CT Scanner Voice Feedback Light for Operator Confirmation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In X-ray CT apparatuses, operators are unsure whether their voice is being output to the patient during communication, leading to potential misunderstandings and increased stress.
Innovation Solution
The medical apparatus includes a system with microphones and speakers in both rooms, and a means to inform the operator if their voice is being output to the patient, using visual indicators like a light-emitting section or display sections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a communication device with microphone and speaker is installed in the scan room, then the operator can communicate with the patient, but the operator cannot confirm whether their voice is being output to the patient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism by installing a second microphone in the scan room to detect the operator's voice output from the speaker. The detection unit processes this feedback signal and provides visual confirmation through a display unit, allowing the operator to verify that their voice is being transmitted to the patient. This closed-loop feedback system resolves the contradiction by providing the missing confirmation information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary detection unit and display unit between the communication device and the operator. These intermediary components mediate the confirmation process by detecting the voice output and translating it into visual feedback, thereby bridging the information gap between the speaker and the operator.
2Ease of operation
If the operator talks into the microphone to communicate with the patient, then communication can be established, but the operator experiences stress and uncertainty about transmission status
Solution Approach 1:
The visual feedback mechanism provided by the display unit gives the operator immediate confirmation when their voice is detected by the second microphone. This feedback reassures the operator that transmission is occurring, reducing stress and uncertainty while maintaining ease of operation. The operator can continue to use the microphone naturally while receiving visual confirmation of successful transmission.
3Device complexity
If no visual indication is provided, then the device remains simple, but the operator cannot recognize voice output status
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces intermediary components (detection unit and display unit) that add minimal complexity while effectively solving the information loss problem. The detection unit monitors the voice output, and the display unit provides visual indication, together forming a simple yet effective feedback system that maintains overall device simplicity while providing necessary information.
Solution Approach 2:
The display unit utilizes visual indicators such as color changes or light emission to convey voice output status. This approach provides clear, intuitive information feedback without requiring complex interfaces, maintaining device simplicity while effectively communicating the transmission status to the operator.
Data Source
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AI summary
To provide a technique with which an operator, when talking into a microphone, can recognize whether or not his/her voice is being output from a speaker in a scan room, a CT apparatus 1 has: an operator microphone 41 installed in an operation room R2 for receiving a voice of an operator 81; a patient microphone 2 installed in a scan room R1 for receiving a voice of a patient 80; a speaker 50 installed in the operation room R2 for outputting the voice of the patient 80 received by the patient microphone 2; a speaker 5 installed in the scan room R1 for outputting the voice of the operator 81 received by the operator microphone 41; and a light-emitting section 31 for informing, in the case that the patient microphone 2 has received the voice of the operator 81 output from the speaker 5, the operator 81 that his/her voice is being output from the speaker 5.