Collision-free X-ray tube movement via environmental sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical imaging systems face challenges in safely and efficiently positioning X-ray tubes in environments with dynamic obstacles, such as people, due to the inability to recognize and avoid collisions with moving objects, leading to potential injuries and increased personnel and time requirements for manual operation.
Innovation Solution
A medical imaging system equipped with a stand that includes a drive unit, environmental sensors, and a control unit to adjust the X-ray tube in multiple degrees of freedom, allowing for automatic collision-free positioning by acquiring and adapting to environmental parameters, such as distance profiles from dynamic obstacles, to generate control signals for the drive unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If motorized movement of the X-ray tube is implemented to enable automatic positioning, then positioning efficiency is improved, but the risk of collision with dynamic obstacles increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary scanning of the environment using sensors (laser scanner, depth sensors, cameras) before initiating motorized movement of the X-ray tube. This advance detection of dynamic obstacles allows the control unit to plan collision-free trajectories and adjust movement parameters proactively, eliminating the need for manual monitoring while maintaining safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the environment during X-ray tube movement using sensors that detect dynamic obstacles in real-time. The control unit processes this feedback information and dynamically adjusts the movement trajectory, speed, or direction to avoid collisions, enabling safe automatic operation without requiring operator intervention.
2Reliability
If manual monitoring and release button operation are required to prevent collisions, then safety is improved, but personnel effort and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-monitoring of the movement environment using integrated sensors and automatically adjusts its own movement parameters to avoid collisions. The control unit independently processes sensor data and controls the drive unit without requiring continuous human supervision, thereby maintaining safety while eliminating the need for manual release button operation and reducing personnel effort.
3Ease of operation
If path planning is implemented for automatic movement, then ease of operation is improved, but the system cannot recognize dynamic obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from static pre-planned paths to dynamic real-time trajectory adjustment. Sensors continuously detect the positions of dynamic obstacles, and the control unit recalculates and adjusts the movement trajectory on-the-fly, enabling the system to maintain ease of automatic operation while adapting to changing environmental conditions and recognizing dynamic obstacles.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical monitoring with automated sensor-based detection and control. Optical sensors, laser scanners, and depth sensors substitute for human visual monitoring, while the control unit's automated trajectory calculation replaces manual path planning, enabling the system to recognize dynamic obstacles and maintain ease of operation simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
A stand is for a medical imaging system. In an embodiment, the stand includes an X-ray tube; a driver to adjust the X-ray tube in at least three spatial degrees of freedom; at least one environmental sensor to acquire at least one environmental parameter; and a controller to control an adjustment movement of the X-ray tube by generating control signals for the drive unit and to adapt the adjustment movement based on the at least one environmental parameter.