X-ray or gamma ray systems or devices – Source support – Including object support or positioning
Patent
1989-12-11
1991-07-09
Church, Craig E.
X-ray or gamma ray systems or devices
Source support
Including object support or positioning
378 26, H05G 102
Patent
active
050312022
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a tower structure of the kind used in X-ray examination and which has a swing arm with a source at one end and an image receptor at the other end.
The radiation, or beam, source used is normally an X-ray source, in which case the image receptor consists of an X-ray film placed in a suitably configured cassette. The inventive tower column, however, can also be used with other radiation or beam sources and corresponding image receptors.
The patient, or examination, table has a movable table top or leaf of the kind generally referred to as a "floating table top", i.e. the table top is movable in two mutually perpendicular directions, namely in an X-direction in the longitudinal extension of the table top and in a Y-direction in the transverse direction thereof.
The table frame which supports the table top is also preferably movable in a vertical direction, i.e. in a Z-direction. A handicapped or injured person can be placed more easily on the table when the table is lowered, after which the table can be raised to a normal and comfortable working height.
BACKGROUND PRIOR ART
Many different types of X-ray apparatus are known to the art, the majority of which can only be used for certain kinds of examination. More specific kinds of examination require the use of another type of tower column, which means that the X-ray department of a modern hospital must be equipped with at least two X-ray towers in each examination room. Normally, in the majority of cases more than one examination room is required, which makes the X-ray tower investment costs very high in practice.
Furthermore, within modern health organizations there is a desire to be able to carry out at least primary or preliminary X-ray examinations locally in places where the access to X-ray equipment is more limited, e.g. in the case of Sweden in so-called primary medical welfare centres and in the U.S.A. so-called free Diagnostic Centres (FDC).
In one known ceiling supported tower or tower column which co-acts with a patient examination table there is used a telescopic link arm which is connected to the beam source and the cassette holder by means of bell-and-socket joints, e.g. so that when moving the beam source in order to set the position of an angled beam path the image receptor located in the cassette holder will accompany the movement of the beam source. However, another cassette holder must be used when wishing to take pictures with a horizontal beam path. Furthermore, in this case it is necessary to remove the link arm, which means a further complication. Another circumstance which complicates the procedure still further resides in the impossibility of sustaining a centered beam path, thereby requiring the beam path to be repeatedly adjusted, which is a time-consuming and laborious task.
Another drawback characteristic of this and other known X-ray towers is that the path of the beam is brought into the desired position by the operator through manipulation of the beam source itself, this source normally being located relatively high above floor level, which means that when adjusting the position of the beam the operator has to work above shoulder height and adopt an uncomfortable and unsuitable working position.
In other kinds of X-ray towers which co-act with a patient examination table, for example a BRS-type tower (Basic Radiographic System according to WHO's Specification) there is used a wheeled mobile examination table in the form of a unit which is separate from the tower. However, in this case there is a risk of the tower and the table colliding when moving the table or the tower in order to make adjustments.
The object of the invention described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,743,843 (Reser) is to provide an X-ray tower structure which can be used more universally. The tower or column structure of this published specification includes a yoke which can be swung about an axis and which supports an examination table and a column carrying a beam source. The yoke also carries a separate coupling means, designated a "s
REFERENCES:
patent: 3302022 (1967-01-01), Brenner et al.
patent: 3743843 (1973-07-01), Reser et al.
patent: 3927326 (1975-12-01), Kunne et al.
patent: 4335312 (1982-06-01), Onken
patent: 4458354 (1984-07-01), Munch
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