ADJUSTABLE SCANNER

• US 20100172462A1
• Filed: 01/24/2008
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dental Imaging Technologies Corporation (Envista Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Dental Imaging Technologies Corporation (Envista Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tancredi, John, Tancredi, Henry, Marandola, Edward
• Granted Patent: US 8,290,119 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 378/4
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4233 using matrix detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4452 the source unit and the detector unit being able to move relative to each other
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/501 for diagnosis of the head, e.g. neuroimaging or craniography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/51 for dentistry

Abstract

For dental and facial imaging, a source of x-rays (14) or other penetrating radiation and a detector (20) are mounted opposite one another on a rotatable gantry (28), so that the head of the patient can be positioned between the source (14) and the detector (20), with the axis of rotation (36) of the gantry passing through the patient'"'"'s head. The detector is longer in one direction than in the perpendicular direction, generally rectangular, and is rotatable between a position in which the long axis is transverse to the axis of rotation of the gantry and a position in which the long axis is generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the gantry. The length of the detector along the long axis is sufficient for fully detailed computed CT when the long axis is transverse, and for full-face CT when the long axis is parallel.

Claims

1. Apparatus for dental and facial imaging, comprising:

a rotatable gantry;

a source of penetrating radiation mounted on the gantry;

a detector for the radiation mounted opposite the source on the gantry, so that the head of the patient can be positioned between the source and the detector, with the axis of rotation of the gantry passing through the patient'"'"'s head;

wherein the detector is elongated, and is mounted rotatably between a position in which the long axis of the detector is generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the gantry and a position in which the long axis of the detector is generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the gantry.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the length of the detector along the long axis is sufficient for full-face CT of a normal human adult when the long axis is upright relative to the patient'"'"'s head.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, arranged to be operated with the axis of rotation of the gantry generally in the direction of local gravitational vertical.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detector is aligned so that with the long axis perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the gantry the center of the detector is on the center axis of a beam of radiation from the source, which center axis intersects the axis of rotation of the gantry.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detector is mounted so that one corner is in the same position in both positions.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a computing device arranged to receive radiation data from the detector and calculate at least one of voxel data and computed tomography pixel data.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detector is generally rectangular.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the detector is mounted so that one edge is in the same horizontal plane in both positions.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the detector is mounted so that the lower edge perpendicular to the axis of gantry rotation is in the same horizontal plane in both positions.

10. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the detector is a flat-panel detector.