Surgical Tool End Effector Wire Routing Distal Wedge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current robotic surgical tools face challenges in efficiently articulating end effectors with precise control and maintaining electrical conductor strain relief, particularly in minimally invasive procedures, where compact and flexible designs are crucial for navigating complex anatomical spaces.
Innovation Solution
The development of a robotic surgical tool with an articulable wrist featuring a distal wedge that guides an electrical conductor and a knife rod, allowing for bifurcating jaw extensions and pulley systems to manage slack, enabling precise articulation and efficient electrical conductivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an articulable wrist with multiple degrees of freedom is implemented to enable natural hand-like movements, then the ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional joints and linkages
Solution Approach 1:
The distal wedge is positioned within the central portion of the wrist, nesting multiple functional elements (electrical conductor routing, knife rod guidance, pulley systems) within a compact structure. This allows the articulable wrist to maintain multiple degrees of freedom while keeping the overall device complexity manageable through spatial nesting of components.
Solution Approach 2:
The distal wedge acts as an intermediary element that mediates between the articulation joint and the end effector components. It provides a centralized location for routing electrical conductors and guiding knife rods, simplifying the complex interactions between multiple moving parts while enabling natural hand-like movements.
2Reliability
If electrical conductors are routed through the wrist to reach the end effector electrode, then the electrical conductivity is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to potential conductor strain and damage
Solution Approach 1:
The distal wedge serves as an intermediary structure that provides a dedicated routing path for electrical conductors through its central portion. This intermediary location protects conductors from strain and damage by providing a structured pathway, improving reliability while managing the necessary complexity through organized routing.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical conductor is routed through the central portion of the wrist in a third dimension, utilizing the vertical space within the articulable wrist structure. This dimensional approach allows conductor routing without adding lateral complexity, as the conductor passes through the interior volume of the distal wedge rather than along the exterior.
3Ease of operation
If a compact design is implemented to navigate complex anatomical spaces, then the ease of operation is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The distal wedge is positioned within the central portion of the wrist, nesting multiple functional elements (electrical conductor routing, knife rod guidance, pulley systems) within a compact structure. This nested arrangement achieves a compact design suitable for navigating anatomical spaces while managing manufacturing precision through hierarchical positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The distal wedge serves multiple functions simultaneously: it routes electrical conductors, guides knife rods, and provides structural support for the pulley system. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed, achieving compactness while simplifying manufacturing by consolidating functions into a single structural element.
Data Source
AI summary
A robotic surgical tool includes an elongate shaft, an end effector arranged at a distal end of the shaft and including opposing first and second jaws, an articulable wrist that interposes the end effector and the distal end, the wrist including an articulation joint pivotable about an axis and a linkage mounted to the first and second jaws, a distal wedge positioned distal to the articulation joint and within a central portion of the wrist, and an electrical conductor extending through the wrist and to an electrode located at the end effector, wherein the distal wedge guides the electrical conductor to the electrode.