Tendon thickness measuring forceps

Abstract

This invention discloses a tendon thickness measuring clamp, relating to the field of medical devices. The clamp includes a clamp head, a drive shaft, a dial, a handle, and a gear and rack transmission and dial reading mechanism. The clamp head consists of hinged upper and lower jaw blocks. The dial slides along the handle and drives the clamp head to open and close via the drive shaft. The opening and closing distance of the clamp head is converted into a pointer deflection angle via gear and rack transmission, and the thickness value is directly displayed on the dial. This invention can be operated with one hand, the clamping surface conforms to the shape of the tendon without compressing the tissue, and it can quickly and accurately complete measurements and simultaneous readings. Its compact and portable structure requires no professional operation and is suitable for real-time measurement in outpatient clinics, at the bedside, and during surgery, solving the problems of inconvenience, insufficient accuracy, and cumbersome operation of existing measuring equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of medical devices, and more particularly to a tendon thickness measuring clamp. Background Technology

[0002] In clinical diagnosis and treatment, as well as related medical research in orthopedics and sports medicine, tendon thickness is an important indicator for assessing tendon health, diagnosing tendon injuries (such as tendinitis and tendon tears), and monitoring the recovery effect after tendon repair surgery. Accurate measurement of tendon thickness has key guiding significance for the formulation of clinical diagnostic plans and the evaluation of treatment effects.

[0003] Currently, clinical methods for measuring tendon thickness mostly rely on ultrasound-assisted measurement or rough measurements using ordinary calipers. Both methods have significant limitations. While ultrasound measurement allows for visual detection, the equipment is large and expensive, requiring professional operators, making it unsuitable for rapid outpatient testing, bedside diagnosis, or real-time measurement during surgery. Ordinary calipers, on the other hand, have poor structural adaptability, making it difficult to conform to the physiological shape of the tendon for clamping and measurement. Moreover, most calipers lack precise instant reading structures, requiring manual fixation of the clamping position before reading the value, which is prone to measurement errors due to clamping misalignment and reading delay. Furthermore, operation requires one hand to fix the caliper and one hand to read the value, resulting in low operational convenience and failing to meet the clinical needs for rapid, accurate, and one-handed measurement.

[0004] In the research and application of orthopedic clinical instruments, various forceps are widely used due to their flexibility and suitability for clinical clamping needs. However, most existing forceps only have clamping and manipulation functions and lack a precise measurement and reading structure, making it impossible to directly achieve quantitative measurement of tendon thickness. The development of specialized forceps for tendon measurement needs to address core issues such as the linkage between forceps opening and closing and the transmission of measurement values, the integration of a precise reading structure, and convenient one-handed operation. It must ensure that the forceps opening and closing can conform to the tendon tissue for stable clamping, while also converting the distance of forceps opening and closing into a direct reading through a mechanical transmission structure. Simultaneously, it must simplify the operation steps and adapt to single-person clinical operation scenarios.

[0005] Based on this, we developed a tendon thickness measuring clamp that integrates clamping, transmission, and reading functions to achieve rapid, accurate, and single-handed measurement of tendon thickness. This will make up for the shortcomings of existing measurement methods in terms of clinical practicality, measurement accuracy, and ease of operation, and will meet the actual needs of the clinical device research and development field. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides a tendon thickness measuring clamp, characterized in that it includes a clamp head, a drive shaft, a dial, a handle, a rack, a gear assembly, a dial, and a pointer. The clamp head includes an upper jaw block and a lower jaw block, which are connected to the drive shaft. The drive shaft is connected to a dial mounted on the handle. The dial can slide back and forth on the handle, thereby driving the clamp head to open and close via the drive shaft. A gear assembly is also provided inside the dial, which engages with a rack mounted inside the handle. A pointer and a dial are provided on the dial. The pointer is connected to the gear assembly. When the dial slides, it drives the gear assembly to move, causing the pointer to deflect and display the corresponding measurement value on the dial.

[0007] Furthermore, the maxillary block and mandibular block are hinged to each other by a rotating pin, and the maxillary block is connected to the drive shaft by a drive pin. When the drive shaft moves back and forth, it can drive the maxillary block to open and close relative to the mandibular block around the rotating pin.

[0008] Furthermore, the dial is provided with a groove, through which the handle passes and slides in cooperation with the groove, allowing the dial to slide back and forth along the axis of the handle.

