Teleoperated Component Sterilization and Storage with Remote Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems lack effective methods for sterilizing and storing computer-assisted devices while maintaining sterility and ensuring proper functionality, particularly for teleoperated surgical systems, and there is a need to determine the operational status of these devices without compromising sterility.
Innovation Solution
A reclosable storage container with a sterile interior environment is used to sterilize and store teleoperated components, and a communication mechanism allows for evaluating the functionality of these components within the sterile environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If teleoperated components are sterilized using conventional methods, then sterility is achieved, but the ability to evaluate functionality without compromising sterility is lost
Solution Approach 1:
A sterile adapter or interface is introduced as an intermediary between the sterilized teleoperated component and the external evaluation system. This adapter allows electrical or data connections to be made while maintaining the sterile barrier, enabling functionality testing without direct contact between sterile and non-sterile environments.
Solution Approach 2:
Physical contact-based evaluation methods are replaced with non-contact evaluation techniques such as wireless communication, optical sensing, or electromagnetic field-based testing. This allows functionality assessment of the teleoperated component without breaking the sterile seal of the storage container.
2Reliability
If teleoperated components are stored in a sterile environment, then sterility is maintained, but access for evaluation and operation becomes restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The teleoperated component is nested within a sterile storage container that contains integrated evaluation interfaces. The container itself is designed with built-in ports, windows, or communication interfaces that allow external interaction while maintaining the sterile internal environment, eliminating the need to open the container for evaluation.
Solution Approach 2:
The sterile storage container utilizes flexible or transparent membranes, films, or windows that allow visual inspection, electrical signal transmission, or data communication while maintaining the sterile barrier. These flexible interfaces enable operation and evaluation without compromising sterility.
3Reliability
If teleoperated components are cleaned and sterilized together with the storage container, then sterility is achieved, but the complexity of the sterilization process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sterilization process merges the storage container and teleoperated component into a single sterilizable unit. The container is designed to withstand sterilization conditions and protect the component during the process, eliminating the need for separate sterilization steps and reducing overall process complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage container is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as protective packaging and as a sterilization chamber. The container material and structure are engineered to be compatible with various sterilization methods (autoclave, chemical sterilants, radiation), making it universally applicable across different sterilization protocols.
Data Source
AI summary
A method comprises performing a cleaning operation on a teleoperated component of a teleoperated surgical manipulator assembly to produce a cleaned teleoperated component. The method further comprises placing the cleaned teleoperated component into a storage container. The method further comprises sterilizing both the storage container and the cleaned teleoperated component in the storage container together to produce a sterilized teleoperated component in a sterile interior environment of the storage container.