Tube Deployment Handle With Haptic Slider and Backlash Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tube deploying systems face challenges in efficiently and reliably deploying tubes, such as ventilation tubes, through membranes like the eardrum, due to issues like backlash and lack of haptic feedback, which can complicate manual operation and increase the risk of misalignment and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A tube deploying system with a nose assembly and a pull mechanism featuring a slider with peaked and valleyed zones, a pivot arm, and a handle design that minimizes backlash, providing clear haptic feedback for precise manual operation and stable deployment of tubes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional pull mechanism is used in tube deploying systems, then the deployment function is achieved, but backlash occurs and haptic feedback is insufficient, complicating manual operation
Solution Approach 1:
The pull mechanism transitions from a static linkage to a dynamic cam-follower system where the cam profile actively controls the retraction motion. The cam's curved surface provides continuous geometric constraint, converting rotational slider motion into precise linear retraction of the cutting edge while eliminating backlash through positive mechanical engagement.
Solution Approach 2:
The cam profile is designed to provide haptic feedback through tactile peaks and valleys that correspond to critical deployment stages. As the operator manipulates the slider, the cam surface creates distinct resistance points and smooth transitions that provide real-time tactile feedback about the deployment status, enabling precise manual control without visual feedback.
2Manufacturing precision
If the distal cutting edge is manually advanced to pierce the membrane, then precise positioning is achieved, but alignment accuracy decreases due to lack of control
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting edge is pre-positioned and constrained within the nose assembly at a precise angle and location before the procedure begins. The entire nose assembly, including the cutting edge, is designed to advance as a unified unit, eliminating the need for manual alignment adjustments during the piercing action and ensuring consistent anatomical orientation.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuation member serves as an intermediary mechanical element that transmits and controls the force applied by the operator to the cutting edge. This intermediary mechanism provides mechanical advantage and precise force distribution, enabling the operator to control the piercing action with fine granularity while maintaining consistent alignment through the rigid nose assembly structure.
3Device complexity
If a simple pull mechanism is used, then device complexity is reduced, but backlash and lack of haptic feedback complicate operation
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanism employs a cam-follower dynamic system where a rotating cam profile actively drives the retraction motion rather than relying on passive linkage. This dynamic approach uses the cam's geometric profile to provide continuous motion control and inherent backlash elimination through positive mechanical contact between the cam surface and follower.
Solution Approach 2:
The pull mechanism is segmented into distinct functional zones on the cam profile, including peaked zones that provide haptic feedback and valleyed zones that correspond to different deployment phases. This segmentation allows a single cam component to perform multiple functions: motion control, backlash elimination, and tactile feedback provision.
Data Source
AI summary
A tube deploying system includes a nose assembly having a distal cutting edge and a tube. The distal cutting edge is configured to be manually advanced to pierce a membrane of a patient. A handle of the system includes a pull mechanism having a slider and a pull block and an actuation member having a distal end that couples to the distal cutting edge and a proximal end that couples to the pull block. The slider is manually operated to move the pull mechanism from a non-pulled configuration to a pulled configuration. In the pulled configuration, the pull block pulls the actuation member such that the distal cutting edge is retracted to deploy the tube.