Surgical Drill Tracker Attachment for Removable, Consistent Marker Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical instruments lack an accessory mount that allows for easy installation and removal of tracking markers while ensuring consistent alignment, which is crucial for accurate surgical navigation systems.
Innovation Solution
A surgical instrument attachment with a cantilever arm and accessory mount that facilitates easy installation and removal of tracking markers, coupled with a tracker frame and optical markers for precise positioning, and a sterile packaging system to maintain sterility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a tracking marker is permanently fixed to the surgical instrument, then the alignment is consistent, but the installation and removal of the accessory is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical instrument is divided into separate components: the handpiece, the attachment body, and the tracking marker accessory. The tracking marker is not permanently fixed but can be independently attached and removed from the attachment body, which itself attaches to the handpiece. This segmentation allows the tracking marker to be easily installed and removed while maintaining alignment consistency through the structured connection interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment body serves as an intermediary component between the surgical handpiece and the tracking marker accessory. It provides a standardized interface (with the bushing portion and mount flange) that ensures consistent alignment of the tracking marker while allowing easy attachment and removal. The intermediary structure decouples the permanent fixation requirement from the ease of installation requirement.
2Device complexity
If the accessory mount is positioned close to the surgical handpiece, then the structure is compact, but the alignment precision is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The accessory mount is extended from the attachment body along the longitudinal axis, creating a cantilever structure that positions the mounting point at a distance from the handpiece. This dimensional extension along the axis allows sufficient space for precise alignment features (alignment pegs and channels) to be implemented, improving alignment precision while maintaining overall structural compactness through the linear arrangement.
3Measurement precision
If the tracker is positioned to ensure accurate tracking, then the navigation accuracy is improved, but the user fatigue increases
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment body is designed with pre-positioned alignment pegs and the accessory mount with alignment channels that guide the tracker into the correct position during attachment. This preliminary structuring of alignment features ensures that accurate tracking is achieved automatically through the mechanical interface, without requiring additional weight or complex adjustment mechanisms that would increase user fatigue.
Data Source
AI summary
A tracker attachment for a high-speed drill device may include an attachment that includes an attachment body engageable with a surgical handpiece and a tracker operable with a surgical navigation system to track the position of the attachment. The attachment may further include a cantilever arm extending proximally of the attachment body to an accessory mount. The tracker may include an accessory socket configured for removable engagement with the accessory mount. The system may further include a sterile packaging system for storing and transporting the tracker.