Surgical Instrument End Tool with Pulley-Based Motion Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical instruments lack intuitive motion alignment between the operator's manipulation and the end tool, affecting convenience, accuracy, and speed in laparoscopic surgeries.
Innovation Solution
A surgical instrument with an end tool featuring a first and second jaw, each with a pulley rotatable around a shared or parallel shaft, and a staple drive assembly that converts rotational motion into linear motion, allowing intuitive alignment of the manipulation direction with the end tool's operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional surgical instrument design is used, then the structure is simple, but the manipulation direction does not intuitively match the end tool operation direction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a pulley system as an intermediary mechanism between the manipulation part and the end tool. The pulley assembly converts the manipulation motion into intuitive end tool motion through mechanical advantage and motion transformation, allowing the operator's manipulation direction to match the end tool's operation direction while managing the increased structural complexity through functional decomposition.
2Ease of operation
If a pulley system with multiple components is implemented, then intuitive motion alignment is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple pulley functions into integrated assemblies where pulleys are combined with jaw mechanisms and drive components. The first jaw pulley and second jaw pulley are integrated with their respective jaws, and the staple pulley is integrated with the staple drive assembly, reducing the number of separate components while maintaining the intuitive motion alignment function.
3Productivity
If a reciprocating assembly with staple pulley is added, then surgical precision and speed are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic reciprocating assembly where the reciprocating component moves back and forth along the staple drive assembly to rapidly deploy staples. The staple pulley rotates dynamically to drive the reciprocating motion, enabling high-speed stapling operations. The dynamic design allows the system to achieve surgical precision and speed while managing complexity through motion-based functionality rather than static mechanical structures.
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
Improves convenience, accuracy, and speed of surgical operations by ensuring the manipulating direction of the operator matches the end tool's operation direction, enhancing surgical precision and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a first jaw pulley coupled to the first jaw and formed to be rotatable around a first shaft, a second jaw pulley coupled to the second jaw, formed to be rotatable around a shaft substantially the same as or parallel to the first shaft
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to an end tool of a surgical instrument and a surgical instrument including the same, and more particularly, to an end tool of a surgical instrument that may be mounted on a robotic arm or operable manually to be used in laparoscopic surgery or other various surgeries, wherein the end tool is rotatable in two or more directions and is moved in a way that intuitively matches a motion of a manipulation part, and a surgical instrument including the same.