X-ray tube billing system using fluoroscopy time detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional X-ray tube billing systems charge based on the number of imaging counts, which is unfair for fluoroscopic procedures where the duration of X-ray fluoroscopy varies significantly among users, leading to unequal billing.
Innovation Solution
An X-ray tube billing system that includes a fluoroscopy time detector to measure the duration of X-ray fluoroscopy and a billing amount calculator to charge based on this time, ensuring fair billing regardless of the duration of the procedure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If billing is based on the number of imaging counters, then the billing system is simple to operate, but the billing becomes unfair when fluoroscopy duration varies among users
Solution Approach 1:
The billing system changes the charging parameter from discrete imaging counter counts to continuous fluoroscopy time measurements. This allows the system to accurately reflect the actual resource consumption during fluoroscopic procedures, where the duration of X-ray exposure varies significantly among users, thereby ensuring billing fairness while maintaining operational simplicity through automated time tracking.
2Ease of manufacture
If billing is based on the number of imaging counters, then the billing system is easy to implement, but it cannot accurately reflect the actual resource consumption during fluoroscopy
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from counting discrete imaging events to measuring continuous fluoroscopy time, which precisely captures the actual resource consumption during fluoroscopic procedures. This parameter change enables accurate billing that reflects the true extent of X-ray tube usage and power consumption, while the automated time measurement keeps the implementation straightforward.
Solution Approach 2:
The billing system introduces a time measurement intermediary between the fluoroscopy operation and the billing calculation. This intermediary component accurately measures the duration of fluoroscopic procedures and uses this data to calculate billing amounts, providing a precise reflection of resource consumption without complicating the overall system architecture.
3Device complexity
If billing is based on imaging counter information, then the billing calculation is straightforward, but it leads to significant billing disparities among users with different fluoroscopy durations
Solution Approach 1:
The billing calculation shifts from using imaging counter information to using fluoroscopy time measurements. This parameter change ensures that users are billed according to the actual duration of their fluoroscopic procedures, eliminating significant billing disparities while keeping the calculation method straightforward through automated time-based computation.
Data Source
AI summary
An X-ray tube billing system for a fluoroscopic apparatus for non-destructive inspection configured to perform X-ray fluoroscopy on a subject using an X-ray tube includes a fluoroscopy time detector configured to detect a length of time during which the X-ray fluoroscopy has been performed using the X-ray tube, and a billing amount calculator configured to calculate a billing amount related to use of the X-ray tube based on the length of time during which the X-ray fluoroscopy has been performed, which is detected by the fluoroscopy time detector.