Surgical Instrument

Abstract

A surgical instrument has two components hinged to one another, each having an actuating element, and a locking device. The actuating elements can be displaced away from one another by a spreading movement whereby the components are pivoted with respect to one another within a first pivot plane from an initial position into an actuating position. A locking element is in operative connection with the components in a locked position. An unlocking element can be displaced along an unlocking path within a second pivot plane parallel to the first pivot plane in a direction of unlocking. The unlocking element can be brought into operative connection with the locking element, by which the locking element can be transferred into a release position and the components can be pivoted. The unlocking element can be actuated in a direction of unlocking that is the same as the direction of spreading.

Claims

1.-14. (canceled)

15. A surgical instrument (1) for carrying out a surgical procedure, comprising: at least two individual components (3, 4) that are hinged to one another, each having an actuating element (5), wherein the actuating elements can be displaced away from one another relative to one another in a direction of spreading (6) by a spreading movement, whereby the individual components (3, 4) can be pivoted with respect to one another within a first pivot plane and about a first pivot axis (7) from an initial position into an actuating position; and a locking device (2), wherein the locking device (2) has a locking element (8) that is, in a locked position, in operative connection with the individual components (3, 4) in such a manner that the individual components (3, 4) can be locked in a displacement position, wherein the locking device (2) has an unlocking element (12) that can be displaced along an unlocking path arranged within a second pivot plane and in a direction of unlocking (13) and can be brought into operative connection with the locking element (8), by which the locking element (8) can be transferred into a release position and the individual components (3, 4) can be pivoted relative to one another, wherein a setting angle enclosed by the first pivot plane and the second pivot plane has a value in a range from 0° to 90°, and the unlocking element (12) can be actuated along the unlocking path in a direction of unlocking (13) that is the same as the direction of spreading (6).

16. The surgical instrument (1) according to claim 15, wherein the second pivot plane is aligned parallel to the first pivot plane and the unlocking element (12) can be actuated along the unlocking path in a direction of unlocking (13) aligned in the same direction as the direction of spreading (6).

17. The surgical instrument (1) according to claim 15, wherein the locking element (8) has a first toothing section (9) and at least one individual component (3, 4) has a second toothing section (11) corresponding to the first toothing section (9).

18. The surgical instrument (1) according to claim 15, wherein, in the locked position, the individual components (3, 4) can be displaced from the initial position into an actuating position.

19. The surgical instrument (1) according to claim 15, wherein the individual components (3, 4) and the locking element (8) are mounted in a prestressed state, such that a prestressing force is generated by a locking force acting on the individual components (3, 4) by the locking element (8) and the individual components (3, 4) can be locked in the displacement position.

20. The surgical instrument (1) according to claim 19, wherein the prestressing force is generated by a spring element (19) arranged between at least one individual component (3, 4) and the locking element (8).

21. The surgical instrument (1) according to claim 20, wherein the spring element (19) is designed as a compression spring or as a tension spring.

22. The surgical instrument (1) according to claim 15, wherein the unlocking element (12) and the locking element (8) are connected to one another via a gear unit (24).

23. The surgical instrument (1) according to claim 15, wherein the individual components (3, 4) and the unlocking element (12) each have at least one sliding surface region (15, 16, 17, 18), wherein a sliding surface region (15, 16, 17, 18) forms a pair of sliding surfaces with at least one sliding surface region (15, 16, 17, 18) of a further individual component (3, 4) or of the unlocking element (12), wherein the sliding surface regions (15, 16, 17, 18) bear against one another at least in sliding surface region sections of the sliding surface regions (15, 16, 17, 18) when the surgical instrument (1) is used as intended, wherein the individual components (3, 4) and the unlocking element (12) are made of a metallic or metal-containing material at least in sections that are allocated to the sliding surface regions (15, 16, 17, 18), wherein only one of the sliding surface regions (15, 16, 17, 18) of each pair of sliding surfaces has a hard material surface layer, which is connected in a firmly bonded manner to the individual component (3, 4) in the respective sliding surface region (15, 16, 17, 18).

24. The surgical instrument (1) according to claim 23, wherein only one sliding surface region section of an individual component (3, 4) or the unlocking element (12) of the pair of sliding surfaces has the hard material surface layer.

25. The surgical instrument (1) according to claim 23, wherein the individual components (3, 4) having a sliding surface region (15, 16, 17, 18) are made entirely of the metallic or metal-containing material.

