PORTABLE RADIATION IMAGING SYSTEM

• US 20120128127A1
• Filed: 11/24/2010
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Virtual Imaging, Inc. (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Chicchetti, Peter M, Rocha, Michael L, Duca, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 9,046,609 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 378/62
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/00 Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis; Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis combined with radiation therapy equipment instruments measuring radiation intensity for application in the field of nuclear medicine, e.g. in vivo counting, G01T1/161; apparatus for taking X-ray photographs G03B42/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4405 the apparatus being movable or portable, e.g. handheld or mounted on a trolley
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 7/00 Details of radiation-measuring instruments

Abstract

A portable radiation imaging system (10) includes a radiation source (11), a radiation detector (7), a remote trigger unit (17) that activates the radiation source (11) and the radiation detector (7) to initiate an imaging operation, a computing device (13) that receives and processes image data generated by the radiation detector (7), and a universal power box (UPB) (1) operatively connected to the radiation source, the radiation detector, the trigger unit and the computing device. A first wireless link (50) is established between the UPB (1) and the computing device (13), and a second wireless link (60) is established between the trigger unit (17) and the UPB (1). Under the control of the UPB (1), the trigger unit uses the second wireless link (50) to send a control signal to the radiation source (11) to initiate the radiation operation, and the computing device (13) uses the first wireless link (50) to receive image data from the radiation detector (7). The trigger unit (17) can remotely initiate the radiation operation.

Claims

1. A portable imaging system, comprising:

a radiation source;

a radiation detector;

a universal power box;

a power source;

a transmitter;

a receiver;

a bridge;

a computing device; and

a transceiver,

wherein the power source is connected to and provides power to the universal power box;

wherein the universal power box is connected to and is capable of powering the receiver, the bridge, and the detector;

wherein the universal power box is connected to and capable of receiving data from the detector;

wherein the universal power box is connected to and capable of transmitting data to the bridge;

wherein the receiver is connected to and capable of receiving a signal from the transmitter;

wherein the universal power box is connected to and capable of receiving the signal from the receiver;

wherein the universal power box is connected to and capable of sending the signal to the radiation source;

wherein the transceiver is connected to said computing device;

wherein the bridge is capable of transmitting the data to the computing device over the transceiver;

wherein an object to be imaged is disposed between the radiation source and the detector; and

wherein the object is irradiated by the radiation source and an image is acquired by the detector.

2. A method of acquiring an x-ray image of an object, comprising:

at a first location, placing an object between a radiation source and a radiation detector;

establishing a two-way communication link between a computing device located at a second location and an interface located at the first location;

transmitting a signal from a transmitter at the second location to a receiver at the first location, the receiver being in communication with the interface, the interface being in communication with the radiation source, whereby the signal activates the radiation source;

irradiating the object with radiation emitted from the radiation source;

acquiring image data on the radiation detector;

transmitting the image data to the interface;

transmitting the image data to the computing device over the two-way communication link; and

processing the image data on the computing device to obtain an image of the object.

3. A universal power box (UPB) configured to communicate with a radiation source, a radiation detector, a trigger unit and a computing device, so as to route a control signal from the trigger unit to the radiation source to initiate an imaging operation and to route image data from the radiation detector to the computing device, the UPB comprising:

a first power board, a second power board and an interface board disposed within a housing, the first power board, second power board and the interface board being disposed as floating boards within the housing, wherein the first power board is connected to the second power board, and the second power board is connected to the interface board;

a front panel formed on a front side of the housing and having a plurality of connecting ports configured to connect the UPB to a power source, the radiation source, the radiation detector, the communication bridge, and a wireless receiver;

wherein a first communication link is established between the computing device and the communication bridge, the first communication link being a data critical link configured to transmit the image data from the UPB to the computing device,

wherein a second communication link is established between the trigger unit and the radiation source, the second communication link being a time-critical link configured to transmit the control signal from the trigger unit to the radiation source, and

wherein the interface board is capable of sending and receiving a plurality of signals to the radiation source, the radiation detector, the wireless receiver and the communication bridge such that the control signal from the trigger unit is sent to the radiation source to initiate the imaging operation and the image data from the radiation detector is sent to the computing device.

