AR Display System for Medical Imaging Operator Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The operation of medical imaging facilities, such as CT and MR systems, relies heavily on trained personnel, and existing manual instructions are impractical during preparation, leading to potential errors and increased examination time.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize augmented reality to assist operators by projecting visual and audio information into their field of vision, guiding them through a sequence protocol, including the positioning of patients and medical devices, to minimize errors and streamline the examination process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual instructions are used to guide operators, then operators can receive operating guidance, but the instructions are impractical during preparation, requiring physical carrying and increasing examination time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces physical manual instructions with an optical display system that projects operating steps directly into the operator's field of vision. Instead of mechanically carrying and reading paper manuals, the system uses optical projection to present information digitally overlaid on the real-world view, eliminating the need to physically handle instructions and reducing time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a display device as an intermediary between the operator and the operating instructions. This intermediary projects visual information about the next operating steps directly into the operator's field of vision, serving as a mediator that delivers guidance without requiring the operator to physically retrieve or read separate manual documents.
2Reliability
If experienced personnel operate the facility to minimize errors, then operation reliability improves, but training requirements increase and operational flexibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables operators to self-correct and self-guide through the execution sequence protocol by providing real-time visual feedback of the next required steps. The system serves itself by automatically determining the current step and projecting the appropriate guidance, eliminating the need for constant expert supervision and enabling less experienced personnel to perform tasks effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the system continuously monitors the execution sequence protocol and provides visual feedback to the operator about the next required operating step. This closed-loop feedback ensures operational accuracy by guiding operators through the correct sequence, maintaining reliability even when operated by personnel with varying levels of experience.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple devices and instruments are prepared for interventional applications, then procedural capability improves, but the complexity of managing all devices increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex procedural information into discrete, manageable execution steps. Instead of presenting all device information simultaneously, the system divides the protocol into sequential steps, with each step highlighting only the relevant device or action required at that moment, making complex device management more manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing context-specific information at each step of the procedure. Rather than displaying all possible device information uniformly, the system tailors the visual output to highlight only the specific device or action relevant to the current execution step, reducing cognitive load and managing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
In a method for automatically supporting an operator in working through an execution sequence protocol with a number of sequence steps, with which a person under examination is being examined in a medical imaging facility, the execution sequence protocol to be carried out for the person under examination is determined, and image data are acquired that show a field of vision of at least a part of the environment of the medical imaging facility and the person under examination, as seen by the operator. A next sequence step of the execution sequence protocol is determined that is to be carried out by the operator. Visual information is created that will inform the operator about the operating step to be carried out, and the visual information is project at a viewing facility for displaying an augmented reality to the operator, in which the field of vision is presented augmented by the visual information.