Patent Application
20220125447
The present disclosure relates to a cutting device, such as a cutting device including pressure loaded drive control for cutting bone, for example.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure, which is not necessarily prior art.
It is important to take precautions when cutting around sensitive anatomy. While existing cutting devices, such as bone drills, are suitable for their intended use, they are subject to improvement. The present disclosure advantageously includes a cutting device with a safety mechanism for use in anatomical and non-anatomical applications. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the present disclosure includes numerous additional advantages and unexpected results as well.
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
The present disclosure includes a drill assembly having a cutting tool slidably movable along a longitudinal axis of the drill assembly and drivable to cut an object. In an active configuration, a pressure loaded drive control assembly transfers energy from a motor to the cutting tool to drive the cutting tool. In an inactive configuration, the pressure loaded drive control assembly prevents energy transfer from the motor to the cutting tool. A biasing member of the pressure loaded drive control assembly is configured to bias the pressure loaded drive control assembly in the inactive configuration. Depressing the cutting tool against the object axially moves the cutting tool along the longitudinal axis and moves the pressure loaded drive control assembly to the active configuration. The biasing member returns the pressure loaded drive control assembly to the inactive configuration when the cutting tool is no longer depressed against the object.
The present disclosure includes a drill assembly having a cutting tool slidably movable along a longitudinal axis of the drill assembly and actuatable to cut an object. A drive member is configured to be driven by a motor. A driven member is in cooperation with the cutting tool. The driven member is movable along the longitudinal axis between an active position and an inactive position. In the active position, the driven member is in cooperation with the drive member to transfer rotational energy from the motor to the cutting tool to actuate the cutting tool. In the inactive position, the driven member is spaced apart from the drive member such that the cutting tool is not actuated. A biasing member biases the driven member in the inactive position. Depressing the cutting tool against an object to be cut axially moves the cutting tool along the longitudinal axis and moves the driven member from the inactive position to the active position. The biasing member returns the driven member to the inactive position from the active position when the cutting tool is no longer depressed or loaded against the object to be cut.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of select embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.
With initial reference to
With particular reference to
Proximate to the locking collar 14 is a grip collar 16, which provides a roughened surface to facilitate grip of the attachment 10 by the user 514. Extending from the grip collar 16 is a tube 20 into which the cutting tool 30 is inserted. The cutting tool 30 will typically include a cutting head 32. The cutting tool 30 may be any suitable cutting tool. Suitable cutting tools include any suitable drill bits, burs, and saw, for example. The cutting tool 30 may be configured for any suitable plunge cut or lateral cut. With respect to plunge cuts and as described in detail herein, the cutting tool 30 is slidably or axially movable along a longitudinal axis A of the attachment 10. In some applications, the cutting tool 30 is also rotatable about the longitudinal axis A.
With additional reference to
The attachment 10 further includes a pressure loaded drive control assembly 50. The pressure loaded drive control assembly 50 generally includes a driven member 52 and a drive member 54. The driven member 52 is slidably mounted within the attachment 10, and axially slides in unison with the tool 30 along the longitudinal axis A. The drive member 54 is configured to be driven by the motor 512. The drive member 54 includes a drive shaft 56 accessible at a receptacle 58 defined by the base 12. A connector of the motor 512 is plugged into the receptacle 58 and placed into cooperation with a connector 60 of the drive shaft 56. Energy or force, generated by the motor 512 is transferred to the drive member 54 by way of the drive shaft 56 thereof. For example, rotational energy from the motor 512 is transferred to the driveshaft 56 for rotating the drive member 54.
The pressure loaded drive control assembly 50 further includes a bearing 90 seated on a bearing case 92. The bearing case 92 is axially slidable along the longitudinal axis A. The bearing case 92 includes a bearing flange 94. A biasing member 96, such as a spring, is in direct or indirect cooperation with the bearing case 92, such as at the bearing flange 94. The biasing member 96 biases the bearing case 92 in an inactive configuration, which is described below in conjunction with the description of
With reference to
With reference to
Although the driven members 52/52A and the drive members 54/54A are described above as including gear teeth, any other suitable coupling and decoupling configuration may be used to selectively transfer energy from the drive members 54/54A to the driven members 52/52A. For example and as illustrated in
When the cutting tool 30B is depressed against the object 520 to be cut, the driven member 52B is moved along the longitudinal axis until the driven surface 130 is received within the drive surface 132. The driven surface 130 and the drive surface 132 each include any suitable surface treatments and/or inserts to provide a friction lock between the driven surface 130 and the drive surface 132. Thus, with the driven surface 130 seated within the drive surface 132, rotation of the drive member 54B by the motor 512 rotates driven member 52B and the cutting tool 30B. After the tool 30B cuts through the object 520, pressure is no longer applied against the cutting tool 30, which allows the biasing member 96 to move the driven member 52B back to the inactive configuration illustrated in
With reference to
The pressure loaded drive control assemblies 50, 50A, 50B may be used with any suitable tool 30 in addition to a bur or drill tip. For example and as illustrated in
The present disclosure thus advantageously provides for the drill assembly attachment 10 and the pressure loaded drive control assemblies 50, 50A, and 50B described above, which advantageously reduce any risk of cutting through the object 520 and damaging an anatomical organ, tissue, etc., or a non-anatomical object. With respect to anatomical applications, the present disclosure applies to use of the drill assembly attachment 10 to carry out any suitable procedure, such as the following examples: mastoidectomy, craniotomy, bur hole formation, pilot hole formation for spinal fusion, laminectomy/laminectomies, bone resection, tissue resection, and robotic surgical procedures. The present disclosure provides an additional layer of safety and control when cutting around sensitive anatomy. With respect to robotic applications in particular, the present disclosure provides a primary layer of safety and control when cutting around sensitive areas instead of relying entirely on software control.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.
Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
