Mobile X-ray Arm Sensor Zone Restriction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mobile x-ray apparatuses lack effective mechanisms to prevent unintentional contact with patients during maneuvering, posing risks of injury to both patients and operators.
Innovation Solution
A mobile radiography system with a movable arm equipped with sensors to detect patient location and a programmable encoder to restrict arm movement within a defined zone, using brakes or motor control to prevent protrusion or reduce speed, ensuring safe positioning of the x-ray imaging head.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If mobile x-ray apparatus are used to move equipment to patient bedside, then accessibility and timeliness of imaging is improved, but risk of unintentional contact with patient increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of patient location using sensors before the operator maneuvers the cart. The encoder pre-establishes the safe zone boundaries relative to the detected patient position, so that when the operator approaches, the restriction mechanism is already prepared to prevent unwanted contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the position of the moveable arm via the encoder and compares it against the safe zone boundaries. When the arm approaches the restricted zone near the patient, the system provides feedback through brake activation or motor control adjustment to prevent contact, creating a closed-loop safety mechanism.
2Reliability
If sensors and encoders are added to detect patient location and restrict arm movement, then patient safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The encoder serves multiple functions: it monitors the position of the moveable arm for normal operation control and simultaneously detects when the arm approaches the restricted zone for safety purposes. The sensor system detects patient location and feeds this information to the same control mechanism that manages arm movement, allowing one system to handle both operational and safety functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The control mechanism acts as an intermediary between the sensor/encoder detection system and the physical arm. Rather than directly connecting sensors to brake mechanisms, the control mechanism processes the position information and coordinates the appropriate response, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining safety functionality.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If brake or motor control is used to restrict arm movement within patient zone, then contact prevention is improved, but ease of manual positioning deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The restriction mechanism dynamically adjusts based on the arm's position relative to the patient zone. When the arm is outside the restricted zone, full manual positioning freedom is maintained. When the arm approaches the zone boundary, the brake or motor control dynamically engages to restrict movement only in the direction toward the patient, allowing positioning freedom in other directions.
Solution Approach 2:
The restriction is applied locally only to the specific zone near the patient, not to the entire range of motion. The brake or motor control selectively restricts movement only when the arm approaches the defined boundary near the patient, while allowing free movement in other areas of the workspace, maintaining ease of operation where safety is not a concern.
Data Source
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AI summary
A mobile radiography system includes a moveable arm having an x-ray source attached thereto which can be manually positioned by an operator. A sensor detects a location of a bed or other object relative to the radiography system and generates location information so that a programmable system can restrict lateral movement of the system or arm within a zone proximate the bed or other object.