Modular Therapy Device with Pivotable Segment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional therapy devices for postoperative treatment of joints, such as the large toe, are often unwieldy and unsuitable for mobile use, lacking adaptability to anatomical circumstances and requiring a compact, space-saving design for effective treatment.
Innovation Solution
A modular therapy device with a pivotable moving segment and removable extremity support, allowing for flexible use on both sides of the body, featuring a support surface that can be easily exchanged or adjusted, and an integrated drive mechanism with overload safety, ensuring optimal anatomical alignment and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If conventional therapy devices are designed with fixed extremity supports integrated into the main body, then structural stability is improved, but device portability and storage convenience deteriorate due to bulky design
Solution Approach 1:
The therapy device is divided into separate modular components: a main body and removable extremity supports. The extremity supports can be detached from the main body, allowing the main body to be compact for transport while the supports are stored separately or in integrated storage compartments, resolving the contradiction between structural stability during use and compact volume for transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The extremity supports are designed to be stowed within or alongside the main body when not in use, creating a nested configuration. This allows the device to maintain a compact form factor for transport while providing full structural stability when the supports are attached during therapy sessions.
2Manufacturing precision
If therapy devices are designed with fixed configuration for specific body parts, then treatment precision is improved, but adaptability to different body parts and anatomical circumstances deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The main body is designed with symmetrical mounting locations that can accommodate extremity supports for different body parts (left foot, right foot, or other extremities). The removable supports can be exchanged based on treatment needs, allowing a single device to provide precise treatment for multiple different anatomical configurations without requiring separate specialized devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The device transitions from a static fixed configuration to a dynamic reconfigurable system. The extremity supports can be attached or detached from predetermined mounting locations on the main body, enabling the device to adapt its configuration to match different anatomical circumstances while maintaining treatment precision through proper alignment at each mounting location.
3Reliability
If extremity supports are permanently attached to the main body, then connection reliability is improved, but ease of cleaning and maintenance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The connection between extremity supports and main body is designed as a removable interface rather than permanent attachment. This segmentation allows the supports to be easily detached for cleaning or replacement while maintaining reliable connection during therapy through secure mounting mechanisms at predetermined locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The extremity supports are extracted as separate removable components from the main body, allowing them to be easily removed for cleaning, disinfection, or replacement without affecting the main body structure. The mounting interfaces are designed to ensure reliable reconnection while facilitating easy removal for maintenance purposes.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a therapy device for the postoperative treatment of body parts and portions thereof, in particular the large toe, having a main part and a moving segment with a support surface for supporting the body part to be treated. The moving segment is mounted on the main part in a pivotal manner about a pivot axis, and the main part is designed to optionally bear an extremity support on the left and right side.