Reusable Ultrasonic Device Assembly Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ultrasonic medical devices require frequent cleaning, sterilization, and component replacement due to tissue contamination and vibrational wear, necessitating efficient reassembly procedures to ensure proper functionality, but end-users may lack the skills to verify the device's acceptability for reuse.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a control module that receives electrical connections from a reassembled ultrasonic medical device, prompts the user to operate the jaw control component, and compares functional data with predetermined acceptance values to provide an indication of device acceptability for medical use, incorporating sensors like Hall Effect sensors and piezoelectric actuators to assess component functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the device allows user reassembly after cleaning and maintenance, then device productivity and ease of operation are improved, but device reliability and manufacturing precision may deteriorate due to improper reassembly
Solution Approach 1:
The control module receives signals from sensors (e.g., Hall effect sensors, position sensors) to detect the state of movable components, compares them against expected values, and provides feedback to the user interface to indicate whether the device is properly assembled and ready for use. This closed-loop feedback system ensures that user reassembly does not compromise device reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system monitors physical parameters such as component position, electrical continuity, and mechanical alignment to verify proper assembly. By measuring these parameters and comparing them to predetermined acceptance criteria, the system objectively determines whether the device is correctly reassembled, eliminating subjective judgment and ensuring manufacturing precision standards are met.
2Reliability
If the device includes comprehensive sensors and control modules for verification, then device reliability and measurement precision are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control module serves multiple functions: it controls the generator, monitors sensor data, verifies assembly correctness, and communicates with the user interface. By consolidating these functions into a single multi-functional control unit, the patent reduces overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive verification capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The device performs self-verification through integrated sensors and control logic that automatically detect assembly correctness without requiring external inspection equipment or expert intervention. The system serves itself by monitoring its own state and providing immediate feedback on assembly validity, reducing the need for complex external verification systems.
3Measurement precision
If the device provides detailed functional testing and verification, then measurement precision and reliability are improved, but loss of time during reassembly verification increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs verification checks automatically as components are assembled, rather than requiring a separate comprehensive testing phase. Position sensors detect component placement in real-time, and the control module continuously monitors assembly progress, allowing verification to begin before assembly is complete and reducing total verification time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs rapid sequential checks of critical assembly parameters using multiple sensors that operate simultaneously. By prioritizing essential verification steps and executing them in quick succession rather than methodically checking each parameter individually, the system achieves high measurement precision while minimizing verification time.
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
Ensures that the reassembled ultrasonic medical device is safely and effectively reassembled, reducing the risk of improper reassembly and enhancing user confidence in the device's readiness for medical use by providing clear acceptability indications based on measured data.
Implementation Method 1
incorporating sensors like Hall Effect sensors and piezoelectric actuators to assess component functionality
Implementation Method 2
Vibrating at high frequencies (e.g., 55,500 times per second), the ultrasonic blade denatures protein in the tissue
Data Source
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AI summary
A variety of methods for managing a re-usable ultrasonic medical device may include a medical device control module capable of receiving functional data from a user assembled or reassembled ultrasonic medical device, and notifying the user if a value of the functional data lies within an acceptance range. If the value of the functional data does not lie within the acceptance range, the control module may prompt a user to reassemble the device or to clean or replace one or more components thereof. The functional data may relate to a clamp force of a jaw assembly, an impedance or resonant frequency value of an ultrasonic blade, or a mechanical displacement value of one or more moving components of the device.