Horizontal EMT Imaging Chamber for Emergency Stroke Diagnosis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current electromagnetic tomography (EMT) solutions are not well-suited for imaging the human head, particularly in emergency settings, due to their vertical orientation, which makes it difficult to position a patient's head within the imaging chamber, and they are not portable or cost-effective for diagnosing and treating stroke or cerebral vascular diseases.
Innovation Solution
A portable and cost-effective EMT system with a vertically oriented imaging chamber that allows a human head to be inserted horizontally, featuring an array of concentric rings of antennas and a hub computer system, enabling mobile and man-portable imaging capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If EMT systems use a vertical imaging chamber orientation, then the system structure is simplified and manufacturing is easier, but it becomes difficult to position a patient's head within the imaging chamber for emergency imaging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional vertical imaging chamber orientation to a horizontal orientation. This allows the patient's head to be inserted horizontally into the imaging chamber, significantly improving ease of operation in emergency settings while maintaining structural simplicity for manufacturing.
2Adaptability or versatility
If EMT systems are made portable and man-portable for emergency use, then accessibility and rapid response are improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The EMT system is divided into separate modular components: a portable imaging chamber unit with antenna arrays, a独立的 control system, and a hub computer system. This segmentation allows the imaging chamber to be made man-portable for emergency use while distributing system complexity across multiple manageable modules.
Solution Approach 2:
The imaging chamber unit is designed to be universally applicable in multiple settings - it can be manually positioned for emergency field use, mounted on mobile platforms for ambulance deployment, or integrated into fixed medical facilities for continuous monitoring, maximizing adaptability across different healthcare environments.
3Loss of time
If EMT imaging is implemented for rapid stroke diagnosis, then treatment time is reduced and patient outcomes improve, but the cost of deployment and operation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The portable imaging chamber unit can be pre-positioned and ready for immediate deployment in emergency settings. The system performs preliminary imaging capabilities in the field, allowing stroke diagnosis to begin before patient arrival at the hospital, significantly reducing total diagnosis time.
Solution Approach 2:
The hub computer system acts as an intermediary that receives data from portable imaging units deployed in the field and performs sophisticated image reconstruction and analysis. This separates the simple data acquisition function (performed by portable units) from the complex processing function (performed by the hub), reducing the complexity burden on portable devices while enabling rapid diagnosis.
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
Enables safe, rapid, and cost-effective imaging of the human head, facilitating early diagnosis and treatment of stroke and cerebral vascular diseases in emergency settings, such as ambulances or ICUs, and providing continuous monitoring in medical facilities.
Implementation Method 1
an array of antennas arranged around the imaging chamber, the array of antennas including at least some transmitting antennas and at least some receiving antennas, wherein the transmitting antennas transmit a low power electromagnetic field, wherein the receiving antennas receive the low power electromagnetic field
Data Source
AI summary
An electromagnetic tomography system for gathering measurement data pertaining to a human head includes an image chamber unit, a control system, and a housing. The image chamber unit includes an antenna assembly defining a horizontally-oriented imaging chamber and including an array of antennas arranged around the imaging chamber. The antennas include at least some transmitting antennas and some receiving antennas. The control system causes the transmitting antennas to transmit a low power electromagnetic field that is received by the receiving antennas after passing through a patient's head in the imaging chamber. A data tensor is produced that may be inversed to reconstruct a 3D distribution of dielectric properties within the head and to create an image. The housing at least partially contains the antenna assembly and has a front entry opening into the imaging chamber. The head is inserted horizontally through the front entry opening and into the imaging chamber.