JP2000116640A - X-ray ct instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an X-ray CT instrument wherein measures for waste heat are complete and cooling efficiency of a heat generating source such as an X-ray tube is good. SOLUTION: This X-ray CT instrument is provided with an approximately circular imaging hole 4, a rotating part 2 rotated and driven having a radiographic means contg. an X-ray tube 21 for imaging an X-ray tomogram of a subject to be examined inserted into this imaging hole 4 and a cooler 22 for cooling the X-ray tube 21, and a trestle 1 for supporting rotatably this totating part 2. In this case, the shape of the top face of the top part cover part 1 surrounding the rotating part 2 on the trestle 1 is made into a semicircular shape or approximately a semicircular shape and a fan 12 for waste heat arranged on the top cover part 1b, a rotating and driving part for rotating and driving the rotating part 2, a rotary encoder 30 for detecting rotational position of a cooler 22 for cooling the rotating part 2 and a control part performing control of driving for the rotating and driving part based on the result of detection of this rotary encoder and stopping the rotating part 2 at a position where an opening for waste heat of the cooler 22 for cooling the X-ray tube 21 faces to the fan for waste heat, are provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an X-ray CT.
More specifically, the present invention relates to an X-ray CT apparatus having improved measures for exhausting heat generated in a gantry.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional X-ray CT apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The X-ray CT apparatus is composed of a fixed part constituting a gantry and a rotating part.

[0003] The rotating portion is a hollow drum-shaped rotating base 20.
0, X-ray tube 202, oil cooler 20 for cooling X-ray tube
3. It is composed of electrical components 201 such as a high voltage generator and a detector.

On the fixed part, a support mechanism 210 for the rotating part, a motor 206 for rotating the rotating part by the belt 209, and electrical components 207 such as a board and a power supply for controlling other units are mounted. Further, the entire X-ray CT apparatus is covered with a cover 208 for protection.

The support mechanism 210 includes a horizontal support 210
a, a vertical support 210b, a tilt support portion 211 including a support piece 212 and a receiving piece 213 provided at an upper end of the vertical support 210b.

In such an X-ray CT apparatus, the area where the electrical components 207 and the like can be mounted above the rotating unit is the shoulders of the gantry unit.
8 are mounted on both upper corners.

In the gantry unit of the X-ray CT apparatus described above, the oil cooler 203 for cooling the X-ray tube has the largest heat generation.

[0008]

However, the above-mentioned conventional X-ray CT apparatus has the following problems.

That is, in recent years, the capacity of the X-ray tube 202 of the X-ray CT apparatus has been increasing, and accordingly, the amount of heat radiated from the oil cooler 203 for cooling the X-ray tube has also increased.

In the above-described prior art, measures for radiating heat inside the gantry unit are not sufficiently considered.
In this case, the heat is sucked from the oil cooler 203 via the inside of the gantry unit by the heat-dissipating fan 204 and is exhausted to the outside. Is not exhausted as shown by the arrow α and stays in the gantry unit.

As a result, the operation of the electrical components 207 and the like become unstable due to a rise in the temperature inside the gantry unit, and the cooling time of the X-ray tube is increased, thereby lowering the operating efficiency of the X-ray CT apparatus.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art. The present invention performs predetermined stop control of a rotating unit, and changes the arrangement of exhaust means so that exhaust heat countermeasures can be taken. X-ray CT with good cooling efficiency for heating tubes such as X-ray tubes
It is intended to provide a device.

[0013]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A rotating part having a substantially circular imaging opening, an X-ray imaging means for imaging an X-ray tomographic image of a subject to be inserted into the imaging opening, and a cooling means for the X-ray imaging means; In the X-ray CT apparatus including a supporting base, the upper surface of the upper cover surrounding the rotating part of the mounting is formed into a semicircular shape or a substantially semicircular shape, and is discharged from the upper cover portion. The disposed exhaust means, a rotational position detecting means for detecting a rotational position of the rotating part, and a cooling means for the X-ray tube, the cooling means for the X-ray tube, and the exhaust means based on a detection result of the rotational position detecting means. Control means for performing stop control so as to be at an opposing position.

