External Bone Fixation System with Rotatable Collet Clamps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current external bone fixation devices are cumbersome, complex, and difficult to use, with limited rotational ability and multiple components, making them challenging for both practitioners and patients, especially when treating foot and ankle injuries.
Innovation Solution
An external bone fixation system featuring a fracture fusion tube with a slidably engaged bracket, a rotatable collet clamp, and a perforated ball for adjustable pin placement, secured by a single screw, allowing multiple axes of rotation and simplified assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional ring or halo fixation devices are used to provide support to pins, then bone fixation is achieved, but the devices become bulky and create difficulty for physicians to insert pins and for patients to move independently
Solution Approach 1:
The fixation device is divided into multiple independent components: a frame member, multiple pins, and multiple collectors. Each collector independently holds a pin and can be adjusted separately, replacing the monolithic ring structure with modular segments that reduce bulk while maintaining fixation capability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a two-dimensional ring structure to a three-dimensional configuration where collectors can rotate about pin axes and adjust to different orientations. This adds rotational freedom and spatial adaptability, allowing pins to be positioned in multiple dimensions while reducing the overall footprint of the device
2Reliability
If multiple components are used in external fixation devices to achieve secure fixation, then fixation reliability is improved, but the devices become complicated to use and difficult to adjust
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functions are merged into the collector component, which simultaneously holds the pin, provides rotational adjustment, and serves as an attachment point for the frame member. This consolidation reduces the number of separate parts while maintaining fixation security and adjustability
Solution Approach 2:
The collector is designed as a multi-functional component that can rotate about pin axes, adjust to different orientations, and connect to the frame member. This universal design allows a single component type to perform multiple functions, simplifying the overall device while maintaining reliability
3Reliability
If traditional fixation devices are used, then bone fixation is provided, but rotational ability for a given pin is limited and adjustment is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The collector is designed to be dynamic rather than fixed, allowing it to rotate freely about the pin axis during surgery for optimal positioning, then being locked into place. This dynamic capability provides extensive rotational ability and adaptability while maintaining secure fixation when positioned
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows change in the orientation parameter of pins relative to the frame member through rotational adjustment of collectors. This enables adaptation to different anatomical configurations and injury patterns while maintaining fixation reliability through the locking mechanism
Data Source
AI summary
An external bone fixation system may include a first semi-circular external fixation member, a second semi-circular external fixation member, four ball collet assemblies attached to the second external fixation member, and four shafts. Each shaft may include a first end attached to the first external fixation member and a second end with a stop member, and each of the four shafts extends slidably through an opening in a ball of one of the four ball collet assemblies. The stop member of each second end prevents each second end from passing through the opening in its respective ball. Each shaft also includes a hinge located closer to the first end than to the second end.