Surgery – Instruments – Forceps
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-23
2003-12-23
Calvert, John J. (Department: 3765)
Surgery
Instruments
Forceps
C606S206000, C606S208000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06666876
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a forceps and a manipulator with using thereof, and in particular, relates to a forceps and a manipulator with using thereof, which can be operated in a narrow operating space or room.
2. Description of Prior Art
For aiming early medical treatment and recovery from an illness, a surgery assistance system is expected for assisting surgery or operation (low-invasive surgery) that is short in time and gives no injury upon normal organizations other than the diseased part, as far as possible. With that low-invasive surgery, it can be expected to reduce a load upon a doctor when conducting the surgical operation, and medical expenses, as well. Further, such the assistance of the doctor can cover the difference between the individuals, and in addition thereto, it enables the surgical operation of a diseased part, at which surgical treatment was difficult up to this day. For example, in the low-invasive surgery, in particular when aiming brain surgery, the following operations are required to be performed in a narrow operating space; such as grasp and/or separation of a blood vessel and/or a nerve, an incision and/or removal of a tumor, etc. In those minute surgical operations, a fine or microscopic handling function is important, therefore a surgical instrument or machine, such as a minute forceps, etc., is necessary, which is small-sized and can finely perform open-close operation within the operating space.
The minute forceps of the conventional art, driven by a push-rod in the driving method thereof, performs the open and close through push-pull operation by means of a wire having a strong rigidity or stiffness. In more details, with the push-rod driving method, the movement in front and behind of the rod is transferred to a treatment part through a link, thereby to make the open and close operation thereof. Each part constructing the link is connected by means of a joint, such as a pin, etc. When repeating the open and close operation of the manipulator by the movement in front and behind of the rod, forces are repetitively transferred to a joint portion in different directions accompanying with the movement in back and forth, therefore the joint portion is fixed firmly through welding, etc. Namely, the consideration is not paid upon rinsing and/or sterilization by a unit of the constituent parts thereof.
The minute forceps aimed to be operated within the narrow operating space, for example in the surgical operation under an endoscope, is already described in, for example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. Hei 8-103450 (1996), and Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. Hei 11-113919 (1999), etc.
In such the surgery assistance system for assisting the low-invasive surgery, a plural number of manipulators, each attached with the minute forceps or the like, are used together with the endoscope, being tied with in a bundle. For performing the fine surgical operation with the bundle of the manipulators and the endoscope, it is necessary to enlarge an operable angle at the tip of the manipulator, and the more close to zero (0) degree the curvature radius of a swing portion at the tip, the finer the operation available. Accordingly, the driving force must be transferred to the minute forceps attached to the tip of the manipulator, but without losses, even when the manipulator is bent at the swinging joint thereof.
For example, in the conventional minute forceps using the push-rod mechanism, the minimum curvature radius is about 20 mm, being necessary for protecting the rod from transferring the driving force from buckling thereof, therefore it is impossible to reduce the curvature radius less than that, no more.
Also, when trying to obtain the small-sizing in the tip portion of the forceps, the number of constituent parts comes to large, it is impossible to ensure the thickness thereof necessary for maintaining the mechanical strength thereof, and further it needs an assembling technology of high accuracy for assembling a large number of links included therein.
Also, with the manipulator mechanism of the conventional push-rod driving method, a pin constructing the link mechanism is fixed through the welding, etc., upon the method thereof, therefore the constituent parts are not detachable. Namely, no such the consideration is not taken into, necessarily, that they can be detached from the joint portion thereof, to be rinsed and/or sterilized by the unit of the constituent part.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object, according to the present invention, is to provide a forceps and a manipulator with using thereof, with which the tension of a driving wire, transferred to the forceps for open and close operation thereof, can be maintained at a constant, even when it is bend at a small curvature radius.
And, further other object, according to the present invention, is to provide a forceps and a manipulator with using thereof, which can be disassembled detachably into a plural number of the constituent parts constructing the manipulator mechanism, thereby obtaining good wash-ability.
For achieving the above-mentioned object, according to the present invention, there is provided a forceps, comprising: a pair of forceps members, being able to open or close at one end, so as to put an object between them, and being supported at the other end thereof; a driving wire for transferring tension thereon to said forceps members for bringing them to open and close; and a driver portion for giving the tension onto said driving wire, wherein: one of said forceps members is built up with a member (A), being able to open or close at one end, so as to put the object between them, while being supported to freely rotate at the other end, and the other member with a member (B), being able to put the object between them, but being supported fixedly at the other end; the driving wire is wound around a rotary portion at said other end of the member (A), and a portion of the wound portion thereof is fixed onto said rotary portion; and the tension for open and close operation is given from said driver portion to one end of the driving wire.
In more details, according to the present-invention, in the forceps as defined in the above, wherein the position where said driving wire is fixed onto the rotary portion is set at a position, so that the driving wire remains on-the rotary even if the member (A) opens at 90 degree to the member (B).
For achieving the above-mentioned object, according to the present invention, there is also provided other structure of a forceps, comprising: a pair of forceps members, being able to open or close at one end, so as to put an object between them, and being supported at the other end thereof; a driving wire for transferring tension thereon to said forceps members for bringing them to open and close; and a driver portion for giving the tension onto said driving wire, wherein: one of said forceps members is built up with a member (A), being able to open or close at one end, so as to put the object between them, while being supported to freely rotate at the other end, and the other member with a member (B), being able to put the object between them, but being supported fixedly at the other end; the driving wire is wound around a rotary portion at said other end of the member (A), and a portion of the wound portion thereof is fixed onto said rotary portion; and the driving wire is connected to the driver portion passing through an inside of a sheath.
For achieving the above-mentioned object, according to the present invention, there is further provided other structure of a forceps, comprising: a pair of forceps members, being able to to put an object between them, and being supported at the other end thereof; a driving wire for transferring tension thereon to said forceps members for bringing them to open and close; and a driver portion for giving the tension onto said driving wire, wherein: one of said forceps members is built up with a member (A), being able to open or close at one end, so as to put the object b
Kan Kazutoshi
Kawai Toshikazu
Nishizawa Kouji
Antonelli Terry Stout & Kraus LLP
Calvert John J.
Hitachi , Ltd.
Hoey Alissa L.
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