Surgical Stapler Actuator Support Structure for Deflection Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical stapling instruments, such as linear surgical staplers, face challenges in maintaining stability and preventing deflection during off-center loading, which can lead to undesirable separation of components and affect the precision and effectiveness of the stapling and cutting process.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a strengthened interface between the slider and actuator components, including upper and lower body portions with inner and outer engagement features, and a central body portion with C-shaped engagement features, to minimize deflection and maintain the components' proximity, ensuring a stable and integrated system during high firing forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the actuator is allowed to deflect under off-center loading, then the device can accommodate varying loading conditions, but the separation of components increases and precision is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator is divided into multiple body portions (first body portion, second body portion, third body portion) that can move relative to each other along defined paths. This segmentation allows the actuator to accommodate off-center loading by distributing forces across multiple segments while maintaining overall functional precision through controlled relative movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator is designed with dynamic characteristics, allowing it to move from an initial position to a second position in response to varying loading conditions. The engagement features enable controlled movement and repositioning, providing adaptability while maintaining precision through defined motion paths and engagement/disengagement mechanisms.
2Manufacturing precision
If the actuator components are tightly coupled to prevent deflection, then precision is maintained, but the device becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator is segmented into multiple body portions with engagement features that provide controlled coupling. This segmentation maintains precision by ensuring proper alignment and engagement while reducing complexity compared to a fully rigid, monolithic structure by allowing defined relative movement between segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The multiple body portions of the actuator are nested within each other, with the second body portion positioned within the first and the third within the second. This nesting arrangement maintains a compact structure while allowing relative movement between portions, thereby maintaining precision without requiring a complex external framework.
3Stability of the object's composition
If multiple engagement features are added to the actuator bodies, then stability under off-center loading is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator is divided into segments with engagement features at their interfaces. This segmentation provides stability by ensuring proper alignment and connection between portions while maintaining ease of manufacture through modular design, where each body portion can be manufactured separately and then assembled with standardized engagement features.
Solution Approach 2:
Engagement features are strategically placed at specific locations on the actuator bodies where they are most effective for maintaining stability under off-center loading. This localized approach provides enhanced stability at critical interfaces without requiring complex features throughout the entire actuator structure, thereby maintaining ease of manufacture.
Data Source
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AI summary
A surgical stapler includes first and second elongate members, a clamp member, and a firing assembly. The second elongate member is configured to receive a staple cartridge. The clamp member is operable to releasably clamp the first elongate member against the second elongate member. The firing assembly is translatable to fire the staple cartridge. The firing assembly includes a slider and an actuator configured to be selectively actuated by a user. The slider includes inner and outer engagement features. The actuator includes inner and outer engagement features. The inner engagement feature of the actuator is configured to engage with the inner engagement feature of the slider at a first interface when the actuator moves relative to the slider. The outer engagement feature of the actuator is configured to engage the outer engagement feature of the slider at a second interface when the actuator moves relative to the slider.