Multiaxial x-ray apparatus
First Claim
1. X-ray apparatus for making angiographic examinations of a human body, comprising,a support rotatable about a vertical axis,a U-arm including a base section mounted to the support for rotation about a horizontal axis, said U-arm having leg sections extending from each of the opposite ends of said base section in substantial parallelism with each other and with the rotational axis of the base section,the horizontal axis about which the U-arm rotates and the vertical axis about which the support rotates intersecting each other at a point designated as an isocenter at which said body would be located for angiography,X-ray source means and means supporting said source means for moving substantially perpendicular to one of the axial extending leg sections and radially relative to said horizontal axis, said source means being arranged to project an x-ray beam along an axis that is coincident with the vertical axis and intersects said isocenter,counterweight means and means coupling said counterweight means to said means for supporting said source means for moving jointly relative to said horizontal axis to counterbalance said source means and its supporting means in all of its radial positions,a film changer and means supporting said changer for moving substantially perpendicular to the other of said U-arm leg sections and radially relative to said horizontal axis, and means for mounting said changer to said supporting means for moving axially between positions in which said changer is selectively in or out of alignment with said x-ray beam axis,counterweight means and means coupling said counterweight means to said means for supporting said film changer for moving jointly relative to said horizontal axis to counterbalance said film changer and its supporting means in all of its radial positions,an image intensifier and means supporting said intensifier for moving substantially perpendicular to said other of the U-arm leg sections and radially relative to said horizontal axis, andcounterweight means and means coupling said counterweight means to said means for supporting said intensifier for moving jointly relative to said horizontal axis to counterbalance said intensifier and its supporting means in all of its radial positions.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
X-ray apparatus for angiography has a support member which is rotatable about a vertical axis and a U-shaped arm mounted on the support for rotating about a horizontal axis. A radially movable carriage with an x-ray source mounted on it is mounted at one end of the U-arm. Carriages which are movable linearly and radially relative to the horizontal axis support an image intensifier and a film changer respectively. The horizontal axis and vertical axis of rotation which is coincident with the x-ray beam axis intersect at a point which is isocentric. Images can be obtained with either the intensifier receptor or film changer receptor in varying degrees of magnification and without magnification while the patient being examined remains coincident with the isocenter. Means are provided for counterbalancing the source, changer and the intensifier independently. Force limited actuators such as motors equipped with slip-clutches are operatively coupled to counterweight cables for driving the carriages and for allowing the carriage to be moved manually. Any carriage has a tendency to remain where it is positioned because of independent counterbalancing and the entire U-arm remains balanced in all of its angular positions and for any position of the receptors or source.
244 Citations
15 Claims
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1. X-ray apparatus for making angiographic examinations of a human body, comprising,
a support rotatable about a vertical axis, a U-arm including a base section mounted to the support for rotation about a horizontal axis, said U-arm having leg sections extending from each of the opposite ends of said base section in substantial parallelism with each other and with the rotational axis of the base section, the horizontal axis about which the U-arm rotates and the vertical axis about which the support rotates intersecting each other at a point designated as an isocenter at which said body would be located for angiography, X-ray source means and means supporting said source means for moving substantially perpendicular to one of the axial extending leg sections and radially relative to said horizontal axis, said source means being arranged to project an x-ray beam along an axis that is coincident with the vertical axis and intersects said isocenter, counterweight means and means coupling said counterweight means to said means for supporting said source means for moving jointly relative to said horizontal axis to counterbalance said source means and its supporting means in all of its radial positions, a film changer and means supporting said changer for moving substantially perpendicular to the other of said U-arm leg sections and radially relative to said horizontal axis, and means for mounting said changer to said supporting means for moving axially between positions in which said changer is selectively in or out of alignment with said x-ray beam axis, counterweight means and means coupling said counterweight means to said means for supporting said film changer for moving jointly relative to said horizontal axis to counterbalance said film changer and its supporting means in all of its radial positions, an image intensifier and means supporting said intensifier for moving substantially perpendicular to said other of the U-arm leg sections and radially relative to said horizontal axis, and counterweight means and means coupling said counterweight means to said means for supporting said intensifier for moving jointly relative to said horizontal axis to counterbalance said intensifier and its supporting means in all of its radial positions.
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12. Apparatus for enabling making angiographic images of anatomy at a multiplicity of angular aspects with selected amounts of magnification using an x-ray source coacting alternatively with a radiographic film changer and an x-ray image intensifier without requiring that the anatomy of interest be moved relative to an isocenter at which the anatomy is located, comprising:
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an L-arm including a vertical section and a horizontal section extending from one of the ends of the vertical section, the horizontal section being supported for rotating about a vertical axis, a U-arm including a base section mounted on the end of the vertical L-arm section for rotation about a horizontal axis that intersects the vertical axis of the L-arm at a point defined as the isocenter, and a leg section extending from each of the opposite ends of the base section generally parallel to each other and to the rotational axis of the base section, an x-ray source carriage mounted at the end of one of the U-arm leg sections for moving radially inwardly and outwardly and generally perpendicular relative to the rotational axis of the U-arm and an x-ray source mounted to the carriage and operable to project an x-ray beam along an axis extending through said isocenter, an x-ray image intensifier carriage and a film changer carriage and means for mounting said carriages for moving at the end of the other of said U-arm legs radially inwardly and outwardly and perpendicularly relative to said horizontal axis, an x-ray image intensifier mounted to said intensifier carriage for said intensifier to be movable toward and away from said isocenter and in alignment with said source, support means mounted to said film changer carriage and a film changer mounted on said support means for moving parallel to said horizontal axis between an inactive position out of alignment with the x-ray beam axis and an active position where it is aligned with the x-ray beam axis and said changer being movable radially with said carriage toward and away from said isocenter and source, a plurality of counterweight means each of which is located in said U-arm and is movable independently of the others relative to the horizontal axis of said U-arm, and means operatively coupling said counterweight means respectively to said image intensifier carriage, said film changer carriage and said x-ray source carriage to effect movements of said counterweights in coordination with movements of said intensifier, film changer or source, respectively, to thereby maintain the balance of said U-arm for any angulation of the U-arm. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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Specification