[0009] Furthermore, the drive shaft is fixedly connected to the dial via a fixing pin, and the sliding displacement of the dial is proportional to the opening and closing range of the pliers.

[0010] Furthermore, the gear assembly includes a primary gear and a secondary gear. The primary gear meshes with a rack, the secondary gear engages with the primary gear, and the pointer is fixedly connected to the secondary gear.

[0011] Furthermore, the dial is equipped with a dial holder, the dial is fixedly mounted on the dial holder, and the pointer is set to correspond to the dial.

[0012] Furthermore, when holding the handle, the entire process of clamping, measuring, and reading can be completed by pushing the dial with a single finger.

[0013] Furthermore, the opening and closing distance of the clamp head is converted into the deflection angle of the pointer through gear and rack transmission, and the dial directly displays the tendon thickness value.

[0014] Furthermore, the primary gear and the secondary gear are installed inside the gear carrier, which is fixed on the dial and moves synchronously with the dial.

[0015] Furthermore, the clamping surfaces of the maxillary and mandibular blocks are adapted to the physiological morphology of the tendons, so that they gently adhere to the tendon surface during clamping without compressing the tissue and causing deformation.

[0016] This invention integrates the opening and closing action of the clamp head with the sliding of the dial, the gear and rack transmission, and the pointer dial reading into a unified design. This allows for precise conversion of the clamping distance of the clamp head onto the tendon into a visible value on the dial while operating with one hand. This enables rapid clamping, simultaneous measurement, and instant reading of tendon thickness, effectively avoiding measurement errors caused by clamping offset and reading delay. Furthermore, the clamping surface conforms to the physiological shape of the tendon, ensuring measurement accuracy without compressing the tissue during clamping. The overall structure is compact, portable, and easy to operate, requiring no professional operation or large equipment. It is suitable for various clinical scenarios such as rapid outpatient testing, bedside diagnosis, and real-time measurement during surgery, significantly improving the convenience, accuracy, and practicality of tendon thickness measurement and overcoming many shortcomings of existing measurement tools in clinical use.

[0017] The following will further explain the concept, specific structure, and technical effects of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, so as to fully understand the purpose, features, and effects of the present invention. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the tendon thickness measuring clamp of the present invention, specifically a partial enlarged view of the clamp head portion; Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the tendon thickness measuring clamp of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the tendon thickness measuring clamp jaws of the present invention when closed; Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the tendon thickness measuring clamp jaws of the present invention when they are open; Figure 5 This is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the tendon thickness measuring clamp of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, illustrates several preferred embodiments of the present invention to make its technical content clearer and easier to understand. The present invention can be embodied in many different forms, and the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments mentioned herein.

[0020] In the accompanying drawings, components with the same structure are indicated by the same numerical designation, and components with similar structures or functions are indicated by similar numerical designations. The dimensions and thicknesses of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrary, and the present invention does not limit the dimensions and thicknesses of each component. To make the illustrations clearer, the thickness of some components has been appropriately exaggerated in the drawings.

[0021] like Figure 1-4As shown, a tendon thickness measuring clamp according to the present invention includes a clamp head. The clamp head includes an upper jaw block 1 and a lower jaw block 3. The upper jaw block 1 is connected to the lower jaw block 3 via a rotating pin 31 and is connected to a drive shaft 2 via a drive pin 21. When the drive shaft 2 moves back and forth, the upper jaw block 1 can be driven to open and close relative to the lower jaw block 3 around the rotating pin 31 via the drive pin 21.

[0022] The tendon thickness measuring clamp also includes a dial 4 and a handle 6. The dial 4 has a groove 41. The handle 6 passes through the groove 41. The dial 4 slides back and forth relative to the handle 6 via the groove 41. A drive shaft 2 is fixedly connected to the dial 4 by a fixing pin 22, so that when the dial 4 slides back and forth on the handle 6, the drive shaft 2 also moves back and forth, thereby causing the maxillary block 1 to open and close relative to the mandibular block 3. The degree of opening and closing is proportional to the sliding distance of the dial 4 on the handle 6.

