Bone Anchoring Receiving Part With Flexible Wall Sections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bone anchoring devices face challenges in safe handling during surgery and secure fixation of bone anchoring elements, with current locking mechanisms often inefficient in concentrating clamping force effectively, leading to potential instability and increased costs due to the need for multiple types of polyaxial screws.
Innovation Solution
A receiving part with a head receiving portion featuring slits that form flexible wall sections with distinct circumferential pressure areas, combined with a locking ring that applies pressure only at these areas, enhancing the clamping force and allowing a pre-locking function to prevent accidental removal of the head, while enabling modular compatibility with various anchoring elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a locking ring applies pressure uniformly around the head receiving portion, then the clamping mechanism is simple to manufacture, but the clamping force is not concentrated effectively leading to potential instability
Solution Approach 1:
The locking ring is designed with localized pressure application features (protrusions or angled surfaces) that concentrate clamping force at specific points on the head receiving portion rather than distributing pressure uniformly. This creates high-stress zones that improve fixation reliability while maintaining overall structural simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The locking ring incorporates discrete pressure application points segmented around the circumference, allowing concentrated force at critical locations while leaving other areas open or reduced. This segmentation enables effective clamping without requiring complex uniform pressure distribution mechanisms
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple types of polyaxial screws are maintained in inventory to cover various clinical needs, then adaptability to different clinical requirements is improved, but inventory costs and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving part is designed with a universal interface that can accommodate multiple types of bone anchoring elements through standardized geometric features (spherical head reception, polyaxial rotation capability). This single universal design replaces the need for multiple specialized screw types, reducing inventory complexity while maintaining clinical adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The receiving part incorporates dynamic polyaxial rotation capability that allows adjustment to various angles and orientations during surgery. This dynamic adaptability enables a single device type to serve multiple clinical scenarios that previously required different fixed-design screws
3Ease of operation
If the head receiving portion is made flexible with slits to allow compression, then ease of head insertion is improved, but structural strength may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The head receiving portion incorporates slits that create flexible wall sections capable of radial compression during head insertion. These flexible sections act like bellows or collapsible structures, allowing easy insertion while maintaining overall structural integrity through the rigid frame and locking mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible wall sections are pre-configured with the slits to allow controlled compression only during the insertion phase. Once the head is inserted and the locking ring engages, the structure transitions to a locked rigid state, preventing any compromise of strength during the functional loading phase
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides precise and safe fixation of bone anchoring elements by concentrating clamping force on specific areas, improving surgical handling and reducing inventory costs through modular compatibility, offering a robust and efficient bone anchoring system.
Implementation Method 1
The head can be clamped by compressing a plurality of flexible wall sections with the locking ring wherein the clamping force is generated in a wall section at a circumferentially distinct pressure area
Data Source
AI summary
A receiving part for receiving a rod for coupling the rod to a bone anchoring element (1) is provided, the receiving part including a receiving part body (5, 5', 5 ") with a top end (9a) and a bottom end (17b), and a rod receiving portion (9) with a channel (12) for receiving the rod (100), and a head receiving portion (17) for accommodating a head (3) of the bone anchoring element, the head receiving portion having an open end (19, 17b) for introducing the head (3); and a locking ring (6, 6', 6") embracing the head receiving portion (17), wherein the head receiving portion comprises a plurality of flexible wall portions (17a) and wherein the flexible wall portions (17a) and the locking ring (6, 6', 6") are configured to engage each other at circumferentially distinct pressure areas (21, 21', 21 ") within the flexible wall sections (17a).