Tip protector for a surgical instrument, assembly and method
AssigneeMedical Microinstruments, Inc.
InventorsMassimiliano Simi, Giorgio Lazzari
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tip protector, for a surgical instrument having a shaft and an instrument tip near a distal portion of the shaft, includes a tip housing for releasably receiving the instrument tip; a clamp system suitable for gripping a portion of the surgical instrument to position the tip protector; and a distal through opening at or near the distal end of the tip housing. The distal through opening has an opening size that is adjustable.
Claims22
A surgical instrument and tip protector assembly comprising:
- a tip protector;
- and
- the surgical instrument having a shaft extending along a longitudinal direction and an articulated instrument tip at a distal portion of the shaft, wherein the articulated instrument tip is articulated with respect to the shaft defining at least one degree of freedom;
- wherein said tip protector comprises:
- a tip housing for releasably receiving the articulated instrument tip;
- a clamp system configured to grip a portion of the shaft to position the tip protector;
- and
- a distal through opening at or near the distal end of the tip housing;
- wherein:
- said distal through opening has an adjustable opening size, so that said distal through opening can be adjusted in such way to become a through opening for at least the instrument tip, thereby making the tip protector repositionable at various locations along the shaft;
- said tip protector is fitted on the shaft of the surgical instrument;
- and
- said tip housing comprises at least one tip abutment surface, wherein the at least one tip abutment surface at least partially defines the distal through opening,
- wherein the surgical instrument and tip protector assembly further comprises a control interface for controlling the adjustment of the opening size of said distal through opening,
- wherein, when the articulated instrument tip is received in the tip housing, the at least one tip abutment surface abuts against the articulated instrument tip from opposite sides thereof, and the at least one tip abutment surface exerts a constraining action that positions and orients the articulated instrument tip in a predetermined configuration and blocks at least one of the degrees of freedom of said articulated instrument tip, including preventing movement with respect to the blocked at least one of the degrees of freedom of said articulated instrument tip.
A method for constraining an articulated instrument tip of a surgical instrument with a tip protector, the surgical instrument having a shaft extending along a longitudinal direction and wherein said articulated instrument tip is at a distal portion of the shaft and is articulated with respect to the shaft defining at least one degree of freedom, the tip protector having a tip housing comprising at least one tip abutment surface and a distal through opening, the at least one tip abutment surface at least partially defining the distal through opening, the method comprises the following steps:
- positioning the tip protector against a first portion of the shaft;
- applying an action onto an interface of the tip protector to increase an opening size of the distal through opening of said tip protector, thereby the distal through opening becomes a through passage for at least the articulated instrument tip;
- moving the tip protector along the shaft;
- and
- repositioning a tip protector along the shaft in a position where the articulated instrument tip is received within the tip housing,
- wherein the step of repositioning involves a step of releasing the action applied onto the interface of the tip protector, thereby;
- abutting the at least one tip abutment surface of the tip protector against opposite sides of the articulated instrument tip in a direction, which is transversal to the longitudinal direction;
- exerting, by the at least one abutment surface, a constraining action on the articulated instrument tip, the constraining action positioning and orienting the articulated instrument tip in a predetermined configuration;
- and
- blocking, via the constraining action, at least one degree of freedom of the articulated instrument tip, comprising preventing any movement with respect to the blocked degree of freedom of the articulated instrument tip.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.