Medical Scanner Breathing Instructions via Bore Lighting Strip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical scanners struggle to effectively provide breath hold instructions to patients during scans, especially when the patient is unable to easily see the stationary indicators outside the bore, which can lead to difficulties in maintaining image quality due to motion artifacts.
Innovation Solution
A medical scanner equipped with a colored lighting strip that extends along the scanner housing and within the bore, providing intuitive breathing instructions through color outputs visible from both sides and within the bore, and supplemented by audio cues to guide the patient through the breathing process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If stationary indicators are placed outside the bore, then the indicators can be clearly visible and provide breathing instructions, but the patient cannot see them when the patient table moves during scans
Solution Approach 1:
The breathing instruction system transitions from a two-dimensional stationary display outside the bore to a three-dimensional continuous lighting strip that extends through the bore space. This allows the indicators to be positioned in multiple locations (front face, internal surface, rear face) creating a spatial distribution that ensures visibility regardless of patient orientation or table movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The lighting strip serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides breathing instructions, adapts to different scan orientations (head-first or feet-first), remains visible during table movement, and accommodates patients with different vision requirements. This multi-functional design resolves the contradiction by making the system versatile across all scanning scenarios.
2Device complexity
If indicators are placed outside the bore, then the structure is simple and easy to implement, but myopic patients cannot see the indicators without wearing glasses
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting strip acts as an intermediary element that bridges the gap between the external indicator system and the patient's visual field. By extending the lighting through the bore space, it creates intermediate viewing points that are accessible to patients regardless of their visual acuity, eliminating the need for external glasses or complex magnification systems.
3Productivity
If the patient table moves during scans, then the scan coverage is improved, but the stationary indicators become invisible
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting system transitions from a static external display to a dynamic internal illumination that moves with the patient table. The lighting strip is positioned along the bore structure, so when the table moves, the lighting system effectively moves with it, maintaining constant visibility of breathing indicators throughout the scan duration.
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
The solution ensures that patients can easily follow breathing instructions during scans, regardless of their vision or the orientation of the scan, thereby improving the consistency and quality of medical images by minimizing motion artifacts.
Implementation Method 1
The lighting strip for example comprises a LED strip
Data Source
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AI summary
A medical scanner comprises a scanning system with a scanner housing having a bore through which a patient is moved during a scan. An instruction system is used for providing breathing instructions to the patient during a scan. The instruction system comprises a colored lighting strip which extends from outside the bore at opposite sides of the housing through the bore. In this way, intuitive instructions can be provided as color outputs, and they can be seen by the patient while the patient is moved through the bore.