Ultrasonic shear with asymmetrical motion
View Patent ↗Devices providing ultrasonic clamped cutting using asymmetrical motion include a housing and ultrasonic waveguide. A longitudinal axis extends through the center of mass of the ultrasonic waveguide. An actuating assembly provides opposable movement of a clamp arm with respect to the cutting blade, the movement defining a vertical plane having a vertical axis orthogonal to both the longitudinal axis and a horizontal axis. An end-effector coupled to the ultrasonic waveguide includes a cutting blade that cuts using ultrasonic motion. The blade's center of mass may be offset from the longitudinal axis, providing motion of the blade in both the longitudinal and vertical axes concurrently. Excursion of the cutting blade in the direction of the horizontal axis that may be limited to less than 92%, and in the direction of the vertical axis of more than 8%, of an excursion of the cutting blade in the direction of the longitudinal axis.
1. An ultrasonic clamping device, comprising:
a housing;
an elongated support member having a proximal end coupled to the housing, and a distal end, the elongated support member defining a longitudinal axis;
an ultrasonic waveguide positioned within the elongated support member, wherein the longitudinal axis extends through the center of mass of the ultrasonic waveguide;
an actuating assembly coupled to the housing, the actuating assembly comprising:
an actuator; and
a reciprocal member operatively connected to the actuator; and
an end-effector extending distally from the distal end of the elongated support member, the end-effector comprising:
a cutting blade configured to cut using ultrasonic motion, the cutting blade coupled to the ultrasonic waveguide, wherein the center of mass of the cutting blade is offset along an axis parallel to and offset from the longitudinal axis, thereby providing motion of the cutting blade in both the longitudinal and vertical axes concurrently without producing significant vertical axis motion in the waveguide; and
a clamp arm coupled to the distal end of the elongated support member and configured for opposable movement with respect to the cutting blade, the opposable movement defining a vertical plane, the vertical plane having a vertical axis orthogonal to both the longitudinal axis and a horizontal axis, the clamp arm operatively connected to the reciprocal member so that reciprocal movement of the reciprocal member opposes the clamp arm with the cutting blade.
2. The ultrasonic clamping device of claim 1 , wherein an excursion of the cutting blade in the direction of the horizontal axis is limited to less than about 92%.
3. The ultrasonic clamping device of claim 1 , wherein an excursion of the cutting blade in the direction of the vertical axis is more than about 8% of an excursion of the cutting blade in the direction of the longitudinal axis.
4. The ultrasonic clamping device of claim 1 , wherein an excursion of the cutting blade in the direction of the horizontal axis is more than about 8% of an excursion of the cutting blade in the direction of the longitudinal axis.
5. The ultrasonic clamping device of claim 1 , wherein an excursion of the cutting blade in the direction of the vertical axis and the horizontal axis is more than about 8% of an excursion of the cutting blade in the direction of the longitudinal axis.
6. The ultrasonic device of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic clamping device is sterilized.
7. An ultrasonic clamping device, comprising:
a housing;
an ultrasonic waveguide coupled to the housing, the ultrasonic waveguide comprising a longitudinal axis extending through the center of mass of the ultrasonic waveguide;
an actuating assembly coupled to the housing, the actuating assembly comprising:
an actuator; and
a reciprocal member operatively connected to the actuator; and
an end-effector extending distally from the housing, the end-effector comprising:
a cutting blade coupled to the ultrasonic waveguide, wherein the longitudinal axis extends through the center of mass of the cutting blade; and
a clamp arm configured for opposable movement with respect to the cutting blade to cut material between the cutting blade and the clamp arm using ultrasonic motion, the opposable movement defining a vertical plane, the vertical plane having a vertical axis orthogonal to both the longitudinal axis and a horizontal axis, the clamp arm operatively connected to the reciprocal member so that reciprocal movement of the reciprocal member clamps the clamp arm with respect to the cutting blade;
wherein the proximal end of the cutting blade comprises an asymmetry configured to convert longitudinal motion of the waveguide into motion of the cutting blade in both the longitudinal and vertical axis directions concurrently.
8. The ultrasonic clamping device of claim 7 , wherein an excursion of the cutting blade in the direction of the horizontal axis is limited to less than about 92%.
9. The ultrasonic clamping device of claim 7 , wherein an excursion of the cutting blade in the direction of the vertical axis is more than about 8% of an excursion of the cutting blade in the direction of the longitudinal axis.
10. The ultrasonic clamping device of claim 7 , wherein an excursion of the cutting blade in the direction of the horizontal axis is more than about 8% of an excursion of the cutting blade in the direction of the longitudinal axis.
11. The ultrasonic clamping device of claim 7 , wherein an excursion of the cutting blade in the direction of the vertical axis and the horizontal axis is more than about 8% of an excursion of the cutting blade in the direction of the longitudinal axis.
12. The ultrasonic clamping device of claim 7 , wherein the cutting blade is symmetrical with respect to the vertical plane.
13. The ultrasonic device of claim 7 , wherein the cutting blade is circularly symmetric about a blade axis extending through the center of mass of the cutting blade.
14. The ultrasonic device of claim 7 , wherein the cutting blade is circularly symmetric about a blade axis extending through the center of mass of the cutting blade, wherein the blade axis is parallel to the longitudinal axis.
15. The ultrasonic device of claim 7 , wherein the ultrasonic device is sterilized.
16. An ultrasonic device, comprising:
an ultrasonic waveguide comprising a longitudinal axis extending through the center of mass of the ultrasonic waveguide; and
a cutting blade configured to cut using ultrasonic motion, the cutting blade coupled to the ultrasonic waveguide, wherein the longitudinal axis extends through the center of mass of the cutting blade, the proximal end of the cutting blade comprising an asymmetry configured to convert longitudinal motion of the waveguide into motion of the cutting blade in both the longitudinal and vertical axis directions concurrently, thereby converting at least a portion of the longitudinal motion of the ultrasonic waveguide into motion of the cutting blade normal to the longitudinal axis.
17. The ultrasonic device of claim 16 , wherein an excursion of the cutting blade in the direction of the longitudinal axis is limited to less than about 92%.
18. The ultrasonic device of claim 16 , wherein an excursion of the cutting blade in the direction of the vertical axis is more than about 8% of an excursion of the cutting blade in the direction of the longitudinal axis.
19. The ultrasonic device of claim 16 , wherein an excursion of the cutting blade in the direction of the vertical axis is more than about 8% of an excursion of the cutting blade in the direction of the longitudinal axis.
20. The ultrasonic device of claim 16 , wherein the ultrasonic device is sterilized.