Depth controllable and measurable medical driver devices and methods of use

• US 10,149,686 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2018
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quartus Engineering Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Smart Medical Devices, Inc.
• Inventors: Anderson, Wayne
• Primary Examiner(s): Gibson, Eric S
• Application Number:
  US15/876,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20180140308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 326 Days
• Field of Search: 606 79, 606 80, 606 96, 408 8- 11, 408 16, 408 97, 408102, 408202, 173862193, 318432, 318461-465
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/025 for taking bone, bone marrow or cartilage samples
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0283 with vacuum aspiration, e.g. caused by retractable plunger or by connected syringe A61B10/025, A61B10/0266 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/142 with reciprocating saw blades, e.g. with cutting edges at the distal end of the saw blades
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/15 Guides therefor arrangements for guiding straight saw blades in general B23D51/025
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1615 Drill bits, i.e. rotating tools extending from a handpiece to contact the worked material
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1622 Drill handpieces A61B17/1626, A61B17/1628 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1624 Drive mechanisms therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1626 Control means; Display units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1628 Motors; Power supplies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1631 Special drive shafts, e.g. flexible shafts A61B17/1642, A61B17/164 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1633 Sleeves, i.e. non-rotating parts surrounding the bit shaft, e.g. the sleeve forming a single unit with the bit shaft A61B17/1644 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/17 Guides or aligning means for drills , mills, pins or wires
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1728 for holes for bone plates or plate screws
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/80 Cortical plates , i.e. bone plates; Instruments for holding or positioning cortical plates, or for compressing bones attached to cortical plates
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/848 Kirschner wires, i.e. thin, long nails
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/8861 Apparatus for manipulating flexible wires or straps devices for inserting Kirschner wires A61B17/1697
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/8875 Screwdrivers, spanners or wrenches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00022 Sensing or detecting at the treatment site
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00119 alarm; indicating an abnormal situation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00128 related to intensity or progress of surgical action
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00199 : with a console, e.g. a control panel with a display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00371 : Multiple actuation, e.g. pushing of two buttons, or two working tips becoming operational
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00734 : battery operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00991 : Telescopic means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/034 : abutting on parts of the device itself
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/036 : abutting on tissue or skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/062 : penetration depth
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/064 : for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 : Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 2260/062 : Electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 45/008 : Gear boxes, clutches, bearings, feeding mechanisms or like equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B23B 49/02 : Boring templates or bushings
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 21/002 : for special purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 23/0064 : Means for adjusting screwing depth

Abstract

Disclosed are devices and methods for creating a bore in bone. The devices and methods described involve controlling the drive and measuring the drilling energy of a working tool such that a user can avoid injuries to surrounding structures.

Claims

1. A driving device comprising:

a housing having a proximal end and a distal end;

a motor contained within the housing;

a gearbox connecting the motor to a working tool interchangeably connected via a coupler, wherein the motor turns the gearbox, the coupler and the working tool;

a torque sensor configured to measure drilling torque at an output of the gearbox and convert the measured drilling torque into a torque measurement signal, wherein the drilling torque is in a direction opposite rotation of the working tool, wherein the gearbox has a gearbox torque in a direction opposite rotation of the working tool, and wherein the gearbox is held as a reference point such that the gearbox torque is excluded from the torque measurement signal;

a programmable electronics package programmed to keep constant rotations per minute (RPM) of the motor preventing working tool rotational acceleration or deceleration, and programmed to integrate over time the torque measurement signal from the torque sensor to obtain a measurement of drilling energy of the working tool; and

a tool guide assembly coupled to the housing,

wherein upon actuation, axial motion of the tool guide assembly towards the proximal end of the housing to a retracted state allows a length of the working tool to be driven into a target region of work.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the tool guide assembly comprises:

a tool guide configured to surround at least a portion of the working tool; and

a surface guide having a proximal region and a distal region, the distal region configured to couple to the tool guide and the proximal region configured to couple to the housing.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the tool guide at least partially surrounding the working tool is configured to assist in an engagement of an implant.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the tool guide comprises one or more features that mechanically couple with corresponding features of the implant.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the implant comprises a fracture fixation plate or a joint part.

