Surgical Table Touchscreen Mount With Friction Joints for Stable Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing touchscreen devices during surgery are either mounted on roll stands that crowd the operating room or placed in loose bags, which can enter the surgical field or bump into patients, and are often not positioned correctly for the surgeon's convenience.
Innovation Solution
A table mount for surgical tables that clamps to the rail, featuring movable joints and a docking station, allowing six degrees of freedom for precise positioning and rotation of touchscreen devices, ensuring they remain stable and within the surgeon's line of sight and reach.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If touchscreen devices are mounted on roll stands, then they are available for viewing during surgery, but they crowd the operating room and cannot be positioned correctly for the surgeon
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the touchscreen device mounting function with the surgical table structure itself. The mount attaches directly to the surgical table rail system, merging two separate functions (table positioning and device display) into a single integrated system. This eliminates the need for separate roll stands and frees up operating room space while maintaining device availability for surgeons.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a specialized mounting mechanism as an intermediary between the surgical table and the touchscreen device. This mount serves as a mediator that provides secure attachment while enabling precise positioning adjustments, allowing the device to be correctly positioned for the surgeon without requiring additional space-consuming support structures.
2Reliability
If touchscreen devices are placed in loose bags or autoclaved cases, then they are sterilizable, but they can enter the surgical field or accidentally bump into the patient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the touchscreen device from the sterile field environment by mounting it on the surgical table structure above the patient area. The device is positioned in a location that is accessible for viewing but removed from the direct surgical field, eliminating the risk of the device or its container contacting the patient or interfering with the surgical procedure while maintaining sterilization capability through proper mounting design.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the table mount allows easy movement during surgery, then it can be repositioned for different surgeons, but it may move when the surgeon touches the touchscreen device
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic mounting system with multiple friction-controlled joints that can adapt to different positioning needs while maintaining stability during use. The joints are designed with adjustable friction characteristics that allow deliberate repositioning by surgical staff but prevent accidental movement during normal touchscreen interaction. This dynamic design enables the system to transition between two states: easily reconfigurable and firmly stable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes friction parameter control in the joint mechanisms to achieve different operational states. By adjusting friction parameters in the movable joints, the system allows easy repositioning when needed (lower friction state) while maintaining stability during surgical use (higher friction state). This parameter control enables the mount to be both adaptable for different surgeons and stable during touch input.
4Ease of operation
If the touchscreen device is positioned directly in the surgeon's line of sight, then it is convenient for viewing, but it requires complex positioning mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs universal mounting mechanisms that can position the touchscreen device in multiple optimal locations along the surgical table. The same basic mounting structure with adjustable joints can accommodate different surgeon preferences and surgical procedures by simply adjusting the position along the rail system and modifying joint angles, rather than requiring different complex mechanisms for each positioning scenario.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The table mount provides stable, adjustable, and secure positioning of touchscreen devices above patients during surgery, preventing accidental movement and ensuring easy access for surgeons, thus enhancing surgical efficiency and safety.
Implementation Method 1
These movable joints have a controlled friction force to hold the touchscreen devices in whatever position it's placed even when the surgical table is tilted by up to about 17.5 degrees
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure is directed to table mount for mounting a touchscreen device to a surgical table. The table mount includes a clamp configured to releasably secure the table mount to a rail of the surgical table, a dock configured to receive a touchscreen device, and an arm assembly connected to the clamp and the dock. The arm assembly has at least one joint such that, when the touchscreen device is received in the dock, the touchscreen device is repositionable via a user force applied to the touchscreen device that overcomes a frictional force of the at least one joint, and the frictional force of the at least one joint is sufficient to maintain the touchscreen device in position after the user releases the touchscreen device and while the touchscreen device receives touch inputs.