Endoscopic Stapler Loading Unit Sensing for Accurate Firing Stroke
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing endoscopic staplers with motor-driven firing cannot accurately determine the staple line length of loading units, leading to potential damage or harm due to insufficient or excessive firing strokes.
Innovation Solution
A stapling surgical instrument with a handle assembly and shaft assembly that includes a control circuit with reduced mounting sensor switches and a sensing mechanism, allowing the instrument to identify loading units with different staple line lengths and control the firing stroke accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple mounting sensor switches are installed to identify different staple line lengths, then the identification accuracy is improved, but the space consumption in the handle assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensing functions into a single sensor switch by integrating a sensing mechanism with a slider. The slider can be pushed to different positions by loading units with different staple line lengths, and a single sensor switch detects these different positions to identify the specific staple line length. This merging approach maintains identification accuracy while significantly reducing the number of sensor switches needed, thereby saving space in the handle assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The single sensor switch serves multiple functions by detecting different positions of the slider, which corresponds to different staple line lengths. The sensing mechanism enables one sensor switch to perform what would traditionally require multiple separate sensors, making the system more space-efficient while maintaining the capability to distinguish between various loading unit types.
2Volume of moving object
If the number of sensor switches is reduced to save space, then the space utilization is improved, but the identification capability of different staple line lengths deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a new dimension to the sensing system by using a slider that can be positioned at different locations along its travel path. Instead of using multiple sensor switches arranged in space, the system uses a single sensor switch that detects position information along one dimension (the slider's movement range). This dimensional approach allows one sensor to provide information that would otherwise require multiple sensors, maintaining identification capability while saving space.
Solution Approach 2:
The slider acts as an intermediary between the loading unit and the sensor switch. The loading unit pushes the slider to a specific position based on its staple line length, and the sensor switch detects this intermediate position to identify the loading unit type. This intermediary mechanism enables a single sensor to indirectly measure multiple parameters, preserving identification accuracy while reducing component count.
Data Source
AI summary
A stapling surgical instrument includes a handle assembly, a shaft assembly, and a plurality of loading units with different staple line lengths; the handle assembly includes a control circuit provided with mounting sensor switches and a slider, the shaft assembly includes a sensing mechanism, any one of the loading units is releasably mounted to the shaft assembly; the mounting of the loading unit drives the sensing mechanism to push the slider, the slider actuates any one of the mounting sensor switches to generate a first signal or does not actuate to generate a second signal, and the control circuit identifies whether the loading unit is not mounted or identifies the staple line length based on all combinations of the first signals or the second signals. Reducing the number of the mounting sensor switches saves space, facilitating their installation in the handle assembly.