Bone Marker Fastening Spring Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for attaching marker devices to bones require a lengthy process, increasing operating time and patient exposure in image-guided operations.
Innovation Solution
A device featuring a fixing element with a mounting for the marker device and a spring that exerts force against an abutment to secure the marker device to the bone, allowing pre-attachment fitting and automatic pressure without the need for additional adjusting screws, ensuring rotational stability and adaptability to bone characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a multi-component fastening device with adjusting screw and clamping device is used, then the marker device can be securely fastened to the bone, but the attachment process requires a large number of steps and increases operating time
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening device is divided into functionally independent components: a fixing element with mounting for the marker device, and a separate spring mechanism. This segmentation allows the device to be pre-assembled and attached to the bone in a single step, eliminating the need for multiple adjustment operations while maintaining secure fastening through the spring's continuous pressing force.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring is pre-loaded and integrated with the fixing element before the device is attached to the bone. This preliminary action ensures that the pressing force is automatically applied as soon as the device is mounted, eliminating the need for post-attachment adjustment operations and reducing operating time.
2Manufacturing precision
If an adjusting screw is used to press the sleeve against the bone, then the desired alignment can be achieved, but forces act on the fastening device and patient during adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The spring automatically generates and maintains the pressing force against the bone without requiring external adjustment mechanisms. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for adjusting screws and the associated forces applied during operation, while still achieving and maintaining the desired alignment through the spring's elastic pressing action.
3Reliability
If multiple components are used in the fastening device, then the marker device can be securely attached, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring and fixing element are merged into a single integrated unit, with the spring directly attached to the fixing element. This combination reduces the number of separate components while maintaining attachment security through the spring's continuous pressing force on the bone.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the pressing force against the bone, maintains the fixing element's position, and compensates for bone settlement over time. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional components while ensuring reliable attachment.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the fixing element is pressed against the bone with constant force, then rotational stability is maintained, but the device cannot adapt if the bone becomes softer over time
Solution Approach 1:
The spring provides a dynamic pressing force that can automatically adjust to changes in bone characteristics. If the bone becomes softer over time, the spring compresses further and maintains the same pressing force, ensuring continuous rotational stability without requiring manual adjustment while adapting to the changed bone conditions.
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 reduces operating time by enabling pre-attachment fitting and automatic fixation, maintaining stability even if the bone becomes softer over time, while minimizing torque-induced displacement and allowing for unicortical screwing.
Implementation Method 1
a spring (5) designed to contact an abutment (6) for exerting a force between the abutment (6) and the fixing element (3) in the direction of the bone
Data Source
AI summary
A device for fastening a marker device to a bone, comprising a fixing element including a mounting for the marker device, comprising a spring designed to contact an abutment for exerting a force between the abutment and the fixing element in the direction of the bone.