Mobile Radiation Apparatus Caster Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing mobile radiation generation apparatuses face instability and difficulty in adjusting the operation panel due to the swiveling of caster wheels during panel rotation, and the foot lever's placement makes it hard for operators to access the brake pedal in confined hospital spaces.
Innovation Solution
A mobile radiation generation apparatus with a carriage unit featuring a front wheel and rear wheel, where the rear wheel's rotation and swivel are locked by a dual locking mechanism, and a front pedal is positioned forward for easy operation, along with an operation panel that rotates and can be moved to a side position for improved accessibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the operation panel rotates about the rotation axis parallel to the swivel axis of the caster, then the operation panel can be accessed from the front side of the carriage unit, but the casters are likely to move during adjustment, causing instability
Solution Approach 1:
The swivel locking mechanism locks the swivel of the rear wheel about the swivel axis before the operation panel is rotated, preventing the caster from moving during adjustment. This preliminary locking action counteracts the potential instability that would occur during panel rotation.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotation locking mechanism locks the rotation of the rear wheel about the axle before the operation panel is adjusted, ensuring the carriage unit is firmly positioned. This preliminary locking ensures stability is established before the adjustment operation begins.
2Reliability
If the foot lever is provided at the rear and side positions of the carriage unit, then the rotation of rear wheels can be locked to prevent careless movement, but the operator cannot easily access the brake pedal in confined hospital spaces
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of placing the brake pedal at the rear and side of the carriage unit as in conventional designs, the front pedal is inverted to the front side of the carriage unit. This allows the operator to easily access and operate the brake pedal from the front, particularly when positioned between the bed and carriage unit during imaging operations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the rear wheel swivels independently like the front wheel, then the carriage unit can move easily in oblique directions with high flexibility, but the carriage unit becomes unstable when the operation panel is adjusted
Solution Approach 1:
The swivel locking mechanism allows the rear wheel to swivel freely during movement operations, providing flexibility. When adjustment of the operation panel is required, the mechanism locks the swivel, transforming the dynamic state to a static state to ensure stability during the adjustment operation.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a mobile radiation generation apparatus which reliably prevents the unsteady motion of a carriage unit with a simple structure and facilitates the positioning of an operation panel even in a case in which a wheel of the carriage unit is a caster. Each of a front wheel and a rear wheel of a carriage unit is a caster that swivels about a swivel axis extending in a vertical direction. An operation panel is provided in a main body unit mounted on the carriage unit. The operation panel rotates about an axis that extends in the Z-axis direction with respect to the carriage unit. The carriage unit includes a front pedal that is provided closer to the front wheel than a support and locks both the rotation and swivel of the caster at the same time.