26. A needle holder, wherein the needle holder has two individual components (3, 4) that are hinged to one another, each having an actuating element (5), wherein the actuating elements (5) can be displaced away from one another relative to one another in a direction of spreading (6) by a spreading movement, such that the individual components (3, 4) can be pivoted with respect to one another within a first pivot plane and about a first pivot axis (7) from an initial position into an actuating position, wherein a locking device (2) has a locking element (8) that is in operative connection with the individual components (3, 4) in a locked position such that the individual components (3, 4) can be locked in a displacement position, wherein the locking device (2) has an unlocking element (12) that can be displaced along an unlocking path arranged within a second pivot plane and in a direction of unlocking (13) and can be brought into operative connection with the locking element (8), by which the locking element (8) can be transferred into a release position and the individual components (3, 4) can be pivoted relative one another, wherein the second pivot plane is aligned parallel to the first pivot plane and the unlocking element (12) can be actuated along the unlocking path in a direction of unlocking (13) that is aligned in the same direction as the direction of spreading (6), and wherein a spring element (19) arranged between a second of the individual components (4) and the locking element (8) generates a prestressing force, by which the unlocking element (8) is held in a preferred position.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B are schematic illustrations of a surgical instrument designed as a needle holder, each in an exploded perspective view.

[0028] FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B are schematic illustrations of an embodiment of a locking device.

[0029] FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are schematic illustrations of a further embodiment of a locking device.

[0030] FIG. 4A to FIG. 4F are schematic illustrations of a further embodiment of a locking device.

[0031] FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B are schematic illustrations of a further embodiment of a locking device.

[0032] FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of a further embodiment of a locking device.

[0033] FIG. 7 is a schematically illustrated view of a surgical instrument and its use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B each show a schematic illustration of a surgical instrument 1 designed as a needle holder with a locking device 2 in a perspective view. The surgical instrument 1 has two individual components 3, 4 hinged to one another, each with an actuating element 5. The actuating elements 5 are designed as scissor eyes that can be displaced relative to one another by a spreading movement in a direction of spreading 6. The individual components 3, 4 are pivotally displaceable about a first pivot axis 7 and can be transferred from an initial position to an actuating position.

[0035] The locking device 2 has a locking element 8, which is of tab-like design and is rigidly fixed to a first individual component 3. The locking element 8 has a toothing 10 in a first toothing section 9, which is designed as a longitudinal toothing. A second individual component 4 has a second toothing section 11 corresponding to the first toothing section 9 with a longitudinal toothing. In a locked position of the locking element 8, the first toothing section 9 and the second toothing section 11 are engaged such that the individual components 3, 4 are locked in a displacement position. The locking device 2 has an unlocking element 12, which is pivotally displaceable along an unlocking path and in a direction of unlocking 13 about a second pivot axis 14. The unlocking element 12 can be brought into operative connection with the locking element 8, such that the locking element 8 can be transferred into a release position, such that the individual components 3, 4 are unlocked and can be pivoted against one another. The needle holder shown in FIG. 1B has a spring element 19 designed as a compression spring, which is in operative connection with the second individual component 4 and with the unlocking element 12 in such a manner that the unlocking element 12 is held in a preferred position by a prestressing force generated by the spring element 19. Since the unlocking element 12 is in the preferred position both in the initial position and in the actuating position of the individual components 3, 4 and during the spreading movement, the needle holder can be operated particularly conveniently.

[0036] The individual components 3, 4 and the unlocking element 12 each have at least one sliding surface region 15, 16, 17, 18. A first sliding surface region 15 of the first individual component 3 forms a first pair of sliding surfaces with a second sliding surface region 16 of the second individual component 4. A third sliding surface region 17 of the second individual component 4 forms a second pair of sliding surfaces with a fourth sliding surface region 18 of the unlocking element 12. Thereby, the first sliding surface region 15 of the first individual component 3 and the fourth sliding surface region 18 of the unlocking element 12 have a hard material surface layer, which is connected in a firmly bonded manner to the respective sliding surface regions 15, 18.

