External Fixator Frame With Pivoting Half-Ring Adjustment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing external fixation systems for bone deformities, particularly those affecting the foot and ankle, lack flexibility and motion, making daily adjustments difficult for patients and potentially hindering optimal clinical outcomes due to static and non-pivoting components.
Innovation Solution
An external fixation frame with adjustable and pivoting components, including a half-ring and struts with universal and constrained hinge joints, allowing for easier and more precise adjustments without the need for tools, and a rocker member for improved stability and ground contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a solid and stationary half-ring is assembled to the foot ring, then structural stability is improved, but flexibility and motion are restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by replacing the solid stationary half-ring with a dynamic, adjustable half-ring assembly that can pivot and adapt to different positions. The half-ring is connected through a hinge joint that allows controlled motion, enabling the structure to transition from static to dynamic while maintaining stability when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the solid half-ring into separate components: a movable half-ring portion and a stationary foot ring, connected by a hinge joint. This segmentation allows independent movement of each component, providing both stability from the anchored foot ring and flexibility from the movable half-ring portion.
2Adaptability or versatility
If nuts are used to adjust the length of struts, then length adjustment capability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to need for tools and manual adjustment difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by designing struts with self-adjusting mechanisms that do not require external tools or manual manipulation of nuts. The struts incorporate features such as self-locking joints or automatic length adjustment capabilities that allow the structure to adapt without user intervention, significantly improving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical nut-and-bolt adjustment system with an alternative mechanism that eliminates the need for threaded fasteners and manual tightening. This substitution could involve cam-based adjustment, shape memory alloy components, or other non-mechanical adjustment methods that improve operational ease.
3Strength
If adjustment points are located between the ends of struts, then structural integrity is improved, but access for patient adjustment deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dimensionality change by relocating adjustment points from internal positions between strut ends to external surfaces of the frame structure. This spatial repositioning maintains structural integrity while providing accessible adjustment points that patients can reach and operate without disassembling structural components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary elements such as accessible adjustment knobs or external control mechanisms that are positioned on the outer surface of the frame. These intermediaries serve as mediators between the patient and the internal structural components, allowing adjustment without compromising structural integrity while providing easy access.
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
Enhances patient convenience and clinical outcomes by providing flexible adjustment capabilities, reducing the risk of accidental injury, and maintaining stable fixation during deformity correction.
Implementation Method 1
A hinge joint allows the half ring to be assembled in multiple locations and positions on the distal portion of the foot ring
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are external fixation frames for correcting bone deformities. The external fixation frames include a top fixation ring and a bottom fixation ring coupled to one another by at least two struts. A half ring is coupled to bottom fixation ring. The bottom fixation ring is u-shaped. One or more rocker members may be coupled to the bottom fixation ring. The half ring may be hingedly coupled to the bottom fixation ring such that it can rotate with respect to the bottom fixation ring from a first position to a second position.