Disposable MRT Local Coil Molding for Hygienic Dental Imaging

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current MR local coils used in dental and other applications face challenges in maintaining hygiene due to their reusability and potential for contamination, especially when used in the oral cavity or inserted into body orifices, and they often require complex assembly and are not readily available in dental medicine environments.

Innovation Solution

A method for producing single-use MR local coils using a monolithic production process involving shaping a coil structure from an elongate conductor, bending it to fit the anatomy, and encasing it with liquid plastic material to create a disposable, hygienically superior coil that can be easily and cost-effectively manufactured.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If reusable coils are used for dental imaging, then cost is reduced and resource utilization is improved, but hygiene standards deteriorate due to contamination risks in the oral cavity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehygiene standardVSAvoidproduction complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements single-use disposable coils that are discarded after one patient use, eliminating cross-contamination risks entirely. The coil structure is designed to be inexpensive enough to justify single-use disposal while maintaining full imaging performance during its brief service life.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent integrates the coil structure, housing, and mounting components into a single monolithic unit produced by injection molding. This merging of previously separate components simplifies the overall structure and enables cost-effective disposable design while maintaining hygiene standards.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Reliability

If single-use coils are produced to maintain hygiene standards, then contamination risks are reduced, but production complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehygiene standardVSAvoidproduction process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the coil structure, housing, and mounting elements into a single integrated component produced through injection molding. This merging eliminates the need for separate assembly steps for multiple components, reducing production complexity despite the disposable nature of the product.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces traditional mechanical assembly processes with injection molding technology, where the coil structure and housing are formed as a single integrated piece. This substitution eliminates complex mechanical assembly steps while enabling efficient mass production of disposable units.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Productivity

If traditional assembly methods are used for coils, then production flexibility is maintained, but manufacturing efficiency and cost-effectiveness deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduction efficiencyVSAvoidmanufacturing simplicity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent integrates multiple components (coil structure, housing, mounting elements) into a single monolithic unit produced by injection molding. This merging enables all components to be manufactured simultaneously in one process step, dramatically improving production efficiency and reducing assembly requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces traditional mechanical assembly operations with a single injection molding process that forms the complete coil unit in one step. This substitution significantly increases productivity by eliminating sequential manufacturing and assembly steps while simplifying the overall manufacturing process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

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

This approach allows for the production of high-quality, disposable MR local coils that maintain the highest hygiene standards, providing optimal image quality with improved signal-to-noise ratio and reduced contamination risks, while being cost-effective and adaptable to different anatomies.

Implementation Method 1

shaping a local coil by filling the cavity mold with a liquid plastic material and curing the plastic material

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCuring: Photopolymerisation

Data Source

PatentUS20240235064A9Method for Producing a Local Coil for an MRT Measurement

Publication Date: 2024.07.11 SIEMENS HEALTHINEERS AG

AI summary

A method for producing a local coil for an MRT measurement, including shaping a coil structure from an elongate conductor; shaping an antenna for the MRT measurement from the coil structure; introducing the antenna into a cavity mold that is designed to receive a liquid plastic material, wherein the antenna is arranged in the cavity mold in such a way that it is at least partially encapsulatable by liquid plastic material; shaping a local coil by filling the cavity mold with a liquid plastic material and curing the plastic material.