Medical Sliding Shaft Instrument Locking Mechanism
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional medical sliding shaft instruments with locking devices are prone to deformation and malfunction due to improper handling, leading to instability and safety concerns during use.
Innovation Solution
The locking device is redesigned with a second locking element integrated onto the sliding shaft, allowing the first locking element to move from a release position to a locking position by moving towards the shaft, enhancing stability and safety by eliminating the need for locking elements on the actuating device, and incorporating a pretensioning device to ensure secure tool element positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If locking elements are made of thin sheet metal and welded to actuating device branches, then the locking device can be constructed with simple materials, but it becomes prone to deformation and malfunction due to improper handling
Solution Approach 1:
The second locking element is integrated directly onto the sliding shaft, merging the locking function with the sliding shaft structure. This eliminates the need for separate thin sheet metal locking elements that are prone to deformation, while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through direct formation on the sliding shaft.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having locking elements on the actuating device that lock the sliding shaft, the invention inverts the approach by having the sliding shaft itself provide locking elements that lock the actuating device. This reversal eliminates the structural weaknesses of thin sheet metal locking elements.
2Reliability
If locking elements are arranged on the actuating device, then the locking function can be implemented, but the complexity of the actuating device increases and accidental actuation becomes more likely
Solution Approach 1:
The locking elements are extracted from the actuating device and transferred to the sliding shaft. This removes the locking function from the actuating device structure, simplifying it and reducing the risk of accidental actuation, while maintaining the locking capability through the sliding shaft's integrated elements.
3Ease of operation
If conventional locking devices are used, then the sliding shaft can be locked in advance positions, but the instrument becomes more susceptible to damage from improper maintenance and handling
Solution Approach 1:
The locking elements are merged with the sliding shaft structure, creating a unified component that is more resistant to deformation. This integration ensures that the locking elements have the same structural strength and durability as the sliding shaft itself, protecting against damage from improper maintenance and handling.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a medical sliding shaft instrument comprising a tool element carrier, a tubular sliding shaft surrounding the tool element carrier and defining a sliding direction, and an actuating device for moving the sliding shaft relative to the tool element carrier in the distal direction, at least one tool element being arranged or movably mounted at the distal end of the tool element carrier, and the at least one tool element being arranged or designed to cooperate with a distal end region of the sliding shaft in such a way that the at least one tool element is moved as a result of a movement of the sliding shaft in the distal direction. The sliding shaft instrument further comprises a blocking device for blocking a movement of the sliding shaft relative to tool element carrier in at least one advancing position, and in the at least one advancing position the sliding shaft is slid in the distal direction relative to a basic position in which the sliding shaft is slid to a maximum extent in the proximal direction relative to the tool element carrier. The blocking device defines a release position, in which the sliding shaft can be slid relative to the tool element carrier, in particular in the proximal direction, and a blocking position in which a movement of the sliding shaft relative to the tool element carrier is blocked in the proximal and/or distal direction, the blocking device comprising at least one first blocking element and at least one second blocking element which, in the blocking position, are engaged in a frictional and/or form-fitting manner and, in the release position, are disengaged. According to the invention, in order to improve the medical sliding shaft instrument so that it can be handled simply and reliably, the at least one second blocking element is arranged or formed on the sliding shaft, and the at least one first blocking element can be moved from the release position to the blocking position by a movement towards the sliding shaft.