Surgical Guide Alignment Checking for Master Tube Axis Accuracy

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

There is a need to ensure that the physical surgical guide accurately matches the virtually designed surgical guide, as manufacturing errors or insertion errors can offset the axis of the master tubes, affecting the precision of dental implant placement.

Innovation Solution

A system is provided to check the accuracy of the physical surgical guide by using master tubes with attached scan bodies, which are scanned to obtain digital data for comparison with the virtual design, and a check protocol form is used to verify alignment with the virtual plan, either physically or digitally.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the physical surgical guide is manufactured using additive or substrative methods, then the surgical guide can be produced efficiently, but manufacturing errors can offset the axis of master tubes affecting precision

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing efficiencyVSAvoidaxis alignment precision
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by incorporating verification features (master tubes with scan bodies, check protocol forms) into the surgical guide design before manufacturing. This allows the axis alignment to be verified and corrected in the virtual planning stage, preventing manufacturing errors from affecting the final precision while maintaining efficient additive or substrative manufacturing processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Manufacturing precision

If traditional manufacturing methods are used for surgical guides, then manufacturing precision can be maintained, but the complexity of verifying alignment with virtual plan increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaxis alignment precisionVSAvoidverification system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies copying by creating a physical verification model (surgical guide with master tubes and scan bodies) that replicates the virtual plan. This physical copy can be scanned and compared directly to the virtual design, simplifying the verification process while maintaining manufacturing precision, as the verification system mirrors the digital twin rather than requiring complex computational comparisons.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

3Ease of operation

If manual inspection methods are used to verify surgical guide accuracy, then the verification process can be simple, but time consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveverification simplicityVSAvoidverification time
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual visual inspection with a digital scanning and comparison system. The scan bodies attached to master tubes are scanned to obtain digital coordinates, which are then automatically compared to the virtual plan using software. This substitution of mechanical/manual verification with digital automation maintains simplicity while dramatically reducing verification time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentEP4483834B1Surgical guide checking system and computer readable medium therefor
Publication Date: 2026.04.22 BIOMET 3I LLC
  • EP4483834B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4483834B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B
  • EP4483834B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

A method and a device for the simplified inspection of the compatibility of the positions of master tubes in a surgical guide with respect to the positions in a predetermined plan in a computer model. For example, during virtual planning, the virtual surgical guide includes master tubes having an axis that is the axis (e.g., an installation axis) along which a dental implant will be installed. The virtual surgical guide can be manufactured, e.g., by substrative methods and additive methods. As discussed herein, the accuracy of the physical surgical guide can be checked physically or virtually.