CT Gantry Cable Routing With Articulated Arms for Collision-Free Motion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cable routing systems for movable computed tomography (CT) systems face challenges in providing flexible movement, long service life, and cost-effectiveness while ensuring safety and hygiene compliance, particularly when used in multiple treatment rooms.
Innovation Solution
A cable routing system with a vertical column, articulated arms, and a ceiling-mounted mechanism that decouples the gantry movement, allowing for a 180° rotation and a 12 m extension path, using aluminum or plastic components with cable carriers for protection, and adjustable heights to fit various environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If cable routing systems are arranged in the floor near the rail system, then collisions with patients and personnel are ruled out, but structural prerequisites are required and hygiene requirements are not met
Solution Approach 1:
The cable routing system transitions from floor-level arrangement to ceiling-level arrangement, utilizing the vertical dimension to resolve the contradiction. By routing cables through the ceiling box above the gantry, the system eliminates collision risks with patients and personnel while avoiding the need for floor structural modifications, thus meeting hygiene requirements and adapting to various hospital environments.
2Device complexity
If the length of the ceiling box defines the maximum adjustment path, then cable routing is simplified, but movement flexibility is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The cable routing system is divided into multiple independent segments: the ceiling box containing supply lines, the vertical column on the gantry, and the articulated arms. This segmentation allows each component to function independently, enabling the gantry to move freely within a larger range than the ceiling box length would suggest, thus increasing movement flexibility while keeping the cable routing manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates articulated arms with multiple degrees of freedom that can dynamically adjust their configuration as the gantry moves. This dynamic adaptation allows the cable routing to accommodate extended movement paths and rotation movements without requiring the ceiling box to be excessively long, thereby maintaining simplicity while enhancing flexibility.
3Reliability
If wired power supply is used for rail-borne systems, then energy supply is reliable, but movement freedom is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The cable routing system employs articulated arms with multiple joints that can dynamically reconfigure themselves during gantry movement. This dynamic capability allows the wired power supply to maintain reliable electrical connection while accommodating a wide range of motion, including extended translation paths and 180° rotation, thus resolving the contradiction between power supply reliability and movement freedom.
4Ease of operation
If the gantry can rotate 180°, then accessibility is enhanced, but cable routing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cable routing system is segmented into the ceiling box, vertical column, and articulated arms, with each segment capable of independent movement or adjustment. This segmentation allows the gantry to rotate 180° for enhanced accessibility while the articulated arms independently manage the cable routing, preventing tangling and maintaining manageable complexity despite the rotation movement.
Data Source
AI summary
A cable routing system for a computed tomography system having a gantry configured to be adjusted in a movement direction extending perpendicular to the gantry, the cable routing system comprising: a vertical column arranged on the gantry and extending vertically from a base of the computed tomography system; and a first and a second articulated arm. The first articulated arm is rotatably attached to an upper end of the vertical column above the gantry via a first point of articulation. The first articulated arm is also rotatably attached to the second articulated arm, which is also arranged above the gantry, via a second point of articulation. The vertical column and the first and the second articulated arm are configured to route at least one supply line at least in part along their respective longitudinal axes.