Surgical Clip Inner Spring Elastic Body

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing surgical clips face challenges in increasing closing force without enlarging their external dimensions, and current reinforcement methods are either inefficient or costly and complex.

Innovation Solution

A surgical clip design featuring two clip branches with a bending spring arrangement and an elastic body, where the elastic body is deformed as the clip opens, reducing the inner diameter of the spring arrangement to enhance spring force, with the elastic body contacting the spiral spring along its circumference and having a holding device to prevent escape.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Force

If the number of coils of the torsion spring is increased to increase the closing force, then the spring force is improved, but the dimensions of the spring increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveclosing forceVSAvoidspring dimensions
Core Design Contradiction:
ForceVSLength of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The elastic body is nested inside the bending spring arrangement, with the elastic body positioned within the coils of the torsion spring. This nested configuration allows the elastic body to be compressed by the spring coils, utilizing the spring's stored energy to enhance the closing force without increasing the overall external dimensions of the clip assembly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention combines a torsion spring made from one material with an elastic body made from a different material. The torsion spring provides mechanical leverage and stored energy, while the elastic body material (such as rubber or polymer) provides additional elastic recovery force. This composite structure allows the system to achieve higher closing forces than either component could provide alone, without requiring proportional increases in size.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Force

If the cross section of the torsion spring is changed to increase the area moment of inertia, then the spring force is improved, but the area in which the spring can be deformed without plasticizing is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespring forceVSAvoiddeformation capacity
Core Design Contradiction:
ForceVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses a torsion spring made from one material and an elastic body made from a different material with complementary properties. The torsion spring can be designed with optimized cross-section for strength, while the elastic body material (such as rubber or polymer) provides additional elastic recovery force and deformation capacity. This composite approach allows the spring to maintain high strength while the elastic body compensates for reduced deformation capacity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the material parameters of the elastic body to compensate for the reduced deformation capacity of the torsion spring. By selecting elastic body materials with appropriate elastic moduli and hysteresis characteristics, the system can achieve the desired force output even when the torsion spring cross-section is optimized for strength rather than deformation capacity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Force

If a reinforcing clip is applied to the surgical clip to increase resilience, then the spring force is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveresilienceVSAvoidclip structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ForceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention merges the reinforcing function into a single integrated structure by combining the torsion spring and elastic body into one assembly. The elastic body is positioned within the bending spring arrangement and works in conjunction with the spring coils to provide enhanced closing force. This unified design eliminates the need for separate reinforcing clips and reduces the number of assembly steps, thereby simplifying the overall device structure and reducing complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Force

If a reinforcing clip is applied to the surgical clip to increase resilience, then the spring force is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveresilienceVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ForceVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The invention combines the torsion spring and elastic body into a single integrated structure that can be manufactured as one piece or pre-assembled unit. This eliminates the need to manufacture and apply separate reinforcing clips, reducing material costs, manufacturing complexity, and assembly time. The integrated design allows for more efficient production processes and reduces the total number of components that need to be inventoryed and assembled.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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 design effectively increases the spring force of the surgical clip without increasing its dimensions, ensuring secure clamping and reducing the risk of the reinforcement detaching, while maintaining a compact size and efficient operation.

Implementation Method 1

an elastic body is arranged in the bending spring arrangement in such a way that it can be deformed by an opening operation of the surgical clip

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElastic deformation: Elasticity

Implementation Method 2

A simple way to increase the closing force of a surgical clip is to increase the number of coils of the torsion spring on a clip with a torsion spring

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectTorsion spring mechanism: Torsion Spring

Data Source

PatentEP2866684B1Surgical clip with inner spring
Publication Date: 2017.09.06 AESCULAP AG
  • EP2866684B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1D
  • EP2866684B1 patent drawingFigure 2~4

AI summary

The present application discloses a surgical clip (10B) with two clip branches that each have a clamping portion (11A, 11B) and an actuating portion (12A, 12B), and with a flexion spring arrangement (15) via which the two clip branches are coupled integrally to each other. The flexion spring arrangement (15) has more than a half winding, and an elastic body (30) is arranged in the flexion spring arrangement (15) in such a way that it is deformable by opening the surgical clip (10B).