Multiple Instrument Retaining Assembly with Floating Seat
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current neurosurgical instrument guiding and retaining assemblies are expensive to manufacture, limited in the number of instruments they can hold, require large clamping forces, and lack user feedback on retainment force, posing risks during precise brain surgeries.
Innovation Solution
A multiple instrument retaining assembly with a drive and trajectory guide system that uses a single actuation means to securely position and retain multiple instruments of varying sizes, providing direct force application and user feedback without large bending or compression forces, and is cost-effective to manufacture.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If current neurosurgical instrument guiding and retaining assemblies are used, then instruments can be guided into the brain, but they are expensive to manufacture due to precise tolerance requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining assembly is divided into multiple independent retainment holders, each capable of retaining instruments separately. This segmentation allows each holder to be manufactured with standard tolerances rather than requiring precise tolerances across the entire assembly, reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining positioning precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the manufacturing approach by moving from monolithic precision manufacturing to modular assembly with standard tolerances. The retainment holders can be manufactured using conventional methods and assembled together, eliminating the need for expensive precision manufacturing while achieving the required positioning accuracy through the mechanical design of the assembly.
2Quantity of substance
If current retaining assemblies are used, then instruments can be retained, but they can only retain a limited number of instruments
Solution Approach 1:
Each retainment holder is designed with universal functionality to retain instruments of varying sizes and types. The holders can accommodate different instrument diameters and lengths through adjustable positioning mechanisms, allowing a single assembly to retain multiple instruments without requiring separate specialized holders for each instrument type.
Solution Approach 2:
The retainment holders are nested within the drive assembly structure, with multiple holders arranged to accommodate multiple instruments simultaneously. This nested arrangement allows the assembly to retain a limited number of instruments in a compact configuration, balancing quantity retention with device complexity.
3Strength
If current retaining assemblies are used, then instruments can be secured, but they require large clamping forces to be applied to actuators
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator includes a feedback mechanism that provides direct force application information to the user. This feedback allows the system to maintain adequate retainment force while using smaller actuation forces compared to conventional assemblies, as the feedback enables precise control and adjustment of the retainment force applied to each instrument.
Solution Approach 2:
The retainment system uses dynamic adjustment mechanisms that allow the retainment force to be optimized for each instrument based on its specific requirements. The actuators can adjust the force applied in real-time, eliminating the need for large fixed clamping forces and allowing the system to adapt to different instrument sizes and retention requirements.
4Reliability
If current retaining assemblies are used, then instruments can be retained, but users do not have good feedback on the actual retainment force being applied
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator incorporates a feedback mechanism that provides direct information to the user about the retainment force being applied to each instrument. This feedback is achieved through force transmission pathways that allow the user to feel the retainment force directly, eliminating information loss and enabling better control and adjustment of the retainment force to ensure reliable instrument securing.
Data Source
AI summary
This patent document discusses, among other things, assemblies and methods for retaining a plurality of surgical instruments. In one example, a retaining assembly includes a floating seat having a seat first side and a seat second side. One or both of the seat first or second sides include at least one recessed portion to receive an instrument. In another example, a first clamp member is positioned adjacent the seat first side and a floating second clamp member is positioned adjacent the seat second side. An actuator engaged with an actuator receiving lumen is disposed adjacent the seat second side. Movement of the actuator in a first direction advances the first clamp member, the floating seat, and the floating second clamp member toward one another. In varying examples, the floating second clamp member comprises a rocker configured to pivot in three-dimensions, while the floating seat is configured to pivot in two-dimensions.