Collapsible Gantry for Radiological Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current radiological imaging devices are cumbersome and difficult to maneuver within hospital environments, requiring patients to be moved excessively, which complicates procedures and increases risk, especially when imaging needs to be performed post-operatively or for further surgery.
Innovation Solution
A radiological imaging system with a collapsible gantry and kinematic expansion mechanisms that allow the gantry to change its angular extension and position, enabling easier patient access and reduced movement, while maintaining the ability to perform various imaging procedures without relocating the patient.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the gantry is made large enough to house the source, detector and movement system, then the imaging function is achieved, but the device becomes cumbersome and cannot be maneuvered through hospital doors or passages
Solution Approach 1:
The gantry is divided into multiple segments that can be collapsed and reconfigured. The casing includes a fixed arched module and at least one mobile arched module that can be moved relative to each other, allowing the gantry to be broken down into smaller components for easier transportation through hospital passages while maintaining full imaging functionality when assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The gantry incorporates a kinematic expansion mechanism that enables dynamic reconfiguration between a compact configuration for transportation and an expanded configuration for imaging operations. The mobile arched module can be positioned at different locations along the circular trajectory, allowing the gantry to adapt its size and shape based on operational needs.
2Productivity
If the patient is moved to the imaging device for scanning, then imaging can be performed, but the procedure becomes complicated and time-consuming with multiple handling operations
Solution Approach 1:
The radiological imaging system is designed with a bed that can support both the patient and the gantry structure. The gantry can be collapsed onto the bed with the patient already positioned, eliminating the need to transfer the patient between different devices. This multi-functional design allows the same platform to serve as both transport and imaging equipment.
3Ease of operation
If the gantry is made compact for easy maneuvering, then mobility is improved, but the space required to perform imaging operations may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile arched module is designed to be nested within or adjacent to the fixed arched module during transportation, creating a compact configuration that can pass through hospital doors. When imaging is required, the mobile module is expanded outward to provide the necessary imaging space, effectively nesting the compact transport form within the expanded operational form.
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 system reduces patient risk and procedural complexity by allowing for convenient and quick analyses, enabling efficient imaging without the need to move the patient, thus minimizing handling and radiation exposure.
Implementation Method 1
a source suitable to emit radiation and a detector with a sensitive surface suitable to detect the radiation
Data Source
AI summary
A radiological imaging system including a bed and a load-bearing structure supporting the bed. A free chamber is defined between a base of the load-bearing structure and the bed. The system also includes a gantry defining a main axis of expansion, and the gantry has a source suitable to emit radiation and a detector with a sensitive surface suitable to detect the radiation. The gantry also includes a casing having a cross-section large enough to surround the source and detector. In one embodiment, the gantry includes a rest configuration in which the casing is housed partially in the free chamber. The gantry may also include a working configuration in which the gantry at least partially extends around the bed.