Overhead Slit Lamp Assembly for Wheelchair-Accessible Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing slit lamp and biomicroscope assemblies face ergonomic challenges when used with patients in wheelchairs or those with medical and anatomic restrictions, as they require table-based mounting systems that hinder mobility and positioning flexibility.
Innovation Solution
A slit lamp and biomicroscope assembly with a positioning system that includes actuators for controlling the biomicroscope along multiple axes, a user interface handle with input devices for precise control, and a light processing system for adjustable light attributes, allowing ergonomic and precise examination without a table base.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a table-based mounting system is used for slit lamp and biomicroscope, then the instrument provides stable support and accurate positioning, but it hinders mobility and positioning flexibility especially for patients in wheelchairs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical table-based mounting system with an overhead suspension system that uses counterweights and pulleys to support the slit lamp and biomicroscope. This substitution eliminates the need for a table base, improving mobility and accessibility for patients in wheelchairs while maintaining stable positioning through the counterbalanced mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of supporting the instrument from below with a table, the patent inverts the support approach by suspending the instrument from above using an overhead assembly. This inversion allows the instrument to be positioned over the patient rather than requiring the patient to be positioned at a table, significantly improving accessibility for patients with mobility restrictions
2Adaptability or versatility
If traditional table-based mounting is used, then the instrument structure is simple, but it creates ergonomic obstacles for examining patients with medical and anatomic restrictions
Solution Approach 1:
The overhead mounting system serves multiple functions: it provides stable instrument support, enables easy repositioning along the patient's body, improves accessibility for patients in wheelchairs, and allows ergonomic adjustment for both the instrument and examiner. This multi-functionality achieves high adaptability without proportionally increasing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates dynamic elements including movable pulleys, adjustable counterweights, and flexible positioning mechanisms that allow the slit lamp and biomicroscope to be easily repositioned along the patient's body and adjusted for optimal viewing angles, enhancing ergonomic adaptability
Data Source
AI summary
A slit lamp and biomicroscope assembly can include a viewing system including a biomicroscope; an illumination system including a slit lamp with a light source and a light processing system with a first actuator; a positioning system supporting the biomicroscope and the slit lamp and including second and third actuators to position the biomicroscope along horizontal and vertical axes; and a user interface handle. The user interface handle can be graspable by a hand of a user and supported on the positioning system proximate to the biomicroscope such that a user looking into the biomicroscope can reach the user interface handle. The user interface handle can include a plurality of input devices including input devices in communication with the actuators.