Visual Scanner Positioning Control Reduces Trial-and-Error
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional X-ray scanner positioning systems require significant trial-and-error due to a lack of clear visualization of the final position resulting from control adjustments, making it difficult for operators to achieve the desired scan configuration.
Innovation Solution
The system provides a user-friendly interface with visual representations of current and proposed component arrangements, allowing operators to manipulate virtual components until the desired position is achieved, and then implements the changes through actuators, including features like trajectory planning and collision avoidance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional positioning control interfaces are used, then the system structure remains simple, but operator effort and trial-and-error increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the physical scanner components and their positioning environment. The interface displays graphical representations of the radiation source, detector, and workpiece positioner, allowing operators to manipulate these virtual models to predict actual positioning outcomes before execution, thereby reducing trial-and-error without significantly complicating the physical system.
Solution Approach 2:
The graphical user interface acts as an intermediary between the operator and the complex positioning system. It translates operator intentions into precise control commands while providing visual feedback about the expected positioning results, mediating the interaction to make the complex system easier to operate.
2Manufacturing precision
If visual prediction tools are added to show proposed arrangements, then positioning accuracy improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates virtual models of the scanner components and their spatial relationships. By manipulating these digital copies in the interface, the system can predict the outcome of positioning adjustments with high accuracy, reflecting the precise geometric relationships between the radiation source, detector, and workpiece without requiring complex physical prototypes.
Solution Approach 2:
The interface performs preliminary calculations and visualizations of the proposed positioning arrangements before the actual movement is executed. This allows operators to review and adjust the planned positioning to ensure accuracy before committing to the physical action, preventing errors rather than correcting them afterward.
3Productivity
If trial-and-error positioning is used, then the system remains simple to implement, but time consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
By using virtual representations of the scanner components and their positioning environment, the system allows operators to quickly test different positioning scenarios without physically moving components. This digital simulation dramatically reduces the time required to find the optimal positioning compared to physical trial-and-error methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary positioning calculations and visualizations before actual component movement. This advance planning allows operators to identify the correct positioning on the first attempt, eliminating the need for repeated adjustments and significantly reducing the time required to achieve the desired scan configuration.
Data Source
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AI summary
An example scanner positioning control system includes: a display; a processor; and a computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable instructions which, when executed, cause the processor to: output, via the display, a first visual representation of an arrangement of a radiation source, a radiation detector, and a workpiece positioner; identify a change to be made to the arrangement of at least one of the radiation source, the radiation detector, or the workpiece positioner; output, via the display, a second visual representation of the arrangement of the radiation source, the radiation detector, and the workpiece positioner based on the change to be made to the arrangement; and control a scanner positioning system to physically move the at least one of the radiation source, the radiation detector, and the workpiece positioner based on the change.