Bone Plate Elevated Hole Countersinking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bone plates struggle to securely fasten screws in thin bones, especially in the maxillofacial area, due to limited accessibility and difficulty in recognizing the ideal tightening direction, particularly when the actual tightening direction deviates from the ideal, and predrilling a pilot hole is complex and costly.
Innovation Solution
The bone plate features a surface that runs at a right angle to the hole axis, allowing the screw to be blocked at various angles without additional tools, enabling screws to be countersunk and secured without predrilling, facilitating interoral access and accommodating deviations in tightening direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If the bone plate has a small plate thickness to accommodate limited soft tissue and aesthetic requirements in the maxillofacial area, then the plate becomes more aesthetically acceptable and feasible for thin tissue areas, but the axial length of the hole becomes insufficient to allow countersinking of the screw head when the tightening direction deviates from the ideal direction
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a new dimensional feature - an elevated area with a countersunk surface on the plate. This elevated area creates additional vertical space (a new dimension) specifically at the hole location, allowing the screw head to be countersunk into this elevated region. This resolves the contradiction by providing the necessary countersinking space without increasing the overall plate thickness, as the elevated area is a localized feature within the existing plate thickness.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the hole axis runs obliquely in relation to the underside of the plate to accommodate anatomical variations, then the plate can adapt to different bone surfaces, but the surgeon cannot easily recognize the ideal tightening direction and must create a complex pilot hole to guide the screwdriver
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses surface geometry changes (the elevated area with countersunk surface) to visually indicate the correct tightening direction. The elevated area acts as a visual guide, showing the surgeon exactly where and in what direction to apply the screwdriver. This eliminates the need for complex pilot holes, as the elevated area itself provides the guidance information through its physical presence and orientation.
Solution Approach 2:
The elevated area with countersunk surface serves a dual function: it guides the tightening direction and simultaneously provides the countersinking space. The structure is self-guiding, as the elevated area naturally directs the screwdriver along the hole axis without requiring external guidance tools like pilot holes. The plate essentially guides its own screw insertion process through the geometric features of the elevated area.
3Manufacturing precision
If a pilot hole is created to guide the screwdriver in the ideal tightening direction, then the screw can be tightened precisely, but the surgical procedure becomes more time-consuming and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The elevated area with countersunk surface is pre-formed during plate manufacturing, performing the guidance function in advance. This preliminary preparation of the plate surface eliminates the need for the surgeon to create a pilot hole during surgery. The guidance information is already embedded in the plate structure, allowing the surgeon to directly insert and tighten the screw without time-consuming preliminary drilling operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A bone plate has at least one plate hole whose hole axis runs obliquely in relation to the underside of the plate. The hole axis has an elevation angle (ε) in relation to the plane of the underside of the plate which is different from 90°, and in which plate the upper face of the plate runs at least partially not parallel to the underside of the plate, at least in the area around the plate hole, but instead runs at a right angle to the hole axis. The plate hole is designed such that a bone screw, which is screwed into the plate hole, can be blocked in the plate hole at an angle selected from a predefined angle range around the elevation angle (ε) of the hole axis of the plate hole only by cooperation of the plate hole with the bone screw, without other additional auxiliary means.