Portable C-Arm Imaging with Rotating Sensor for Wider 3D Views
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mobile three-dimensional imaging systems face limitations in freedom of movement, hindering their use in non-radiology departments due to the difficulty in precisely positioning the imaging equipment, especially in environments like operating rooms with limited space and personnel.
Innovation Solution
A portable medical imaging system with a movable C-arm and omni-directional wheels, allowing 360-degree rotation and precise positioning through a control system that includes a gantry mount, C-arms, and imaging sensors, enabling flexible imaging without requiring patient movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If mobile three-dimensional imaging systems are used in non-radiology departments, then flexibility and accessibility to patients are improved, but the ability to precisely position the imaging equipment deteriorates due to limited space and personnel
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs sensors (optical, electromagnetic, or other types) to detect the position of the imaging equipment and provides feedback to the control system. This feedback mechanism enables automatic or semi-automatic positioning, allowing the system to achieve precise positioning in constrained environments like operating rooms while maintaining the flexibility of mobile deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical positioning with automated control systems that use sensors and algorithms to determine and execute precise positioning. This substitution of mechanical manual operation with automated control systems resolves the contradiction by enabling precise positioning without requiring additional personnel or manual effort.
2Ease of operation
If the imaging system is made smaller and more mobile, then ease of movement and deployment is improved, but the field-of-view and image quality may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates dynamic positioning capabilities that allow the imaging sensor to rotate and adjust its orientation during operation. The C-arm can rotate 360 degrees around the patient, and the imaging sensor can independently rotate to change the angle of incidence, dynamically expanding the effective field-of-view beyond what a static system of the same size could provide.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds rotational degrees of freedom to the imaging system. The imaging sensor can rotate about the center axis of the C-arm independently of the signal transmitter, adding a rotational dimension to the field-of-view. This allows a compact mobile system to achieve the coverage of a larger stationary system by utilizing three-dimensional spatial positioning and rotation.
Data Source
AI summary
A portable medical imaging system and method, of which the system includes a movable station having a movable C-arm, an imaging signal transmitter attached to the movable C-arm, and an imaging sensor positioned generally opposite to the imaging signal transmitter and attached to the movable c-arm. The imaging sensor is configured to rotate relative to a point approximately on a center axis of the movable C-arm independently of the imaging signal transmitter, so as to change an angle of incidence for a signal transmitted from the imaging signal transmitter to the imaging sensor, and provide a field-of-view that is larger than the field-of-view of the imaging sensor at a single position.