CN1874728A - Patient positioning device for a computer tomograph - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a patient support device for a computed tomography apparatus (1), the computed tomography apparatus comprising a gantry (3) supported on a base (5), wherein the patient support device has an examination table guide (7, 7') for a patient examination table (9) and a cantilever (11, 11') supported on the base (5) by a rotary joint (17, 17') rotatable about a horizontal axis, wherein the examination table guide (7, 7') is supported on the cantilever (11, 11') by a rotary joint (19, 19') rotatable about a horizontal axis, wherein the height of the examination table guide (7, 7') is adjustable.

Description

Patient support device for computed tomography apparatus

technical field

The invention relates to a patient support for a computed tomography apparatus.

Background technique

Computed tomography devices, namely CT devices, are used for three-dimensional or tomographic imaging of the human body. The computer calculates the image data with the aid of a 2D X-ray projection of the body. When the original image is taken to obtain two-dimensional original image data, an X-ray source and an image detector arranged opposite to each other in the radial direction rotate around the human body. This rotation takes place in a so-called gantry, which has an inspection hole through which a person can be pushed into the gantry.

The position of the human body in the gantry and its stability are very important to the image quality. The patient support must therefore ensure a satisfactory and stable positioning of the patient's body without significant flexing due to the patient's weight. At the same time, the structure for supporting the patient's body in the gantry inspection opening must not be too complex, otherwise disturbing image distortions would occur.

On the other hand, the patient support device should be flexibly adjustable, so that the work of the personnel involved is simplified when transferring a patient on the patient support device or performing medical care for a patient on the patient support device. For example, it may be advantageous to raise and lower the device when the patient is positioned on the patient support device or when the patient leaves the positioning device.

Furthermore, it is particularly advantageous for the medical operator to have easy access to the patient support device and the patient, so that the space below the device should be as spacious and unobstructed as possible.

DE 101 08 549 discloses a patient support device, by means of which flexible positioning can be achieved and a stable position of the patient's body in the gantry inspection opening of a CT device can be ensured. However, the device cannot be adjusted in height, and the lower part of the patient's lying position is an integral structure, which increases the difficulty for medical operators to approach the device and the patient.

Contents of the invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a patient supporting device for a computed tomography apparatus, which can ensure that the patient's body is stable in the gantry inspection hole, and the position of the device can be flexibly adjusted at the same time, and Access to the patient and the device is facilitated for medical operators.

This object is achieved by a patient support device having the features of the independent claim.

A main idea of the present invention is to provide a patient support for a computed tomography apparatus comprising a gantry supported on a base, wherein the patient support has a A table guide for a patient table, and a cantilever supported on or beside the base via a swivel joint rotatable about a horizontal axis, wherein the table guide is rotatable about a horizontal axis via a A rotating swivel joint is supported on the boom, wherein the height of the table guide can be adjusted.

By supporting the table guide on a cantilever which itself is supported on the base of the CT apparatus, it is possible to obtain a structure in which the space below the table guide remains spacious. This ensures that the medical operator has easy access to the patient. Below the table guide, there is a structural element that can be connected to the patient table. The table guide can be fixedly connected to the patient table, but can also be a rail-type guide, on which the patient table can be placed or inserted and moved longitudinally.

In addition, since the cantilever is rotatably mounted on the gantry base, the patient table is movable, which has the advantage that the patient table is lowered away from the gantry while the patient is being placed. Due to the increased distance between the patient table and the gantry, the medical operator can access the patient table more easily and, moreover, it is possible that simultaneous gantry operations will not be too much disturbed. In this way, a CT examination, for example, can be carried out undisturbed while the patient is being positioned on the lowered patient table.

Furthermore, while the patient table is raised, the table guide approaches the gantry, whereby the wear of the patient table and the stability of the position of the patient's body in the examination area can be improved. For example, when the patient table is raised so that the distance between the table guide and the gantry is reduced, the lever is shortened and the lever bears the weight of the patient against the support table guide, which causes the deflection of the table .

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the patient support device has a height adjustment device, which is connected to the boom in such a way that the height adjustment device can rotate the boom around a swivel joint, which A swivel joint is a swivel joint by means of which the cantilever is supported on the base. For this purpose, the height adjustment device has an electric motor which adjusts the boom, for example via a motor-side worm gear and a boom-side gear. The motor may also drive a hydraulic device that drives the boom to rotate about the swivel joint. The height adjustment device ensures automatic adjustment of the height of the patient table, thereby simplifying the work of the medical operator.

According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the patient support device has a support arm which is mounted on the boom via a swivel joint which is rotatable about a horizontal axis, and the table guide is via a swivel joint which is rotatable about a horizontal axis. The rotating swivel joint is supported on the support arm; the length of the support arm can be automatically adjusted, so that, no matter how the cantilever rotates, the direction of the table guide will remain stable and will not be affected. This ensures that the patient can be placed, for example, on a horizontally oriented patient table and that the patient table maintains its horizontal orientation when the patient table is adjusted in height.