[0023] The dial 4 is also equipped with a dial holder 7, a dial 8, and a pointer 9. The pointer 9 is fixedly connected to a secondary gear 10 located within the gear carrier 12. The secondary gear 10 engages with a primary gear 11. The primary gear 11 engages with a rack 5 located in the handle 6. Thus, when the dial 4 slides back and forth relative to the handle 6 via the slide groove 41, its sliding distance, i.e., the opening and closing degree of the pliers, is converted into the deflection degree of the pointer 9, and the measurement value can be obtained by reading on the dial 8.

[0024] During the measurement, the physician holds the handle 6 with one hand, places the thumb on the dial 4, and aligns the clamping jaws with the tendon to be measured; the thumb pushes the dial 4 forward, the drive shaft 2 moves forward, and the maxillary block 1 and mandibular block 3 slowly close; the clamping surface lightly touches both sides of the tendon and stops, without forceful squeezing to avoid tissue deformation; the dial 4 slides, causing the first-stage gear 11 to roll along the rack 5, driving the second-stage gear 10 and the pointer 9 to deflect; the value on the dial 8 is read directly, which is the thickness of the tendon at that point.

[0025] In such Figure 5 In a further embodiment shown, the dial holder 7 includes an upper dial holder 71 and a lower dial holder 72, which are connected by a threaded connection. The upper dial holder 71 is provided with a rotating lever 711, while the lower dial holder is provided with a first limiting block 721 and a second limiting block 722. After the measurement is completed, the doctor rotates the upper dial holder 71, causing the rotating lever 711 to rotate from the first limiting block 721 to the second limiting block 722. This causes the upper dial holder 71 to drive the dial 8 and the pointer 9 to move upward, disengaging the pointer 9 from the pointer fixing shaft 101 of the secondary gear 10. At this point, the reading of the pointer 9 can be fixed.

[0026] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. It should be understood that those skilled in the art can make numerous modifications and variations based on the concept of the present invention without creative effort. Therefore, all technical solutions that can be obtained by those skilled in the art based on the concept of the present invention through logical analysis, reasoning, or limited experimentation on the basis of existing technology should be within the scope of protection defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A tendon thickness measuring clamp, characterized in that, The pliers include a pliers head, a drive shaft, a dial, a handle, a rack, a gear assembly, a dial, and a pointer. The pliers head includes an upper jaw block and a lower jaw block, which are connected to the drive shaft. The drive shaft is connected to a dial mounted on the handle. The dial can slide back and forth on the handle, thereby driving the pliers head to open and close via the drive shaft. The dial also contains a gear assembly, which meshes with a rack mounted on the handle. The dial has a pointer and a dial. The pointer is connected to the gear assembly. When the dial slides, it drives the gear assembly to move, causing the pointer to deflect and display the corresponding measurement value on the dial.

2. The tendon thickness measuring clamp as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The maxillary block and mandibular block are hinged to each other by a rotating pin. The maxillary block is connected to the drive shaft by a drive pin. When the drive shaft moves back and forth, it can drive the maxillary block to open and close relative to the mandibular block around the rotating pin.

3. The tendon thickness measuring clamp as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The dial has a groove, through which the handle passes and slides, allowing the dial to slide back and forth along the axis of the handle.

4. The tendon thickness measuring clamp as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The drive shaft is fixedly connected to the dial via a fixed pin, and the sliding displacement of the dial is proportional to the opening and closing range of the pliers head.

5. The tendon thickness measuring clamp as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The gear assembly includes a primary gear and a secondary gear. The primary gear meshes with the rack, the secondary gear engages with the primary gear, and the pointer is fixedly connected to the secondary gear.

6. The tendon thickness measuring clamp as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The dial is equipped with a dial holder, the dial is fixedly mounted on the dial holder, and the pointer is set to correspond to the dial.

7. The tendon thickness measuring clamp as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When holding the handle, the entire process of clamping, measuring, and reading can be completed by pushing the dial with a single finger.

8. The tendon thickness measuring clamp as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The opening and closing distance of the clamp head is converted into the deflection angle of the pointer through gear and rack transmission, and the dial directly displays the tendon thickness value.

9. The tendon thickness measuring clamp as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The primary and secondary gears are installed inside the gear carrier, which is fixed on the dial and moves synchronously with the dial.

10. The tendon thickness measuring clamp as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The clamping surfaces of the maxillary and mandibular masses are adapted to the physiological morphology of the tendons, and when clamping, they gently adhere to the tendon surface without compressing the tissue and causing deformation.

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