Compact Mount Assemblies for Navigated Surgical Trackers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional adjustable trackers for surgical navigation systems are bulky and pose a risk of obscuring the target site or causing tracking inaccuracies due to large, individually articulable joints, which can bump or jostle against surgical instruments or imaging devices.
Innovation Solution
A mount assembly for navigable trackers featuring a frame with a coupler and guide system that allows for selective pivoting and translational movement of anchors, secured by locks that can be configured to restrict or permit movement, enabling adjustable positioning without increasing bulkiness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional adjustable trackers use large adjustable linkages with individually articulable joints, then the tracker can be positioned in multiple degrees of freedom, but the tracker becomes bulky and may obscure the target site or bump against surgical instruments
Solution Approach 1:
The tracker is divided into separate functional modules: a compact base plate for attachment to anatomy, thin profile arms for positioning, and distinct locking mechanisms. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for minimal size while maintaining overall adjustability through the modular arrangement of segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The tracker design employs nesting by placing articulation joints within the thickness of the arms rather than extending them outward, and by allowing the arms to nest against the base plate when not in use. This nested configuration reduces the overall volume of the tracker while preserving full articulation capability when needed.
2Measurement precision
If conventional adjustable trackers use individually articulable joints, then the tracker can be positioned precisely, but the joints are at risk of bumping or jostling by surgical instruments or imaging devices
Solution Approach 1:
The tracker employs dynamic locking mechanisms that transition between locked and unlocked states based on operational needs. The joints are designed with movable locking elements that can be engaged to secure the arm in a precise position during tracking, and disengaged for repositioning, providing both precision and protection against instrument interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The design introduces intermediary locking structures between the articulation joints and the arm components. These locking elements act as mediators that prevent direct contact between surgical instruments and the articulation joints, thereby protecting the joints from bumping or jostling while maintaining the precision of the tracker's position.
3Volume of moving object
If trackers are made compact to reduce bulkiness, then access to the target site is improved, but the ability to provide adjustable positioning may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The tracker design utilizes the thickness dimension of the arms to accommodate articulation joints and locking mechanisms, rather than increasing the profile width or length. By folding the articulation movements within the arm thickness and using multi-layer construction, the tracker achieves compactness in the primary viewing plane while maintaining full adjustability through three-dimensional movement capabilities.
Data Source
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Figure 3A
AI summary
A mount assembly for use with a navigable tracker. The mount assembly includes a frame defining a seat, a coupler operatively attached to the frame for releasably securing to the navigable tracker, and a guide defining a bore and arranged in the seat for selective pivoting movement about a pivot point disposed within the bore. An anchor having a shank is arranged for selective sliding engagement with the bore. A guide lock is coupled to the frame and is selectively operable between: a locked configuration to restrict movement of both the anchor and the guide relative to the frame, and a released configuration to simultaneously permit pivoting movement of the anchor relative to the frame about the pivot point and translational movement of the anchor relative to the guide through the bore.