Title of Invention

"COUPLING DEVICE"

Abstract

A coupling device (1) for connecting a tool with a drive shaft (3) having a longitudinal axis (2), comprising a first clamping device, disposed coaxially with the longitudinal axis (2) and connected with the drive shaft (3) with a first clamping device (4) with first locking means (31) for the detachably fixing seating of a tool (8); a coaxially disposed sleeve (6), which surrounds the clamping device (4) on a portion of its axial length and is axially movable, for locking or unlocking the first locking means (31), the coupling device (1) additionally comprising a second clamping device (5), which is disposed coaxially with the longitudinal axis (2) and connected with the drive shaft (3), with the second locking means (32) for the detachably, fixing seating of a tool (8).

Full Text

English translation of the International Patent Application No. PCT/CH03/000816 "Coupling device" in the name of Synthes AG Chur COUPLING DEVICE The invention relates to a coupling device of the introductory portion of claim 1. Rotatively oscillating surgical saw blades, such as mandibula, crescentic or surgical saw blades, preferably are connected rotatively positively with the drive shaft because of their oscillating movement. US patent 5,702,415 of MATTHAI discloses a generic coupling device, which has locking means for the detachable, fixing connection of a surgical saw blade to a driving device. The locking means comprise guiding pins, which are disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the drive shaft and can be introduced in such a manner into openings in the saw blade, that the saw blade can be shifted transversely to the longitudinal axis and parallel to the contacting surface at the drive shaft. When the saw blade is centered, two pins, which are also disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis, engage the openings, so that the saw blade is connected rotatively positively with the drive shaft. Furthermore, a screw is disposed coaxially with and terminally at the drive shaft. As the screw is tightened, the head of the screw is pressed axially against the saw blade, so that the latter is also fixed in the axial direction. It is a disadvantage of this known coupling device that only saw blades, which have clamping segments of a particular type, can be accommodated in the coupling device. The invention is io provide a remedy here. It is an object of the inveniion to provide a coupling device, which permits different saw blades, which have different damping segments, to be connected with the drive shaft. Pursuant to the inveniion, this objective is accomplished with a coupling device, which has the distinguishing features of claim 1. Further advantageous developments of the invention are characterized in the dependent claims. The advantages, achieved by the invention, can be seen to lie essentially therein that, due to the inventive coupling device: tools with different clamping segments can be used and different tools, such as shaftless, flat saw blades with peripherally disposed saw teeth or bent saw blades with a clamping shaft and saw teeth disposed in arch-shaped fashion on the front, can be used in a single coupling device. In a preferred embodiment, the first clamping device is constructed in such a manner, that the clamping means of a tool.can introduced coaxialiy with the longitudinal axis. With that, the advantage can be achieved that conventional, commercial surgical tools, which comprise a clamping pag, can be clamped in the clamping device. in a different embodiment, the second clamping device is constructed in such a manner, that a tool can be introduced transversely to the longitudinal axis. Here also, the advantage can be achieved that convenlionai, commercial, blade-shaped surgical tools can be clamped in the clamping device. In yet another embodiment, the first and in the second clamping device can be locked and unlocked by shifting a sleeve axially. By those means, the advantage can be achieved that the coupling device can be configured simply. Preferably, the sleeve is held by means of a compression spring in the axial position with locked clamping devices. With that, a simple operation, that is, locking or unlocking the clamping devices is attainable. In a further embodiment, the first clamping device is constructed in such a manner that a connection, rolatively and axially positive with respect to the longitudinal axis, can be produced with a tool. Preferably, the second clamping device is also constructed in such a manner that a connection, rotatively and axially positive with respect to (he longitudinal axis, can be achieved. With that, a rigid fixation of the tool in each of the two clamping devices is ensured. The invention and further developments of the invention are explained in even greater detail in the following by means of partly diagrammatic drawings of several examples. In. the drawings Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal section through an embodiment of the inventive coupling device with unlocked clamping devices; Fig. 2 shows a longitudinal section through the embodiment of the inventive coupling device, shown in Fig. 1, with unlocked clamping devices and a surgical saw blade, clamped in the first clamping device; Fig. 3 shows a longitudinal section through the embodiment of the inventive coupling device with locked clamping devices, shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and a surgical saw blade, clamped in the second clamping device; Fig. 4 shows a side view of a mandibula saw blade with a peg-shaped clamping segment; Fig. 5 shows a side view of a crescentic saw blade with a peg-shaped clamping segment and Fig. 6 shows a plan view of a sagittal saw blade with a flat U-shaped clamping segment. In Figs. 1 to 3, an embodiment is shown, which comprises a coupling device 1, which is coaxial with a longitudinal axis 2, with a first clamping device 4 for tools 8 of Figs 4 and 5 and a second clamping device 5 for tools 8 of Fig. 6. The two clamping devices 4; 5 are constructed differently. The first clamping device 4 comprises a first, coaxial seat 33 for a peg-shaped clamping segment 19 (Figs. 4 and 5) of a tool 8, whereas the second clamping device 5 comprises a second seat 34, disposed on the periphery of the coupling device 1, for a flat, U-shaped clamping segment 22 (Fig. 6). Different embodiments of saw blades are show here as tools 8 (Figs. 4 to 6), a mandibula saw blade being shown in Fig. 4, a crescentic saw blade in Fig. 5 and a sagittal saw blade in Fig. 6. These are introduced into the first or second seat 33; 34 of the associated clamping device 4; 5, depending on the configuration of the clamping segment 19; 22, and fixed in position in the coupling device 1 by means of a first or a second locking means 31; 32 respectively. The clamped tool 8 is connected with a drive shaft 3 by means of the coupling device 1. In the embodiment shown here, the drive shaft 3 is driven rotatively in an