Surgery – Endoscope – With tool carried on endoscope or auxillary channel therefore
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-16
2003-09-30
Dvorak, Linda C. M. (Department: 3739)
Surgery
Endoscope
With tool carried on endoscope or auxillary channel therefore
C600S106000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06626824
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE OF PENDING APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority of German application 10023685.5 filed May 16, 2000 and European application 00119988.4 filed Sep. 14, 2000, both applications are pending.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an exchangeable tool assembly for an endoscopic treatment device, comprising a flexible shaft connected at its distal end to a tool unit and at its proximal end to a coupling element, and further comprising a locking mechanism to releasably hold the tool assembly at the treatment device.
Further, the invention relates to an endoscopic treatment device with an afore-mentioned tool assembly.
A tool assembly and a treatment device of the afore-mentioned kind are known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,349,940.
Such an endoscopic treatment device can be used in technical applications, in the medical field, in particular in the field of minimally invasive surgery, and also in dental medicine or dental techniques.
In technical applications a treatment carried out with the treatment device includes, for example, removing burrs from forged pieces, grinding notches in turbine blades, grinding off corrosion for surface analysis, for example crack testing, grinding off welding seams, boring holes, etc. In minimally invasive surgery such a treatment device can be used to treat tissue in the body through a small incision, for example for excising tissue.
In general such an endoscopic treatment device is intended to be used for universal endoscopic treatments and/or analysis under visual control, mainly with a rotating tool, at difficultly accessible locations.
In known rigid devices, the transmission of motion from the proximally located motor to the distally located working tool is accomplished with a rigid drive shaft or with transmission belts. These transmission belts require gears and deflection rollers, which lead to losses in space and efficiency. The construction of the power transmission from the proximal motor to the distal working unit is complicated and subject to disturbance. Rigid drive shafts lying parallel and close to the longitudinal axis of the working shaft cannot be coupled directly to the motor, because the motor has certain minimal dimensions which obstruct the fixed optic lenses. However, this would not be the case with fiber optics, which, however, has less resolution.
Flywheel forces and imbalances, which can occur in use of the endoscopic treatment device at the tool unit and at the transmission element in form of the flexible shaft lead to vibrations which cause an upper limit to the rotary speed. The lower speeds resulting from this construction lead to a reduction in removal or excising capacity.
Furthermore, it is not only the distally located tool unit which is subject to wear in such a treatment device, but also the flexible shaft and the coupling of the flexible shaft to the motor. Treatment devices are known, where the tool unit and the flexible shaft and the coupling element cannot be exchanged or at least not simply, as it is, for example, the case with the tool assembly known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,349,940, whereby maintenance of such treatment devices is very cost intensive.
Medical devices are known which must be operated with flushing fluid to lubricate the bearings. Such a treatment device is therefore not usable in technical applications. The exchangeable tool assembly contains all of the wearing elements such as bearings, the working head as well as the shaft and shaft protector. However, it is rigid and due to its construction it is not designed for higher rotary speeds.
From the document U.S. Pat. No. 5,349,940 mentioned at the outset an endoscopic treatment device is known, comprising an exchangeable tool assembly, wherein the tool assembly comprises a flexible shaft, which is connected at its distal end to a tool unit and at its proximal end to a coupling element. The tool unit comprising the working head, for example a milling head, is releasably connected to the flexible shaft via a screw and plug coupling so that the coupling between the tool unit and the shaft must be released at first in order to exchange the tool unit. The flexible shaft itself comprises a plurality of parts and exchange and mounting of the shaft to the device is difficult. The connection between the tool unit, the flexible shaft and the motor therefore consists of a plurality of parts, i.e. several single parts must be fitted, plugged and screwed together, whereby the exchange of this known exchangeable tool assembly and, thus, the maintenance of the treatment device is complicated.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to improve an exchangeable tool assembly for an endoscopic treatment device mentioned at the outset as well as to provide such a treatment device, such that the tool assembly can be simply and quickly exchanged, wherein all parts subject to wear are exchangeable with low expenditure of handling.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, this object is achieved with an exchangeable tool assembly for an endoscopic treatment device, comprising:
a tool unit;
a coupling element for coupling said tool assembly to a motor of said treatment device;
a flexible shaft having a distal end and a proximal end, said distal end being connected to said tool unit and said proximal end being connected to said coupling element, said flexible shaft transmitting a rotary movement of said motor to said tool unit, said flexible shaft being connected to said tool unit such that said flexible shaft and said tool unit form a jointly exchangeable unit; and
a locking mechanism for releasably holding said tool assembly at said treatment device, said locking mechanism comprising a locking element arranged at said tool unit and a locking member arranged at said treatment device, which is engageable with said locking element to releasably hold said jointly exchangeable unit formed by said tool unit and said flexible shaft, which can be withdrawn as a whole after disengagement of said locking member from said locking element.
Further, according to the present invention, an endoscopic treatment device is provided with an exchangeable tool assembly according to the present invention.
The afore-mentioned connection between the tool unit and the flexible shaft is advantageous as to a simple exchange of the exchangeable tool assembly, because these two elements subject to wear can be exchanged as an integral unit and thus in an easily handable manner, because they have not to be connected to one another for exchange. Furthermore, this configuration advantageously makes it possible to configure the tool unit and the flexible shaft in miniaturized form, whereby very high rotary speeds of the tool assembly are possible, without vibrational dampening measures, such as dynamic balancing, dampening and friction-reducing measures being additionally necessary. Such a miniaturization cannot be envisaged with the exchangeable tool assembly known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,349,940 because of its constitution of multiple parts. According to the present invention, the locking mechanism is configured such that locking of the tool assembly, i.e. the integral unit consisting of the tool unit and the flexible shaft, can be accomplished by means of a locking element arranged at the tool unit, in which a locking member of the treatment device engages. The flexible shaft is then axially immobilized at the treatment device through the locking of the tool unit.
The connection between the flexible shaft and the tool unit can be realized by assembling, for example by soldering or welding, or the tool unit can be connected to the flexible shaft in one piece or in monolithic fashion.
In a preferred embodiment the flexible shaft is connected to the proximal coupling element such that the coupling element can be withdrawn together with the flexible shaft and the tool unit after releasing the locking mechanism.
In this embodiment the tool unit, the flexible shaft as well as the coupling element and thus all parts subject to wear are exchangeable
Haan Harald
Krattiger Beat
Ruegg Thomas
Dvorak Linda C. M.
Schopfer Kenneth G
St. Onge Steward Johnston & Reens LLC
Storz Endoskop GmbH
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