Adjustable scanner
First Claim
1. An apparatus for dental and facial imaging, the apparatus comprising:
- a rotatable gantry having an axis of rotation generally in the direction of local gravitational vertical, the gantry configured to be rotated during an imaging procedure;
a source of penetrating radiation mounted on the gantry;
an elongated detector for detecting radiation from the source of penetrating radiation and producing image data, the detector mounted opposite the source on the gantry, and having a length, a long axis, and a short axis; and
the rotatable gantry, source, and detector configured to receive the head of a patient between the source and the detector when the patient is in an upright position, with the axis of rotation of the gantry passing through the patient'"'"'s head,wherein the detector is mounted rotatably to the gantry and movable between a first position in which the long axis of the detector is generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the gantry and a second position in which the long axis of the detector is generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the gantry,wherein the source of penetrating radiation and the axis of the rotation of the gantry define a center axis, and wherein a center of the detector is offset from the center axis while in the second position.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for dental and facial imaging including a rotatable gantry having an axis of rotation generally in the direction of local gravitational vertical; a source of penetrating radiation mounted on the gantry; an elongated detector for detecting radiation and producing image data, the detector mounted opposite the source on the gantry, and having a length, a long axis, and a short axis The gantry, source, and detector configured to receive the head of a patient between the source and the detector, with the axis of rotation of the gantry passing through the patient'"'"'s head. The detector is mounted rotatably to the gantry and movable between a first position where the long axis of the detector is generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the gantry and a second position where the long axis of the detector is generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the gantry.
25 Citations
19 Claims
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1. An apparatus for dental and facial imaging, the apparatus comprising:
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a rotatable gantry having an axis of rotation generally in the direction of local gravitational vertical, the gantry configured to be rotated during an imaging procedure; a source of penetrating radiation mounted on the gantry; an elongated detector for detecting radiation from the source of penetrating radiation and producing image data, the detector mounted opposite the source on the gantry, and having a length, a long axis, and a short axis; and the rotatable gantry, source, and detector configured to receive the head of a patient between the source and the detector when the patient is in an upright position, with the axis of rotation of the gantry passing through the patient'"'"'s head, wherein the detector is mounted rotatably to the gantry and movable between a first position in which the long axis of the detector is generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the gantry and a second position in which the long axis of the detector is generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the gantry, wherein the source of penetrating radiation and the axis of the rotation of the gantry define a center axis, and wherein a center of the detector is offset from the center axis while in the second position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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3. An apparatus for dental and facial imaging, the apparatus comprising:
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a rotatable gantry having an axis of rotation generally in the direction of local gravitational vertical, the gantry configured to be rotated during an imaging procedure; a source of penetrating radiation mounted on the gantry; an elongated detector for detecting radiation from the source of penetrating radiation and producing image data, the detector mounted opposite the source on the gantry, and having a length, a long axis, and a short axis; and the rotatable gantry, source, and detector configured to receive the head of a patient between the source and the detector when the patient is in an upright position, with the axis of rotation of the gantry passing through the patient'"'"'s head, wherein the detector is mounted rotatably to the gantry and movable between a first position in which the long axis of the detector is generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the gantry and a second position in which the long axis of the detector is generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the gantry, and wherein the detector is aligned so that the long axis is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the gantry and the center of the detector is on the center axis of a beam of radiation from the source, which center axis intersects the axis of rotation of the gantry.
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4. An apparatus for dental and facial imaging, the apparatus comprising:
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a rotatable gantry having an axis of rotation generally in the direction of local gravitational vertical, the gantry configured to be rotated during an imaging procedure; a source of penetrating radiation mounted on the gantry; an elongated detector for detecting radiation from the source of penetrating radiation and producing image data, the detector mounted a length, a long axis, and a short axis; and the rotatable gantry, source, and detector configured to receive the head of a patient between the source and the detector when the patient is in an upright position, with the axis of rotation of the gantry passing through the patient'"'"'s head, wherein the detector is mounted rotatably to the gantry and movable between a first position in which the long axis of the detector is generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the gantry and a second position in which the long axis of the detector is generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the gantry, and wherein the detector is mounted so that one corner is in the same position when the detector is in either of the first and second positions.
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13. A method for dental and facial imaging using an apparatus comprising a computing device, a rotatable gantry having an axis of rotation generally in the direction of local gravitational vertical, a penetrating radiation source mounted on the gantry, and an elongated detector mounted opposite the source on the gantry and having a length, a long axis, and a short axis, the method comprising:
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rotating the detector between a first position in which the long axis of the detector is generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the gantry and a second position in which the long axis of the detector is generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the gantry, wherein the source of penetrating radiation and the axis of rotation of the gantry define a center axis, and wherein a center of the detector is offset from the center axis while in the second position; receiving the patient'"'"'s head between the source and the detector when the patient is in an upright position, with the axis of rotation of the gantry passing through the patient'"'"'s head; rotating the gantry about the axis of rotation of the gantry; generating penetrating radiation by the radiation source during the step of rotating the gantry; and detecting the penetrating radiation by the elongated detector to produce image data. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 18, 19)
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16. A method for dental and facial imaging using an apparatus comprising a computing device, a rotatable gantry having an axis of rotation generally in the direction of local gravitational vertical, a penetrating radiation source mounted on the gantry, and an elongated detector mounted opposite the source on the gantry and having a length, a long axis, and a short axis, the method comprising:
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rotating the detector between a first position in which the long axis of the detector is generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the gantry and a second position in which the long axis of the detector is generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the gantry; receiving the patient'"'"'s head between the source and the detector when the patient is in an upright position, with the axis of rotation of the gantry passing through the patient'"'"'s head; rotating the gantry about the axis of rotation of the gantry; generating penetrating radiation by the radiation source during the step of rotating the gantry; detecting the penetrating radiation by the elongated detector to produce image data and aligning the detector so that the long axis is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the gantry and the center of the detector is on the center axis of a beam of radiation from the source, which center axis intersects the axis of rotation of the gantry.
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17. A method for dental and facial imaging using an apparatus comprising a computing device, a rotatable gantry having an axis of rotation generally in the direction of local gravitational vertical, a penetrating radiation source mounted on the gantry, and an elongated detector mounted opposite the source on the gantry and having a length, a long axis, and a short axis, the method comprising:
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rotating the detector between a first position in which the long axis of the detector is generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the gantry and a second position in which the long axis of the detector is generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the gantry; receiving the patient'"'"'s head between the source and the detector when the patient is in an upright position, with the axis of rotation of the gantry passing through the patient'"'"'s head; rotating the gantry about the axis of rotation of the gantry; generating penetrating radiation by the radiation source during the step of rotating the gantry; detecting the penetrating radiation by the elongated detector to produce image data and positioning the detector so that one corner is in the same position when the detector is in either of the first and second positions.
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Specification