Radiography device

• US 6,435,715 B1
• Filed: 11/24/1999
• Issued: 08/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Betz, Roland, Noegel, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Porta, David P.
• Application Number:
  US09/448,583
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: 378/197, 378/196, 378/198, 378/4, 378/19
• US Class Current: 378/197
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4441 the rigid structure being a C-arm or U-arm
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4452 the source unit and the detector unit being able to move relative to each other
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4458 the source unit or the detector unit being attached to robotic arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4464 the source unit or the detector unit being mounted to ceiling
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4482 involving power assist circuits
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/547 involving tracking of position of the device or parts of the device
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 42/025 Positioning or masking the X-ray film cartridge in the radiographic apparatus

Abstract

A radiography device has an X-ray source and an X-ray reciever that are each arranged to be moved freely in space at a robot arm respective robots having a number of arms that can be displaced relative to one another by motor-drive. A central control unit controls the displacement of the robot arms of the two robots such that the X-ray source is always oriented to the X-ray receiver for producing an X-ray exposure.

Claims

1. A radiography device comprising:

an X-ray source;

an X-ray receiver;

a first robot having a connected plurality of first robot arms, including one of said first robot arms at which said X-ray source is mounted, all of said first robot arms being freely displaceable in space by motor drive;

a second robot having a connected plurality of second robot arms, including one of said second robot arms at which said X-ray receiver is mounted, all of said second robot arms being freely displaceable in space by motor drive;

a central control unit electronically connected to said first robot and to said second robot for controlling displacement of said plurality of first robot arms and said plurality of second robot arms for orienting said X-ray source and said X-ray receiver at a plurality of respective positions in spaces while always maintaining said X-ray source and said X-ray receiver in relative positions relative to each other for allowing a radiographic image of a subject to be acquired, to acquire a plurality of radiographic images of the subject; and

a computer supplied with said plurality of radiographic images for generating a three-dimensional image of said subject from said plurality of radiographic images.

2. A radiography device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said one of said first robot arms at which said X-ray source is mounted is displaceable with at least three degrees of freedom.

3. A radiography device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said one of said second robot arms at which said X-ray receiver is mounted is displaceable with at least three degrees of freedom.

4. A radiography device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said one of said robot arms at which said X-ray source is mounted is displaceable with at least three degrees of freedom, and wherein said one of said second robot arms at which said X-ray receiver is mounted is displaceable with at least three degrees of freedom.