Microscope Positioning Unit for Ophthalmoscopic Lens Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing positioning units for microscopes used in eye surgeries face challenges in precise positioning of ophthalmoscopic lenses due to dimensional instability issues with plastic materials, leading to unacceptable deviations and potential waste, especially in fragile rocker mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A positioning unit with an accommodating device allowing orthogonal displacement of the ophthalmoscopic lens, coupled with a connection device for easy attachment to the microscope, and a positioning device enabling precise longitudinal adjustment, using plastic materials for cost-effectiveness and ease of production, with a retaining mechanism for secure lens exchange and adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If plastic materials are used for the positioning unit to reduce production costs and enable disposable use, then manufacturing cost and ease of production are improved, but positioning precision and dimensional stability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning unit is divided into separate functional modules: a positioning device with rocker mechanisms for longitudinal adjustment, an accommodating device for lateral positioning, and a connection device for microscope attachment. This segmentation allows critical positioning components to be optimized for precision while non-critical parts can use cost-effective plastic materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning unit combines plastic materials with metal components (such as adjustment screws, locking mechanisms, or precision bearings) in key areas requiring high precision. This composite approach maintains cost-effectiveness for disposable use while ensuring adequate positioning accuracy through strategic material selection.
2Ease of operation
If the positioning unit is made as a disposable product to eliminate sterilization, then ease of operation and infection risk are improved, but manufacturing precision and reliability worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning unit is designed as a disposable single-use device that is discarded after one use, eliminating sterilization requirements. The design accepts that plastic materials may have slight dimensional variations but ensures adequate precision through robust mechanical design and tolerance compensation mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The design incorporates built-in tolerance compensation and adjustment mechanisms that account for potential dimensional variations in plastic components. The adjustment mechanisms allow for real-time fine-tuning to compensate for manufacturing tolerances, ensuring adequate positioning precision despite material limitations.
3Ease of manufacture
If plastic materials are used in fragile rocker mechanisms, then production cost is improved, but reliability and positioning accuracy worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The rocker mechanisms are segmented into plastic structural components and separate metal functional components (such as pivot pins, bearings, or adjustment screws). This allows the plastic parts to provide structural support at low cost while metal components ensure reliable rotation and precise adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The design modifies geometric parameters of the plastic rocker arms, such as increasing thickness in high-stress areas, optimizing pivot point locations, and designing appropriate clearance tolerances. These parameter changes compensate for the lower inherent strength of plastic materials while maintaining cost-effectiveness.
Data Source
AI summary
A positioning unit for positioning an optical unit in an optical path of a microscope between a microscope lens and in front of an eye to be examined includes a connection device coupling the positioning unit to the microscope. The positioning unit includes an accommodating device configured to adapt an ophthalmoscopic lens that serves to examine an ocular fundus to the positioning unit as an optical element of the optical unit. The positioning unit includes a positioning device to move the ophthalmoscopic lens relative to the microscope in the longitudinal direction of the optical path. The accommodating device presents an adjusting means for displacing the ophthalmoscopic lens in an adjusting plane that runs orthogonally relative to the optical path of the microscope.