Electric motor driven tool for orthopedic impacting

Abstract

An orthopedic impacting tool comprises a motor, an energy storage chamber, a striker, and an anvil. The motor stores energy in the energy storage chamber and then releases it, causing the striker to apply a controlled force on an adapter to create a precise impact for use in a surgical setting. The tool may further comprise a combination anvil and adapter. The tool further allows forward or backward impacting for expanding the size or volume of the opening or for facilitating removal of a broach, implant, or other surgical implement from the opening. An energy adjustment control of the tool allows a surgeon to increase or decrease the impact energy. A light source and hand grips improve ease of operation of the tool.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An orthopedic impacting tool for striking an object, the tool comprising:
 a motor;   a linear motion converter;   an energy storage means;   a detent;   a control means;   an adapter, said adapter capable of holding a broach, chisel or other surgical implement; and   a striker, said striker capable of impacting at least two distinct impact surfaces, wherein a first impact surface moves said adapter forward and a second impact surface moves said adapter rearward,   wherein said control means directs said motor to store an energy in said energy storage means and said energy storage means thereafter releases the energy onto said striker causing said striker to move from a first position to a second position such that said striker is capable of imparting a force upon said adapter in a direction that is dependent at least in part on which surface said striker impacts.   
     
     
       2. The tool as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said impact surface being impacted is controlled by a bias that a user puts on the tool. 
     
     
       3. The tool as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said energy storage means includes a chamber operating at less than 9 psia or a pressure in excess of 50 psia at or near the point of peak energy storage. 
     
     
       4. The tool as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said detent retains said striker in said first position until said detent is released or overcome thus allowing said energy storage means to release the energy onto said striker. 
     
     
       5. The tool as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said energy storage means further comprises a valve. 
     
     
       6. The tool as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the tool further comprises an energy control element, said energy control element used to adjust the impact energy said striker exerts on said adapter. 
     
     
       7. The tool as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the tool further comprises a stroke limiter, said stroke limiter limiting a stroke of said adapter to less than fifty percent of a stroke of said striker. 
     
     
       8. An orthopedic impacting method, comprising:
 positioning, relative to bone, an end effector located at a forward portion of an orthopedic impacting tool and connected to an adapter of the orthopedic impacting tool; and   after the positioning, actuating a motor to drive the end effector such that the end effector repeatedly impacts the bone;   wherein the actuation of the motor drives a striker of the orthopedic impacting tool to be released from a detent of the orthopedic impacting tool such that in a first operating mode a surface of the striker impacts a first surface of an anvil of the orthopedic impacting tool and in a second operating mode the surface of the striker impacts a different second surface of the orthopedic impacting tool, the impact of the surface of the striker on the first surface driving the end effector in a forward direction, and the impact of the surface of the striker on the second surface driving the end effector in a rearward direction.   
     
     
       9. The method of claim 8, wherein the actuation of the motor causes a motion generation mechanism of the orthopedic impacting tool to drive the striker. 
     
     
       10. The method of claim 9, further comprising controlling, using an impact controller, storage and release of energy from the motion generation mechanism to drive the striker. 
     
     
       11. The method of claim 10, further comprising regulating, using the impact controller, the motion generation mechanism to a preferred cyclic operation. 
     
     
       12. The method of claim 9, wherein the energy is stored in and released from an air chamber of the orthopedic impacting tool. 
     
     
       13. The method of claim 8, wherein a selection of a direction of impact on the first and second surfaces is based upon a user force applied to the orthopedic impacting tool. 
     
     
       14. The method of claim 8, wherein, before the actuating, the detent of the orthopedic impacting tool retains the striker in position; and
 the actuating causes the striker to be released from the detent.   
     
     
       15. The method of claim 8, wherein the bone is bone of a patient; and
 the method further comprises adjusting a force the striker delivers to the first surface or the different second surface in accordance with a profile of the patient.   
     
     
       16. An orthopedic impacting method, comprising:
 positioning, relative to bone, an end effector located at a forward portion of an orthopedic impacting tool and connected to an adapter of the orthopedic impacting tool; and   after the positioning, actuating a motor to release a striker of the orthopedic impacting tool from a first position, in which the striker is retained by a detent of the orthopedic impacting tool, to a second position, in which the striker is not retained by the detent;   wherein the actuation of the motor drives the striker such that in a first operating mode a surface of the striker impacts a first surface of an anvil of the orthopedic impacting tool and in a second operating mode the surface of the striker impacts a different second surface of the orthopedic impacting tool, the impact of the surface of the striker on the first surface driving the end effector in a first direction, and the impact of the surface of the striker on the second surface driving the end effector in a second direction opposite to the first direction.   
     
     
       17. The method of claim 16, wherein the actuation of the motor causes a motion generation mechanism of the orthopedic impacting tool to drive the striker. 
     
     
       18. The method of claim 17, further comprising controlling, using an impact controller, storage and release of energy from the motion generation mechanism to drive the striker. 
     
     
       19. The method of claim 18, further comprising, regulating, using the impact controller, the motion generation mechanism to a preferred cyclic operation. 
     
     
       20. The method of claim 17, wherein the energy is stored in and released from an air chamber of the orthopedic impacting tool. 
     
     
       21. The method of claim 16, wherein a selection of a direction of impact on the first and second surfaces is based upon a user force applied to the orthopedic impacting tool. 
     
     
       22. The method of claim 16, wherein the bone is bone of a patient; and
 the method further comprises adjusting a force the striker delivers to the first surface or the different second surface in accordance with a profile of the patient.   
     
     
       23. An orthopedic impacting method, comprising:
 positioning, relative to bone, an end effector connected to an adapter of an orthopedic impacting tool; and   after the positioning, actuating an electric motor of the orthopedic impacting tool to drive cyclic impacting of the end effector on the bone by storing energy in and releasing energy from an air chamber of the end effector;   wherein the actuation of the motor releases a striker from a detent and drives the striker of the orthopedic impacting tool such that in a first operating mode a surface of the striker impacts a first surface of an anvil of the orthopedic impacting tool and in a second operating mode the surface of the striker impacts a different second surface of the orthopedic impacting tool, the impact of the surface of the striker on the first surface driving the end effector in a forward direction, and the impact of the surface of the striker on the second surface driving the end effector in a rearward direction.   
     
     
       24. The method of claim 23, wherein the actuation of the motor causes a motion generation mechanism of the orthopedic impacting tool to drive the striker. 
     
     
       25. The method of claim 23, further comprising controlling, using an impact controller, storage and release of energy from the motion generation mechanism to drive the striker. 
     
     
       26. The method of claim 23, wherein a selection of a direction of impact on the first and second surfaces is based upon a user force applied to the orthopedic impacting tool.