Shared Table Control via Virtual Master for CT-RT Synchronization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems face challenges in coordinating the control of a shared table between imaging and treatment devices with high accuracy and low latency, particularly in CT-RT apparatuses, where synchronization of table movement with gantry rotation and image acquisition is critical for precise imaging and treatment.
Innovation Solution
A control mechanism involving a virtual master node that relays communication packets through a high-speed interface to minimize latency, allowing seamless transfer of table control between CT and RT controllers without modifying the CT controller, ensuring minimal latency and precise synchronization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a master switch connects the table controller with either RT device or CT imager based on table position, then control coordination between devices is achieved, but control latency increases and response speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a table position sensor as an intermediary component that independently detects table position and directly communicates with both CT and RT controllers. This eliminates the need for a master switch that sequentially connects controllers, allowing parallel access to table position information and reducing control latency while maintaining coordination reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system is segmented into independent modules: the table controller manages table movement, the sensor independently monitors position, and both CT and RT controllers can independently access position data. This segmentation removes the single-point bottleneck of the master switch, enabling simultaneous control operations without sequential delays.
2Reliability
If the table control system uses a master switch for coordinated control between CT and RT devices, then control coordination is achieved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The table position sensor serves as a shared intermediary resource that both CT and RT controllers can access independently. This eliminates the complex master switch mechanism and its associated control logic for determining which device should control the table, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining coordinated control through shared position information.
Solution Approach 2:
The table position sensor provides universal service to both CT and RT controllers, acting as a common interface for table position information. This multi-functional sensor replaces the device-specific control pathways through the master switch, reducing system complexity by providing a single source of truth that serves multiple control functions simultaneously.
3Measurement precision
If control transfer between imaging and treatment devices is coordinated with low latency, then imaging precision and treatment accuracy improve, but system adaptability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system dynamically adapts to different operational modes (CT imaging, RT treatment, or combined operation) based on real-time table position and device state. The sensor continuously provides position feedback that enables both controllers to adapt their control strategies without fixed hierarchical constraints, maintaining precision while enhancing versatility through dynamic role assignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The segmented architecture allows each controller (CT and RT) to independently process position information and determine its own control actions based on current operational requirements. This independence enables flexible adaptation to different imaging and treatment scenarios while maintaining precise coordination through shared sensor data, without being constrained by a fixed master-slave relationship.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system for controlling movement of a table (414) supporting an object. The system may include: a first control sub-system (510) configured to generate a first control instruction; a second control sub-system (520) configured to generate a second control instruction; a table control sub-system (540) operably coupled to the table (414); and a master controller (530) configured to receive the first control instruction from the first control sub-system (510), or the second control instruction from the second control sub-system (520), generate a third control instruction based on the first control instruction or the second control instruction, and transmit the third control instruction to the table control sub-system (540). The table control sub-system (540) may be configured to generate a control signal based on the third control instruction, and cause the table (414) to move based on the control signal.