Linear Electric Surgical Hammer for Hose-Free Bone Impaction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Orthopedic surgeons face challenges with existing bone-cutting tools that require hammers or pneumatic tools, which can cause joint stress and are inconvenient due to air hose connections, limiting tool orientation.
Innovation Solution
A linear electric surgical hammer impact tool with a housing, shuttle, piston, and motor system that generates impact forces using a linear electric motor, allowing for efficient and convenient tool operation without the need for hammers or air hoses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a hammer or pneumatic tool is used to transmit impaction force to the broach tool, then the impaction force can be effectively transmitted, but the physician experiences high stresses on their own joints and the pneumatic tool requires connection to an air hose which limits tool orientation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional pneumatic impact system with a linear electric motor system. The linear electric motor (124) directly drives the impactor (108) to deliver impaction forces to the broach tool, eliminating the need for pneumatic hoses and external air supplies. This substitution reduces physician joint stress by providing precise electronic control over impact delivery while removing the complexity of pneumatic connections and air hose management.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a pneumatic impact tool is used, then impaction force can be delivered, but the air hose connection limits the physician's ability to orient the tool in the desired manner
Solution Approach 1:
The linear electric motor system replaces the pneumatic system, eliminating air hoses and their associated connection points. This allows the surgeon to orient and position the tool freely in any direction without being constrained by hose routing, significantly improving adaptability and versatility during surgical procedures.
3Force
If a hammer is used to strike the broach tool, then impaction force is transmitted, but the operation becomes tiresome and causes high stresses on the physician's joints
Solution Approach 1:
The manual hammering action is replaced by an automated linear electric motor system that generates and delivers impaction forces electronically. The motor controllably moves the impactor to strike the broach tool with precise force and frequency, eliminating the need for the physician to repeatedly swing a hammer, thereby reducing fatigue and joint stress while maintaining effective impaction forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The linear electric motor system is self-powered and self-controlled, generating its own impaction forces without requiring external manual input for each strike. The system autonomously delivers the required impaction sequence, making the surgical tool self-sufficient and freeing the physician from repetitive physical exertion.
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 tool reduces joint stress and provides convenient tool orientation, enabling efficient bone-cutting operations with improved control and reduced user fatigue.
Implementation Method 1
a motor configured to drive the piston along the longitudinal axis in a first direction and a second direction
Implementation Method 2
a first biasing member located in between the first end of the shuttle and the cap; and a second biasing member located in between the second end of the shuttle and the partition
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are linear electric surgical hammer impact tools and methods of use thereof. The linear electric surgical hammer impact tools can include a shuttle located inside a cavity of a housing. A wall of the shuttle defines a plurality of grooves extend from a first end of the shuttle to a second end of the shuttle. A piston can be located at least partially within the shuttle and arranged along the longitudinal axis of the housing. The piston includes protrusions and each of the protrusions can be arranged to travel within a respective one of the grooves of the shuttle. Motion of the piston in a first direction causes the piston to contact the first end of the shuttle and motion of the piston in a second direction causes the piston to contact the second end of the shuttle.