6. The device of claim 3, wherein the tool guide couples to the implant at an angle away from perpendicular.

7. The device of claim 2, further comprising a second motor contained within the housing, wherein the proximal region of the surface guide is coupled to the second motor.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the second motor is configured to cause the axial motion of the tool guide assembly toward the proximal end of the housing.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the first motor is coupled to a first drive shaft and the second motor is coupled to a second drive shaft.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the first drive shaft and the second drive shaft are in a co-axial, parallel, or orthogonal arrangement relative to one another.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the surface guide comprises a forward surface guide and a rear surface guide, wherein a distal region of the forward surface guide couples to the tool guide and a proximal region of the forward surface guide couples to the rear surface guide, and wherein the rear surface guide couples to the second drive shaft.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the rear surface guide is attached to a drive lug coupled to and powered by the second motor to move the rear surface guide in an axial direction.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the forward surface guide comprises at least one support that mates with a corresponding support of the rear surface guide.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the forward surface guide engages an outer surface of the coupler.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein a change in the drilling energy corresponds to a change in material strength and density of work penetrated.

16. The device of claim 15, further comprising an alert, wherein the torque sensor communicates with the programmable electronics package in real-time and the alert provides a user with information regarding status of the driving device during use.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the alert comprises an auditory, visual or tactile signal.

18. The device of claim 15, wherein the work penetrated comprises medullary canal, cancellous bone, cortical bone, or soft tissue.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein the working tool is selected from the group consisting of a drill bit, a detuned drill bit, wire, Kirschner wire, pin, trochar, burr, screwdriver, reamer, saw, saw blade, router, router bit, stepped drill bit, bone plug removal tool, bone harvesting tool, bone marrow harvesting tool, and bone marrow aspirating tool.

20. The device of claim 1, further comprising one or more axial force sensors configured to sense an axial force applied at one or both of a distal end of the tool guide and the working tool, wherein the programmable electronics package is further programmed to obtain a measurement of work done by the working tool based on the axial force and a linear distance traveled by the tool guide assembly and/or the length of the working tool driven into the target region.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the programmable electronics package is further programmed to obtain a measurement of drilling energy based on the measurement of work.

22. The device of claim 20, further comprising an axial force alert, wherein the one or more axial force sensors communicate with the programmable electronics package in real-time and the axial force alert provides a user with information regarding status of the driving device during use.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the axial force alert comprises an auditory, visual or tactile signal.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the visual signal comprises one or more LEDs positioned within a user line-of-sight, wherein the LEDs indicate degree of axial force being applied by the user to the tool guide in real-time.

25. The device of claim 20, wherein the one or more axial force sensors comprises a tool guide sensor configured to sense and signal the axial force applied by the user to the tool guide.

26. The device of claim 25, wherein the one or more axial force sensors comprises a working tool sensor configured to sense and signal the axial force applied by the user to the working tool, wherein a degree of axial force being applied to the tool guide is provided separately from a degree of axial force being applied to the working tool.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein the degree of axial force being applied to the tool guide and the degree of axial force being applied to the working tool equals a total user force applied to the device.

28. The device of claim 1, wherein a change in current used to drive the motor is received by the programmable electronics package signaling when to stop the axial motion of the tool guide assembly and preventing penetration of the working tool beyond the target region of the work.

29. The device of claim 1, wherein the torque sensor is coupled to the housing and to the motor such that the torque sensor couples the motor to the housing.

30. The device of claim 1, wherein the tool guide assembly is configured to be removed away from the working tool.

31. The device of claim 1, wherein contact between the tool guide assembly and the working tool is prevented by maintaining the tool guide assembly coaxial with a longitudinal axis of the working tool.