Gamma camera

• US 4,129,784 A
• Filed: 12/08/1975
• Issued: 12/12/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Bar, Ulrich, Platz, Winfried, Heinz, Lothar, Tschunt, Edgar
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Alfred E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson, B. C.
• Application Number:
  US05/638,346
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• Field of Search: 250/505, 250/358 R, 250/360, 250/513
• US Class Current: 378/148
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/1648 Ancillary equipment for scintillation cameras, e.g. reference markers, devices for removing motion artifacts, calibration devices adapted for flow studies G01T1/1647
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 1/02 using diaphragms, collimators

Abstract

A gamma camera has a plurality of exchangeable collimators, one of which is replaceably mounted in the ray inlet opening of the camera, while the others are placed on separate supports. The invention is particularly characterized in that the supports are swingably mounted upon a column one above the other.

In the illustrated embodiment, the camera is swingable through about 90° to a collimator exchange position, and each of the separate supports is swingable to a vertically aligned position, with resilient limiting of the swinging movement and resilient positioning of the support at the desired exchange position. Further, the collimators are carried on the supports by means of a series of vertically disposed coil springs, projections on the camera being relatively movable from above into grooves of the collimator at the exchange position, whereupon the collimator is so turned that it is securely prevented from falling out of the camera head.

Claims

1. In combination with a gamma camera having means for exchangably mounting any of a series of collimators in the ray inlet of the camera, a plurality of reserve collimators, holders carrying said reserve collimators, a device for supporting said holders, said device comprising a column having a vertical axis, and means connected with said column and supporting said holders swingably one above the other, said holders each comprising a swinging support mounted for swinging movement about the vertical axis of the column, and a separate insert carried by the support for swinging movement therewith about the vertical axis of the column, each insert having a bearing surface for supporting one of said collimators thereon for transfer to the mounting means of the camera, the inserts of the respective holders being selectively swingable with the respective supports to respective positions in vertical alignment with the mounting means of the camera for selective transfer of the collimator supported by any of the inserts to the mounting means of the camera, and for subsequent return of each collimator from the mounting means of the camera to one of the inserts after use, each of said inserts having a series of springs connecting such insert with its respective support for accommodating slight lateral shifting of the insert relative to its support during exchange of the collimator between the mounting means of the camera and the bearing surface of the insert.

2. The combination of claim 1 with said means connected with said column comprising a plurality of superimposed parts carrying the respective supports of said holders and resiliently limiting the rotational movement of the respective supports.

3. The combination of claim 2 with said series of springs being coil springs (31-38, FIG. 4) with vertical axes for providing resilient vertical support at successive positions about the perimeter of the associated insert (25).

4. The combination of claim 1 with the camera (11) being mounted for swinging movement about a camera vertical axis (14) so that the camera is swingable through an angle of about 90°

(FIG.

     3) from an operating position to a collimator exchange position (15), the column (7) supporting the holders (1-6) having its vertical axis (8) on the side of the collimator exchange position (15) of the camera which is remote from the camera vertical axis (14), and each of the holders (1-6) being mounted by the column (7) for swinging movement in a horizontal plane through an angle of at least about ninety degrees from a storage position remote from the collimator exchange position (15) of the camera to an interchange position (16) where the associated insert (25) is in substantial vertical alignment with the collimator exchange position (15) of the camera, each of the holders (1-6) having means (41-52, 55,

     56) associated with said column (7) for resiliently limiting the swinging movement of the holder (1) about the vertical axis (8) of the column (7) and for resiliently establishing an angular position of the holder (1) with the associated insert (25) in substantial vertical alignment with the mounting means (82,

     83) of the camera (11), the collimator (70, FIG.

     7) having means (80,

     81) engageable with the mounting means (82,

     83) of the camera by relative vertical movement of the camera toward the insert (25) supporting the collimator, followed by relative rotation of the collimator while supported by the insert (25).

5. The combination of claim 4 with said series of springs being coil springs (31-38, FIG. 4) with vertical axes for providing resilient vertical support at successive positions about the perimeter of the associated insert (25).

6. In combination with a gamma camera having means for exchangably mounting any of a series of collimators in the ray inlet of the camera, a plurality of reserve collimators, holders carrying said reserve collimators, a device for supporting said holders, said device comprising a column having a vertical axis, the holders each comprising a support arm (40, FIG. 5) connected with said column (7) and rotatable about the vertical axis of the column, a support member (FIG. 4) carried by the support arm (40) for swinging movement as the arm (40) rotates about the vertical axis of the column, and a separate insert (25) of circular configuration carried by the support member, each insert having a bearing surface for supporting one of said collimators thereon for transfer to the mounting means of the camera, the inserts of the respective holders being selectively swingable with the respective supports to respective positions in vertical alignment with the mounting means of the camera for selective transfer of the collimator supported by any of the inserts to the mounting means of the camera, and for subsequent return of each collimator from the mounting means of the camera to one of the inserts after use, the support member underlying the insert of each holder and having a series of springs (31-38, FIG. 4) with vertical axes, resiliently supporting the insert at successive points about the perimeter thereof, for resilient support of a collimator carried by the insert during the engagement of such collimator with the mounting means of the camera.

7. The combination of claim 6 with the camera (11) being mounted for swinging movement about a camera vertical axis (14) so that the camera is swingable through an angle of at least about ninety degrees (FIG. 3) from an operating position to a collimator exchange position (15), the column (7) supporting the holders (1-6) having its vertical axis (8) at the side of the collimator exchange position (15) of the camera which is remote from the camera vertical axis (14), and each of the holders (1-6) being mounted by the column (7) for swinging movement in a horizontal plane through an angle of at least about ninety degrees from a storage position remote from the collimator exchange position (15) of the camera to an interchange position (16) where the associated insert (25) is in substantial vertical alignment with the collimator exchange position (15) of the camera, each of the holders (1-6) having means (41-52, 55, 56) associated with said column (7) for resiliently limiting the swinging movement of the holder (1) about the vertical axis (8) of the column (7) and for resiliently establishing an angular position of the holder (1) with the associated insert (25) in substantial vertical alignment with the mounting means (82, 83) of the camera (11), the collimator (70, FIG. 7) having means (80, 81) engageable with the mounting means (82, 83) of the camera by relative vertical movement of the camera toward the insert (25) supporting the collimator, followed by relative rotation of the collimator while supported by the insert (25).

8. The combination of claim 7 with the mounting means (82, 83) of the camera and the collimator means (80, 81) providing a bayonet type connection.