Medical Insertion Device With Variable Resistor for Nerve Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional medical inserting apparatuses fail to correctly identify the type of tissue around a screw nail due to the higher resistance value of nerves compared to conductor elements, preventing current flow and making it difficult to prevent nerve damage during insertion.
Innovation Solution
A medical inserting apparatus with a variable resistor that increases the resistance value of the conductor element, allowing a predetermined current to flow to the tissue, enabling accurate identification of tissue type and preventing nerve damage by adjusting the resistance value to allow current flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If a conductor element with low resistance is used to apply current to the tissue, then the current flows easily through the conductor element, but the current does not flow to the nerve because the nerve has higher resistance, making it impossible to identify the resistance value of the tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the resistance parameter of the conductor element by introducing a variable resistor that can adjust the resistance value dynamically. This allows the system to match the resistance of the conductor element to the resistance of the target tissue (nerve), enabling current flow to the nerve while maintaining good current flow efficiency through the conductor element.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the resistance of the conductor element dynamic rather than fixed. By using a variable resistor that can be adjusted during operation, the system can adapt to different tissue types and their varying resistance values, allowing current to flow to nerves with higher resistance while maintaining measurement precision for tissue identification.
2Measurement precision
If the resistance value of the conductor element is increased to allow current to flow to the nerve, then tissue identification becomes possible, but the current flow efficiency through the conductor element decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The variable resistor enables dynamic adjustment of the conductor element's resistance value. The system can optimize the resistance setting during operation to achieve the right balance between allowing sufficient current flow to the nerve for identification purposes and maintaining adequate current flow efficiency through the conductor element.
Solution Approach 2:
By introducing a variable resistor, the patent transforms the fixed resistance parameter into an adjustable one. This allows the resistance value to be changed based on the specific tissue being targeted, optimizing both the current flow to the nerve for identification and the overall current flow efficiency through the conductor element.
3Device complexity
If a fixed resistance conductor element is used, then the device structure is simple, but it cannot adapt to different tissue types with varying resistance values
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a variable resistor that can be adjusted to adapt to different tissue types. This dynamic component allows the conductor element to match the resistance values of various tissues (nerve, muscle, etc.), significantly improving tissue type adaptability while adding only moderate complexity to the device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
By incorporating a variable resistor, the conductor element becomes a multi-functional component that can serve both as a current delivery path and as an adaptable interface for different tissue types. This universal design allows the same conductor element to work effectively with nerves, muscles, and other tissues having different resistance values.
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
Enables real-time sensing of nerve contact and prevents nerve damage by correctly identifying tissue type through adjusted resistance values, ensuring safe screw nail insertion.
Implementation Method 1
increasing the resistance value of the conductor element serving as the path the current flows back
Implementation Method 2
a current generator to generate a current and a conductor element through which the current flows
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a
AI summary
A medical inserting apparatus includes a screw nail which is inserted into a human body, a driver which inserts the screw nail into the human body, a current generator disposed in the driver to generate a predetermined current, a current meter disposed in the driver to measure the current, and a conductor element disposed in the screw nail and the driver along a lengthwise direction and including an exposed portion which is exposed to outside, wherein the conductor element includes a forward conductor element connected to the current generator to allow the current generated by the current generator to flow into the human body, and a reverse conductor element having one end electrically connected to the forward conductor element and the other end connected to the current generator, and including a variable resistor and the current meter installed to allow the current generated by the current generator to flow to the current meter by current division with resistance of the human body.