Patent Application
20130182828
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an X-ray imaging apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, X-ray imaging aiming at medical diagnosis or the like is used in emergency treatment, at a site of disaster, or the like by reducing the size and weight of an X-ray imaging apparatus including an X-ray source and increasing the portability. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-56170 discloses a technique of using an X-ray imaging apparatus vertically hung above the inspection part of an object by a collapsible holder. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-79728 discloses an X-ray imaging apparatus including an X-ray shield member that restricts the irradiation range of X-rays emitted by an X-ray source to irradiate an object, and a driving unit that is connected to the X-ray shield member to increase/decrease the X-ray shield area of the X-ray shield member.
However, the X-ray imaging apparatus as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-56170 necessitates labor and time for assembly and installation of the holder at the time of X-ray imaging. In addition, there is a problem of portability because the X-ray imaging apparatus and the holder are separate. The X-ray imaging apparatus as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-79728 can neither improve the portability nor facilitate installation.
In consideration of the above-described problems, the present invention provides an X-ray imaging apparatus that has high portability and is easy to install.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an X-ray imaging apparatus comprising: an X-ray source; a housing configured to accommodate the X-ray source; and a plurality of supporting legs each connected to the housing via a movable connecting portion and configured to support the housing, wherein each of the supporting legs can change, by the movable connecting portion, a support angle made by a ground plane and the supporting leg.
Further features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
An exemplary embodiment(s) of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the relative arrangement of the components, the numerical expressions and numerical values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention unless it is specifically stated otherwise.
The schematic arrangement of an X-ray imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to
The supporting legs 103 stand on the ground or floor surface and support the housing 102 above the object P. Note that
The X-ray imaging apparatus 101 may further include movable connecting portions 104 that rotatably connect the housing 102 to the supporting legs 103. The supporting legs 103 may be configured to be rotatable by the movable connecting portions 104 in a direction indicated by an arrow Y. This allows the support angles of the supporting legs 103 to be changed in accordance with the size and the like of the object (patient). Note that the support angle is the angle made by the ground (ground plane) and the supporting leg 103. The supporting legs 103 may be configured to be able to stretch/contract along the longitudinal direction. Even if the supporting legs 103 cannot stretch/contract, the X-ray imaging apparatus can easily be transported in a state in which the support angles are set to 180° (that is, in a state in which the supporting legs 103 are opened to direct the ends vertically upward). After the transport, the X-ray imaging apparatus can easily be installed by directing the ends of the supporting legs 103 vertically downward.
The transition of the X-ray imaging apparatus according to the first embodiment from the form at the time of transport to the form at the time of installation/use (X-ray imaging) will be described with reference to
As shown in
As shown in
According to this embodiment, since no separate holder is needed for installing the X-ray source, the portability is improved. At the time of use (X-ray imaging), the X-ray imaging apparatus can easily and quickly be installed by the operation of stretching the supporting legs and increasing the support angles. The operation of locking the casters enables the X-ray imaging apparatus to be stationarily installed and the installation to be further facilitated.
In the second embodiment, the X-ray irradiation range is changed in accordance with the support angles of the supporting legs. The schematic arrangement of an X-ray imaging apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to
An X-ray imaging apparatus 301 further includes X-ray shield members 305 and interlock mechanisms 306 in addition to a housing 302 that accommodates an X-ray source, supporting legs 303, and movable connecting portions 304.
The X-ray shield members 305 are used to restrict the irradiation range of X-rays emitted by the X-ray source to a predetermined range. The interlock mechanisms 306 interlock the operations of the supporting legs 303 with those of the X-ray shield members 305 so as to change the X-ray irradiation range in accordance with the support angles of the supporting legs. X-rays radially emitted by the X-ray source irradiate an object (patient) after their irradiation field has been restricted by the X-ray shield members 305 into, for example, a rectangular shape. The support angles of the supporting legs 303 can be changed by the movable connecting portions 304 in accordance with the size and the like of the object (patient). When the support angles of the supporting legs 303 are changed, the interlock mechanisms 306 move the positions of the X-ray shield members 305 and adjust the X-ray irradiation range.
A state in which the interlock mechanisms 306 move the positions of the X-ray shield members 305 in accordance with the support angles of the supporting legs 303 and change the X-ray irradiation range will be described with reference to
According to this embodiment, it is possible to change the X-ray irradiation range to an appropriate range in accordance with the support angles of the supporting legs. When the object is large, the X-ray irradiation range can be widened by opening the supporting legs. Conversely, when the object is small, the X-ray irradiation range can be narrowed by closing the supporting legs. That is, it is possible to appropriately adjust the X-ray irradiation range in accordance with the size of the object and prevent unnecessary exposure.
