Automated Patient Positioning via Sensor Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current diagnostic imaging systems face challenges in efficiently positioning patients, which affects patient throughput, image quality, and radiation dose, often requiring manual intervention by radiographers.
Innovation Solution
A positioning system that uses a sensor arrangement to determine patient body parameters, a controller to process these signals, and actuatable supports to move patient limbs relative to the torso, guiding the patient into the correct posture for diagnostic imaging without manual intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual positioning by radiographers is used, then patient positioning accuracy is improved, but patient throughput decreases and time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic patient positioning through sensor arrangements that detect body parameters and controllers that automatically adjust support elements, eliminating the need for manual intervention by radiographers while maintaining positioning accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical manual positioning system with an automated system using sensor arrangements, controllers, and actuatable supports that automatically detect and adjust patient position based on detected body parameters
2Productivity
If high patient throughput is pursued, then productivity is improved, but radiation dose increases due to shortcuts in positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The automatic positioning system performs precise positioning without manual intervention, ensuring proper collimation and beam alignment for each patient without requiring shortcuts that would increase radiation exposure
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor arrangement continuously detects patient body parameters and provides feedback to the controller, which adjusts positioning in real-time to ensure optimal positioning before image acquisition, preventing the need for retakes and associated additional radiation exposure
3Productivity
If automatic positioning system is implemented, then patient throughput is improved and manual labor is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning system is divided into distinct functional modules: sensor arrangements for detection, controllers for processing, and actuatable supports for positioning, allowing independent optimization and maintenance of each component
Solution Approach 2:
The controller serves multiple functions including processing sensor signals, determining body parameters, controlling actuatable supports, and coordinating with the diagnostic imaging apparatus, reducing the need for separate specialized components
Data Source
Figure 1~2A
Figure 2B~2F
Figure 2G~3B
AI summary
A positioning system (10) for positioning a patient (101) for diagnostic imaging is provided. The system comprises a sensor arrangement (12) with at least one sensor (14, 16) configured to provide a sensor signal indicative of at least one body parameter of the patient (101), a controller (18) configured to determine a value of the at least one body parameter based on the sensor signal of the at least one sensor (14, 16), and at least one actuatable support (20) configured to move at least one of an arm (105) and a leg (107) of the patient with respect to a torso of the patient. Therein, the controller (18) is configured to actuate the at least one actuatable support (20) depending on the determined value of the at least one body parameter to move at least one of the arm and the leg relative to the torso of the patient, such that the patient is guided to a posture for diagnostic imaging.