Single-Shell CFRP Couch Panel Beads and Bent Edges
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing production methods for patient couch panels are complex and costly, involving multiple steps such as foam core production, reinforcement, and CFRP laminate application, which increases the expense and complexity of manufacturing while potentially affecting imaging quality.
Innovation Solution
A single-shell couch panel design with beads formed in the longitudinal direction and upwardly bent edges, made from carbon fiber-reinforced plastic, which enhances stiffness and load-bearing capacity while reducing production costs and radiation absorption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a traditional box-like CFRP structure with foam core is used, then the couch panel has high load-bearing capacity and stiffness, but the production is complicated and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the foam core from the traditional box-like CFRP structure, retaining only the essential CFRP shell. This simplifies the production process by eliminating foam core production, positioning, and insertion steps, while the CFRP shell itself maintains the required load-bearing capacity and stiffness for the couch panel
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the structural functions previously distributed across multiple components (foam core for rigidity, CFRP shell for strength) into a single integrated CFRP structure. The CFRP panel itself is designed with optimized thickness and geometry to provide both the mechanical support and structural rigidity that were previously achieved through the composite foam-CFRP box structure
2Strength
If a traditional box-like CFRP structure with foam core is used, then the couch panel has high load-bearing capacity and stiffness, but the production costs are high
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the foam core from the traditional box-like CFRP structure, retaining only the essential CFRP shell. This simplifies the production process by eliminating foam core production, positioning, and insertion steps, while the CFRP shell itself maintains the required load-bearing capacity and stiffness for the couch panel
Solution Approach 2:
The invention discards the foam core material that adds complexity and cost without providing essential functional value. By eliminating the foam core, the production process becomes more straightforward and cost-effective, while the CFRP structure alone suffices for the mechanical requirements
3Strength
If a CFRP couch panel is used, then the load-bearing capacity is sufficient, but the radiation absorption may affect imaging quality
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the CFRP structure by reducing the wall thickness from the traditional box-like structure to a thinner single-shell design. This parameter change reduces the amount of CFRP material that X-rays must pass through, thereby reducing radiation absorption and minimizing image artifacts while maintaining sufficient mechanical strength through optimized structural design
Data Source
AI summary
A couch panel for a patient couch for a medical imaging method is disclosed. The couch panel is of single-shell design, beads are formed in the longitudinal direction of the couch panel, wherein the number and the shape of the beads are chosen such that the couch panel has a predefinable geometric moment of inertia. The two longitudinally extending edges of the couch panel are bent upward. This is advantageous because of the cost-effective production of a couch panel and, in the case of X-ray imaging, in the low radiation absorption. A patient couch having a couch panel of this kind is likewise disclosed.