Segmented Orthopedic Hinge Assembly for Lateral Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional orthopedic hinge assemblies struggle to apply lateral corrective forces effectively while allowing for forward bending and adaptive sizing to accommodate different body parts, often resulting in skin abrasion and abnormal stresses due to limited flexibility and manufacturing challenges with rigid thermoplastic materials.
Innovation Solution
An orthopedic hinge assembly featuring V-shaped, intermediate, and terminal blades with adjustable holes and furcated ends, allowing for secure attachment with pins and belts, enabling effective lateral corrective forces and adaptive alignment with the body's motion, while maintaining rigidity to prevent rotation and loss of corrective force.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If rigid thermoplastic material is used for orthosis, then strength and castability are improved, but flexibility and adaptability to joint motion deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The orthopedic hinge assembly is divided into multiple blades (V-shaped blade, intermediate blade, terminal blade) connected by hinge joints. This segmentation allows each blade to maintain structural strength while the overall assembly can flex and adapt to joint motion through the hinge connections between segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge assembly incorporates movable hinge joints that allow dynamic adjustment and flexibility. The blades can rotate relative to each other at the hinge points, enabling the rigid thermoplastic structure to adapt dynamically to joint motion while maintaining overall strength.
2Stability of the object's composition
If orthopedic hinge assembly is positioned along the sagittal plane of the joint, then forward bending and device stabilization are improved, but ability to apply lateral corrective force deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge assembly employs an asymmetric design with a V-shaped blade having unequal arms. This asymmetry allows the device to be positioned along the sagittal plane for stability while the asymmetric structure enables effective application of lateral corrective forces through the unequal distribution of corrective elements.
3Device complexity
If conventional orthopedic hinge assembly is used, then device structure is simplified, but ability to adapt to different body part sizes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge assembly incorporates adjustable features including multiple hole positions on blades and interchangeable corrective members that can be positioned at different locations. This universality allows a single device structure to adapt to various body part sizes and anatomical variations while maintaining relatively simple overall construction.
4Strength
If rigid thermoplastic orthosis is used, then manufacturing strength is improved, but skin abrasion and abnormal joint stresses increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge assembly introduces dynamic flexibility through movable joints, allowing the rigid thermoplastic orthosis to move with joint motion. This prevents skin abrasion caused by device rotation and eliminates abnormal joint stresses by enabling the device to follow natural joint movement patterns while maintaining overall structural strength.
Data Source
AI summary
An orthopedic hinge assembly is provided, which includes a V-shaped blade, an intermediate blade and a terminal blade. The V-shaped blade, the intermediate blade and the terminal blade are provided with holes to allow a fixed member to pass through; the V-shaped blade is hinged to one end of the intermediate blade for supporting the bending of a body; another end of the intermediate blade is hinged to the terminal blade for supporting the bending of the body; the strip-shaped grooves on the V-shaped blade, the intermediate blade and the terminal blade can be used to fix the orthopedic hinge assembly to a surface of the body using a belt or other fixed member, and to make the corrective member stably fix to one side of the body, effectively producing the lateral corrective force; the design of each blade can coordinate the forward bending motion of the body, effectively introducing the corrective force.