Rotary Passive End Effector for Surgical Saw Arcuate Path Constraint
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical methods for osteotomy, such as total knee arthroplasty, face challenges in accurately aligning and stabilizing surgical saws during bone cutting, leading to potential errors and complications due to limited visibility and difficulty in controlling the saw's movement.
Innovation Solution
A passive end effector system integrated with a surgical robot, comprising a base, a rotational disk, and a saw attachment, which constrains the cutting of a surgical saw blade to arcuate paths within a cutting plane, ensuring precise alignment and movement of the saw blade relative to the anatomical structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a surgical saw is used for osteotomy cutting, then bone cutting capability is provided, but the saw generates vibrations and is difficult to control, reducing cutting accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
A passive end effector device is introduced as an intermediary between the surgical saw and the bone. This end effector includes a base plate attached to the bone surface and a cutting guide attached to the saw blade. The cutting guide constrains the saw blade's movement, providing mechanical guidance that compensates for vibrations and control difficulties, thereby improving cutting accuracy while maintaining bone cutting capability.
2Ease of operation
If a jig is used to guide saw movement, then cutting guidance is provided, but jig placement error and limited stability reduce precision
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces traditional mechanical jigs with a robotic end effector system. The surgical robot provides automated positioning and stabilization of the end effector on the bone surface, eliminating manual placement errors. The robotic control system maintains stable connection between the end effector and bone throughout the cutting process, providing superior stability and precision compared to manual jig placement.
3Productivity
If the saw blade oscillates for cutting, then cutting efficiency is improved, but vibrations generated reduce cutting accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting guide component of the passive end effector acts as a mediator between the oscillating saw blade and the bone. It mechanically constrains the blade's oscillation path, ensuring that vibrations occur within a controlled plane and do not deviate from the intended cutting trajectory. This maintains cutting efficiency while preventing vibration-induced accuracy loss.
4Manufacturing precision
If the surgical robot positions the end effector, then alignment precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The passive end effector is segmented into distinct functional components: a base plate for bone attachment, a cutting guide for blade constraint, and a mounting mechanism for integration with the robotic arm. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining high alignment precision through modular design.
Data Source
AI summary
A passive end effector of a surgical system includes a base connected to a rotational disk, and a saw attachment connected to the rotational disk. The base is attached to an end effector coupler of a robot arm positioned by a surgical robot, and includes a base arm extending away from the end effector coupler. The rotational disk is rotatably connected to the base arm and rotates about a first location on the rotational disk relative to the base arm. The saw attachment is rotatably connected to the rotational disk and rotates about a second location on the rotational disk. The first location on the rotational disk is spaced apart from the second location on the rotational disk. The saw attachment is configured to connect to a surgical saw including a saw blade configured to oscillate for cutting. The saw attachment rotates about the rotational disk and the rotational disk rotates about the base arm to constrain cutting of the saw blade to a range of movement along arcuate paths within a cutting plane.