Steerable Tube With Slit-Wire Transmission
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current steerable tubes for medical and high-precision applications face challenges such as increased diameter due to guide-sleeves, high construction costs, alignment and pre-tensioning difficulties of steering wires, and reduced torsion and bending stability, which limit their effectiveness in confined spaces like neurosurgery.
Innovation Solution
A steerable tube design featuring a hollow elongate tubular member with a bend-resistive zone and bendable zones, where the wall comprises longitudinal slits and wires, allowing for omni-directional movement without the need for guide-sleeves, and utilizing a structure of longitudinal strips and wires that transmit control movements efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If guide-sleeves are used to hold steering cables in place, then cable control and steering are achieved, but the cross-section of the wall increases and the diameter of the instrument increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the guide-sleeve component entirely and replaces it with a cable retention ring that directly secures cables to the tube wall. This extraction of the problematic guide-sleeve element eliminates the need for the bulky guide-sleeve structure while maintaining cable control functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the cable retention function with the existing tube wall structure by using a cable retention ring that integrates with the tube wall rather than requiring separate guide-sleeves. This merging of functions reduces the overall diameter while maintaining steering capability.
2Ease of operation
If the number of steering wires is increased to maximize lumen diameter, then steering control is improved, but alignment and pre-tensioning become enormously difficult and wires may slip or tangle
Solution Approach 1:
The cable retention ring structure provides self-aligning and self-securing functionality for the steering cables. The ring design inherently positions cables correctly and maintains tension without requiring complex external alignment procedures or pre-tensioning operations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the wall is made thin to maximize lumen diameter, then flexibility is improved, but the structural integrity and stability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different structural characteristics to different regions of the tube wall. The bendable zones have reduced wall thickness for flexibility, while the bend-resistive zone maintains adequate thickness for structural integrity. This local differentiation allows the tube to be both flexible where needed and structurally sound where required.
Data Source
AI summary
A steerable tube (100), comprising a hollow elongate tubular member (1) having a proximal end (2), distal end (3), a wall surface disposed between said proximal (2) and distal end (4), a bend-resistive zone (6) flanked by a proximal bendable zone (4) that forms a controller and a distal bendable zone (5) that forms an effector that moves responsive to movements of the controller, whereby the wall of the tubular member (1) in the bend-resistive zone (6) comprises a structure that is a plurality of longitudinal slits (7), forming a plurality of longitudinal strips (8, 8′), the wall of the tubular member (1) in the proximal bendable zone (4) and the distal bendable zone (5) comprises a structure that is a plurality of longitudinal wires (9, 9′, 10, 10′), at least one strip (8) is in connection with a wire (9) in the proximal bendable zone (4) and a wire (10) in the distal bendable zone (5), such that translation by said wire (9) in the controller is transmitted via the strip (8) to said wire (10) in the effector, a proximal annular region (11) of the tubular member (1), proximal to the proximal bendable zone (4) to which the proximal wires (9) are anchored, a distal annular region (12) of the tubular member (1) distal to the distal bendable zone (5) to which the distal wires (10) are anchored.