Sterile Adapter With Elastic Coupling for Stable Torque Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sterile adapters for surgical instruments have unstable connections with the instrument drive, leading to low drive efficiency and issues such as drive vacancy or motion jamming.
Innovation Solution
A sterile adapter with an input member, output member, and elastic member, where the elastic member provides a restoration force to maintain a tight connection between the input and output members, ensuring stable torque transmission and preventing disengagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a sterile adapter is used to isolate the instrument drive from the surgical instrument, then sterility is ensured, but the connection becomes unstable and drive efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The adapter employs a dynamic elastic member that automatically adjusts to maintain optimal connection between the instrument drive and surgical instrument. The elastic member's ability to deform and recover provides continuous adaptive force, ensuring stable torque transmission while maintaining sterility isolation.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic member changes its physical state (compression and recovery) to regulate the connection force between adapter components. This parameter change mechanism allows the system to maintain stable connection under varying surgical conditions while preserving the sterile barrier.
2Ease of manufacture
If the adapter structure is simplified, then ease of manufacture improves, but connection stability and drive efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic member provides self-adjusting connection force without requiring complex external mechanisms. The component automatically maintains optimal contact pressure between the instrument drive and surgical instrument through its inherent elastic properties, simplifying the overall structure while ensuring reliable connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic member acts as an intermediary element between the instrument drive and surgical instrument, mediating the torque transmission while maintaining the sterile barrier. This intermediate component simplifies the connection mechanism while ensuring stable and reliable force transmission.
3Ease of operation
If the adapter allows movement between input and output members, then connection flexibility improves, but drive vacancy and motion jamming increase
Solution Approach 1:
The adapter allows controlled dynamic movement between the input and output members through the elastic member's deformation. This dynamic capability enables the connection to adapt to slight misalignments and thermal expansion while maintaining sufficient torque transmission to prevent drive vacancy and motion jamming.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic member provides beforehand cushioning by continuously applying restoring force to maintain connection between components. This pre-active force compensation prevents drive vacancy and motion jamming by ensuring the connection remains engaged under varying operational conditions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The adapter improves drive efficiency by maintaining a secure connection between the instrument drive and surgical instrument, reducing drive vacancy and motion jamming.
Implementation Method 1
The elastic member is accommodated in the accommodating cavity and configured to apply to the input member and the output member a restoration force to move the input member and the output member away from each other in the first direction
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a sterile adapter configured to connect a surgical instrument to an instrument drive. The sterile adapter includes an input member, an output member and an elastic member. The input member is configured to be connected to the instrument drive and receive a torque output from the instrument drive. The output member is connected to the input member and movable relative to the input member in a first direction. The output member is configured to be connected to the surgical instrument and to transmit a torque between the input member and the surgical instrument. An accommodating cavity is formed between the input member and the output member and has a first end adjacent to the instrument drive and a second end adjacent to the surgical instrument, and at least one of the first end and the second end is sealed.