On the one hand, maintaining a stable orientation can be comfortable for the patient as the patient moves automatically with the operation of the patient support device. On the other hand, when the patient is placed on the lowered patient table, the patient can be positioned exactly in the position required for the subsequent CT examination. This avoids a change in the patient's position when the patient support is close to the gantry, which would cause the patient to move and thus cause distortions in the CT image data due to the patient's movement.

The automatic adjustment of the length of the arm can be achieved by applying the same mechanical principle as the rotational movement of the arm. If, for example, the rotational movement is effected purely mechanically, for example by means of a worm gear and a gear, the length adjustment of the support arm can likewise be effected by means of a mechanical gear system or lever system. If the swivel movement of the boom is realized hydraulically, it is likewise possible to adjust the length of the boom hydraulically.

The cantilever and support arm can be moved particularly flexibly by means of the hydraulic adjustment, so that the height (via the cantilever) and the direction (via the support arm) of the patient table can be freely adjusted respectively. In order to be able to maintain the orientation of the table guides when adjusting the boom, the length adjustment of the boom must match the movement of the boom. For this purpose, the hydraulic unit can adjust the length according to a characteristic curve which is dependent on the adjustment of the jib. The characteristic curves depend on the geometric ratios of the boom, the support arm and their swivel joints.

According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the computed tomography device has a patient support device on both sides of its gantry opening. This enables particularly smooth and particularly rapid CT examinations of multiple patients.

This is because while a patient is placed on the lowered patient table on one side of the gantry, a patient on the other patient support can enter the CT unit for examination. After the examination, the patient table is lowered and moved away from the gantry. In this way, the vacated inspection hole can be used immediately for the inspection of the next patient. The patient is transported together with the patient support device to the inspection opening, and the patient table used therefor is inserted into the table guide of the patient support device which is free on the other side. Subsequently, when the CT examination of this patient begins, the patient support device on this side is lowered again to accommodate the next patient.

The description of the drawings relates to further advantages of the invention.

Description of drawings

Embodiments of the present invention will be further described below with the help of accompanying drawings, wherein:

1 is a perspective view of a CT apparatus with a patient support device;

Figure 2 is a side view of a CT apparatus with a patient support device; and

Fig. 3 is a side view of a CT apparatus with a patient support device.

Detailed ways

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a CT system 1 with a patient support. The CT system 1 has a gantry 3 with inspection openings. The gantry 3 is supported on a base 5 .

The patient to be examined is placed on a patient table 9 which is pushed into the table guide 7 . The examination table guiding device 7 enables the patient examination table 9 to move longitudinally so as to enter the inspection hole of the gantry 3 . The gantry 3 shown in the figure has a patient support device on both sides of the inspection hole. Obviously, when the patient examination table 9 is pushed into the gantry, it is also pushed into the inspection of the patient support device on the other side. Inside the table guide 7'.

The table guide 7 is supported on the boom 11 via a swivel joint 19 rotatable about a horizontal axis. The cantilever 11 is supported on the base 5 via a swivel joint 17 rotatable about a horizontal axis. The swivel joint 17 can be integrated in the base 5 or can also be installed as part of the patient support only in the region of the base 5 instead of being embodied as an integral part of the base 5 . Thus, the patient support device can be embodied as an independent structural unit separate from the CT device, to which it can be modularly connected.

The height of the table guide 7 can be adjusted by turning the boom 11 about its swivel joint 17 . During this process, the table guide 7 can also maintain its horizontal orientation as shown in the figure by rotating around the swivel joint 19 .

The direction of the table guide 7 is stabilized by a support arm 13 . The support arm 13 prevents the table guide from deflecting due to the weight of the patient. In order to keep the direction of the inspection table guide 7 when the height is adjusted, the support arm 13 is supported on the cantilever 11 and the cantilever 13 respectively by a swivel joint 21 that can rotate around a horizontal axis and a swivel joint 23 that can also rotate around a horizontal axis. Check table guide 7. In addition, the length of the support arm 13 can be adjusted automatically. Firstly, a mechanical length adjustment can be performed by driving a gear system or a lever system by the rotational movement of the boom 11 . Alternatively, the length adjustment can be performed hydraulically, wherein the hydraulic drive is controlled according to a characteristic curve and the length adjustment is adapted to the rotational movement of the boom 11 by means of this characteristic curve. Likewise, the cantilever 11 can be driven to rotate mechanically, such as through a motor-driven worm gear and a cantilever side gear, or through a hydraulic device.

