Motorized Strut Feedback for Load-Balanced Bone Frame Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spatial frames for bone fracture treatment require manual strut adjustments, leading to patient compliance issues, uneven loading, and inaccurate healing assessments, resulting in prolonged healing times and potential complications.
Innovation Solution
Implementing motorized struts with geared-motor assemblies and processing components that monitor loading parameters, adjust struts autonomously, and utilize machine-learning for precise healing predictions, reducing manual intervention and enhancing treatment accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If motorized struts with feedback systems are implemented, then treatment accuracy and healing prediction improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where motors monitor their own loading conditions and provide this information to a control system. This feedback enables the system to detect healing status, adjust treatment parameters, and predict outcomes, thereby improving measurement precision and healing prediction accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The motorized struts are designed to self-monitor their loading conditions and automatically provide data to the control system without requiring external intervention. This self-service capability reduces the need for manual assessment while improving the accuracy of healing predictions.
2Loss of time
If frequent strut adjustments are made to optimize healing, then healing time is reduced, but risk of hardware damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The loading monitoring system provides real-time feedback on strut conditions, allowing the control system to determine the optimal timing for adjustments. This feedback mechanism enables frequent adjustments when needed while avoiding adjustments that could damage hardware by monitoring actual loading conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary monitoring of loading conditions before making adjustments, allowing the control system to plan adjustments in advance based on predicted healing status. This preliminary action enables timing adjustments to occur at optimal moments that promote healing while minimizing hardware stress.
3Device complexity
If manual strut adjustments are used, then device complexity is reduced, but patient compliance becomes a limiting factor
Solution Approach 1:
The motorized struts automatically perform adjustments based on programmed treatment plans and real-time loading conditions, eliminating the need for patient compliance with manual adjustments. The system self-regulates the treatment process while maintaining simplicity through automated control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical manual adjustment system with an automated motorized system that uses electrical control to perform strut adjustments. This substitution eliminates patient compliance requirements while maintaining relative simplicity through standard motor control mechanisms.
4Measurement precision
If loading monitoring is implemented, then treatment optimization improves, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The motors monitor their own loading conditions using their existing motor controllers and available sensors, eliminating the need for separate dedicated monitoring systems. This self-service approach improves loading measurement accuracy while minimizing additional energy consumption by utilizing existing system resources.
Data Source
AI summary
A spatial frame apparatus for positioning on a patient to treat an injury. The apparatus includes a frame having one or more motorized struts. One or more motorized struts include one or more motors configured to cause movement of one or more motorized struts in one or more directions in accordance with one or more treatment plans. The apparatus includes one or more processing 2024/102351 components communicatively coupled to one or more motorized struts and/or one or more motors. One or more processing components determine one or more loading parameters on the one or more motorized struts. The loading parameters define loading on the one or more motorized struts resulting from the frame being positioned and/or adjusted on the patient. The processing components execute at least one adjustment of one or more motorized struts based on the determined loading parameters.