Surgical instrument and steering gear thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12569232-B2
Application number	US-202217869923-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2022
Priority date	Jul 28, 2021
Publication date	Mar 10, 2026
Grant date	Mar 10, 2026

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment provides a steering gear ( 13 ) for a surgical instrument ( 1 ) which has two motorised drives and is designed to spatially align a swash plate ( 14 ) via the adjustment angles of the two drives, which is designed to control the distal bending mechanism ( 9 ) of the surgical instrument ( 1 ). The first drive has a first drive pinion ( 16 ) which can be driven by a first motor ( 17 ) via a first drive shaft ( 17 a ) which defines a first drive axis (C) and which is connected to a first drive wheel rim ( 19 ) of a first drive wheel ( 18 ) in operative connection. The second drive has a second drive pinion ( 16 ′) which can be driven by a second motor ( 17 ′) via a second drive shaft ( 17 a ′) which defines a second drive axis (C′) and is connected to a second drive wheel rim ( 19 ′) of a second drive wheel ( 18 ′) in operative connection. The first and the second drive wheel ( 18, 18 ′) are designed as double wheels ( 18, 18 ′), each of which has the corresponding drive wheel rim ( 19, 19 ′) and a deviation wheel rim ( 15, 15 ′), wherein between the two drive wheels ( 18, 18 ′) which have a common axis of rotation (A), the swash plate ( 14 ) is arranged, and the deviation wheel rims ( 15, 15 ′) are arranged facing each other on the axis of rotation (A). A surgical instrument ( 1 ) with such a steering gear ( 13 ) is also disclosed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A steering gear configured for use with a surgical instrument, the steering gear configured to be arranged at the proximal end of a shaft that defines a longitudinal axis with a bending joint at the distal end of the shaft, the steering gear comprising:
two motorized drives configured to spatially align a swash plate via adjustment angles of the two drives, the steering gear configured to control a distal bending joint of the surgical instrument, wherein: a first drive of the two motorized drives has a first drive pinion configured to be driven by a first motor via a first drive shaft which defines a first drive axis and which is connected to a first drive wheel rim of a first drive wheel in operative connection, a second drive of the two motorized drives has a second drive pinion configured to be driven by a second motor via a second drive shaft which defines a second drive axis and is connected to a second drive wheel rim of a second drive wheel in operative connection, the first and the second drive wheels are double wheels with two, parallel bevel gear rims, the first drive wheel having the first drive wheel rim on a first side, and a first deviation wheel rim on a second, opposite side, the second drive wheel having the second drive wheel rim on a first side, and a second deviation wheel rim on a second, opposite side, and between the two drive wheels, which have a common axis of rotation, the swash plate is arranged, and the deviation wheel rims are arranged with the second opposite sides facing each other on the axis of rotation, and the swash plate is coupled to a third gear wheel, which meshes with the two deviation wheel rims of the first and second drive wheels, and whose axis of rotation is at right angles to the common axis of the double wheels.

2 . The steering gear according to claim 1 , wherein
at least one of first and second drive pinions is a bevel pinion, and at least one of the first and second drive wheel rims and the deviation wheel rims are the two, parallel bevel gear rims, and the deviation wheel rims and the drive wheel rims are on opposite sides of the respective double wheels, and teeth of each of the deviation wheel rims and teeth of the drive wheel rims are offset from one another by half a pitch.

3 . The steering gear according to claim 1 , wherein:
the drive pinion is a bevel pinion, and the double wheels each have a waist in the axial direction, which respectively spaces the deviation wheel rim from the drive wheel rim, which points in the direction of the deviation wheel rim, wherein the distance provided by the respective waists between the deviation wheel rim and the drive wheel rim are dimensioned such that the drive pinion is arranged in the area of the waist between the respective deviation wheel rim and the drive wheel rim.

4 . The steering gear according to claim 1 , wherein
each double wheel is arranged on a bearing axis, which is an axis stub at a free end pointing away from the double wheel, which carries a bearing ring, wherein the bearing ring is a ball bearing or a roller bearing.

5 . The steering gear according to claim 1 , wherein
each double wheel is arranged on a bearing axis, wherein a bearing ring is arranged coaxially on the bearing axis in a concentric bearing recess of the double wheel, and wherein the bearing ring is a ball bearing or a roller bearing.

