JP3244776B2 - Suspended CT device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a suspension type CT apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a CT apparatus such as an X-ray CT or a PET (positron emission tomography), a subject on a bed positions a portion to be inspected in a tunnel which is a CT imaging region, and the subject is inspected. A slice image of the site is obtained. The bed apparatus includes, for example, a bed main body having a reclining sheet, elevating means of the bed main body, and horizontal moving means in the direction of the gantry main body. In this CT apparatus, the measurement position of the subject is roughly classified into two types, a supine position and a sitting position, and it is necessary to move the gantry main body and the bed device in accordance with these. In other words, when the subject to be examined is the head, the gantry body is moved vertically (at this time, the tunnel is in a horizontal state) when measuring in the supine position, and when measuring in the sitting position, the gantry is moved. It is necessary to move the main body so that the main body is tilted and lifted more than in the supine position. In addition, the bed device also needs to change the height and the position of the back drop between the supine position and the sitting position, and to move closer to or away from the gantry body.

FIG. 21 shows a conventional example of a CT apparatus, in which support frames 3 are provided on both sides of a rear end of a base 4. Also,
Gaitry main body 1 having tunnel 1a as an imaging area
Is disposed between the support frames 3 and the gantry body 1
Are connected to an output shaft of a drive motor 2a provided to vertically move along the support frame 3 together with the gantry body. The support shaft 2 is
At both sides of the gantry main body 1, the gantry is provided at a substantially middle height position.

The bed device 5 includes a reclining seat 6
a bed body 6 having a.a, and elevating means 7 for supporting the bed body 6, and is movably provided in the direction of the gantry body 1 by horizontal moving means (not shown).

According to the above CT apparatus, the gantry body 1
The gantry main body 1 is rotated vertically and tilted and moved up and down by a rotation mechanism and a lifting mechanism (not shown) by the drive motor 2a, thereby moving the subject in a supine position and a sitting position. Can be measured.

[0006]

In the conventional CT apparatus, if it is attempted to cover from the supine position to the measurement of the sitting position as described above, an elevating mechanism for the gantry main body is required, and a supporting mechanism for the gantry main body becomes complicated. As a result, there are problems such as an increase in the number of parts, limitation of wiring routes, and a decrease in reliability of the entire device. In addition, the operation of the gantry main body becomes complicated, and there is a problem that it may be an obstacle to performing the inspection quickly and reliably.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-13940 discloses a CT apparatus in which a gandry main body can be horizontally and inclined and a bed apparatus is movably configured. But,
The CT apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-13940 is intended only for measurement in a supine position of a subject, and is not configured to measure in a sitting posture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a suspension CT apparatus capable of smoothly moving a gantry body and a bed apparatus as a measurement position of a subject changes from a supine position to a sitting position.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A suspension type CT according to the present invention.
In the apparatus, an upper portion of a gantry main body having a tunnel portion, which is an imaging region, is suspended from a support frame via a support shaft, and is rotatably provided around the support shaft by a driving unit. The support frame is provided at an end of the base, and a bed device is movably provided on the base in the direction of the gantry main body by horizontal moving means. The bed device has a bed body having a reclining seat,
It is preferable to include a lifting means for the bed body.

The drive means for the gantry main body may comprise a drive motor provided on the support frame, and a transmission mechanism for linking the output shaft of the drive motor and the gantry main body.

The driving means for the gantry main body may be constituted by a jack having one end pivotally supported by the fixed portion and the other end pivotally supported by the gantry main body.

The driving means for the gantry main body may be constituted by a winch which is fixed to a support frame and has a winding wire connected to the gantry main body.

The driving means for the gantry main body may be constituted by a telescopic link mechanism having one end rotatably supported and the other end connected to the gantry main body, and a motor for transmitting telescopic power to the link mechanism. .

[0014]

According to the present invention, the gantry main body whose upper part is suspended from the support frame is rotated by a driving means such as a motor, a jack, a winch, a telescopic link mechanism or the like with the support shaft as a fulcrum, so that the gantry main body is at a predetermined angle from the vertical position. Incline. Since the fulcrum of the gantry main body is at the upper part, two operations of vertical movement and tilt movement are simultaneously given to the tunnel portion, which is an imaging area, by the rotation operation of the gantry main body. In addition, the bed body can be horizontally and vertically moved in accordance with the rotation of the gantry body, and the reclining seat can be set at a predetermined angle so that the subject can be measured in a supine or sitting posture. it can.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.

FIGS. 1 to 7 show a first embodiment. FIGS. 1 and 2 are side views showing a state in which a subject is measured in a supine position and a sitting position by the apparatus of the present embodiment. 3 and 4 are perspective views, similarly. In the first embodiment, a support shaft 2 (shown schematically in FIGS. 1 and 2) protrudes from both upper ends of a gantry main body 1 having a tunnel portion 1a forming an imaging region.
The support shaft 2 is inserted into a bearing 8 (shown in FIGS. 3 and 4) of a support frame 3 provided as a pair on both sides of the gantry body 1. Therefore, the gantry body 1 is rotatably suspended from the support frame 3 via the support shaft 2.

A drive motor 9 is provided in one of the support frames 3 as drive means for rotating the gantry body 1. The output shaft of the drive motor 9 is operatively connected to the support shaft 2 of the gantry body 1 via a mechanism including a power transmission gear including a speed reducer 10. Drive motor 9
For example, a stepping motor may be used. Therefore, the drive motor 9 is driven by a control means (not shown) to rotate the gantry main body 1 vertically and at a predetermined inclination angle with the support shaft 2 as a fulcrum, and to fix the gantry main body 1 at the rotation position.

