Mobile Imaging Ring System for Flexible Medical CT
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional medical CT units are bulky, heavy, and limited in mobility, flexibility, and applications, particularly in tight spaces like operating rooms, and they struggle with providing accurate and flexible imaging for various medical interventions due to their rigid and large bore size constraints.
Innovation Solution
A mobile imaging ring system with a closed ring gantry design featuring independently rotating outer rings for the X-ray source and detector, allowing for tiltable and adaptable positioning, combined with a supporting structure that includes motorized wheels and stabilization systems for precise movement and stability, enabling flexible imaging in tight spaces and enhanced spatial resolution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If conventional medical CT units are used, then imaging accuracy is maintained, but mobility and flexibility are severely limited due to bulky and heavy design
Solution Approach 1:
The CT system is divided into separate functional modules: a mobile C-arm unit with X-ray source and detector, and a separate computing unit for image reconstruction. This segmentation allows the imaging component to be lightweight and mobile while maintaining imaging accuracy through dedicated hardware design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional heavy mechanical CT gantry with a lighter C-arm mechanical structure that uses robotic positioning systems and computer control to achieve precise imaging, significantly reducing weight while maintaining imaging capability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional CT units with large bore size are used, then patient access is limited, but imaging accuracy is maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The C-arm structure incorporates dynamic positioning capabilities with adjustable angles and heights, allowing the imaging system to adapt to various patient positions and surgical scenarios while maintaining imaging precision through real-time geometric calibration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes imaging parameters such as source-to-detector distance, beam angle, and detector orientation to optimize both patient accessibility and spatial resolution for different surgical procedures and patient sizes.
3Ease of operation
If mobile C-arms are used, then mobility is improved, but structural rigidity and imaging accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates real-time feedback mechanisms including laser alignment systems, optical encoders on rotational joints, and computer-controlled positioning that continuously monitor and adjust the C-arm position to maintain imaging accuracy despite mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile C-arm is designed with universal positioning capabilities that can accommodate various imaging geometries and surgical procedures, with integrated stabilization systems that maintain structural rigidity equivalent to fixed installations through active control.
4Adaptability or versatility
If conventional CT units are used, then imaging accuracy is maintained, but adaptability to various surgical scenarios is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile C-arm system is designed as a universal imaging platform that can perform multiple functions including fluoroscopy, angiography, and 3D reconstruction across different surgical specialties through software configuration rather than hardware changes, reducing overall system complexity.
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
The mobile imaging ring system provides a compact, flexible, and highly accurate imaging solution that can accommodate various patient orientations and medical interventions, offering improved access and spatial resolution compared to traditional CT units, while allowing for adaptive field of view and reduced radiation exposure.
Implementation Method 1
Each of the rotatable detector and source rings may further be assembled with the stationary central ring using a ball bearing
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a mobile imaging system for imaging of patients in medical interventions comprising a ring gantry with a plurality of independently rotating rings whereas a first rotating ring positions an X-ray source with collimator and a second rotating ring positions an image detector such that the region of interest (patient) can be positioned off-centered with respect to the ring center. The system supports planar X-ray imaging and Computed Tomography (CT) and Cone beam CT (CBCT) acquisitions of three dimensional (3D) volumes with variable X-ray field of views (FOVs) adapted to regions of interest (ROIs), which are not required to be of cylindrical shape. The mobile system can be equipped with stereoscopic cameras integrated in the gantry an on moving rings to support optical tracking and navigation of instruments within the same co-ordinate system of X-ray information. The gantry can be equipped with additional sensors and robotic manipulators on further rings operating in said co-ordinate system on mobile platform. The gantry provides a generic mechanical and electrical interface to a supporting structure, which can be attached to a variety of mobility platforms to support robotic positioning of the system in various orientations of scanner in treatment rooms to accommodate a wide range of patient setups, including the possibility for inclined and vertical scans of patients in upright position.