Stylus Assembly Locking Mechanism for Surgical Guide Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical tool guides for joint replacement surgeries face inaccuracies due to unintentional movement of the cutting guide during stylus removal, which can lead to misdirected incisions, and lack feedback on joint surface conditions and ligament health.
Innovation Solution
A stylus assembly with a mounting element, an adjustably mounted stylus having a curved portion for bone engagement, and a lockable retaining member to secure the surgical tool guide, allowing for accurate alignment and feedback on cartilage erosion and natural bone positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the stylus is removed from the guide to increase working space, then the working space is increased, but the cutting guide may move unintentionally causing inaccurate positioning
Solution Approach 1:
A feedback mechanism acts as an intermediary between the stylus and the surgeon, providing visual or tactile indicators that show whether the guide has moved. This allows the surgeon to maintain awareness of guide position even when the stylus is removed, enabling increased working space without sacrificing positioning accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback indicators that provide real-time information about the guide's position relative to the bone. When the stylus is removed, these feedback mechanisms continue to indicate whether the guide has shifted, allowing the surgeon to correct any movement and maintain accurate positioning throughout the procedure.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the stylus is rigidly fixed to the guide, then the positioning stability is improved, but the adjustment flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting element incorporates a dynamic locking mechanism that can transition between locked and unlocked states. When unlocked, the stylus can be adjusted to different positions; when locked, it maintains a stable fixed position. This dynamic capability allows the system to provide both adjustment flexibility during setup and positioning stability during surgery.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the mechanical state parameter of the stylus mounting from movable to fixed through a locking mechanism. This parameter change allows the stylus to transition between adjustable and stable states, providing both adjustment flexibility when needed and positioning stability when required.
3Ease of manufacture
If the stylus references from the tibial plateau, then the positioning is simplified, but the reliability is reduced due to wear and damage in this area
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of directly referencing the worn tibial plateau, the system creates a copy or replica of the original reference geometry through the stylus mounting element. This copied reference surface maintains the geometric relationships needed for accurate positioning while avoiding contact with the damaged tibial plateau, thereby improving reliability without sacrificing positioning simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
A stylus assembly (10) adapted to align a surgical tool with a bone, the stylus assembly (10) comprising: a mounting element (12,18); a tool guide (50) adjustably mounted relative to the mounting element (12,18); a stylus (16) adjustably mounted relative to the mounting element (12,18) and having a curved portion for engagement with a predetermined part of the bone; and a lockable retaining member (14) for simultaneously locking the surgical tool guide (50) and the stylus (16) to the mounting element (12,18).