oscillating manner about the longitudinal axis 2 by means of a transmission 10, which is disposed between the driving motor 9 and the coupling device 1. Both clamping devices 4; 5 are locked or unlocked simultaneously by shifting the same sleeve 6 axially. In Fig. 1, the sleeve 6 for operating the two clamping devices 4; 5 is shown in its rear position. In this rear position of the sleeve 6, the two clamping devices 4; 5 are unlocked, so that a tool 8 with a peg-shaped clamping segment 19 can be introduced into the first clamping device 4 or a tool 8 with a flat U-shaped clamping segment 22 can be introduced into the second clamping device 5 at the front. The first clamping device 4 comprises at the free end 11 of the coupling device 1, a first rotative driver 14 with a coaxial cavity 13, open at the free end 11 of the coupling device 1 for accommodating the peg-shaped clamping segment 19 of a tool 8. At the free end 11 of the coupling device 1, the cavity 13 has a cavity segment 38 with an out- of-round cross-sectional area, orthogonal to the longitudinal axis 2, and, axially adjoining, a circularly cylindrical central borehole 16. The external cavity segment 38 consists of an oval opening with two parallel side surfaces 17 and two arc-shaped side surfaces 18, which are concentric within the longitudinal axis 2, so that a connection, positive with respect to rotation about the longitudinal axis 2, can be established between the first rotative driver 14 and a peg-shaped clamping segment 19 of a tool 8, constructed complementarily (Fig. 4 and 5). The first locking means 31 of the first clamping device 4 comprises balls 21, which are carried in boreholes 23 with borehole axes 24 orthogonal to the longitudinal axis 2, so that they can be shifted transversely to the longitudinal axis 2. The balls 21 can be moved in the borehole 7 of the sleeve 6 by facets 26 at the inner ends 27 of the guiding grooves 28 parallel to the longitudinal axis 2 and, depending on the axial position of the sleeve 6, locked in position or disengaged in an annular groove 30 at the peg-shaped clamping segment 19 of a tool 8 (Figs. 4 and 5). The sleeve 6 is pressed by means of a compression spring 15, disposed coaxially in the borehole 7 of the sleeve 6 and supported axially at the drive shaft 3 against the free end 11 of the coupling device 1 and held in its front position. In this front position, both clamping devices 4; 5 are locked, that is, for the first clamping device 4, the balls 21 are pressed into an annular groove 30 at the peg-shaped clamping segment 19 of a tool 8, as a result of which the tool 8 is fixed axially positively in position. So that the balls 21 cannot fall out of the boreholes 23 when the peg-shaped connecting segment 19 of the tool 8 is not inserted, the boreholes 23 are constricted at the inlet into the central borehole 15. The second clamping device 5 comprises a second rotative driver 20 with the second locking means 32, which is disposed axially set back from the free end 11 of the coupling device 1. This second locking means 32 consists essentially of pins 29, the axes of which are disposed on a circularly cylindrical circumferential surface, which is concentric with the longitudinal axis 2. With their free ends 35, the pins 29 are pressed into boreholes 25 at the front end 37 in the sleeve 6. On the other hand, the free ends 36 of the pins 29 engage aligned boreholes 38 at the first rotative driver 14 when the second locking means 32 are locked. During the locking of the clamping device 5, the pins 29 are pushed through complementary boreholes 39 into a flat, U-shaped clamping segment 22 (Fig. 6) of the tool 8, so that the latter is connected rotatively positively with the drive shaft 3. The flat, U-shaped clamping segment 22 of the tool 8 is fixed in the axial direction between the first rotative driver 14 and the front end 37 of the sleeve 6. In Fig. 2, the coupling device 1 is shown in the locked state with a clamped tool 8, the tool 8 having a peg-shaped clamping segment 19, which is fixed in the first clamping device 4. The transfer of the torque about the longitudinal axis 2 from the drive shaft 3 to the tool 8 is taken over by the rotative driver 14. By means of the two parallel side surfaces 17, disposed in the cavity segment 38 of the rotative driver 14, a rotative, positive connection between the rotative driver 14 and the first clamping segment 19 of the tool 8 is produced. The axial fixing of the first clamping segment 19 within the first clamping device 4 is axially positive due to the balls 21 engaging the groove 30 disposed peripherally at the peg-shaped clamping segment 19. In Fig. 3, the coupling device 1 is also shown in the locked state with a clamped tool 8, the tool 8 having a flat U-shaped clamping segment 22, which is fixed in the second clamping device 5. Claims 1. Coupling device (1) for connecting a tool with a drive shaft (3) having a longitudinal axis (2), comprising a first clamping device (4), disposed coaxially with the longitudinal axis (2) and connected with the drive shaft (3), and having first locking means (31) for the detachably fixable seating of a tool (8); a coaxially disposed sleeve (6), which surrounds the clamping device (4) on a portion of its axial length and is axially movable, for locking or unlocking the first locking means (31), characterized in that C) the coupling device (1) additionally comprises a second clamping device (5), which is disposed coaxially with the longitudinal axis (2) and connected with the drive shaft (3), and with second locking means (32) for the detachably fixable seating of a tool (8). The coupling device (1) of claim 1, characterized in that the first clamping device (4) permits a tool to be introduced coaxially with the longitudinal axis (2). The coupling device (1) of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the second clamping device (5) permits a tool (8) to be introduced transversely to the longitudinal axis (2). 4. The coupling device (1) of one of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the first clamping device (4) and the second clamping device (5) can be locked and unlocked by shifting the sleeve (6) axially. 5. The coupling device (1) of claim 4, characterized in that the sleeve (6) is held by a compression spring (15) in the axial position with locked clamping devices (4; 5). The coupling device (1) of one of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the first locking device (4) permits a connection with a tool (8), which is rotative with respect to the longitudinal axis (2) and positive axially. The coupling device (1) of one of the claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the second clamping device (5) permits at least one connection with a tool (8), the connection being rotatively positive with respect to the longitudinal axis (2). The coupling device (1) of one of the claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it additionally comprises a tool (8), preferably a sawing tool.

