Positioning device for producing movement in the shoulder
First Claim
1. A positioning device for use in combination with an MRI apparatus for producing movement in the shoulder of a human patient and its associated arm which includes the upper arm attached to the shoulder, the elbow and the forearm with a hand, said movement including abduction/adduction, and flexion/extension, said device comprisingbase means moveable in the aperture of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus for carrying at least one shoulder of the patient into an imaging volume of the MRI apparatus;
- swivel means mounted on said base means for maintaining the shoulder in substantially a fixed location in the imaging volume while allowing the associated arm to move to provide the shoulder movement in at least two degrees of freedom, including a first axis around which the arm swivels at which the shoulder is positioned for performing abduction/adduction and a third axis perpendicular to the first axis for performing flexion/extension;
said swivel means including a first lever arm having two ends, mounted for rotation at one end around said axes and including means for guiding said arm for maintaining the shoulder in the imaging volume while producing either of the shoulder movements, such means for guiding including elbow cup means mounted at the other end of said first lever arm for receiving the elbow.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A positioning device for producing movement in the shoulder of a human patient in MRI apparatus includes a base movable into the aperture of the MRI apparatus. On the base is provided a swivel which includes a first lever pivoted on an axis, on which the shoulder is located, in substantially the plane of the base. And then with the elbow in an elbow cup located at the end of the first lever arm, a second lever arm is pivoted at the cup. The second lever arm at its distal end restrains the forearm or hand of the patient. Movement of this second lever arm is sensed by an angle encoder mounted on the axis of the elbow cup to indicate internal/external rotation. Movement of the first lever arm is sensed by an angle encoder at the first axis to provide abduction/adduction angle movement information. Flexion/extension movement is also provided.
58 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A positioning device for use in combination with an MRI apparatus for producing movement in the shoulder of a human patient and its associated arm which includes the upper arm attached to the shoulder, the elbow and the forearm with a hand, said movement including abduction/adduction, and flexion/extension, said device comprising
base means moveable in the aperture of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus for carrying at least one shoulder of the patient into an imaging volume of the MRI apparatus; -
swivel means mounted on said base means for maintaining the shoulder in substantially a fixed location in the imaging volume while allowing the associated arm to move to provide the shoulder movement in at least two degrees of freedom, including a first axis around which the arm swivels at which the shoulder is positioned for performing abduction/adduction and a third axis perpendicular to the first axis for performing flexion/extension; said swivel means including a first lever arm having two ends, mounted for rotation at one end around said axes and including means for guiding said arm for maintaining the shoulder in the imaging volume while producing either of the shoulder movements, such means for guiding including elbow cup means mounted at the other end of said first lever arm for receiving the elbow. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification