Gantry Robotic Arm Spatial Control Collision Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current radiological imaging devices face challenges in spatially relating the robotic arm and gantry, leading to potential collisions, limited operator freedom, and the robotic arm's inability to reach all patient areas due to complex setups and visual obstructions.
Innovation Solution
A radiological imaging device design featuring a gantry with a rotor and stator system that allows the robotic arm to move within a depression, enabling absolute spatial referencing and improved access to patient areas, along with a control unit that synchronizes the gantry and robotic arm movements to prevent collisions and enhance operator mobility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the robotic arm and gantry are positioned independently in the room, then each component can be operated separately, but the spatial relationship between them becomes complex and difficult to control, leading to potential collisions
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic arm is integrated with the gantry structure, where the robotic arm is mounted on the gantry's rotor. This merging eliminates the need for separate spatial control systems while maintaining independent operational capabilities through coordinated control of the integrated components.
Solution Approach 2:
A control unit acts as an intermediary between the operator and the robotic arm-gantry system. This control unit coordinates movements and positions, simplifying the spatial relationship management while enabling independent operation of both components through unified control.
2Reliability
If cameras are installed to monitor the relative position between robotic arm and gantry, then collision avoidance is improved, but operators and moving gantry obstruct the camera view, making continuous monitoring impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The optical camera-based monitoring system is replaced with a electronic control system that uses sensors and control algorithms to detect and measure the relative positions of the robotic arm and gantry. This substitution eliminates view obstruction issues while maintaining reliable collision avoidance capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit implements continuous feedback monitoring of the robotic arm and gantry positions through sensors integrated into the mechanical structure. This feedback system provides real-time position data without requiring external camera views, ensuring reliable collision avoidance regardless of operator movement or gantry position.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the robotic arm is positioned far from the patient on a mobile imaging device, then the imaging device can be moved independently, but the robotic arm cannot reach all patient areas, requiring operator movement that is difficult and dangerous
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic arm is merged with the gantry structure, creating an integrated system where the robotic arm can reach all patient areas while the entire gantry-imaging device assembly moves independently. This eliminates the need for separate operator movement while maintaining full patient access.
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic arm is positioned in a vertical dimension above the patient area rather than horizontally distant from the patient. This dimensional change allows the robotic arm to reach all patient areas by moving vertically and articulating, while the imaging device maintains its independent mobility on the bed.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the gantry and robotic arm occupy adjacent areas, then both components can be present in the imaging room, but the operator's freedom of movement is limited by the presence of these components
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic arm is merged with the gantry structure, reducing the total space occupied by both components. This integration allows both the gantry and robotic arm to be present in the imaging room while minimizing the area they occupy, thereby improving operator freedom of movement.
Data Source
AI summary
A radiological imaging device includes a gantry configured to perform radiological imaging and defining an area of analysis, a bearing structure supporting the gantry, and a robotic arm configured to move a medical instrument with respect to the area of analysis. The bearing structure includes a guide defining a translation axis substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the device, a first carriage connected to the gantry, and a second carriage connected to said robotic arm, the first and second carriages moving independently of each other, said gantry and said robotic arm configured to move along said translation axis.