Bone Anchoring Screw Head With Multi-Stage Driver Sockets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current screws used in medical contexts, such as orthopedic surgery, lack the ability to be efficiently driven and removed using various standard screwdrivers, which is a safety and regulatory concern due to limited flexibility in tool compatibility and the inability to remove screws using screwdrivers of substantially identical dimensions with different socket types.
Innovation Solution
A bone anchoring screw design featuring a recess with multiple stages, each containing different types of sockets such as six-lobed, hexagon, Z-type crosshead, and H-type crosshead sockets, allowing for compatibility with a range of screwdrivers and enabling efficient tightening and loosening, while meeting regulatory safety standards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a screw has a single socket type, then the structure is simple, but the adaptability to different screwdrivers is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The recess is divided into multiple stages (first stage, second stage, third stage) with different socket types. Each stage contains a specific socket configuration (e.g., first stage has Torx socket, second stage has hexagonal socket, third stage has Phillips socket), allowing different screwdriver types to access different stages and enabling the same screw to be operated by multiple standard screwdriver types
Solution Approach 2:
The screw head is designed with multiple socket types in different stages, making it universally compatible with various standard screwdriver types (Torx, hexagonal, Phillips, etc.). This multi-functionality allows a single screw design to serve multiple purposes and be operated by different tools without requiring multiple specialized screw variants
2Ease of operation
If a screw uses a single socket type, then the device is simple to manufacture, but the ease of operation with various tools is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The recess is segmented into multiple axial stages, each with different socket types. The first stage may contain a Torx socket, the second stage a hexagonal socket, and the third stage a Phillips socket. This segmentation allows operators to use any of these standard screwdriver types on the same screw, significantly improving ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of adding complexity in the radial dimension (making the socket larger or more complex), the solution adds complexity in the axial dimension by stacking multiple socket stages along the screw axis. This dimensional approach allows multiple socket types to coexist without excessive radial interference
3Reliability
If medical regulations require extraction capability with standard screwdrivers, then safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The screw incorporates multiple standard socket types (Torx, hexagonal, Phillips) that are universally recognized in medical and industrial applications. This ensures that standard screwdrivers commonly available in medical settings can be used for both insertion and extraction, meeting regulatory requirements for patient safety and implant removability
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-socket recess structure is pre-configured during manufacturing to anticipate future extraction needs. By incorporating multiple socket types in advance, the design ensures that extraction capability is already built-in, eliminating the need for specialized extraction tools or procedures later
Data Source
AI summary
A bone anchoring screw comprises a head, a shaft and a threaded portion arranged successively along a common axis, the head having a recess comprising at least two stages arranged in succession along the common axis, the first stage having a diameter larger than the diameter of the second stage, in which one of the two stages comprises at least one socket of a first type and the other of the two stages comprises at least one socket of the first type and one other type.