MRI Test Bed Weighing Assembly for Patient Weight Measurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
In Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) systems, accurately determining the weight of patients, especially those unable to stand on a scale or unaware of their weight, poses a challenge for optimizing scanning time and intensity due to varying magnetic induction intensities across different body parts.
Innovation Solution
A test bed with integrated weighing assemblies, including a support frame, base, and sensor units that sense stress to acquire weight information, connected to a control apparatus for processing and displaying weight data, allowing for precise weight measurement and adjustment of scanning parameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If weight information is acquired by means of a weight scale provided outside a scanning room or by face-to-face inquiry, then the scanning process can be performed, but accurate weight determination is difficult for patients incapable of standing or unaware of their weight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the weighing function with the MRI scanning bed by integrating a sensor unit and force transmission apparatus directly into the test bed structure. This merging eliminates the need for separate external weighing operations, allowing weight measurement to occur automatically during the scanning process itself, thereby solving the problem of inaccessible weight information for certain patient groups.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-measurement of weight by incorporating sensors into the scanning bed that automatically detect the patient's weight when they lie on the bed. The sensor unit senses stress through the force transmission apparatus, and the control apparatus calculates weight information without requiring patient action beyond lying on the bed, making the process self-service and applicable to all patients regardless of mobility or awareness.
2Reliability
If scanning time and scanning intensity are determined according to the weight of the tested object, then optimal imaging quality can be achieved, but accurate weight information is not readily available for all patients
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs weight measurement preliminarily and automatically as part of the patient positioning process on the scanning bed, before the actual MRI scanning begins. The sensor unit continuously monitors weight information during bed adjustment and positioning, ensuring that accurate weight data is obtained and stored in advance, eliminating the need for separate weight acquisition steps and ensuring information availability for all patients.
3Measurement precision
If a force transmission apparatus is provided on the upper side of the sensor unit, then stress from the support frame is effectively transmitted to the sensor, but the sensor unit requires a deformation space on the lower side for accurate measurement
Solution Approach 1:
The weighing assembly is segmented into distinct functional components: a force transmission apparatus mounted on the upper side to transmit stress from the support frame, and a sensor unit with a dedicated deformation space on the lower side for accurate measurement. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally while maintaining a manageable overall structure.
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
Enables accurate weight determination of patients, optimizing MRI scanning time and intensity by providing a method to acquire and process weight information directly within the scanning environment, addressing the challenge of varying magnetic induction across different body parts.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor unit used to sense the stress from the support frame
Data Source
AI summary
The present utility model provides a test bed, a magnetic resonance imaging system, and a medical imaging system. The test bed includes a support frame used to bear a tested object, a base used to support the support frame, and at least one weighing assembly. The at least one weighing assembly is fixed to the base, and acquires weight information of the tested object by sensing stress from the support frame.