Annular Nozzle Air Plenum for Patient Tunnel Temperature Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical imaging devices such as PET, PET/CT, and MRI scanners often fail to maintain patient comfort due to temperature-related discomfort, as adjusting room thermostat settings takes too long and may not effectively improve the patient's environment during a scan.
Innovation Solution
A medical image scanner gantry with an annular structure and air plenum system that directs pressurized air through nozzles to create a flow of air within the patient tunnel, drawing in ambient air to provide cooling or warming, thereby improving patient comfort by regulating temperature during scans.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the room thermostat setting is adjusted to improve patient comfort, then the ambient temperature changes, but the response time is too slow and does not improve patient comfort during the scan
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the temperature control function from the general room thermostat system and creates a dedicated local air flow system within the gantry. The air plenum chamber and nozzle assembly provide localized cooling or heating directly at the patient position, independent of the room environment. This separation allows rapid local temperature adjustment without waiting for room-wide thermostat response.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces an intermediary air flow system that acts as a mediator between the room environment and the patient. The air plenum chamber receives air from the room and conditions it locally through controlled discharge via nozzles, creating a buffer zone that can rapidly adjust temperature at the patient interface without directly changing the entire room environment.
2Temperature
If pressurized air is directed through nozzles to provide cooling or warming, then patient comfort is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The air plenum chamber serves multiple functions: it acts as a structural support element for the gantry, provides a reservoir for both cooling and heating air flows, and enables rapid temperature adjustment. The same basic structure can deliver both cold and warm air by controlling the direction and temperature of air supplied to the plenum, eliminating the need for separate systems for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses pneumatic principles to create a compact air distribution system. The air plenum chamber with nozzle assembly provides controlled air discharge using pressure differentials, eliminating the need for complex mechanical moving parts. The system uses air pressure and flow control to achieve temperature regulation, which is simpler than alternative mechanical heating or cooling mechanisms.
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 air flow system effectively enhances patient comfort by providing cooling or warming within the scanner bore, using the inertance principle to supplement ambient air, thus addressing temperature-related discomfort during medical imaging procedures.
Implementation Method 1
using the inertance principle to supplement ambient air
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a novel medical image scanner gantry that includes at least one annular nozzle opening within the patient tunnel where the at least one annular nozzle opening directs a flow of pressurized air toward the back end of the patient tunnel which draws an amount of the ambient air into the patient tunnel to supplement the flow of pressurized air in the patient tunnel to help improve the patient's comfort.