Expandable Mobile Imaging Unit With Ground-Level Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mobile imaging units, such as wheeled semi-trailer scanners, pose challenges for elderly patients and those with disabilities due to tall/steep ramps or steps, and the weight of lead-lined walls prevents accordion-style expansion, necessitating a more stable and expandable design.
Innovation Solution
A mobile imaging unit with a rigid base and track system for wall movement, allowing for ground-level placement and expansion beyond trailer width, featuring a movable wall system using casters and tracks for easy assembly and disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the mobile imaging unit uses tall/steep ramps or steps for access, then the unit can be transported on a trailer, but patient access becomes difficult for elderly patients and those with disabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The base is configured to rest upon a ground surface external to the mobile imaging unit, extending from the ground surface to a floor of the mobile imaging unit. This dimensional reconfiguration eliminates the need for tall/steep ramps by creating a ground-level access point, allowing patients to enter at a natural height without climbing or navigating steep inclines.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the mobile imaging unit uses accordion-style expansion, then the unit can expand beyond trailer width, but the lead-lined walls become too heavy to move
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the accordion-style mechanical expansion system with a track-based system. Walls are equipped with casters that move along tracks, allowing the unit to expand beyond trailer width without requiring the walls to be flexible or lightweight. This substitution enables the use of heavy lead-lined walls while maintaining expandability.
3Ease of operation
If the mobile imaging unit is removed from the trailer and placed at ground level, then patient access is improved, but the scanner may move or twist under the weight of lead-lined walls
Solution Approach 1:
The base is designed as a separate, rigid component that can be detached from the trailer and placed on the ground. This segmentation allows the base to provide stable ground-level support independent of the trailer, preventing scanner movement and twisting while maintaining the ability to easily access the unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The base has a rigid structure that distributes the weight of the scanner and lead-lined walls evenly across the ground surface. This rigid foundation prevents twisting and distortion by providing a stable, non-flexing support platform that maintains the structural integrity of the entire unit.
4Productivity
If the mobile imaging unit includes three uptake rooms, then the unit can accommodate Biograph Trinion PET/CT scanning with minimal downtime, but the unit size and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic configuration with three uptake rooms that can be efficiently managed through the control room. The multiple uptake rooms allow patients to wait in different locations during the one-hour uptake period, enabling continuous operation and minimal downtime between scans.
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile imaging unit configured for transport between a first location and a second location, the mobile imaging unit includes a base configured to rest upon a ground surface that is external to the mobile imaging unit, the base extending from the ground surface to a floor of the mobile imaging unit, a plurality of walls extending upward from the base to define an interior of the mobile imaging unit therebetween, the interior of the mobile imaging unit having an imaging room housing an imaging unit, and a control room having a workstation from which the imaging unit is controllable, wherein the plurality of walls includes a movable wall, a track coupled to the base, and a caster coupled to the movable wall and movable with the wall along the track from a stowed position to an installed position to increase a width of the mobile imaging unit.