Suspended Radiation Garment for Operator Mobility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current personal radiation protection garments for medical personnel are cumbersome and restrictive, limiting freedom of motion while providing inadequate protection for long-term exposure to scattered radiation, leading to musculoskeletal issues and increased risk of radiation-related health problems.
Innovation Solution
A suspended personal radiation protection system that contours to the operator's body, allowing for weightless movement in all spatial planes, with a suspension component mounted to the ceiling that supports the weight of the protective garments and accessories, including a face shield and flap, enabling unhindered vision and broader radiation protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a personal radiation protection garment is made heavier and thicker to increase radiation protection, then radiation protection capability is improved, but the garment becomes more cumbersome and restrictive, limiting freedom of motion
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the weight burden from the operator by suspending the radiation protection garment from an overhead support system. The garment is removed from the operator's body and supported independently, eliminating the physical burden while maintaining protective coverage. This allows the garment to be sufficiently heavy and thick for adequate radiation protection without compromising the operator's freedom of motion.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a personal radiation protection garment is made heavier to provide better protection, then radiation protection capability is improved, but the operator experiences musculoskeletal issues and fatigue over time
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the weight burden from the operator by suspending the radiation protection garment from an overhead support system. The garment is removed from the operator's body and supported independently, eliminating the physical burden while maintaining protective coverage. This allows the garment to be sufficiently heavy and thick for adequate radiation protection without compromising the operator's freedom of motion.
Solution Approach 2:
The overhead suspension system provides a counterbalancing support structure that carries the weight of the radiation protection garment. The system acts as an anti-weight mechanism, transferring the load from the operator's musculoskeletal system to the ceiling-mounted support structure, thereby preventing fatigue and injury while maintaining adequate garment weight for protection.
3Ease of operation
If a suspended radiation protection system is implemented, then freedom of motion is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The overhead support system serves multiple functions: it supports the weight of the radiation protection garment, provides suspension for freedom of motion, and can be integrated with existing ceiling structures. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate systems and minimizes overall device complexity while achieving the primary goal of enhanced operator mobility.
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 system reduces the risk of musculoskeletal injuries and increases radiation protection, allowing operators to work for extended periods without fatigue while providing comprehensive coverage and enhanced protection against radiation-induced health risks.
Implementation Method 1
The suspension component is operable for operator wearing protective radiation garment to move freely in the X, Y, and Z spatial planes simultaneously, such that the protective radiation garment is substantially weightless to the operator
Implementation Method 2
garments or barriers containing materials that absorb a significant proportion of the radiation
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
A personal radiation protection garment (20) substantially contours to and stays in relative contact via a fastening mechanism (26) with an operator's body, but not the operator's head, to protect a portion of the operator's body from radiation. The garment (20) is suspended from a suspension device (60), which provides a purely lateral axis of motion and a purely linear axis of motion. A face shield (22) is secured to the garment, the face shield (22) being attached to the suspension device (60) to protect at least a portion of the operator's head from radiation.