Pediatric CT Support Structure With Side Walls for Stable Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
In pediatric computed tomography examinations, there are challenges related to the precise alignment and safety of the examination object, particularly due to issues with support structures that may complicate image quality and cleanliness.
Innovation Solution
A support structure with a bearing surface and side walls that provide stability and ease of alignment, made of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic, featuring detachable connections and markings for precise positioning, and designed to minimize interference with imaging and facilitate easy cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a support structure is used to hold the examination object, then the examination object can be supported during the CT examination, but the support structure may interfere with the imaging process and reduce image quality
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure uses a transparent or translucent bearing surface made of thin film material that allows X-rays to pass through with minimal interference. This thin film design provides mechanical support while being radiologically transparent, thus maintaining both support stability and image quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure is made from composite materials that combine mechanical strength with radiological transparency. These composite materials provide the necessary structural support for the examination object while allowing CT imaging to proceed without significant interference, resolving the contradiction between support stability and image quality.
2Measurement precision
If the support structure has side walls to provide stability and alignment, then the examination object can be properly positioned, but the structure becomes more complex and harder to clean
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is divided into separate components: a bearing surface for support and detachable side walls for alignment. This segmentation allows the side walls to be removed when not needed, simplifying the structure for cleaning while providing alignment precision when required. The modular design reduces overall complexity while maintaining functional capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The side walls are designed to be dynamically adjustable or detachable rather than fixed permanent structures. This dynamic design allows the side walls to be attached during examinations requiring alignment and removed or folded away during cleaning, thus providing alignment precision when needed while reducing structure complexity and cleaning difficulty at other times.
3Ease of manufacture
If the support structure is made of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic for strength and cleanability, then the structure can be easily cleaned and maintained, but the material may introduce artifacts in the CT images
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing surface is constructed as a thin film that is either transparent or translucent to X-rays, eliminating carbon fiber reinforcement in the imaging path. This thin film design maintains ease of cleaning and manufacturing while being radiologically transparent, thus preventing imaging artifacts while preserving cleanability.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the support structure have different material properties: the bearing surface uses radiologically transparent material for imaging quality, while side walls or non-imaging areas use carbon fiber-reinforced plastic for strength and cleanability. This local differentiation allows each component to optimize for its specific function, maintaining image quality where it matters while providing ease of manufacture and cleaning where needed.
Data Source
AI summary
One or more example embodiments relates to a support structure for supporting an examination object in a pediatric computed tomography examination. The support structure includes a bearing surface for the examination object; a first side wall; and a second side wall, wherein the bearing surface, the first side wall and the second side wall in each case extend flat along a longitudinal axis of the support structure, and the first side wall and the second side wall protrude relative to the bearing surface such that the examination object is placeable on the bearing surface between the first side wall and the second side wall.