Surgical Handpiece Attachment Locking for Secure Tool Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional handheld surgical instruments lack efficient mechanisms for securely attaching and detaching surgical accessories, leading to complexity and potential accidental detachment during procedures.
Innovation Solution
A surgical attachment system featuring a gear assembly and lock assembly with a rotatable driving member and slidable collar mechanism that allows for secure coupling and decoupling of accessory tools, utilizing planetary gears for torque transfer and a lock assembly with movable retainers and a collar for precise attachment and detachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional attachment mechanisms are used, then the device structure is simple, but the reliability of attachment is insufficient leading to potential accidental detachment
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer is designed to move dynamically between a first position (engaging the accessory tool) and a second position (disengaged). This dynamic movement allows the attachment mechanism to transition between locked and unlocked states, improving reliability while maintaining manageable complexity through controlled motion rather than complex multi-component systems
Solution Approach 2:
The collar acts as an intermediary component that controls the retainer's movement. By sliding the collar along the drive shaft, it indirectly controls the retainer's position through the cam surface interaction, providing a simple interface that manages the complexity of the locking mechanism while ensuring reliable attachment
2Reliability
If secure attachment mechanisms are implemented, then accidental detachment is minimized, but the attachment process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment mechanism is segmented into distinct functional components: the retainer for direct engagement, the collar for control, and the cam surface for motion transformation. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently, ensuring secure engagement while keeping the overall complexity manageable through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanism uses dynamic position changes of the retainer and collar to achieve secure engagement. The retainer moves from a first position (secured) to a second position (released), and the collar slides to control this movement. This dynamic approach provides reliable attachment through controlled motion rather than static complex structures
3Reliability
If a lock assembly with movable retainer is used, then attachment security is improved, but the number of components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The collar and retainer are integrated into a coordinated system where the collar's linear sliding motion is transformed into the retainer's radial movement through the cam surface. This merging of components and their motions reduces the need for additional separate actuating mechanisms, achieving secure coupling with a minimal component count
Solution Approach 2:
The cam surface acts as an intermediary that transforms the collar's simple linear sliding motion into the complex radial movement of the retainer. This intermediary mechanism allows secure attachment to be achieved through a simple user action (sliding the collar) without requiring multiple separate components for control
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 system simplifies the attachment process, reduces complexity, and ensures secure engagement of surgical accessories, minimizing accidental detachment and enhancing operational reliability.
Implementation Method 1
The gear assembly includes a sun gear, a plurality of planet gears, and a planet carrier
Implementation Method 2
The friction surfaces are positioned to engage one another when the retainer is in the first position and the accessory tool is coupled to the driving member
Data Source
AI summary
A Surgical attachment for a surgical handpiece. The surgical attachment includes a housing for coupling to the surgical handpiece. A driving member is disposed within the housing. The driving member is rotatable about an axis and transfers torque from the handpiece to a surgical accessory tool. The driving member has a drive portion with shoulders that define a bore. Flats extend from the shoulders to engage corresponding flats of the surgical accessory tool. A lock assembly is coupled to the driving member. The lock assembly includes a retainer positioned behind the shoulders of the drive portion of the driving member. The retainer is biased into the bore to engage the surgical accessory tool. The retainer may be permitted to move outwardly from the axis to allow decoupling of the surgical accessory tool in response to sliding of a collar in an axial direction relative to the driving member.