Removable Actuator Assembly for Reusable Endoscope Controls
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical devices, such as endoscopes, require disposal of actuators like buttons and knobs after a single use, leading to unnecessary waste and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
Development of reusable actuator assemblies that can be removably coupled to the medical device handle, allowing the actuators to be uncoupled and reused across multiple devices, with options for wired or wireless communication to control functions like image capture and lighting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If actuators are integrated into single-use medical devices, then device reliability is ensured, but waste increases and costs rise due to disposal after single use
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator system is divided into separable components: a reusable actuator assembly and a disposable medical device portion. The actuator housing, actuator mechanism, and electrical component can be detached from the handle and shaft assembly, allowing the actuator to be recovered and reused while the disposable portion is discarded after single use.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator assembly is designed to be recovered from the disposable medical device after use. The actuator housing includes a receiver assembly that can be uncoupled from the handle, enabling recovery of the expensive actuator components for sterilization and reuse, while the disposable handle and shaft are discarded.
2Loss of substance
If actuators are made reusable, then waste is reduced and costs decrease, but device complexity increases due to coupling and decoupling mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling mechanism between the actuator housing and handle is designed to be dynamically changeable - it can be easily coupled and decoupled. The receiver assembly includes electrical connectors and mechanical coupling features that engage and disengage smoothly, allowing quick attachment and removal without complex alignment procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator assembly is extracted as a separate, independently functional unit from the medical device. The actuator housing contains all necessary components (actuator mechanism, electrical component, battery) to function independently, requiring only simple coupling to the handle for operation.
3Loss of substance
If actuators are reused across multiple devices, then costs are reduced, but sterilization requirements increase operational complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into sterilizable and non-sterilizable portions. The actuator housing and its components are designed as a separate sterilizable module that can undergo autoclaving or other sterilization processes, while the disposable handle and shaft are discarded after single use without requiring sterilization.
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
Enables cost-effective reuse of actuators, reducing waste and maintaining operational efficiency by allowing actuators to be sterilized and used across multiple medical procedures.
Implementation Method 1
The actuator coupler may include an actuator magnet. The receiver coupler may include a receiver magnet.
Data Source
AI summary
A medical system may include an actuator assembly. The actuator assembly may include an actuator housing. The actuator housing may include a first side and a second side opposite the first side, an electrical component, an actuator disposed on the first side, exposed to a user of the medical system, and operably coupled to the electrical component, and an actuator coupler proximate to the second side. The medical system may further include a medical device. The medical device may include a handle. The handle may include a handle housing, an umbilicus for electrically connecting the handle to an electrical controller, and a receiver assembly disposed on the handle housing. The receiver assembly may include a receiver coupler. The actuator coupler may be configured to removably couple to the receiver coupler.