Mobile Post Mechanism for Mammography Paddle Space Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mammography apparatuses face challenges with space constraints and breast pinching due to the fixed rail above the detector platform, making it difficult to access the breast for positioning and procedures like biopsy.
Innovation Solution
A mechanism with a mobile post relative to the detector platform allows the paddle to compress the breast, reducing upper space usage and enabling easier access by extending only as needed, incorporating designs like sliding blocks, telescopic rods, and scissor-hinged arms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a fixed rail is used above the detector platform to support the paddle mechanism, then the paddle can be moved to compress the breast, but the rail permanently takes up space in the upper part of the detector platform and makes it difficult to access the patient's breast
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the stationary rail into a mobile post that can be positioned only when needed for paddle operation. The post moves with the paddle mechanism, occupying minimal space when retracted and providing full support when extended, thus resolving the conflict between structural support needs and space accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the rail function from a fixed position above the detector platform and relocates it to a mobile post that travels with the paddle. This extraction allows the upper space to be freed for breast access while the support function is maintained through the mobile post mechanism.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the gantry is moved over its angular range, then different viewing angles for mammography can be obtained, but the gantry may cause pinching of the patient's breast
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a dissociated source support that acts as an intermediary between the gantry and the detector platform. This separate support structure allows the X-ray source to move through its angular range independently, eliminating the mechanical interference and pinching caused by the integrated gantry design while maintaining imaging versatility.
3Volume of moving object
If the apparatus is made more compact to reduce space usage, then portability is improved, but the mechanism for moving the paddle may become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the post support structure with the paddle mechanism, combining multiple functions into a single integrated component. The mobile post simultaneously provides structural support, enables paddle movement, and reduces space occupation, achieving compactness without increasing mechanism complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A mammography or tomosynthesis apparatus, comprising a mechanism configured to move a paddle, relative to a detector platform fixed to a main body of the apparatus, to compress a patient's breast against the detector platform to form a surface. The mechanism comprises a post that is mobile relative to the detector platform and/or to the body and configured so that maximum extension of the post relative to the surface follows the movements of the paddle relative to the detector platform.