According to the present invention, the upper cover surrounding the rotating portion has a semi-circular or substantially semi-circular upper surface, and the exhaust means is provided so as to be evacuated from the outer periphery of the rotating portion and the upper cover. And approach, and the rotational position of the rotating part is detected by the rotational position detecting means, and the control means
Since the rotation unit is controlled to stop so that the cooling means of the X-ray tube is located at a position facing the exhaust means, the heat generated by the X-ray imaging means is cooled by the cooling means, and the exhaust means is immediately cooled. The exhaust can be exhausted outside the apparatus, the cooling efficiency against the heat generated by the X-ray imaging means is improved, and the exhaust heat countermeasures are thorough, so that the operation efficiency of the X-ray CT apparatus is improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an X-ray imaging means including a substantially circular imaging port, an X-ray tube for capturing an X-ray tomographic image of a subject inserted into the imaging port, and an X-ray tube. In an X-ray CT apparatus including a rotating unit having a cooler for cooling and being rotationally driven, and a gantry for rotatably supporting the rotating unit, an upper surface of an upper cover part of the gantry surrounding the rotating unit With a semi-circular shape or a substantially semi-circular shape, a heat-dissipating fan arranged to discharge heat from the upper cover portion, and a rotary drive portion for rotating the rotary portion,
A rotational position sensor for detecting a rotational position of a cooler for cooling the rotary unit; and a drive control of the rotational drive unit based on a detection result of the rotational position sensor, and a discharge of the cooler for cooling the X-ray tube. A control unit that stops the rotating unit at a position where the hot port faces the exhaust heat fan.

According to the present invention, the upper surface of the upper cover surrounding the rotating portion is formed in a semicircular shape or a substantially semicircular shape, so that the outer periphery of the rotating portion and the exhaust means provided in the upper cover portion are brought close to each other. , The rotational position of the rotating unit is detected by a rotational position sensor, and the rotating unit is controlled by the control unit.
Since the stop control is performed so that the cooler for cooling the X-ray tube is located at a position facing the exhaust heat fan, the heat generated by the X-ray tube is cooled by the cooler, and the device is immediately operated by the exhaust heat fan. The exhaust can be exhausted to the outside, the cooling efficiency against the heat generated by the X-ray tube is improved, and the exhaust heat countermeasures are thorough, so that the operation efficiency of the X-ray CT apparatus is improved as in the first aspect of the present invention.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the X
In the line CT apparatus, the heat-dissipating fan is disposed at a position above the horizontal with respect to the center of the imaging port in the upper cover unit, and the control unit controls the rotation drive based on a detection result of the rotation position sensor. The drive of the unit is controlled so that the heat exhaust port of the cooling cooler is stopped at a position above the horizontal with respect to the center of the photographing port facing the heat exhaust fan.

According to the present invention, the X-ray C
The same effect as in the case of the T device is exhibited, and the relationship between the position of the heat-dissipating fan and the stop position of the heat-dissipating port of the cooling cooler in the rotating part can be reliably associated with each other. The exhaust heat from the cooler can be exhausted to the outside of the apparatus very efficiently by the exhaust fan.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the X-ray CT apparatus according to the second or third aspect, an intake port for introducing outside air is provided on a peripheral surface of the imaging port, and the outside air from the intake port is used. Then, the heat of the X-ray tube is cooled by the cooler,
It is characterized in that heat is exhausted to the outside of the device from the exhaust port of the exhaust fan.

According to the present invention, in the X-ray CT apparatus according to the second or third aspect, an intake port for introducing outside air is provided on a peripheral surface of the imaging port, and the outside air from the intake port is used for the X-ray CT apparatus. The heat generated by the X-ray tube is cooled by a cooler, and the heat is exhausted from the exhaust port of the exhaust fan to the outside of the device.
Electric components other than the X-ray tube can be cooled by the outside air at the intake port.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the X
In the line CT apparatus, the rotation driving unit is a belt driving system including a motor disposed on the gantry and a belt wound around a driving shaft of the motor and an outer periphery of the rotation unit, or directly rotating the rotation unit. It is a direct drive motor system for driving.

According to the present invention, in the X-ray CT apparatus according to the second or third aspect, the rotary drive unit is a belt drive type or a direct drive motor type. Even if the present invention is applied to an X-ray CT apparatus provided with the above, the cooling efficiency against the heat generation of the X-ray tube is improved, the measures against exhaust heat are thorough, and the operation efficiency can be improved.

[0023]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show a so-called helical scan type X-ray CT apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The X-ray CT apparatus has a substantially circular imaging port 4.
And X of the subject on the couch 20 inserted into the imaging port 4
X-ray imaging means including an X-ray tube 21 for taking X-ray tomographic images and a cooler (oil cooler) 2 serving as a cooling means for the X-ray tube 21
2 and the like, and a rotating unit 2 that is driven to rotate,
And a gantry 1 for rotatably supporting the gantry.

The upper surface of the upper cover 1b of the cover 1a surrounding the rotating part 2 of the gantry 1 has a semicircular shape or a substantially semicircular shape.

