X-ray or gamma ray systems or devices – Source support – Including movable source
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-24
2001-06-05
Porta, David P. (Department: 2876)
X-ray or gamma ray systems or devices
Source support
Including movable source
C378S193000, C074S089170, C074S405000, C074S422000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06241387
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an X-ray system ceiling support with a decouplable tomogram drive, of the type having a transverse carriage suspended at a longitudinal ceiling running rail moved so as to be displaceable along the longitudinal ceiling running rail together with the tomogram drive.
2. Description of the Prior Art
During operation of an X-ray apparatus having such a ceiling support (from which a component, such as an x-ray source or an X-ray source/detector combination, is suspended), there is the necessity of being able to manually undertake an optimally easy displacement of the ceiling support (and the component suspended therefrom) during normal operation. For operation in a mode for producing a tomogram, a tomogram drive with a toothed belt solution is known wherein the transverse carriage is driven with two toothed belts that proceed parallel to each other. Given manual displacement of the support, the motor is separated (decoupled) from the toothed belt drive train by a magnetic clutch, so that the support can be moved. A disadvantage of this known system is that since the belt remains engaged with the carriage, the manual displacement forces are increased by the required belt tension, and the image quality of the tomograms is negatively influenced by stretching of the toothed belt which occurs during manual displacement, which makes driving via the belt less precise in the tomogram mode.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an X-ray source ceiling support with a decouplable tomogram drive of the type initially described which can be simply manufactured and can be simply and dependably actuated during operation, and which requires minimal manual displacement forces and enables error-free tomograms.
For achieving this object, the inventive tomogram drive has a driven gearwheel on the driven shaft of a drive motor rigidly secured to the transverse carriage, and a displacement gearwheel that meshes therewith and that is seated on a rocker that is pivotable around the driven shaft, whereby the rocker can be pivoted by a switchable drive element in engagement with a toothed rack secured to the ceiling, preferably the longitudinal ceiling running rail.
By simply pivoting the rocker in and out, the drive connection between the displacement gearwheel and the toothed rack can be produced and in turn released, so that the coupling and decoupling of the tomogram drive requires only a very simple and inexpensive structure.
The switchable drive element is preferably a lifter magnet that moves a sensing wheel against the rocker and thereby pivots this wheel against the toothed rack.
In an embodiment of the invention, the rocker, after the complete engagement of the displacement gearwheel into the toothed rack, is automatically locked in this engaged position, which can in turn be very simply realized by providing a detent of the rocker, for example a lateral edge of a plate that forms the rocker and carries the displacement gearwheel, which actuates a switch in the engaged position of the displacement gearwheel into the toothed rack, this switch actuating a lock element for the rocker. The lock element can thereby be a plate that can be displaced into and out of the return pivot path by a second lifter magnet that is biased into the release position for the rocker by a spring.
The decoupling is dependably assured by biasing the rocker into the decoupling position by spring, so that, given the absence of a lock by the plate and with the drive element (first lifter magnet) turned off, it is moved into the decoupling position by a brief rotation of the motor and the gearwheel turns out of the toothed rack as a result thereof. In order to prevent engagement of the tomogram drive from failing due to, when pivoting the rocker against the toothed rack, a tooth of the displacement gearwheel striking a tooth of the toothed rack, in a further embodiment of the invention the switchable drive element is coupled to the drive motor such that, when it is actuated, the drive motor starts in a direction, causing the displacement gearwheel to mesh into the toothed rack until full engagement, and the drive motor can be switched off by the switch that actuates the lock element for the rocker or by the second lifter magnet after the fully engaged position is reached. This initial startup of the drive motor is thus only provided for assuring the complete engagement of the displacement gearwheel into the toothed rack. For actually moving the transverse carriage, it must then be re-engaged into the desired travel direction. This can be assured most simply and dependably by providing two switches of which one is the one on/off switch which effects the coupling and uncoupling of the tomogram drive in order to monitor whether the rocker is locked in the position in the toothed rack by the second magnet, and the other switch stops the motor rotation given the pivot-in event, or starts the motor rotation given the pivot-out event.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3770955 (1973-11-01), Tomita et al.
patent: 3934852 (1976-01-01), Weber et al.
patent: 4872192 (1989-10-01), Hahn et al.
patent: 5048070 (1991-09-01), Maehama et al.
patent: 5793837 (1998-08-01), Mezhinsky et al.
patent: 87 05 534 U (1987-08-01), None
Porta David P.
Schiff & Hardin & Waite
Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
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