Sterile Drive Coupling Interface Using a Wave-Moved Medical Barrier

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing medical robotic systems face challenges in providing a cost-effective and reliable interface for connecting drive units to medical instruments, requiring complexly shaped medical barriers that are difficult to install and maintain, which increases costs and downtime, and complicates sterile procedures.

Innovation Solution

A continuous medical barrier is used with drive-side and instrument-side coupling devices that allow for a wave-like movement, eliminating the need for complex adapters and precise placement, ensuring a sterile environment through a flexible and easy-to-use interface.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If complexly shaped films or specially embedded adapters are used to transmit drive force through the medical barrier, then the drive force transmission is achieved, but the cost of the medical barrier increases and the placement requires pinpoint accuracy which increases workload

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedrive force transmissionVSAvoidmedical barrier structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the complex adapters and complexly shaped films from the medical barrier system. Instead of embedding these complex structures within the barrier, the invention uses a simple continuous film without any embedded components, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining drive force transmission capability through the wave-like movement mechanism

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of making the medical barrier complex to transmit drive force (as in prior art), the invention inverts the approach by making the barrier simple and continuous, and instead transmitting drive force through wave-like movements of this simple barrier. The complexity is shifted from the barrier structure to the drive arrangement that generates the waves

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Reliability

If complexly shaped films or specially embedded adapters are used in the medical barrier, then drive force transmission is enabled, but the cost of each medical application increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedrive force transmissionVSAvoidmedical barrier cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a simple continuous medical barrier film without any expensive embedded adapters or complexly shaped components. This simplified barrier can be manufactured more cheaply and used as a disposable single-use component, reducing the cost of each medical application while maintaining the necessary drive force transmission function

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

By removing the expensive embedded adapters and complexly shaped films from the medical barrier design, the invention significantly reduces manufacturing costs. The barrier becomes a simple continuous film that is much cheaper to produce while still achieving drive force transmission through the wave-like movement mechanism

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Reliability

If pinpoint accurate placement of the medical barrier is required, then sterile coupling is achieved, but the workload in advance of medical procedure increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesterile couplingVSAvoidbarrier placement workload

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent designs the coupling devices with pre-formed coupling surfaces that are ready to engage with the medical barrier. The drive-side and instrument-side coupling devices are prepared in advance with complementary geometries, allowing the simple continuous barrier to be coupled without requiring pinpoint accurate placement during the procedure setup

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The simple continuous medical barrier film serves multiple functions: it maintains sterile coupling between the drive-side and instrument-side components, and it also serves as the medium for transmitting drive force through wave-like movements. This universal design eliminates the need for separate complex adapters and reduces placement complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

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

This design simplifies installation and deinstallation, reduces costs, and ensures a reliable sterile working field by using a cost-effective single-use barrier, while maintaining mechanical coupling integrity.

Implementation Method 1

at least the drive-side coupling device comprises at least one drive arrangement which is configured to generate a wave-like movement of the medical barrier at least in one section of the medical barrier

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectWave-like movement: Vibration

Data Source

PatentEP4652955A1Interface for connecting a drive unit to a medical instrument

Publication Date: 2025.11.26 KARL STORZ SE & CO KG

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AI summary

The invention relates to an interface (10) for connecting a drive unit (12) to a medical instrument (14). The interface comprises: - at least one drive-side coupling device (16), and - at least one instrument-side coupling device (20) complementary to the drive-side coupling device (16). The drive-side and instrument-side coupling devices (16, 20) can be mechanically coupled to each other via a continuous medical barrier (24). At least the drive-side coupling device (16) comprises at least one drive arrangement (26) configured to generate a wave-like movement of the medical barrier (24) at least in a section of the medical barrier (24).