Robotic Medical Instrument Driver Carriage Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Minimally invasive surgical procedures face limitations due to rigid catheters and endoscopes that lack flexibility, making it difficult to navigate through turns and bends, thereby complicating surgical maneuvers and reducing procedural effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A robotic medical system with an instrument driver that controls coaxially aligned elongate catheter instruments, featuring independently rotatable and movable carriages to facilitate precise positioning and manipulation of catheters, allowing for enhanced flexibility and maneuverability within the body.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If rigid catheters and endoscopes are used, then structural stability is maintained, but flexibility and ability to navigate turns and bends deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is divided into multiple rigid segments connected by flexible joints, allowing the instrument to maintain structural stability in each segment while achieving flexibility through the articulated joints that enable navigation around bends and turns
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic articulated structure where segments can rotate and articulate relative to each other, enabling the instrument to adapt its shape to navigate complex anatomical pathways while maintaining structural integrity
2Ease of manufacture
If rigid shafts are used in catheters, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but control precision at the distal tip deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is segmented into multiple controllable sections with articulated joints, where each segment can be independently actuated to provide precise control at the distal tip while maintaining relative manufacturing simplicity through modular construction
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter control system adds rotational degrees of freedom at each joint, transforming the control from simple linear insertion to multi-dimensional articulation, enabling precise positioning and orientation of the distal tip through coordinated rotation of multiple segments
3Adaptability or versatility
If complex articulated structures are used to improve flexibility, then ability to navigate bends improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The complex navigation capability is achieved through segmentation into modular articulated sections, where each segment contains standardized joints and actuation mechanisms, reducing overall device complexity through repetition of simple modular units rather than a single complex structure
Solution Approach 2:
The articulated segments are nested within each other in a telescoping arrangement, allowing the catheter to compact when straight and extend when articulated, reducing the overall size and complexity of the device while maintaining the ability to navigate bends
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 2B
AI summary
An instrument driver operable to control catheter instruments. First and second carriages are movably coupled to a frame of an instrument driver. Each carriage is configured to support a catheter instrument. The first and second carriages are independently rotatable about a longitudinal axis of the respective first and second catheter instruments and rotatable independently of an instrument driver frame. Independent carriage control provides for the carriages being independently movable in at least three different directions with at least two different types of motion.