Surgical Drape Deformable Rods Navigation Reference
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surgical drapes with protruding reference means for navigation systems face challenges in storage and sterilization due to separate components and potential creases or kinks, making them difficult to handle and store effectively.
Innovation Solution
A surgical drape with a flat, flexible cover element featuring deformable rod elements and an elongated shortening means that can be fixed to the cover element, allowing the area for the reference means to rise out of the plane and form a smooth, crease-free tunnel-like shape for accommodating navigation system components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a hood-like film is used to accommodate the reference means protruding from the drape, then the reference means can be covered and accommodated, but the drape becomes difficult to store and handle due to the protruding structure
Solution Approach 1:
The rod elements are designed to be deformable, allowing the drape to dynamically change its configuration. In storage, the rod elements remain straight and the drape stays flat. During use, the rod elements are deformed to create the hood-like structure that accommodates the reference means, enabling easy storage and proper functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The drape is segmented into a flat cover element and separate deformable rod elements that can be independently positioned. This segmentation allows the rod elements to be stored in a compact manner with the flat drape and only assembled into the hood structure when needed, improving storability while maintaining adaptability.
2Ease of manufacture
If the drape and covering means are connected before sterilization, then assembly is simplified, but the protruding structure creates storage and sterilization difficulties
Solution Approach 1:
The deformable rod elements enable the drape to be flat and compact during storage and sterilization, then dynamically form the hood structure when deployed. This dynamic capability allows the components to be connected while maintaining ease of storage and sterilization, as the hood structure is only formed when needed.
3Reliability
If the reference means protrudes from the drape plane, then it can be identified by the navigation system, but it creates creases and kinks that affect storage
Solution Approach 1:
The rod elements are deformable, allowing the drape to transition from a flat, wrinkle-free state during storage to a hood-like structure during use that accommodates the reference means. This dynamic transformation ensures the drape remains smooth when stored and properly shaped when in use.
Solution Approach 2:
The rod elements are pre-connected to the drape in a straight configuration that maintains a flat surface. The hood-like structure is formed only when needed by deforming the rod elements, preventing creases and kinks during storage while ensuring proper accommodation of the reference means during use.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a surgical drape (10), comprising a planar, flexible covering element (11) having an area (30) for accommodating a reference means (40) for a navigation system, the reference means protruding from the plane of the covering element, wherein the area (30) has at least two deformable, elongated bar elements (18), which are at least partially connected to the covering element (30) and have two bar ends (27), wherein the bar elements include the area (30) for accommodating the reference means (40) between the bar elements, and at least one elongated shortening means (20), which can be fixed on the covering element (11) and interacts with at least one of the bar elements (18), for reducing and/or fixing the distance of the two bar ends (27) from each other in the plane of the covering element (11) so that the area (30) for accommodating the reference means (40) is lifted out of the plane of the covering element (11).