Articulating Ultrasonic Waveguide With Spherical Jointed Blade
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ultrasonic surgical instruments face limitations in navigating within the surgical site due to restricted rotation and manipulation capabilities.
Innovation Solution
An ultrasonic surgical instrument with a waveguide featuring a series of spheres of material that articulate relative to each other, allowing for enhanced navigation and articulation of the distal body portion, coupled with a flexible sleeve to maintain contact and compression between spheres, enabling angles of 45 to 90 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If rotation features are incorporated into ultrasonic surgical instruments, then the ability to orient the ultrasonic end effector to a desired orientation is improved, but the ability to navigate within the surgical site via rotation and manipulation alone remains limited
Solution Approach 1:
The waveguide is divided into multiple articulated segments (proximal body portion, articulation portion with spheres, distal body portion) that can move relative to each other. This segmentation allows the instrument to navigate complex surgical sites by articulating at the joint rather than requiring rotation of the entire instrument, thereby improving both orientation and navigation capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from rotational movement (one degree of freedom) to articulation in multiple dimensions. The articulation portion enables the distal body portion to move not only in orientation but also in position relative to the proximal body portion, adding spatial versatility that allows navigation around obstacles within the surgical site
2Adaptability or versatility
If a series of spheres of material are used to articulate the distal body portion, then navigation and maneuverability within the surgical site is enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The articulation portion utilizes spheres of material where each sphere articulates relative to adjacent spheres through spherical joint geometry. This spherical configuration provides smooth multi-directional movement while maintaining structural simplicity, as the curved surfaces naturally guide articulation without requiring additional guidance mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible sleeve acts as an intermediary element that maintains contact and compression between the spheres of material. This single intermediary component enables the complex articulation function of multiple spheres while keeping the overall device complexity manageable, as the sleeve passively enforces sphere-to-sphere contact without active control mechanisms
3Reliability
If a flexible sleeve is used to maintain contact and compression between spheres, then articulation stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible sleeve is a thin-walled compliant structure that envelops the series of spheres of material. This flexible shell maintains compression and contact between spheres through its elastic properties, providing articulation stability while accommodating the dynamic movement of the spheres. The simplicity of this single flexible component outweighs the complexity it manages
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible sleeve provides self-regulating compression to the spheres of material through its elastic recovery. As the spheres articulate, the sleeve automatically adjusts the compression force to maintain contact, eliminating the need for additional actuators, springs, or control mechanisms. This self-service function improves reliability without proportionally increasing device complexity
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
Enhances the ability to navigate and maneuver the surgical instrument within the surgical site, providing improved access and treatment options through articulation capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
The plurality of spheres of material extend between and interconnect the proximal body portion and the distal body portion. At least one sphere of material of the plurality of spheres of material is configured to articulate relative to at least one other sphere of material
Implementation Method 2
the flexible sleeve may further be configured to maintain the plurality of spheres of material under compression
Data Source
AI summary
An ultrasonic surgical instrument includes an ultrasonic transducer and an ultrasonic waveguide coupled to the ultrasonic transducer and extending therefrom. The ultrasonic waveguide includes a proximal body portion coupled to and extending distally from the ultrasonic transducer and defining a longitudinal axis. The ultrasonic waveguide further includes a distal body portion defining a blade, and a plurality of spheres of material arranged in a series. The plurality of spheres of material extend between and interconnect the proximal body portion and the distal body portion. At least one sphere of material of the plurality of spheres of material is configured to articulate relative to at least one other sphere of material of the plurality of spheres of material to thereby articulate the distal body portion from an aligned orientation on the longitudinal axis to an articulated orientation angled off the longitudinal axis.