Surgical Stapler Safety Latch and Braking Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical staplers lack effective safety mechanisms to prevent inadvertent firing and ensure proper anvil assembly positioning, leading to potential errors during surgical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A surgical stapler with a safety latch and braking assembly that prevents trigger operation when the anvil gap is outside a predetermined range, featuring an actuating switch and brake pads to control the staple driver, ensuring safe and precise staple firing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a safety latch is added to prevent trigger operation when anvil gap is outside predetermined range, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The safety latch is positioned and configured in advance to automatically engage or disengage based on anvil gap position. The latch is pre-set to block trigger operation when the anvil gap is outside the predetermined range, eliminating the need for manual safety checks and ensuring safety conditions are met before firing can occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety latch acts as an intermediary mechanism between the trigger and the firing mechanism. It mediates the connection by selectively allowing or blocking trigger operation based on anvil gap position, providing a simple yet effective safety function without requiring complex control systems.
2Manufacturing precision
If braking assembly with actuating switch is added to control staple driver, then precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The braking assembly uses a switch mechanism to control the staple driver's movement. By replacing purely mechanical control with an electromechanical switching system, the patent achieves more precise control over the staple firing process while keeping the overall system relatively simple through the use of standard switch components.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuating switch provides feedback control for the braking assembly. The switch detects the position or state of the staple driver and automatically activates or deactivates the brake accordingly, ensuring precise control of the firing mechanism without requiring complex external control systems.
3Reliability
If safety latch prevents trigger operation outside anvil gap range, then inadvertent firing is prevented, but ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The safety latch system is self-regulating and automatically adjusts its locking state based on the anvil gap position. The system serves itself by using the mechanical configuration of the anvil and staple holder to automatically engage or disengage the latch, eliminating the need for manual intervention and maintaining ease of operation while ensuring safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety latch transitions dynamically between locked and unlocked states based on real-time anvil gap position. This dynamic behavior allows the system to automatically adapt to changing operational conditions, providing safety when needed while maintaining ease of operation when conditions are appropriate.
Data Source
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Figure 2
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AI summary
A surgical stapler (450) comprises an anvil assembly (100), an anvil shaft (104), a driver (62), an actuating arm (86), a safety switch (451, 851), and a safety feature (488, 888). The anvil assembly (100) couples with the anvil shaft (104). The driver (62)drives a plurality of staples into tissue. The actuating arm (86) is in communication with the surgical stapler and is configured to actuate the driver to drive the plurality of staples into tissue. The safety switch (451, 851) is moveable between a locked and an unlocked position. The safety switch prevents operation of the actuating arm when the safety switch is in the locked position. The safety switch enables operation of the actuating arm when the safety switch is in the unlocked position. The safety feature (488, 888) may prevent operation of the driver even when the safety switch is in the unlocked position or prevent operation of the safety switch.