4. A portable radiation system comprising:

a radiation source configured to irradiate an object with radiation energy in response to a triggering signal;

a radiation detector configured to detect the radiation energy passing through the object and to generate image data corresponding to a condition of the object;

a communication bridge configured to receive the image data generated by the radiation detector;

a computing device configured to receive the image data from the communication bridge;

a trigger unit configured to emit a trigger signal so that the radiation source initiates an imaging operation, in response to the trigger signal; and

a universal power box (UPB) connected to a power source and configured to power at least the communication bridge and the radiation detector, the UPB further configured to route the image data from the radiation detector to the communication bridge,

wherein the radiation source generates the radiation signal, the radiation detector detects the radiation energy passed through the object and generates the image data, and the UPB routes the image data from the radiation detector to the computing device in response to the trigger unit emitting the trigger signal,

wherein at least the radiation source and the radiation detector are located at a first location, the computing device is located at a second location, and the trigger unit is located at a third location remote from the first and second locations, and

wherein a first communication link is established between the computing device and the communication bridge, the first communication link being a data critical link configured to transmit the image data from the UPB to the computing device, and

wherein a second communication link is established between the trigger unit and the radiation source, the second communication link being a time-critical link configured to transmit the trigger signal from the trigger unit to the radiation source.

5. The portable radiation system according to claim 4, wherein the first communication link is a digital wireless link.

6. The portable radiation system according to claim 4, wherein the second communication link is a radio frequency (RF) link.

7. A portable radiation imaging apparatus, comprising:

a radiation detector configured to detect radiation emitted from a radiation source and to generate image data indicative of the radiation detected;

a trigger unit configured to activate the radiation source to initiate radiation emission and to cause the radiation detector to initiate radiation detection;

a computing device configured to receive and process the image data generated by the radiation detector; and

a universal power box (UPB) configured to communicate with the radiation source, the radiation detector, the trigger unit and the computing device, so as to route a control signal from the trigger unit to the radiation source and to route the image data from the radiation detector to the computing device,

wherein the UPB communicates with the computing device through a first wireless communication link via which at least the image data are wirelessly transferred from the UPB to the computing device,

wherein the UPB communicates with the trigger unit through a second wireless link via which the control signal is wirelessly transferred from the trigger unit to the UPB, and

wherein at least the radiation source and the radiation detector are located at a first location, the computing device is located at a second location, and the trigger unit is located at a third location remote from the first and second locations.

8. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the UPB is operatively connected to a power supply and is further configured to supply a first voltage to the radiation source and a second voltage to the radiation detector.

9. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the first wireless link is established by a wireless bridge operatively connected to the UPB and a wireless transceiver operatively connected to the computing device.

10. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second wireless link is established between a wireless receiver operatively connected to the UPB and the trigger unit.

11. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the trigger unit includes a radio frequency (RF) hand switch.

12. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the computing device is configured to notify an operator of a time when the radiation detector is ready to start detecting the radiation.

13. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the operator operates the trigger unit so as to activate the radiation source only after the computing device has notified the operator that the radiation detector is ready.

14. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the UPB includes logic circuitry configured to control the flow of data such that the control data from the trigger unit is transferred to the radiation source with higher priority than the image data is transferred from the radiation detector to the computing device.

15. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the UPB communicates with the radiation source through a first wired link via which the control signal is transferred from the UPB to the radiation source, and

wherein the UPB communicates with the radiation detector through a second wired link via which the image data is transferred from the radiation detector to the UPB.

16. The radiation imaging apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the UPB communicates with the radiation source through a third wireless link via which the control signal is transferred from the UPB to the radiation source, and

wherein the UPB communicates with the radiation detector through a fourth wireless link via which the image data is transferred from the radiation detector to the UPB.