Surgical Instrument Rotary Knob Decoupling Effector Motion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical instruments for minimally invasive surgery face challenges in decoupling the motions of the instrument head and effector from the natural hand structure, leading to impaired handling due to superimposed bending and tilting of the instrument shaft during rotations and inclinations.
Innovation Solution
A surgical instrument design featuring an instrument handle with a rotary knob and a pivoting lever, allowing independent control of the instrument head and effector movements, where the rotary knob is operated by selected fingers without affecting wrist joint movements, and the pivoting lever is activated by other fingers without releasing the handle, enabling precise and ergonomic control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If complex gear trains are used to decouple instrument head and effector movements, then movement decoupling is achieved, but device complexity increases and assembly space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the rotational control function from the complex gear train system and places it directly at the handle through a rotary element. This separation removes the need for complex intermediate transmission mechanisms, simplifying the overall device while maintaining movement decoupling between the instrument head and effector.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotary element acts as an intermediary component between the operator's hand and the effector rotation. By providing a direct rotational interface at the handle, it mediates the control function without requiring complex gear trains, thus reducing device complexity while achieving the desired movement decoupling.
2Ease of operation
If natural hand structure is used to operate the instrument, then ease of operation is maintained, but unwanted bending and tilting of the instrument shaft occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the control functions into separate manipulators: a rotary element for effector rotation and a lever element for instrument head inclination. This segmentation allows each function to be controlled independently, preventing the coupling of hand motions that would otherwise cause unwanted shaft bending and tilting while maintaining ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic, independently controllable manipulators that allow the operator to selectively activate only the desired motion (rotation or inclination) without triggering unintended movements. This dynamic control mechanism stabilizes the instrument shaft orientation by decoupling the control paths while preserving natural hand operation.
3Ease of operation
If the instrument handle is designed for ergonomic adaptation to human hand, then ease of operation improves, but the complexity of control mechanisms increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing different types of manipulators for different functions: a rotary element for rotation control and a lever element for inclination control. Each manipulator is optimized for its specific function and can be positioned and shaped to match the natural positions and motions of different fingers, achieving ergonomic adaptation without requiring complex overall control mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical instrument comprising an instrument handle linked to a proximal end portion of a tube shaft to the distal end portion of which an instrument head is linked so as to be inclinable, in which instrument head, in turn, an effector including at least one pivotable engaging element is rotatably supported. The instrument handle comprises a number of manipulators and/or operating mechanisms designed for operating the instrument head and/or the effector. One of the manipulators consists of an operating element in the form of a rotary knob with respect to its function, the operating element being rotatably supported on the instrument handle.