Radiotherapy treatment table

• US 4,589,126 A
• Filed: 01/22/1985
• Issued: 05/13/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kjell O.T. Lindstrom, Lars J.S. Mattsson, Nils E. Augustsson
• Original Assignee: Kjell O.T. Lindstrom, Lars J.S. Mattsson, Nils E. Augustsson
• Inventors: Lindstrom, Kjell O. T., Mattsson, Lars J. S., Augustsson, Nils E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Alfred E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Berman, Jack I.
• Application Number:
  US06/693,059
• Time in Patent Office: 476 Days
• Field of Search: 250/491.1, 378/205, 378/206, 378/209
• US Class Current: 378/209
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/04 Positioning of patients; Tiltable beds or the like operating tables A61G13/00; operating chairs A61G15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/0471 based on an endless-band
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4405 the apparatus being movable or portable, e.g. handheld or mounted on a trolley
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4423 related to hygiene or sterilisation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/10 X-ray therapy; Gamma-ray therapy; Particle-irradiation therapy A61N5/01 takes precedence

Abstract

A radiotherapy treatment table is formed as a mobile table having a vertically movable patient supporting plane freely suspended at one end, all the wheels of said table being individually or jointly driven by a motor and turnable relative to the wheeled frame, a positioning and steering device being adapted to sense the position of the treatment table relative to a radiotherapy station and to drive and steer the table to a desired position in response to a measured actual position. The positioning and steering device may comprise sensors for inductively, optically or ultrasonically sensing the actual position of the table in an inductively, optically or ultrasonically marked coordinate system, and may also comprise a computer for controlling the positioning of the table and any preprogrammed movements relative to a treatment isocenter that may be necessary during the treatment.

Claims

1. A radiotherapy treatment table which has a vertically movable patient supporting plane mounted on a frame and adapted to support and position the patient during treatment, characterized in that the patient supporting plane is mounted at one end on a column on a mobile wheeled frame for the table, and at its other end is freely suspended, the column comprising a lifting device for raising and lowering of the patient supporting plane;

that all the wheels of the wheeled frame are mounted on wheel holders rotatable relative to the wheeled frame and are motor-driven; and

that the table has a positioning and steering device which senses the position of the treatment table relative to a radiotherapy station and drives and steers the table, in response to a measured actual position, into a desired position.

2. A table as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that all the wheels of the wheeled frame are individually motor-driven.

3. A table as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that all of the wheels of the wheeled frame are jointly motor driven.

4. A table as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a manual driving and steering device for rough adjustment of the table position relative to the radiotherapy station.

5. A table as claimed in claim 1 or 4, characterized in that the positioning and steering device comprises drive means for rotating and setting the rotatable wheel holders to control the direction of travel of the wheeled frame, and control means for controlling the travelling distance of the wheeled frame in the set direction.

6. A table as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the positioning and steering device also comprises sensors for inductive, sensing of the actual position of the table in an inductively, marked coordinate system.

7. A table as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the positioning and steering device comprises a computer for controlling the positioning of the table and any movements, preprogrammed relative to a treatment isocentre, that may be necessary during the treatment.

8. A table as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the positioning and steering device also comprises sensors for optical sensing of the actual position of the table in an optically marked coordinate system.

9. A table as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the positioning and steering device comprises a computer for controlling the positioning of the table and any movements, programmed relative to a treatment isocentre, that may be necessary during the treatment.

10. A table as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the positioning and steering device also comprises sensors for ultrasonic sensing of the actual position of the table in an ultrasonically marked coordinate system.

11. A table as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that the positioning and steering device comprises a computer for controlling the positioning of the table and any movements, preprogrammed relative to a treatment isocentre, that may be necessary during the treatment.