X-ray Radiographic Apparatus Head Tilt Setting Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for taking cephalometric radiographs, particularly posteroanterior and lateral radiographs, face challenges in maintaining consistent head tilt, leading to unreliable skeletal assessments and increased risk of facial contact with infraorbital pointing bars.
Innovation Solution
An X-ray radiographic apparatus with a pair of arms and ear rods, incorporating a head tilt setting device and horizontal plane verification mechanism, allows for accurate and reproducible setting of head tilt, ensuring the Frankfort plane is parallel to the floor, thereby facilitating consistent cephalometric radiograph capture without the need for infraorbital pointing bars.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If an infraorbital point pointing bar is used to set head tilt, then the Frankfort plane can be made parallel to the floor surface, but the face of the patient may contact with the bar causing harm
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the infraorbital point pointing bar from the system entirely and replaces it with ear rods inserted into the external acoustic openings. This extraction eliminates the harmful facial contact while preserving the head tilt setting function through a different anatomical reference point (external acoustic openings instead of infraorbital region).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a horizontal plane verification mechanism as an intermediary tool that provides visual feedback (horizontal line indication) to guide head positioning. This mediator allows operators to verify Frankfort plane parallelism without direct contact with the patient's face, replacing the need for infraorbital pointing bars.
2Ease of operation
If conventional methods are used to take cephalometric radiographs, then the procedure is simple, but the head tilt varies between radiographs leading to unreliable skeletal assessments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a horizontal plane verification mechanism that provides real-time visual feedback to the operator during head positioning. The mechanism displays a horizontal line that aligns with the Frankfort plane, allowing operators to verify and adjust head tilt before radiograph capture. This feedback loop ensures consistent head positioning across multiple radiographs while maintaining operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary head tilt verification and adjustment using the horizontal plane verification mechanism before the actual radiograph is taken. This preliminary action ensures that the Frankfort plane is properly aligned and the head tilt is consistent with previous radiographs, thereby guaranteeing reliable skeletal assessments without adding significant time to the overall procedure.
3Productivity
If the Frankfort plane is not properly aligned, then the radiograph can be taken quickly, but the skeletal assessment becomes inaccurate
Solution Approach 1:
The horizontal plane verification mechanism provides immediate visual feedback during head positioning, allowing operators to quickly verify Frankfort plane alignment. The feedback system displays horizontal line indications that guide rapid adjustment of head tilt, ensuring accurate skeletal measurements are achieved without sacrificing radiograph capture speed.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an X-ray radiographic apparatus that can take a lateral cephalometric radiograph, a posteroanterior cephalometric radiograph, etc. under the same state of the tilt in the front-rear direction of the head of a subject easily and with high reproducibility, and is free of risks associated with the use of an infraorbital point pointing bar. The X-ray radiographic apparatus includes: a pair of arms provided facing each other with a reference line therebetween; ear rods provided to mutually facing inside surfaces of the pair of arms; a head tilt setting device for setting the tilt in the front-rear direction of the head of the subject provided on one arm, and a horizontal plane verification mechanism provided on the head tilt setting device or outside of the head tilt setting device.