6 . The steering gear according to claim 5 , wherein
the bearing axis has a thread at a free end pointing away from the double wheel, which thread engages with a counter-thread of a fastening device, the fastening device being connected to a housing component of the steering gear.

7 . The steering gear according to claim 1 , wherein
the swash plate is coupled to a fourth gear wheel which is coupled to the two deviation wheel rims of the two double wheels and arranged on the side facing away from the third gear wheel.

8 . The steering gear according to claim 1 , wherein
the drive pinion and the drive wheel rim form a bevel helical gear or hypoid gear.

9 . The steering gear according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the motors are arranged via their respective drive pinion in any position pointing radially away from the respective drive wheel rim, with the two drive axes running parallel to each other.

10 . A surgical instrument having a shaft and a tool arranged at the distal end of the shaft with a tool tip that is configured to be bent and is configured to be controlled by the swash plate that is spatially aligned by the two drives, wherein
the surgical instrument has a steering gear according to claim 1 , which has the two drives and is configured to transfer the adjustment angles of the two drives to the spatial alignment of the swash plate.

11 . The surgical instrument according to claim 10 , wherein
the swash plate is coupled to the third gear wheel which meshes with the two deviation wheel rims of the two double wheels about the longitudinal axis of the shaft is rotatably mounted in a steering ring via a bearing ring, which is coupled in a torque-proof manner to the third gear wheel, wherein the swash plate is cardan coupled with a main shaft coaxially extending to a longitudinal axis of the shaft.

12 . The surgical instrument according to claim 10 , wherein
the swash plate is pivotably mounted on a universal joint disk via two bearing pins arranged offset from one another by 180°, wherein the universal joint disk is pivotably mounted on the main shaft via two bearing pins arranged offset from one another by 180°, and wherein the bearing pins of the swash plate and of the universal joint disk are arranged offset from one another by 90°, or a cardan bearing is provided by two longitudinally extending guide grooves diametrically present in the main shaft and two pins arranged diametrically and pointing radially inwards on the swash plate, each pin engages in one of the guide grooves, so that an angle of rotation of the main shaft is transferred to the swash plate.

13 . The surgical instrument according to claim 10 , wherein
in the longitudinal direction of the shaft, steering wires run which are connected to the swash plate of the steering gear.

14 . The surgical instrument according to claim 11 , wherein
a fourth gear is coupled to the swash plate via another bearing ring, wherein the fourth gear is freely rotatable with respect to the third gear wheel.

15 . The surgical instrument according to claim 13 , wherein
an actuation element is mounted in the shaft in an axially displaceable manner and is operatively connected to the actuation unit on a proximal side, and the distal bending joint of the bendable tool tip extends from the distal end of the shaft.

16 . The surgical instrument according to claim 13 , wherein
a radial distance of the steering wires from the longitudinal axis of the shaft on the swash plate is greater than at the proximal end of the shaft from which the steering wires emerge, wherein the steering wires extend from the proximal end of the shaft directly to the swash plate, the steering wires running at an angle deviating from 90° to the swash plate, or a wire spreader is arranged on the main shaft on the distal side in front of the swash plate, which increases the radial distance of the steering wires from the longitudinal axis of the shaft, so that the steering wires run parallel to one another between the wire spreader and the swash plate and form an angle of 90° with respect to a disk surface of the swash plate.

17 . A steering gear configured for use

Assignees

• Storz Karl Se & Co Kg

Inventors

• Grüner Sven Axel
• Längle Dominik
• Schneider Janosz
• Stefan Jochen

Classifications

• A61B17/28

  Surgical forceps (biopsy forceps A61B10/06; {for holding suture needles or materials A61B17/0483; for removing or smashing calculi A61B17/221; surgical scissors A61B17/3201;} obstetrical forceps A61B17/44) · CPC title

• A61B2017/00323

  Cables or rods · CPC title

• A61B2017/00398

  using powered actuators, e.g. stepper motors, solenoids · CPC title

• A61B2034/302

  specifically adapted for manipulations within body cavities, e.g. within abdominal or thoracic cavities · CPC title

• A61B2034/306

  Wrists with multiple vertebrae · CPC title