Bone Reposition Device with Six Degrees of Freedom for Fracture Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional external fixator designs lack sufficient degrees of freedom for controllable three-dimensional adjustment of bone segments, making fracture reduction a subjective and time-consuming process with limited accuracy, often resulting in tissue disruption and excessive radiation exposure.
Innovation Solution
A bone reposition device with six joints, each providing one degree of freedom for controllable rotation or translation, combined with three-dimensional medical imaging and computing to determine and execute precise adjustment factors for accurate bone realignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional external fixator designs with ball-and-socket joints and telescopic joints are used, then three-dimensional adjustment capability is provided, but controllable adjustments become difficult due to the nature of the joints
Solution Approach 1:
The device divides the adjustment mechanism into six independent joints, each with a specific degree of freedom (three rotational and three translational). This segmentation allows each joint to be controlled independently through individual actuators, making the complex three-dimensional adjustment controllable while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The device employs dynamic actuators (motors) for each joint that can be independently controlled to achieve precise positioning. This dynamic control system allows the fixator to adapt to different bone alignment requirements while maintaining ease of operation through programmable motion sequences.
2Measurement precision
If conventional external fixator designs with serrated locking mechanisms are used, then joint positioning is possible, but positioning and fixing of joints at arbitrary positions becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The device replaces traditional mechanical locking mechanisms with motorized actuators that can be precisely controlled to achieve arbitrary positioning. This substitution eliminates the discrete positioning limitations of mechanical locks while maintaining measurement precision through feedback control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The device uses adjustable motor parameters (torque, speed, position) to achieve continuous range of motion and arbitrary positioning of each joint. This allows the fixator to adapt to any bone alignment requirement while maintaining precise control through parameter adjustment.
3Ease of operation
If conventional fracture reduction process with trial and error adjustments is used, then bone realignment can be attempted, but the process becomes subjective and time-consuming with experience-dependent accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The device incorporates feedback from three-dimensional medical images to guide the adjustment process. The imaging system provides real-time information about bone fragment positions, allowing the surgeon to make informed adjustments rather than relying on trial and error, thereby reducing time and improving accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The device introduces an intermediary computational system that processes three-dimensional imaging data and translates it into specific adjustment instructions for each joint. This intermediary eliminates the need for the surgeon to mentally recreate spatial relationships, making the process objective and less time-consuming.
4Ease of operation
If conventional external fixator adjustments are performed with repeated unlocking and re-locking, then fracture site manipulation is possible, but excessive tissue disruptions occur which compromise tissue integrity and delay fracture healing
Solution Approach 1:
The device performs preliminary three-dimensional imaging and computational planning before actual bone manipulation. This allows the surgeon to pre-determine the exact adjustment needed for each joint, minimizing the number of manipulation cycles required and reducing tissue disruption.
Solution Approach 2:
The device maintains continuous control over bone fragment positions through motorized actuators, eliminating the need to repeatedly unlock and re-lock joints. This continuous action minimizes disturbance to the fracture site and surrounding tissues while achieving the desired alignment.
Data Source
AI summary
A bone reposition device includes first and second bone supports for supporting first and second portions of a fracture or osteotomize bone about a fracture or osteotomize site, a plurality of sequentially connected connection members and a plurality of joints each with at least a pair of adjacent parts for connecting the connection members therebetween and to the first and second bone supports. The plurality of joints includes at least six joints, each of which possesses one degree of freedom and allows controllable relative rotation or translation of said pair of adjacent parts about one of three axes respectively.