In the third embodiment, the rotary motion of a movable connecting portion is converted into a linear movement and transferred via a gear and interlocked with the opening/closing operation of an X-ray shield member. The basic arrangement of the X-ray imaging apparatus is the same as in the first embodiment.
The opening/closing operation of the X-ray shield member in the X-ray imaging apparatus according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to
The X-ray imaging apparatus according to the third embodiment includes a transfer mechanism 510. The transfer mechanism 510 includes a gear 503, a transfer unit 504, and an opening/closing transfer unit 505 and interlocks the support angle of the supporting leg 501 and the position of an X-ray shield member 506.
When the support angle of the supporting leg 501 is changed, the rotary motion of a movable connecting portion 502 is transferred to the transfer unit 504 via the gear 503 as a linear movement. The transfer unit 504 is formed from a rod, a belt, a chain, or the like, transfers the rotary motion of the movable connecting portion 502, and interlocks the rotary motion with the opening/closing operation of the X-ray shield member 506. The opening/closing transfer unit 505 further changes the direction of the linear movement transferred by the transfer unit 504 and adjusts the position of the X-ray shield member 506 connected to the opening/closing transfer unit 505. The X-ray shield members 506 are thus opened/closed.
According to this embodiment, it is possible to change the X-ray irradiation range to an appropriate range in accordance with the support angles of the supporting legs. When the object is large, the X-ray irradiation range can be widened by opening the supporting legs. Conversely, when the object is small, the X-ray irradiation range can be narrowed by closing the supporting legs. That is, it is possible to appropriately adjust the X-ray irradiation range in accordance with the size of the object and prevent unnecessary exposure.
In the fourth embodiment, a support angle sensor detects the support angle of a supporting leg, thereby electrically controlling opening/closing of an X-ray shield member X. The basic arrangement of the X-ray imaging apparatus is the same as in the first embodiment. Electrical control of the opening/closing operation of the X-ray shield member will be explained with reference to
According to this embodiment, it is possible to change the X-ray irradiation range to an appropriate range in accordance with the support angles of the supporting legs. When the object is large, the X-ray irradiation range can be widened by opening the supporting legs. Conversely, when the object is small, the X-ray irradiation range can be narrowed by closing the supporting legs. That is, it is possible to appropriately adjust the X-ray irradiation range in accordance with the size of the object and prevent unnecessary exposure. In addition, the electrical control allows the number of physical constituent elements to be decreased and in turn the weight to be reduced, resulting in higher portability.
In the fifth embodiment, the X-ray irradiation range almost equals a range surrounded by the ground points where the supporting legs ground. The schematic arrangement of an X-ray imaging apparatus according to the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to
The condenser optical system 707 condenses X-rays emitted by an X-ray tube or the like. The condenser optical system 707 can use an optical system formed from a convex lens, a Fresnel lens, and the like, an optical system using a concave mirror, or an optical system formed by combining them.
The X-ray irradiation range of the X-ray imaging apparatus according to the fifth embodiment will be described next with reference to
The triangle having the X-ray source and the ends of the X-ray irradiation range as vertices is similar to the triangle having the X-ray source and the ends of the X-ray shield members 705 as vertices. For this reason, an irradiation range D on the ground plane is given by
D=d·(h+I−L)/I
On the other hand, letting H be the length of the supporting leg 703, θ be the support angle, and W be the width of the housing portion of the X-ray imaging apparatus 701 (the attachment interval of the supporting legs 703), a ground interval D′ is given by
D′=W+2H cos θ
Since h=H sin θ, when the gap d between the X-ray shield members 705 with respect to the support angle θ satisfies
d=(W+2H cos θ)·I/(H sin θ+I−L)
the irradiation range D on the ground plane equals the ground interval D′.
That is, when the gap d between the X-ray shield members is set to be almost equal to or smaller than (W+2H cos θ)·I/(H sin θ+I−L), the X-ray irradiation range can be configured to almost equal the range surrounded by the ground points where the supporting legs 703 ground and be arranged inside the range.
This allows the user such as a doctor or an X-ray technician to clearly know the X-ray irradiation range and properly align the X-ray imaging target area with the X-ray irradiation range. In addition, the safety is improved because the user can avoid exposure by refraining from entering the range where the supporting legs ground.
According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an X-ray imaging apparatus that has high portability and is easy to install.
Aspects of the present invention can also be realized by a computer of a system or apparatus (or devices such as a CPU or MPU) that reads out and executes a program recorded on a memory device to perform the functions of the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method, the steps of which are performed by a computer of a system or apparatus by, for example, reading out and executing a program recorded on a memory device to perform the functions of the above-described embodiment(s). For this purpose, the program is provided to the computer for example via a network or from a recording medium of various types serving as the memory device (for example, computer-readable storage medium).
While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-007385 filed on Jan. 17, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-007385 | Jan 2012 | JP | national |