Documents:

3204-delnp-2006-Abstract-(17-07-2013).pdf

3204-delnp-2006-abstract.pdf

3204-DELNP-2006-Amended Pages Of Specification-171114.pdf

3204-delnp-2006-assignments.pdf

3204-DELNP-2006-Claims-171114.pdf

3204-delnp-2006-claims.pdf

3204-DELNP-2006-Correspondence-171114.pdf

3204-delnp-2006-Correspondence-others (04-04-2008).pdf

3204-delnp-2006-correspondence-others 1.pdf

3204-delnp-2006-Correspondence-Others-(16-10-2012).pdf

3204-delnp-2006-Correspondence-Others-(17-07-2013).pdf

3204-DELNP-2006-Correspondence-Others-(23-03-2010).pdf

3204-delnp-2006-Correspondence-Others-(26-07-2013).pdf

3204-DELNP-2006-Correspondence-Others-(31-03-2010).pdf

3204-delnp-2006-correspondence-others.pdf

3204-delnp-2006-Description (Complete)-(17-07-2013).pdf

3204-delnp-2006-description (complete).pdf

3204-delnp-2006-drawings.pdf

3204-delnp-2006-form-1.pdf

3204-delnp-2006-form-18.pdf

3204-delnp-2006-Form-2-(17-07-2013).pdf

3204-delnp-2006-form-2.pdf

3204-delnp-2006-Form-3-(17-07-2013).pdf

3204-delnp-2006-form-3.pdf

3204-delnp-2006-form-5.pdf

3204-delnp-2006-form-6.pdf

3204-delnp-2006-GPA (04-04-2008).pdf

3204-DELNP-2006-GPA-(23-03-2010).pdf

3204-DELNP-2006-GPA-(31-03-2010).pdf

3204-delnp-2006-gpa.pdf

3204-delnp-2006-pct-210.pdf

3204-delnp-2006-pct-308.pdf

3204-delnp-2006-Petition-137-(26-07-2013).pdf