Screw Delivery System Guide Member Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional screw delivery systems for craniofacial applications face challenges with alignment and force consistency, leading to increased surgical procedure duration due to misalignment and insufficient wedging of screws onto drivers.
Innovation Solution
A screw delivery system comprising a carrier, driver, and nose with guide members that engage to rotate relative to each other, ensuring precise alignment and secure engagement of screws, allowing for automatic orientation and efficient insertion of fasteners into tissue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional screw delivery systems are used with manual alignment and wedging, then the system is simple in structure, but alignment precision and force consistency deteriorate leading to screws falling off
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a nose as an intermediary component between the driver and the screw. The nose includes guide members that facilitate precise alignment and automatic orientation of the screw relative to the driver, eliminating the need for manual alignment while maintaining system simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide members on the nose perform preliminary alignment and orientation actions before the screw is fully engaged with the driver. This preliminary positioning ensures that when the screw is wedged onto the driver, it is already correctly aligned, preventing screws from falling off during the procedure.
2Productivity
If multiple screw drivers are used to reduce delay, then productivity increases, but the risk of misalignment and insufficient wedging increases leading to screws falling off
Solution Approach 1:
The guide members on the nose enable the screw to self-align and self-orient automatically as it is inserted onto the driver. This self-service mechanism ensures consistent alignment and proper wedging regardless of which screw driver is used, maintaining reliability while allowing multiple drivers to be used for increased productivity.
3Productivity
If manual alignment and wedging techniques are used, then device complexity is low, but procedure duration increases due to misalignment and screws falling off
Solution Approach 1:
The nose is nested within the carrier structure, with guide members integrated into the carrier body. This nesting approach allows the alignment and orientation functions to be incorporated without significantly increasing external device complexity, while still achieving automated screw positioning to improve delivery speed.
Data Source
AI summary
A screw delivery system is provided. Such a system may include a carrier including a carrier body, a driver, and a nose. The carrier may define a bore that extends at least partially through the carrier body. The driver may be configured to be at least partially disposed in the bore. The driver may include a head that is configured to mate with a head of a fastener. At least a first guide member may be carried by the carrier body. The nose may be operably aligned with the bore, and may include at least a second guide member that is configured to engage the first guide member. The system may be configured such that insertion of the driver from the bore into the nose causes the first and second guide members to engage so as to cause the nose to rotate relative to the carrier body.