Collimator Beam Steering for Portable C-Arm Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical imaging systems, particularly in non-radiology departments, face limitations in mobility and flexibility, hindering their ability to effectively position patients for high-quality three-dimensional imaging, especially in dynamic environments like operating rooms and emergency departments.
Innovation Solution
A portable medical imaging system with a movable c-arm and omni-directional wheels, allowing 360-degree movement and precise positioning, equipped with a controller that steers an X-ray beam laterally across a detector panel using a collimator with sliding shutters and telescoping capabilities, enabling imaging from any direction and height.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the imaging system is made mobile with omni-directional wheels, then the freedom of movement and accessibility to patients is improved, but the precision of positioning the imaging equipment becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical positioning with an automated robotic system that uses sensors (cameras, depth sensors) and computational algorithms to detect patient landmarks and calculate optimal imaging positions. The robotic base with omni-directional wheels executes precise movements automatically, eliminating the need for manual positioning while maintaining high precision through sensor feedback and control algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The imaging system performs self-positioning by using its own sensors to detect patient anatomy, compute the required imaging angles and positions, and automatically navigate to those positions. The system serves itself by integrating perception, computation, and actuation into a closed-loop autonomous operation, eliminating the need for operator intervention in positioning tasks.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the system uses a fixed bore design, then the structural stability is maintained, but the ability to access patients from any direction or height is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the fixed bore structure into a dynamic, mobile system with a robotic base that can move in multiple directions (omni-directional movement) and adjust its height and orientation. The C-arm imaging component can rotate and position itself at various angles around the patient, providing 360-degree accessibility while maintaining structural integrity through controlled robotic mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system divides the imaging apparatus into separable modules: a mobile robotic base with omni-directional wheels, a detachable C-arm imaging component, and an independent detector panel. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and reconfigured for different imaging scenarios, enhancing versatility while maintaining overall structural stability through modular connections.
3Productivity
If the collimator window size is increased to improve imaging speed, then the X-ray beam coverage is improved, but the precision of beam steering and lateral positioning decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic control of the collimator system, allowing the window size and position to be adjusted in real-time based on imaging requirements. The motorized shutters can rapidly reposition and resize the beam aperture during scanning, enabling the system to optimize between beam coverage and positioning precision for different imaging phases, thereby achieving both high imaging speed and precise beam steering.
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
Enables accurate and flexible three-dimensional imaging without requiring patient movement, improving imaging quality and accessibility in diverse clinical settings by allowing the system to be positioned freely in any direction or height, enhancing diagnostic capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
The collimator is configured to move the window in a lateral direction across a direction of the arc
Implementation Method 2
The first pair of motor assemblies are connected to move respective ones of the first pair of opposing shutters along their respective tracks
Implementation Method 3
The X-ray beam transmitter faces the detector panel and is attached to the second end of the c-arm. The X-ray beam transmitter contains a collimator that forms a window through which an X-ray beam is transmitted toward the detector panel
Implementation Method 4
The detector panel is attached to the first end of the movable c-arm
Data Source
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AI summary
A portable medical imaging system includes a movable station, a detector panel, an X-ray beam transmitter, and a controller. The movable station includes a c-arm having a first end and a second end that are movable along an arc relative to the movable station. The detector panel is attached to the first end of the movable c-arm. The X-ray beam transmitter faces the detector panel and is attached to the second end of the c-arm. The X-ray beam transmitter contains a collimator that forms a window through which an X-ray beam is transmitted toward the detector panel. The collimator is configured to move the widow in a lateral direction across a direction of the arc. The controller is configured to control movement of the window by the collimator to steer the X-ray beam laterally across the detector panel.