Medical Equipment Alignment Using Optical Viewing-Direction Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Alignment of medical equipment is cumbersome, time-consuming, and inefficient, often leading to gradual misalignment and reduced accuracy over time, particularly in high-precision applications.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method using normals of equipment surfaces to determine alignment, initiating adjustments when deviations occur, allowing for timely and efficient alignment using relatively inexpensive imaging systems and augmented reality devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If iterative adjustment based on user intuition or experience is used for alignment, then alignment can be performed, but the process becomes cumbersome and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual iterative adjustment based on user intuition with an automated optical measurement system. The system uses imaging devices to capture images of alignment markers, automatically calculates alignment deviations, and provides quantitative feedback, eliminating the need for cumbersome manual iteration and significantly reducing alignment time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-aligned alignment by automatically measuring the positions of alignment markers on different equipment pieces, calculating deviations from target positions, and guiding adjustments without requiring extensive user intervention or repeated image taking, thus making the alignment process more efficient and less time-consuming.
2Measurement precision
If repeated image taking is performed to check alignment, then alignment accuracy can be verified, but the process becomes time-consuming and requires user to leave the room in radiation systems
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary alignment verification by continuously monitoring alignment markers and detecting deviations before they become significant. This allows for early detection and correction of misalignment, eliminating the need for repeated time-consuming image taking and user intervention, especially important in radiation systems where users must leave the room.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback by automatically capturing images of alignment markers, calculating their positions relative to target positions, and providing real-time alignment status. This continuous monitoring enables verification of alignment accuracy without requiring repeated manual intervention or user presence in radiation areas, significantly reducing verification time.
3Productivity
If alignment is performed less frequently due to time consumption, then operational time is increased, but gradual misalignment occurs and accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables continuous alignment monitoring by automatically tracking alignment markers and detecting deviations in real-time. This continuous useful action allows for frequent verification and correction of alignment without significantly impacting operational time, thereby maintaining high alignment accuracy over extended periods and preventing gradual misalignment that would otherwise occur.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention provides a computer-implemented method for use in aligning pieces of equipment of a medical system, comprising determining, for a piece of equipment of a medical system, a viewing direction of the piece of equipment, the viewing direction being a normal to a predetermined portion of the surface of the piece of equipment, determining whether the viewing direction is within a predetermined interval around a target viewing direction of the piece of equipment, and upon determining that the viewing direction is outside of the predetermined interval around the target viewing direction of the piece of equipment, initiating an adjusting of the alignment of the piece of equipment.