Adjustable Couch Top Fixing for Multi-Table RT Positioning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing couch tops for medical imaging modalities are designed for specific patient tables, making them incompatible with other types due to varying groove or channel-like recess spacings, which complicates precise positioning for radiotherapy planning.
Innovation Solution
A couch top with adjustable basic fixing elements, allowing variable spacing and orientation on different patient tables, featuring projections that fit into recesses and adjustable fastening mechanisms for precise alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If fixing elements with fixed spacing are used on the couch top, then precise positioning on a specific patient table is achieved, but compatibility with other patient tables having different groove spacings is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing elements are designed with adjustable spacing, allowing them to be dynamically repositioned along the longitudinal direction. This enables the couch top to adapt to different groove spacings on various patient tables while maintaining precise positioning capability through selective placement of the fixing elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The couch top is designed to be universally compatible with different patient table types by providing fixing elements that can accommodate varying groove spacings. The adjustable fixing elements allow the same couch top to function correctly on multiple patient tables, eliminating the need for table-specific couch tops.
2Reliability
If the couch top is designed for a specific patient table configuration, then positioning accuracy for radiotherapy planning is improved, but the device becomes table-specific and cannot be used on other patient tables
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing elements incorporate adjustable mechanisms that allow their longitudinal positions to be modified. This dynamic adjustability ensures reliable positioning on any patient table by enabling the fixing elements to be configured according to the specific groove spacing of the target table.
Solution Approach 2:
The spacing parameter of the fixing elements is made variable rather than fixed. By allowing the spacing between fixing elements to be changed, the couch top can be adapted to different patient table configurations while maintaining the reliability needed for accurate radiotherapy planning.
Data Source
AI summary
A couch top has an underside and an upper side. The underside and the upper side extend along a length in a longitudinal direction from an upper edge to a lower edge and across a width in a transverse direction from a left-hand edge to a right-hand edge. The couch top has left-hand and right-hand basic fixing elements. The left-hand basic fixing element is fastened to the couch top with a base member in the vicinity of the left-hand edge, and the right-hand basic fixing element is fastened with a base member in the vicinity of the right-hand edge. The base members of the basic fixing elements do not protrude beyond the underside, but the projections of the basic fixing elements do protrude beyond the underside. The basic fixing elements are fastened to the couch top such that their spacing in the transverse direction is variable.