Surgical Slush Drape Connection With Alignment and Breakaway Features
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical slush machines face challenges in forming an appropriate interface between the piston and the drape, leading to frozen fluid buildup on the sidewalls and inconsistent operation, which can cause damage to the system.
Innovation Solution
A connection system is introduced between the piston and the drape, featuring alignment members and cutouts to ensure proper rotational alignment and a breakaway mechanism to prevent damage from excessive ice buildup.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the piston is rigidly connected to the drape, then the drape moves consistently to prevent frozen fluid buildup, but the system becomes vulnerable to damage from excessive ice buildup
Solution Approach 1:
The connection between the piston and drape is made dynamic through a breakaway mechanism. The drape connection member is initially rigid to ensure consistent movement, but can break away under excessive force. This allows the system to transition from a rigid to a flexible state, preventing damage while maintaining reliable operation during normal conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The breakaway mechanism serves as a pre-designed failure point that protects the system from damage. By anticipating the possibility of excessive ice buildup, the design incorporates a controlled weakness that will fail before critical components are damaged, cushioning the system against harmful forces.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the drape is made rigid to maintain connection with the piston, then connection stability is improved, but the drape cannot flex sufficiently when ice buildup occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The drape connection system transitions from a purely rigid structure to a dynamic system with a breakaway mechanism. The connection is rigid under normal operating conditions to maintain stability, but can break away when excessive ice buildup prevents proper flexing, thus adapting to changing conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the mechanical properties of the connection from rigid to broken state when certain conditions are met. The breakaway mechanism allows the connection parameter to change from intact to separated, enabling the drape to adapt when ice buildup exceeds flexible limits.
3Manufacturing precision
If alignment features are added to ensure proper rotational alignment, then connection precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment feature uses asymmetric geometry between the piston connection member and drape connection member. The protrusion on one component fits into a corresponding recess on the other, allowing only one correct rotational orientation. This asymmetric design ensures precise alignment without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment features are designed to automatically guide the drape into the correct rotational position during attachment. The asymmetric protrusion and recess configuration allows the components to self-align without requiring external alignment tools or complex adjustment procedures, reducing overall system complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The connection system ensures consistent operation of the slush machine by preventing frozen fluid buildup and protecting the piston from damage, maintaining the integrity of the surgical slush system.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling device thermally coupled to the basin to cool surgical fluid in the basin to generate a surgical slush
Implementation Method 2
The piston can move relative to the sidewall of the basin, e.g., causing the drape placed in the basin to periodically flex and cause frozen surgical fluid on the sidewalls of the drape to slough off as slush
Data Source
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AI summary
A surgical slush machine may be draped by positioning a portion of a surgical drape over a basin of the surgical slush system. The drape can carry a piston attachment member defining a receiving cavity on a bottom side of the surgical drape. The piston attachment member can be connected to a drape engagement member positioned on an end of a piston of the surgical slush machine. For example, the receiving cavity can be positioned over a drape engagement plate and one or more alignment members extending outwardly from the drape engagement plate. The piston attachment member of the surgical drape can be pressed downwardly on the drape engagement plate and the one or more alignment member and, in some configurations, rotationally interlocked together.