Personalized Finite Element Model Generation for Medical Imaging
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing finite-element models of complex body shapes, such as bones, are either too crude and quick or too slow and accurate, requiring excessive computation time, which is inadequate for the increasing demand for personalized models in fields like orthopedic surgery and preventative medicine.
Innovation Solution
A method using a parameterizable generic finite-element model with simple geometrical volumes, adapted to a specific body by projecting nodes onto its surface and using three-dimensional interpolation for personalization, allowing for rapid and precise simulation of mechanical behavior.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a greater number of elements and satisfactory meshing are used to improve model accuracy, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to increased preparation time and computation time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-defining a generic finite element model with appropriate meshing and element configuration before personalization. This pre-prepared template contains the structural framework and meshing strategy, which is then adapted to individual bodies through parameter adjustment rather than creating new meshes from scratch. This resolves the contradiction by establishing the accurate meshing structure in advance, eliminating the need for time-consuming mesh generation during personalization while maintaining model accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses parameter changes to adapt the generic model to individual bodies by modifying geometric parameters, material properties, and boundary conditions rather than reconstructing the entire model. The personalization process adjusts parameters of the pre-defined finite element model to match subject-specific data from medical imaging, achieving accurate personalized models without the computational overhead of complete remeshing and reanalysis.
2Manufacturing precision
If a personalized model is created to account for body uniqueness, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to increased processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves personalization through parameter changes by adjusting geometric dimensions, material properties, and structural characteristics of the generic model to match subject-specific measurements from medical imaging data. This parameter-based adaptation approach maintains high personalization accuracy while dramatically reducing processing time compared to complete model reconstruction, as it leverages the pre-established generic model framework.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by creating a generic finite element model that serves as a template or copy for all personalized models. This master template contains the optimized mesh structure and element configuration, which is then replicated and adapted for individual subjects through parameter modification rather than creating unique models from scratch for each person, thus maintaining personalization while improving efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of producing a finite-element model of a unique body of complex shape having an outer surface that is known in the form of a cloud of points describing said surface analytically or algebraically in a determined frame of reference, the method comprising the steps of a) using a parameterizable and generic finite-element model made up of simple geometrical volumes and representative of the family to which the unique body belongs, b) adapting said model as a function of parameters describing the unique body that is to be modeled; c) in said frame of reference, adjusting the parameterized generic finite-element model and causing the surface nodes of said parameterized model to correspond to points of the known outer surface of the body by projecting said nodes onto said surface along a direction that is normal to the surface of the generic model, and d) using the nodes of the surface as control points for a three-dimensional interpolation method in order to personalize the internal finite elements of the generic model.