Conor James Walsh,Ajith Thomas,Samuel Benjamin Kesner,Hao Pei,Kechao Xiao,Paul Loschak,Kevin C. Galloway
申请号：
US14240878
公开号：
US09561544B2
申请日:
2012.08.27
申请国别(地区):
US
年份:
2017
代理人:
摘要：
The present invention is directed to a bi-stable coupling for controlling the depth of a tool insertion, such as drilling, and similar processes. The bi-stable coupling can be used to penetrate (e.g., drill or push) through a material layer of unknown thickness without plunging the tool into the adjacent layer. In accordance with the invention, in a first state, force is applied to the tool to initiate penetration and a reactive force maintains the device in the first state during penetration and when tool penetrates the material, the reactive force is diminished enabling the device to transition to a second state in which the tool becomes retracted. In medical applications, the invention allows for drilling through bone of unknown thickness without plunging into the adjacent soft tissue.
