Snap-on Distal Head Assembly for Bipolar Surgical Instruments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bipolar instruments, particularly those for minimal-invasive surgery, face challenges in designing minimized distal heads that are easy to manufacture and assemble while preventing short circuits and ensuring reliable operation, as they require a movable jaw arrangement to be contacted by electrical leads and a driving mechanism, and the jaws must be isolated to different electric potentials.
Innovation Solution
A distal head assembly with a receiving frame and a snap-on mounting system, featuring a transmitting piece and a movable jaw arrangement that is pivotably mounted, secured by a retaining bracket, reducing the number of parts and assembly complexity, and incorporating a mechanical linkage for actuation, with isolating materials to prevent short circuits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a movable jaw arrangement is provided in the distal head, then the bipolar instrument can perform tissue clamping and cutting functions, but the number of parts and assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The distal head assembly is divided into modular components: a receiving frame, a transmitting piece, and a movable jaw arrangement that can be assembled separately and then coupled together through the snap-on mounting system
Solution Approach 2:
The receiving frame is pre-formed with deflectable lateral arms that are designed to be temporarily deflected during assembly to receive the transmitting piece and movable jaw arrangement, then automatically lock into position
2Volume of moving object
If the distal head is minimized to match the shaft diameter, then the instrument is suitable for minimal-invasive surgery, but the space for housing movable components and electrical leads is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The transmitting piece is received within the receiving frame, and the movable jaw arrangement is nested within the transmitting piece, creating a compact hierarchical structure that minimizes overall distal head volume while maintaining all necessary functional components
Solution Approach 2:
The lateral arms of the receiving frame are designed to be dynamically deflectable during assembly, allowing temporary expansion to receive components, then returning to a compact minimized state for surgical use
3Reliability
If the jaws are isolated to different electric potentials, then short circuits are prevented and operation reliability is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
An isolating material is introduced as an intermediary substance between the first jaw and second jaw, which naturally prevents electrical conduction between the jaws while maintained through the existing snap-on assembly process
Solution Approach 2:
The isolating material is integrated into the receiving frame or transmitting piece structure, combining the electrical isolation function with the mechanical support structure, thereby preventing short circuits without adding separate manufacturing steps
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a distal head assembly (14) for a bipolar instrument (10) and to a bipolar instrument (10), the head assembly (14) comprising a receiving frame (16) comprising a first lateral arm (38) and a second lateral arm (40) that define therebetween a receiving portion (42), a transmitting piece (30) movably arranged at the receiving portion (42), a movable jaw arrangement (18) comprising a first jaw (20) and a second jaw (22), and a retaining bracket (32) arranged to engage the receiving frame (16), wherein the jaw arrangement (18) is pivotably mounted to the receiving frame (16) in a snap-on mounting fashion, and wherein the retaining bracket (32), in the mounted state, engages the receiving frame (16) and secures the mounted state of the jaw arrangement (18). The present disclosure further relates to a method of assembling a distal head assembly (14) for a bipolar instrument (10).