CT Gantry Cable Guide with Articulated Arms for Collision Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cable management systems for mobile CT scanners are inflexible, require structural modifications, are costly, and do not meet hygiene requirements, limiting their use in different examination rooms and increasing the risk of collisions.
Innovation Solution
A cable management system with a vertical column and articulated arms that decouple the gantry's movement, using deflection pulleys and energy chains to guide supply lines, allowing for flexible movement and reduced mechanical stress, while maintaining a small footprint and adhering to hygiene standards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cable management systems are arranged in the floor near the rail system, then collisions are largely eliminated, but specific structural modifications to the hospital environment are required and they are expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces ceiling-mounted guide elements as an intermediary structure between the existing ceiling and the cable management system. These guide elements channel the cables vertically and laterally without requiring modifications to the hospital floor or walls, thus preventing collisions while avoiding expensive structural changes to the building infrastructure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent moves the cable management system from the horizontal plane (floor level) to the vertical dimension (ceiling level). By routing cables through the ceiling space using guide elements and allowing them to hang vertically, the system eliminates the need for floor modifications while maintaining collision prevention
2Ease of operation
If supply lines are arranged in a ceiling box using energy supply chains, then the rail system can run parallel to the longitudinal axis, but the length of the ceiling box defines the maximum adjustment range for the gantry
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the fixed ceiling box structure with dynamic, articulated cable management components. The supply lines are routed through articulated arms with pivot points that allow the gantry to move freely along the rail system without being constrained by a predetermined ceiling box length, enabling unlimited adjustment range
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the ceiling-mounted cable management system into segmented articulated arms with multiple pivot points. This segmentation allows each segment to independently adjust its position, accommodating the gantry's movement along the entire length of the rail system without requiring the entire ceiling box to move
3Adaptability or versatility
If a vertically extending column is used to guide supply lines, then thegantry can move freely, but the column height must extend beyond the gantry height to maintain safety distance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the rigid vertical column with flexible cable management elements that can bend and extend as needed. The supply lines are routed through articulated arms that provide the necessary vertical clearance while allowing the cables to flex and adapt to the gantry's position, eliminating the need for a fixed-height rigid column
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 the CT scanner to move freely between examination rooms with reduced risk of collision and kinking, while minimizing space requirements and construction costs, enhancing operational safety and accessibility.
Implementation Method 1
At least one deflection pulley is provided on the first and/or the second articulated arm, around which the supply cable is guided in a circumferentially adjustable manner
Implementation Method 2
The at least one supply line is guided in an energy chain, with the supply line preferably extending over its entire length
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a cable guidance system (CS) for a computed tomography system (1), wherein a gantry (G) of the computed tomography system is adjustable in a direction of movement (BR) perpendicular to the gantry (G), the cable guidance system (CS) comprising: - a vertical column (VS) arranged on the gantry (G), which extends vertically upwards from a base of the computed tomography system (1), and - a first articulated arm (1G) and a second articulated arm (2G), wherein the first articulated arm (1G) is rotatably connected at an upper end of the vertical column (VS) above the gantry (G) via a first pivot point (1GP) and rotatably connected to the second articulated arm (2G), which is also arranged above the gantry (G), via a second pivot point (2GP), wherein at least one supply line (VL) is adjustable along the longitudinal axes of the first and second articulated arms (1G, 2G).