Patient-Oriented Gantry Control Panel for Medical Imaging Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Operators of medical imaging systems, such as CT scanners, often experience confusion when using gantry control panels due to unclear direction indications for lateral and in-out movements, especially when panels are positioned on both the front and rear of the gantry, leading to ambiguity and increased operational complexity.
Innovation Solution
An ergonomically designed control panel with buttons laid out in association with a graphic representation of a patient's body, including a head and torso, providing clear and intuitive direction indications for movements such as up-down, in-out, and left-right, allowing operators to understand the direction of movement from any orientation relative to the gantry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If control panels are positioned on both the front and rear of the gantry with traditional equipment-oriented buttons, then operators can access controls from multiple positions, but direction indication becomes ambiguous and operators experience confusion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional equipment-oriented button layout by adopting a patient-oriented design. Instead of orienting buttons relative to the gantry structure, the buttons are arranged to match the anatomical orientation of the patient (head, torso, limbs). This inversion resolves the directional ambiguity by providing consistent spatial references that operators can understand regardless of their position relative to the gantry.
Solution Approach 2:
The control panel implements local quality by assigning specific button groups to represent different body parts (head, torso, limbs) with directional indicators tailored to each anatomical region. This allows each section of the control panel to provide locally relevant directional information appropriate to the body part being controlled, eliminating the need for operators to mentally rotate or reinterpret controls based on gantry orientation.
2Device complexity
If traditional arrow-shaped buttons with equipment-oriented graphics are used, then the control panel design is simple and aesthetic, but operators experience confusion when approaching from different sides of the gantry
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces equipment-oriented arrow graphics with patient-oriented anatomical representations. Instead of showing arrows relative to the gantry structure, the buttons display directional indicators relative to patient anatomy (e.g., head up, feet down, left arm, right arm). This maintains design simplicity while fundamentally changing the reference frame to eliminate operational confusion.
Solution Approach 2:
The control panel employs color coding to enhance directional indication clarity. Different colors are used to represent different body parts or directional movements, providing intuitive visual cues that remain consistent regardless of operator position. This adds visual differentiation without significantly increasing design complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If mirror image control panels are used on left and right sides of the gantry, then aesthetic and usability purposes are served, but directional ambiguity persists when operators move between positions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal control panel design where the patient-oriented button layout serves all operator positions and gantry orientations. The same control panel configuration provides consistent directional information whether the operator approaches from the front, rear, left, or right side of the gantry, eliminating the need for mirror-image designs and maintaining directional consistency across all positions.
Data Source
AI summary
A gantry control panel for positioning a patient with respect to a gantry includes at least one contour of at least a portion of a figure representing a patient to be positioned with respect to a gantry, and at least one control button positioned in association with the at least one contour or as part of the at least one contour. The at least one control button controls positioning of the patient with respect to the gantry.