Patient Couch Automated Docking Trajectory Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current patient couches in medical imaging installations face challenges in precise and comfortable docking, often resulting in jerky movements and discomfort for patients due to the reliance on operator estimation and large acceptance angles for docking.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a docking facility with a drive unit, sensors, a computing unit, and a display facility allows for the calculation and display of a precise movement trajectory to the docking position, enabling accurate and comfortable alignment of the patient couch with the medical imaging installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the operator manually pushes the patient couch to the docking point relying on visual estimation, then the device complexity is low, but the docking precision deteriorates resulting in jerky movements and patient discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical pushing system with an automated drive unit that uses sensors (optical, acoustic, or electromagnetic) to detect the docking point and automatically navigate the patient couch to the correct position, eliminating the need for operator visual estimation and manual control
Solution Approach 2:
The patient couch is equipped with autonomous navigation capabilities where the integrated sensors and computing unit enable the system to self-determine its position relative to the docking point and automatically adjust its movement to achieve precise docking without external operator intervention
2Ease of operation
If a large acceptance angle of −7° to +7° is used for docking, then the ease of operation is improved, but the manufacturing precision of the docking alignment deteriorates causing jerky lateral movements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical tolerance-based alignment approach with an automated sensor-guided navigation system that uses computational algorithms to calculate the optimal movement trajectory, enabling precise angular alignment (within −2° to +2°) while maintaining ease of operation through automatic control
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the docking parameters by using sensors to detect the relative position and orientation to the docking point, then the computing unit calculates and executes a corrected movement trajectory that achieves precise angular alignment before docking engagement
3Productivity
If the patient couch is driven at higher speed to the docking point, then the productivity is improved, but the object-affected harmful factors worsen due to increased impact and jerky movements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic speed control where the drive unit automatically adjusts the patient couch's movement speed based on real-time sensor feedback, enabling high-speed travel over long distances followed by automatic deceleration and trajectory correction as the docking point is approached, thus achieving both high productivity and smooth docking
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary high-speed movement to cover the majority of the distance to the docking point, then executes a pre-calculated deceleration and trajectory correction sequence in advance of the actual docking engagement, ensuring smooth alignment and minimizing impact
Data Source
AI summary
A patient couch is disclosed. In an embodiment, the patient couch includes a docking facility for mechanical docking on a docking point of a medical imaging installation; a drive unit including a plurality of wheels for a drive movement of the patient couch up to a docking position, where the docking facility reaches the docking point; at least one sensor, to acquire sensor signals characterizing a relative position between the medical imaging installation and the patient couch; a computing unit to calculate a movement trajectory with a destination of the docking position for the patient couch, based on the sensor signals acquired; and a display facility, to display the movement trajectory calculated for a user.