Modular Imaging Positioner for Rough Terrain Maneuverability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical equipment positioners lack flexibility, ease of transport, and robustness for use in non-ideal environments such as rural or military settings, where they need to navigate uneven surfaces and provide versatile imaging capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A portable positioner system with a cart section, telescoping mast, and adjustable manipulating arm that allows for tool-free assembly and disassembly, featuring large diameter wheels for stability on rough surfaces, and a combination of wheels and rollers for maneuverability, enabling easy relocation and positioning of imaging units for various imaging angles without requiring open space underneath the patient.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a deployable frame with wheels and legs is used, then the positioner can be transported and deployed, but it requires open space underneath the patient and has limited flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The positioner is divided into modular components including a base frame with wheels, a telescoping mast, and a manipulating arm assembly. These segments can be independently positioned and adjusted, allowing the system to operate in confined spaces without requiring open area underneath the patient while maintaining ease of transport through modular construction.
2Device complexity
If a fixed arm with limited vertical adjustability is used, then the structure is simple, but the positioning flexibility is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The positioner employs a telescoping mast with multiple extendable sections and a manipulating arm with adjustable links that can change length and orientation. This dynamic structure allows continuous adjustment of vertical height and angular positioning, transforming a static fixed arm into a versatile positioning system while maintaining relatively simple mechanical components.
3Ease of operation
If a swing arm configuration is used, then the source position can be controlled, but the system lacks robustness for non-ideal environments
Solution Approach 1:
The positioner utilizes heavy-duty metal construction with reinforced joints and robust linkage assemblies designed to withstand rough handling and non-ideal environmental conditions. The base frame incorporates shock-absorbing mounting for wheels, and all structural components are engineered with increased safety factors to ensure reliability in rural and military deployment settings where floors and terrain may be uneven or unstable.
4Ease of manufacture
If tool-free assembly with fasteners is implemented, then ease of assembly is improved, but assembly strength may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The positioner incorporates self-locking fasteners and tool-free assembly mechanisms that automatically secure components upon insertion. Quick-connect interfaces with integrated locking features allow operators to assemble and disassemble the system without tools while maintaining structural integrity through self-tightening and self-securing mechanisms that ensure adequate assembly strength for medical imaging applications.
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible, lightweight, easily maneuverable positioner for an imaging system. The positioning system in one example has a cart section with a base frame coupled to one or more wheels. There is a mast extending from the cart section and a linkage assembly coupled to a second end of the mast, wherein the mast is configured to swing about a vertical plane. There is a positioning arm coupled to the linkage assembly, wherein the positioning arm is configured to swing about at least one of a horizontal plane and the vertical plane. An imaging bracket is used to couple to the positioning arm and configured to receive an imaging unit. In one example, the positioner is coupled together by fasteners, wherein the positioner can be assembled and dis-assembled via the fasteners without tools.