Multistage Surgical Head Slide to Limit Eye Contact Force
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Solution Overview
Problem
Maneuvering a medical system head relative to an anatomical site can result in unacceptable forces on the site, potentially causing injury, particularly during downward movement.
Innovation Solution
A medical system with a multistage slide mechanism, including a long-range and short-range slide mechanism, that allows controlled movement of the head towards a reference plane, stopping further movement in response to resistive forces, and a brake system to prevent unwanted movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the surgical head is maneuvered manually toward the eye, then the head can be positioned relative to the anatomical site, but unacceptable forces on the eye can lead to injury
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a patient interface as an intermediary component between the surgical head and the eye. This interface includes a suction ring that applies vacuum to hold the eye in position, thereby mediating the interaction and preventing direct excessive force from the surgical head on the eye. The cone attachment mechanism also serves as an intermediary that couples the surgical head to the patient interface in a controlled manner.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a multistage slide mechanism that changes the motion parameters of the surgical head. The mechanism includes a long-range slide for coarse positioning and a short-range slide for fine positioning, allowing the system to transition from large movements to precise, controlled movements near the anatomical site, thereby preventing excessive force application.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a patient interface is connected to immobilize the eye, then the eye can be secured relative to the surgical system, but the complexity of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into the patient interface component. The patient interface simultaneously serves to immobilize the eye through vacuum suction, provide a mounting surface for the cone attachment, and act as a barrier between the surgical head and the eye. This merging of functions reduces the need for separate components and simplifies the overall system architecture.
3Speed
If downward movement of the head is enabled for positioning, then the head can approach the anatomical site, but contact may produce unacceptable force
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the movement mechanism into distinct stages: a long-range slide mechanism for coarse, faster positioning and a short-range slide mechanism for fine, controlled positioning. This segmentation allows the system to achieve both rapid approach and precise, low-force positioning near the anatomical site, preventing excessive contact force while maintaining efficient positioning capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A delivery arm assembly of a medical system includes a head having an end arranged to face a reference plane and a multistage slide mechanism coupled to the head. The multistage slide mechanism includes a long-range slide mechanism configured to move the head in a direction toward the reference plane and a short-range slide mechanism coupled with the long-range slide mechanism. The short-range slide mechanism is configured to stop further movement of the head in the direction toward the reference plane in response to a resistive force against movement of the head toward the reference plane.