prone to buckling or breaking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a rail system that provides support in a lateral dimension perpendicular to the beam's longitudinal axis. This lateral support prevents buckling without requiring increased beam diameter, effectively adding a dimensional solution to a size-constrained problem.
Solution Approach 2:
The rail acts as an intermediary structural element between the beam and the surrounding environment. It provides the necessary mechanical support and constraint to prevent buckling, mediating between the small beam size and the requirement for structural stability during actuation.
2Volume of moving object
If the envelope diameter of surgical instruments is reduced, then the instrument size is improved, but the actuation forces required to operate the instrument increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces a purely mechanical beam-based actuation system with a hybrid system incorporating a rail-guided mechanism. This substitution allows for more efficient force transmission and reduces the actuation force required by providing lateral support and reducing mechanical instability.
3Stability of the object's composition
If traditional beam support structures are used, then the instrument maintains rigidity, but the envelope diameter increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing beam diameter (one-dimensional solution), the patent uses a lateral rail support system (introducing a second dimension) to provide the necessary rigidity and prevent buckling, thereby maintaining instrument compactness.
Solution Approach 2:
The support function is segmented from the beam itself and provided by a separate rail structure. This segmentation allows the beam to remain small while the rail provides the necessary structural support, separating the functions of force transmission and structural stability.
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
The solution enables the creation of smaller endoscopic instruments, such as those less than 8 mm in diameter, that maintain rigidity and functionality by reducing actuation forces and preventing beam buckling.
Implementation Method 1
The at least one rail is shaped and configured to contact the beam tangentially to prevent the beam from buckling as the beam is moved longitudinally
Implementation Method 2
The at least one rail is shaped and configured to contact the beam tangentially to prevent the beam from buckling as the beam is moved longitudinally
Data Source
AI summary
An endoscopic surgical instrument has a distal end configured to perform an action on tissue; a proximal end; a beam; a drive rod; and at least one rail supporting at least one bearing, the at least one bearing movable relative to the at least one rail. The distal end of the instrument is configured to receive at least a portion of the beam, the beam movable longitudinally in response to an action on the drive rod. The at least one rail is shaped and configured to contact the beam tangentially to prevent the beam from buckling as the beam is moved longitudinally.