A heat exhaust fan 12, which is an exhaust means, is disposed in the upper cover 1b. This exhaust heat fan 1
2 are symmetrically arranged at a position 45 degrees above horizontal with respect to the center of the photographing opening 4.

Further, an intake port 11 for sucking the atmosphere (air) is provided in the photographing port 4 of the rotating unit 2.

The rotating part 2 rotatably supports a cylindrical rotating base 5 via a bearing 6 with respect to a fixed base 7 arranged in the apparatus. At one corner of the lower portion of the fixed base 7, a motor 8 serving as a rotation driving unit is disposed, and the rotation base 5 is connected to a driving shaft of the motor 8 and a belt 13 wrapped around the outer periphery of the rotation base 5. Is driven to rotate.

An electric component 9 is arranged at the other lower corner of the fixed base 7.

Although not shown in detail, the electrical component 9 includes a control board, an amplifier circuit, a power supply circuit, a timer for measuring time, a fuse system, a breaker, and the like.

The fixed base 7 is supported by a stand 10 constituting the gantry 1 together with the rotating base 5 so as to be tiltable in the directions of arrows a and b shown in FIG.

That is, the stand 10 comprises a horizontal base 10a,
A pair of vertical columns 10b erected from both ends of the horizontal base 10a, each receiving piece 14 protruding laterally from both sides of the fixed base 7, and each tilt provided at the upper end of the vertical column 10b. By engaging the support pieces 17 respectively, the fixed base 7 can be tilted in the directions of arrows a and b.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the internal configuration of the rotary base 5 constituting the rotary unit 2. The X-ray tube 21 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the rotary base 5 which rotates to obtain a tomographic image of the subject.
, A cooler 22 for cooling the X-ray tube 21, an X-ray detection unit 23, a signal processing unit 24, a mechanical control unit 25, a power supply unit 26 and the like are housed in a predetermined arrangement.

As shown in FIG. 4, a rectangular air hole 5a is formed on the peripheral surface of the rotary base 5 corresponding to the heat exhaust port of the cooler 22.
Is provided.

The fixed base 7 has the rotating base 5
A rotary encoder 30, which is a rotation position sensor for detecting the rotation position by contacting the outer periphery of the
It is provided facing the outer periphery of.

FIG. 5 shows a control system for detecting the rotational position of the rotary base 5 by the rotary encoder 30.
An output signal corresponding to the rotational position of the rotary base 5 of the rotary encoder 30 is fetched by the control unit 31 and the output signal and the heat exhaust fan 12 stored in the storage unit 34 are stored.
The motor driver 33 for driving the motor 8 is controlled by the control unit 31 based on the position information and the position where the heat exhaust port of the cooler 22 faces the heat exhaust fan 12 as shown in FIG. To stop the rotary base 5.

Instead of using the rotary encoder 30, an optical sensor for emitting and receiving light is disposed on the fixed base 7 side, and a predetermined position on the outer periphery of the rotary base 5 (position near the cooler 22). And a rotational position of the rotary base 5 is detected using an output signal based on light reflected from the reflective piece by an optical sensor, and a heat exhaust port of the cooler 22 faces the heat exhaust fan 12. The rotation base 5 can be stopped at the position where the rotation is performed.

Next, the operation of the X-ray CT apparatus having the above-described configuration will be described mainly with respect to stop control by detecting the rotational position of the rotary base 5.

When the rotary base 5 is stopped after tomographic imaging of the subject on the couch 20 by the X-ray CT apparatus, the rotary encoder 30
And outputs an output signal corresponding to the rotational position of.

The control unit 31 controls the output signal of the rotary encoder 30 and the heat exhaust fan 12 stored in the storage unit 34.
Based on the position information, the motor driver 33 is controlled to stop the rotary base 5 at a position where the heat exhaust port of the cooler 22 faces the heat exhaust fan 12 through the air hole 5a.

As a result, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 6, the exhaust heat from the cooler 22 that cools the heat generated by the X-ray tube 21 that generates the largest heat using the air from the intake port 11 is reduced by the air. The heat is exhausted to the outside of the gantry 1 efficiently by the heat exhaust fan 12 through the hole 5a. As a result, the cooling efficiency with respect to the heat generated by the X-ray tube 21 is improved, the measures against exhaust heat are made thorough, the operation of the X-ray CT apparatus is stabilized, and the operation efficiency is improved. Further, the waiting time of X-ray irradiation on the subject can be reduced, and the throughput of the subject can be improved.

