Mobile X-Ray Gantry Locking and Power Architecture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional medical imaging devices, such as CT and MR imaging devices, are typically fixed and immobile, making them difficult to move to various locations within a hospital or health services environment due to their size, weight, and power requirements, especially when standard power outlets are not available.
Innovation Solution
A mobile imaging system with a base, gimbal, and gantry design that allows for rotation and translation, incorporating a locking mechanism and a battery-powered system to provide power to rotating components, and a docking system for power and data transfer between rotating and non-rotating portions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional fixed imaging systems are made mobile, then the system can be transported to various locations, but the system size and weight increase making it difficult to move
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging system is divided into a stationary base portion and a rotatable gantry portion. The gantry contains the imaging components and can rotate around the patient, while the base houses the power supply and control systems. This segmentation allows the imaging components to be lightweight and mobile while the heavy power systems remain stationary.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a completely stationary imaging device to a mobile platform by adding rotational freedom in a new dimension. The gantry rotates around the patient table, creating a three-dimensional imaging capability that combines mobile positioning with rotational scanning, effectively distributing weight and function across different spatial dimensions.
2Power
If a mobile imaging system uses conventional high-voltage power delivery mechanisms, then high voltage can be delivered to rotating components, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The high-voltage power generation and delivery systems are extracted from the rotating gantry and placed in the stationary base. The rotating portion only requires low-voltage power for motors and electronics, eliminating the need for complex slip rings or rotary transformers. The stationary base houses the high-voltage generator that delivers power through fixed cables to the patient area.
Solution Approach 2:
A stationary high-voltage generator in the base acts as an intermediary, delivering high-voltage power to the imaging components through fixed cables rather than requiring the cables to rotate. This intermediary approach separates the high-voltage generation function from the rotating imaging components, simplifying the overall power delivery architecture.
3Ease of operation
If the imaging system is designed to be compact and mobile, then it can be transported easily, but obtaining required power for imaging procedures becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile imaging system incorporates its own self-contained power supply in the stationary base, including high-voltage generation capabilities and energy storage systems. This self-service approach allows the system to operate independently without requiring external hospital power infrastructure, enabling deployment in remote or mobile settings where standard power outlets are unavailable.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamic power management with rechargeable battery systems and efficient energy storage in the base. The power system can adapt between different operating modes - drawing from batteries during mobile operations and recharging when docked, providing flexible power availability that supports both portability and sustained imaging operations.
Data Source
AI summary
An imaging system includes a first portion and a second portion that translates and/or rotates with respect to the first portion. A first locking mechanism may prevent the second portion from translating with respect to the first portion, such as during transport of the system. A second locking mechanism may prevent the second portion from rotating with respect to the first portion, such as during transport and/or during an imaging scan. Further embodiments include a cable management system between the first and second portions, a spherically-shaped surface of a support gimbal and a user interface device for an imaging system.