X-ray exposure system for 3D imaging

• US 6,139,183 A
• Filed: 10/16/1998
• Issued: 10/31/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Graumann, Rainer
• Primary Examiner(s): Church, Craig E.
• Application Number:
  US09/174,159
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 378/205, 378/206, 378/198
• US Class Current: 378/206
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4405 the apparatus being movable or portable, e.g. handheld or mounted on a trolley
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4441 the rigid structure being a C-arm or U-arm
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/466 adapted to display 3D data
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2223/419 computed tomograph
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2223/612 biological material
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/046 using tomography, e.g. computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 42/026 for obtaining three-dimensional pictures

Abstract

An X-ray exposure system has a mobile X-ray apparatus with an X-ray source and an X-ray receiver that are adjustable relative to a subject for registering successive 2D projections of the subject from different projection directions, an arrangement disposed outside the beam path of the X-ray beam emanating from the X-ray source for directly determining the projection geometries of the X-ray source and of the X-ray receiver at the points in time of the individual 2D projections, and a computer supplied with signals from the arrangement for the direct determination of the projection geometries, which reconstructs 3D images of the subject from the 2D projections.

Claims

1. An X-ray exposure system comprising:

a mobile cart;

an X-ray apparatus mounted on said mobile cart, said X-ray apparatus including an X-ray source and an X-ray receiver, said X-ray source emitting an X-ray beam which proceeds along a beam path and strikes said X-ray receiver, and support means on which said X-ray source and said X-ray receiver are mounted for moving said X-ray source and said X-ray receiver relative to an examination subject for obtaining a plurality of successive 2D projections of said examination subject respectively from a plurality of different projection directions, each of said 2D projections having a unique projection geometry of the X-ray source and the X-ray receiver at a point in time at which the respective 2D projections are obtained, said support means having a mechanical instability associated therewith which precludes accurate identification of the projection geometry via said support means;

means disposed outside of said beam path for directly acquiring the respective projection geometries for said plurality of 2D projections; and

computer means supplied with said plurality of projection geometries from said means for directly acquiring the respective projection geometries, for reconstructing a 3D image of said examination subject from said plurality of 2D projections.

2. An X-ray exposure system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for directly acquiring the respective projection geometries comprises at least one transmitter communicating with at least one receiver.

3. An X-ray exposure system as claimed in claim 2 wherein said at least one transmitter is attached to said means for moving said X-ray source and said X-ray receiver, and wherein said at least one receiver is mounted on said mobile cart.

4. An X-ray exposure system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said computer means comprises a control and calculating unit, disposed on said mobile cart, for reconstructing said 3D image.

5. An X-ray exposure system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said support means comprises a C-arm carrying said X-ray source and said X-ray receiver, and having a circumference, and a holder, mounted on said mobile cart, in which said C-arm is displaceable along said circumference.