Further, as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 6, by providing an air hole in the rotary base 5 at a position different from the air hole 5a, a part of the air The heat is discharged to the outside of the gantry 1 by the other heat-dissipating fan 12 through the hole, and the heat generated by the signal processing unit 24 housed in the rotary base 5, the mechanical control unit 25, the power supply unit 26, and the like. Waste heat can also be provided.

In the above-described embodiment, the X-ray CT apparatus of the belt drive type has been described. However, the present invention is also applicable to an X-ray CT apparatus of a drive type using a direct drive motor. It is.

[0044]

According to the present invention, the heat generated by the X-ray imaging means can be cooled by the cooling means and immediately exhausted to the outside of the apparatus by the exhaust means. It is possible to provide an X-ray CT apparatus capable of improving the operation efficiency by taking measures against exhaust heat.

Further, according to the present invention, the heat generated by the X-ray tube cooling cooler can be cooled, and the heat can be immediately exhausted to the outside of the apparatus by the exhaust heat fan. As a result, the X-ray CT apparatus capable of improving the operation efficiency can be provided.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to discharge heat of electrical components other than the X-ray tube in the rotating section.
A line CT apparatus can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of an X-ray CT apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing an internal configuration of the X-ray CT apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing an internal configuration of the X-ray CT apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing an internal configuration of a rotation base in the X-ray CT apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a control system for detecting a rotational position of a rotation base by the rotary encoder according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of discharging heat from the rotation base in the X-ray CT apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic front view showing the internal configuration of a conventional X-ray CT apparatus.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a heat discharging operation in a conventional X-ray CT apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 base 1 a cover 1 b upper cover part 2 rotating part 4 shooting port 5 rotating base 5 a air hole 7 fixed base 8 motor 9 electrical parts 10 stand 10 a horizontal base 10 b vertical support 11 intake port 12 heat exhaust fan 13 belt 14 receiving piece Reference Signs List 17 tilt support piece 20 bed 21 X-ray tube 22 cooler 23 X-ray detection unit 24 signal processing unit 25 mechanical control unit 26 power supply unit 30 rotary encoder 31 control unit 33 motor driver 34 storage unit

Claims (5)

[Claims] A rotating unit having a substantially circular imaging opening, an X-ray imaging unit for imaging an X-ray tomographic image of a subject inserted into the imaging opening, and a cooling unit for the X-ray imaging unit; An X-ray CT apparatus including a gantry for rotatably supporting the unit, wherein the upper cover of the gantry surrounding the rotating unit has a semicircular shape or a substantially semicircular shape, and the upper cover unit Exhaust means arranged to be discharged from the apparatus; rotational position detecting means for detecting the rotational position of the rotating part; and cooling means for cooling the X-ray tube based on the detection result of the rotational position detecting means. X-ray CT apparatus, comprising: control means for performing stop control so that is located at a position facing the exhaust means. 2. An imaging apparatus comprising: a substantially circular imaging port; an X-ray imaging means including an X-ray tube for capturing an X-ray tomographic image of a subject inserted into the imaging port; and a cooler for cooling the X-ray tube. An X-ray CT apparatus including a rotating unit driven to rotate and a gantry for rotatably supporting the rotating unit, wherein the upper cover of the gantry surrounding the rotating unit has a semicircular or A heat-dissipating fan arranged to be substantially semicircular and disposed so as to discharge heat from the upper cover portion, a rotation drive portion for rotatingly driving the rotating portion, and a rotation position of a cooler for cooling the rotating portion. A rotational position sensor to be detected, and a drive control of the rotational drive unit based on a detection result of the rotational position sensor, and a position where a heat exhaust port of a cooler for cooling the X-ray tube faces the heat exhaust fan. And a control unit for stopping the rotating unit with An X-ray CT apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 3. The heat exhaust fan is disposed at a position higher than horizontal with respect to the center of the photographing opening in an upper cover portion, and the control section controls the rotation drive based on a detection result of the rotation position sensor. 3. The drive unit according to claim 2, wherein the heat exhaust port of the cooler for cooling is stopped at a position above the horizontal with respect to the center of the photographing port facing the heat exhaust fan. X-ray CT device. 4. An exhaust port for introducing outside air is provided on a peripheral surface of the photographing port, and heat of the X-ray tube is cooled by the cooler using the outside air from the intake port. 4. The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 2, wherein heat is exhausted from the discharge port to the outside of the apparatus. 5. The belt drive system comprising a motor disposed on the gantry and a belt wound around a drive shaft of the motor and an outer periphery of the rotary unit, or the rotary drive unit directly rotates the rotary unit. 3. The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the apparatus is of a direct drive motor type for driving.