[0037] FIG. 2A shows a schematic illustration of the locking device 2, wherein the locking element 8 is shown in a locked position. The locking element 8 is displaceably arranged within the first individual component 3. The first toothing section 9 of the locking element 8 is engaged with the second toothing section 11 of the second individual component 4. Thereby, the first toothing section 9 and the second toothing section 11 each have a toothing 10, which is designed as a transverse toothing with which the tooth flanks of the teeth are oriented in a toothing plane in a manner perpendicular to the pivot plane. The locking element 8 is thereby locked in the locked position, in which a prestressing force is applied by the spring element 19 designed as a compression spring, wherein the prestressing force acts on the locking element 8 and is oriented in the direction of the second toothing section 11. The transfer of the locking element 8 from the locked position to the release position is effected by actuating the unlocking element 12, which is pivotably arranged on the first individual component 3 by means of the second pivot axis 14. This arrangement of the unlocking element 12 forms a two-sided lever device. In FIG. 2B, the locking device 2 is shown in an open state. By actuating the unlocking element 12, the locking element 8 can be transferred to the release position, such that the toothing sections 9,11 are separated from one another.

[0038] FIGS. 3A and 3B show schematic illustrations of the clamping device 2. In FIG. 3A, the locking device 2 is shown in a locked position of the locking element 8 and in FIG. 3B in a release position of the locking element 8. The embodiments differ from the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B in that the unlocking element 12 is arranged to be pivotable about a third pivot axis 20 on the locking element 8 in addition to the second pivot axis 14. As a result, a so-called “one-sided lever device” is formed, by which the locking of the toothings 10 of the first toothing section 9 and the second toothing section 11 takes place on a path between the third pivot axis 20 and a force application point 21 of the manually applied actuating force.

[0039] FIGS. 4A to 4F show schematic illustrations of a further embodiment of the clamping device 2. In FIG. 4A, the locking device 2 is shown in a locked position in a side view. The toothing sections 9,11 each have a toothing 10 designed as longitudinal toothing, with which the tooth flanks of the teeth are oriented in a toothing plane in a manner parallel to the pivot plane. In FIG. 4B, the locking device 2 is shown in a top view. Thereby, the unlocking element 12 is not engaged with the first individual component 3 and not with the locking element 8. In FIG. 4C, the locking device 2 is shown in a front view. Thereby, the first toothing section 9 of the locking element 8 is engaged with the second toothing section 11 of the second individual component 4. In FIGS. 4D to 4F, the locking device 2 is shown in an unlocked state, wherein the locking element 8 is transferred to a release position. The unlocking element 12 is in engagement with the locking element 8. Through the wedge-shaped configuration of an engagement section 22 of the unlocking element 12 shown in FIG. 4E and through a further displacement of the unlocking element 12 towards the locking element 8, the locking element 8 slides on the wedge-shaped engagement section 22 of the unlocking element 12, such that the contact between the locking element 8 and the first individual component 3 is released. In FIG. 4F, the locking component 8 is shown in a release position, wherein the first toothing section 9 of the locking component 8 is released from the second toothing section 11 of the second individual component 4.

[0040] In FIGS. 5A and 5B, a further embodiment of the locking device 2 is shown in a locked position of the locking element 8. Thereby, the unlocking element 12 has, in addition to the engagement section 22, a hold-down section 23 that, in the locked position of the locking element 8, engages around the locking element 8 in sections, such that the first toothing section 9 of the locking element 8 is held in particularly secure engagement with the second toothing section 11 of the second individual component 4. The spring force applied by the spring element 19 holds the unlocking element 12 in a preferred position.

[0041] In FIG. 6, a further embodiment of the locking device 2 is shown, wherein the locking element 8 is shown in a locked position. The unlocking element 12 is engaged with the locking element 8 by means of a gear unit 24 designed as a spur gear unit. Thereby, an end region of the unlocking element 12 and an end region of the locking element 8 are formed as toothed wheels, wherein the unlocking element 12 and the locking element 8 are arranged such that they can pivot about respective longitudinal axes 25 of the toothed wheels.

[0042] FIG. 7 schematically shows a surgical instrument 1 with two individual components 3, 4, each with an eye-shaped actuating element 5. By means of a spreading movement of a thumb 26 and a ring finger 27 of a hand 28 of an operator of the surgical instrument 1, the actuating elements 5 are moved away from one another, causing manipulation sections 29 of the individual components 3, 4 to move towards one another. In order to be able to carry out the spreading movement, it is necessary to release a locking element 8 of a locking device 2 by actuating an unlocking element 12 of the locking device 2. With the surgical instrument 1 shown in FIG. 7, the unlocking element 12 is actuated by a middle finger 30 of the hand 28. Thereby, the locking device 2 is designed in such a manner that a direction of spreading 6 and a direction of unlocking 13 are in the same direction. In this manner, a particularly ergonomic actuation of the surgical instrument 1 is possible.

[0043] In the illustrations in FIGS. 1A to 7, only individual elements of a plurality of similar elements are marked with a reference sign as an example.