MR Imaging Projector and Reflecting Plate for Patient Confinement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Patients experience stress and discomfort during MR examinations due to long imaging times, noise, and a sense of confinement within the MR scanner's bore, as existing solutions like head-mount displays and liquid crystal monitors either cause pressure or fail to alleviate the feeling of being inside the bore effectively.
Innovation Solution
A medical image diagnosis system incorporating a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus with a movable screen unit and projector system that projects images either directly or through a reflecting plate, allowing patients to see the image without feeling confined by adjusting the projection mode based on the patient's position within the bore.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a head-mount display is used to provide visual distraction during MR imaging, then patient stress is reduced, but the device adds weight and pressure to the patient's head
Solution Approach 1:
The visual display function is extracted from the patient's head area and relocated to the bore environment. The projector system projects images onto the bore surface or suspended elements within the bore, allowing patients to view distracting content without any device attached to their head, thereby eliminating head pressure while maintaining stress reduction benefits
Solution Approach 2:
An intermediary projection system is introduced between the image source and the patient's visual field. Instead of placing a display device directly on or near the patient's head, the system uses projectors to cast images onto surfaces within the bore environment, creating an indirect viewing path that eliminates physical contact with the patient's head
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a liquid crystal monitor is installed in the bore to alleviate confinement feelings, then patient comfort is improved, but the monitor occupies space and may not effectively block the view of the bore walls
Solution Approach 1:
The display solution transitions from a two-dimensional monitor screen to a three-dimensional immersive environment. Images are projected onto the curved bore surface or suspended at multiple points within the bore volume, creating a panoramic visual field that surrounds the patient rather than occupying a single flat plane, thereby reducing confinement feelings without consuming valuable bore space
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes dynamic image projection with varying colors and visual content to create an engaging and distracting environment. By projecting vivid, changing images onto the bore surface or suspended elements, the system transforms the单调 (monotonous) bore environment into an visually stimulating space that captures patient attention and reduces perception of confinement without requiring physical space for traditional monitors
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the bore diameter is increased to reduce pressure on patients, then patient comfort is improved, but the imaging system becomes larger and more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system converts the potentially harmful confined bore environment into a beneficial therapeutic space. By projecting immersive images and videos onto the bore surface or suspended within it, the previously oppressive bore walls become a canvas for distracting visual content, transforming the confinement from a source of anxiety into an engaging environment that reduces patient stress without requiring physical expansion of the gantry
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Improves patient habitability by reducing feelings of confinement and discomfort during MR imaging by providing an immersive and distraction-focused environment through image projection, thereby alleviating stress and anxiety.
Implementation Method 1
a reflecting plate, and the support arm to support the reflecting plate. The processing circuitry outputs the first video signal to the projector in a first case where the video displayed by the display device is shown to the observer not through the reflecting plate and outputs the second video signal to the projector in a second case where the video displayed by the display device is shown to the observer through the reflecting plate
Data Source
AI summary
A medical image diagnosis system according to one embodiment includes a gantry, a couch, a reflecting plate, and a processing circuitry. The gantry is for medical imaging having a bore. The couch movably supports a top plate. The reflecting plate reflects an image output from an image output device. The processing circuitry, in a first case where the image is shown to an observer not through the reflecting plate, outputs a first image signal relating to a first image to the image output device. While in a second case where the image is shown to the observer through the reflecting plate, The processing circuitry outputs a second image signal relating to a second image to the image output device.