Portable Radiographic Imaging with Remote Camera Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing radiographic image capturing apparatuses are cumbersome and require a qualified professional to travel to disaster or home care sites, limiting their use in emergency situations where immediate imaging is needed without direct supervision.
Innovation Solution
A portable radiographic image capturing system with a camera and radiation source integrated with a controller, allowing real-time image transmission to a remote location for guidance from a qualified technician, enabling unlicensed operators to prepare and capture images under remote supervision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If a radiographic image capturing apparatus is reduced in overall size and weight to be portable, then ease of transport to disaster sites or home care locations is improved, but the complexity of ensuring proper operation and image quality control worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a camera as an intermediary device that captures visual information of the imaging process and transmits it to a remote location where a qualified technician can provide real-time guidance. This mediator bridges the gap between the simplified portable apparatus and the need for expert oversight, allowing unlicensed operators to perform procedures correctly without being present at the remote site.
Solution Approach 2:
The system separates the functions of image capture and expert supervision into distinct components. The portable radiographic apparatus at the remote site performs the actual imaging, while the qualified technician provides guidance from a centralized location. This segmentation allows the portable device to be simple and lightweight while the expertise is concentrated elsewhere.
2Reliability
If a qualified technician travels to disaster or home care sites to capture radiographic images, then image quality and proper procedure are ensured, but the time required to provide imaging services and the complexity of deployment worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of physical travel with an electronic communication system. Instead of the qualified technician physically traveling to the remote site, real-time visual guidance is transmitted through camera images and communication networks. This substitution eliminates deployment time while maintaining the reliability of expert oversight.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera creates a visual copy of the remote imaging site and transmits it to the qualified technician. This copy allows the technician to see and guide the procedure as if present at the location, maintaining image quality assurance without requiring physical presence or travel time.
3Productivity
If unlicensed operators are allowed to prepare and capture images at remote sites, then accessibility and speed of service are improved, but the reliability of proper procedure and image quality worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements real-time feedback through two-way communication between the unlicensed operator at the remote site and the qualified technician. The camera transmits images of the procedure to the technician, who can provide immediate feedback and corrections. This feedback loop ensures procedure correctness while allowing rapid response at the remote location.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera and communication system serve as an intermediary that connects the unlicensed operator with the qualified technician. This intermediary enables the operator to perform procedures with confidence knowing that expert guidance is available in real-time, thereby maintaining reliability while improving accessibility and speed.
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 the capture of radiographic images at disaster or home care sites without the need for a qualified technician to be present, ensuring timely and appropriate imaging even in remote or inaccessible locations.
Implementation Method 1
a radiation source for outputting radiation; a radiation detector for detecting radiation that has passed through a subject and converting the detected radiation into a radiographic image upon application of the radiation to the subject from the radiation source
Implementation Method 2
a camera for capturing an image of at least the cassette device
Data Source
AI summary
The radiographic imaging device that configures the disclosed radiographic imaging system has at least a camera that images a main cassette body. Said camera is integrally configured to a radiation source and a control device that controls the main cassette body or is integrally configured to a main radiation source body that houses the radiation source.