Surgical Stapler Emergency Reset Gear for Motor Failure Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surgical instruments with motor-driven mechanisms face malfunctions that prevent the transmission mechanism from resetting, leading to compromised surgical procedures due to locked jaw openings in the end effector.
Innovation Solution
An emergency apparatus for surgical instruments, featuring a movable shaft and a first gear that can disengage from the electric mechanism, allowing manual resetting of the transmission mechanism through a two-step process involving linear and rotational movements of the shaft to disengage and reposition the gear, ensuring uninterrupted surgical operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a motor-driven mechanism is used to automate the transmission mechanism movement, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to potential motor malfunctions preventing reset
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an emergency apparatus as an intermediary mechanism that bridges the gap between the electric mechanism and the transmission mechanism. This apparatus includes a movable shaft, first gear, second gear, and operating lever that can manually engage with the transmission mechanism's gear to enable resetting when the electric mechanism fails, thus resolving the reliability issue while maintaining ease of operation through automated electric driving under normal conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the resetting function into two independent pathways: the primary electric-driven path and the secondary manual emergency path. The emergency apparatus is structurally segmented with separate components (movable shaft, gears, operating lever) that can independently engage with the transmission mechanism, allowing the system to maintain reliability by providing an alternative path when the electric mechanism fails
2Productivity
If an electric mechanism is used to drive the transmission mechanism, then the productivity is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional mechanical and electronic components
Solution Approach 1:
The emergency apparatus is nested within the existing surgical instrument structure, with the movable shaft, gears, and operating lever integrated into the instrument body. The apparatus can be disposed inside the instrument body or on the side wall, utilizing existing spatial arrangements. This nesting approach allows the emergency reset function to be added without significantly increasing overall device complexity, while maintaining improved productivity through electric-driven operation
Solution Approach 2:
The emergency apparatus is designed with multi-functionality, where the movable shaft can engage with different gears (first gear for disengagement, second gear for resetting) and the operating lever can serve both as an emergency reset actuator and potentially as part of the normal operation mechanism. This universality reduces the need for entirely separate emergency components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while maintaining productivity improvements
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are an emergency apparatus and a surgical instrument, which includes a transmission mechanism, a connection mechanism connected to the transmission mechanism, and an electric mechanism. The connection mechanism includes a first gear. The connection mechanism is disengaged from the electric mechanism via the first gear. The emergency apparatus includes: a movable shaft, which is movably disposed through the first gear. When the movable shaft and the first gear are in a first meshing state, the first gear is rotatable around the movable shaft. When the movable shaft and the first gear are in a second meshing state, the first gear is prevented from rotating around the movable shaft and can be driven to move by the movement of the movable shaft so as to disengage from the electric mechanism. The present application enables manual reset of the transmission mechanism after firing of the stapler.