Depending on requirements, the patient support device can be designed in such a way that the table guide 7 is always automatically horizontal, or the orientation of the table guide 7 can be adjusted by the medical operator. When adjusting the height by turning the boom 11 , the orientation of the table guide 7 is maintained automatically by said mechanical or hydraulic means.

As for the patient support arranged on the other side of the gantry, only the table guide 7' is shown in the figure. Other components not shown are consistent with the components on this side of the gantry 3 shown in the figure.

In another embodiment, only one patient support is arranged on one side of the gantry 3 .

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the CT apparatus 1 with the patient support device shown in FIG. 1 . The reference symbols used in FIG. 2 are the same as those used in FIG. 1 . In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , a patient support is arranged on both sides of the gantry 3 , wherein only one patient table 9 is inserted in one table guide. According to the illustration, another patient support device, hardly shown in FIG. 1, likewise has a boom 11' with swivel joints 17', 19' which are rotatable about a horizontal axis and a swivel arm 11' with a swivel joint which is also rotatable about a horizontal axis. The arms 13' of the joints 21', 23'.

The function of the height adjusting device 15 is to adjust the height of the inspection table guide plate 7 through the rotational movement of the cantilever 11 . To this end, the height adjusting device 15 drives the boom 11 to rotate mechanically or hydraulically under the drive of a motor. The individual components of the height adjustment device 15 are not shown in the figure. According to the figure, each patient support device has a height adjustment device 15, 15', through which the height adjustment of the two examination table guide devices 7, 7' can be achieved respectively .

FIG. 3 shows a side view of a CT system 1 according to another exemplary embodiment, which has a patient support on both sides of the gantry 3 . With the exception of the arms 13, 13', the patient support in Figure 3 has the same features as the patient support shown in the previous two Figures, so the same reference symbols are used here as well. In the embodiment shown in the figure, by using the cantilever arms 11, 11' to form a four-sided linkage balance mechanism, the inspection table guides 7, 7' can be maintained in a horizontal direction. In this embodiment, the cantilever arms 11, 11' still adopt the above-mentioned support method and are driven by the height adjustment device 15, 15', but the support arms 13, 13' are arranged parallel to the cantilever arms 11, 11'. One fulcrum of the support arms 13, 13' is still arranged on the table guide 7, 7', but the other fulcrum is arranged on the base 5, so that a parallelogram arrangement is formed.

The described parallelogram layout offers a particularly easy-to-achieve possibility from a mechanical point of view, namely maintaining the orientation of the table guides 7, 7' regardless of the movement of the booms 11, 11', due to the The parallelogram layout does not require any additional hydraulic controls or mechanical transmissions. By implementing the length-adjustable support arms 13, 13' in this embodiment, the purpose of changing the direction of the table guides 7, 7' can be achieved. This length adjustment can be done mechanically or hydraulically.

Claims (5)

1. patient-supporting device that is used for a computer tomography device (1), described computer tomography device comprises a portal frame (3) that is bearing on the base (5), wherein, described patient-supporting device comprises an examining table guider (7,7 ＇) that is used for a patient table (9)

It is characterized in that,

Described patient-supporting device has a cantilever (11,11 ＇), and described cantilever can be bearing on the described base (5) around the swivel joint (17,17 ＇) that a horizontal axis rotates by one,

Described examining table guider (7,7 ＇) can be bearing on the described cantilever (11,11 ＇) around the swivel joint (19,19 ＇) that a horizontal axis rotates by one, and

The height of described examining table guider (7,7 ＇) can be regulated.

2. patient-supporting device according to claim 1 is characterized in that,

Described patient-supporting device has an arrangement for adjusting height (15,15 ＇), take a kind of like this connection between described arrangement for adjusting height and the described cantilever (11,11 ＇), make described arrangement for adjusting height can make described cantilever rotate around described swivel joint (17,17 ＇), described cantilever (11,11 ＇) is bearing on the described base (5) by described swivel joint (17,17 ＇).

3. the described patient-supporting device of arbitrary claim in requiring according to aforesaid right is characterized in that,

Described patient-supporting device has a support arm (13,13 ＇), described support arm can be bearing on the described cantilever (11,11 ＇) around the swivel joint (21,21 ＇) that a horizontal axis rotates by one, described examining table guider (7,7 ＇) can be bearing on the described support arm around the swivel joint (23,23 ＇) that a horizontal axis rotates by one, the length of described support arm can be regulated automatically, makes the direction of described examining table guider (7,7 ＇) not be subjected to the influence of described cantilever (11,11 ＇) rotation and keep stable.

4. a computer tomography device (1) comprises the described patient-supporting device of arbitrary claim in the aforesaid right requirement.

5. a computer tomography device (1), described computer tomography device comprises the described patient-supporting device of arbitrary claim in the claim 1 to 3 respectively in the both sides of the reach through hole of described portal frame (3).

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