The bed apparatus 5 has a bed body 6 and lifting means 7 for supporting the bed body 6 so as to be able to move up and down. Further, the bed device 5 can be moved in the front-rear direction along the guide rail 12 by the horizontal moving means 11 shown in FIG. The horizontal moving means 11 includes a drive motor 13 provided in a base 4 extending forward from the support frame 3, and a long screw shaft 14 connected to an output shaft 13a. A screw receiving plate 16 is provided on a slide plate 15 extending horizontally from the lower end of the bed device 5, and the screw shaft 14 is screwed to the screw receiving plate 16. Both ends of the screw shaft 14 are supported by bearings 17.

Therefore, the drive motor 13 uses the screw shaft 14
Is rotated forward and backward, the slide plate 15 moves along the rail 12, and the bed device 7
Can move toward or away from

FIGS. 5 and 6 are a longitudinal sectional view and a transverse sectional view, respectively, showing the elevating means 7 of the bed apparatus 5. As shown in FIGS. In this lifting means 7,
A fixed frame 18 having a rectangular cross section is provided on the upper surface of the slide plate 15, and a guide rail 19 extending in the vertical direction is provided on the opposing outer wall of the fixed frame 18. On the other hand, an elevating frame 20 having a rectangular cross section is provided so as to surround the outside of the fixed frame 18 at a fixed interval.
A concave portion of the slide member 21 provided on the opposite inner side wall 0 is slidably engaged with the guide rail 19.
The bed body 6 is attached to a top plate 22 provided on the lifting frame 20 (however, not shown in FIGS. 5 and 6).

The upper surface of the slide plate 15 and the fixed frame 18
A cylindrical support body 23 is provided at the center of the inside of the support base. A screw jack 25 operated by a drive motor 24 is provided at an upper end of the support base 23.
Of the screw bar 26 is rotatably connected to the lower surface of the central portion of the top plate 22. Therefore, by controlling the drive motor 24 to drive the screw jack 25, the top plate 22
Can be raised and lowered, and the bed body 5 can be raised and lowered stably.

FIG. 7 shows a reclining mechanism of the bed body 6. In the figure, the reclining seat 6a is rotatably supported on the bearing surface 6b with the connecting shaft 27 as a fulcrum. On the other hand, a driving motor 30 is provided in a concave portion 28 at the rear end of the seating surface 6 b via a support plate 29, and a driving gear 31 provided on an output shaft 30 a is provided with a reduction gear provided on a connecting shaft 27. 32 is engaged. Therefore, the drive motor 30 is driven to raise the reclining seat 6a via the above-described reduction gear mechanism to form a chair, or to lie horizontally to form a bed. The knee rest surface 6c connected to the front portion of the seat surface 6b is also configured and interlocked in the same manner as described above, and the illustration thereof is omitted.

The operation of the suspension CT apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described. When the subject is to measure the measurement site in the supine position, the gantry body 1 is rotated about the support shaft 2 by the drive motor 9 and is in a vertical state as shown in FIGS. Correspondingly, the reclining seat 6a, the seat surface 6b, and the knee rest surface 6c of the bed body 6 are horizontal. Therefore, after setting the apparatus in this way, the subject can be placed in the supine position, and the measurement site thereof can be positioned in the tunnel section 1a of the gantry main body 1 to perform tomography.

When the subject measures a measurement site in a sitting posture, the gantry main body 1 is rotated about the support shaft 2 by the drive of the motor 9 as shown in FIGS. Is caused. Correspondingly, the reclining seat 6a of the bed body 6 is raised to a predetermined inclination angle, and the knee rest surface 6c is tilted obliquely downward. Further, the horizontal movement mechanism 11 is operated to move the bed body 6 so as to approach the gantry body 1. Further, the elevating means 7 is operated to set the bed body 6 at an appropriate height. Therefore, after setting the device in this manner, the subject is positioned in the supine position and the measurement site is moved to the gantry body 1.
Can be tomographically photographed by being located in the tunnel section 1a.

FIGS. 8 to 11 show a second embodiment. FIGS. 8 and 9 are side views showing a state in which the subject is measured in a supine position and a sitting position. FIGS. 10 and 11 are the same. It is a perspective view.
In the second embodiment, the driving means for rotating the gantry main body 1 is different from that of the first embodiment, and the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, only the different configuration will be described. .

In the second embodiment, the driving means for rotating the gantry body 1 is constituted by the jack 31. For example, a multi-stage telescopic hydraulic jack is used as the jack 31, and its cylinder 31 a is pivotally supported on the base 4 via a support shaft 32, and the tip of a multi-stage ram 31 b is connected via a shaft 33 to the gantry main body 1. Is connected to the lower part of the front. A pump 34 and an oil tank 35 are connected to the cylinder 31a via a pipe 36. Therefore, also in the second embodiment, the jack 31 is operated to rotate the gantry main body 1 vertically or at a predetermined inclination angle, and the bed apparatus 5 is operated to move the subject to the supine position as in the first embodiment. And the measurement position can be measured in the sitting posture.

FIGS. 12 to 15 show a third embodiment, and FIGS.
2 and 13 are side views of a state in which the subject is measured in a supine position and a sitting position, and FIGS. 14 and 15 are perspective views of the same. In the third embodiment, the driving means for rotating the gantry body 1 is different from each of the above embodiments, and the other configuration is the same as each of the above embodiments. Therefore, only the different configuration will be described. .

In the third embodiment, the driving means for rotating the gantry main body 1 is constituted by the winch 37. The winch 37 is provided with a drive motor 38 provided on the upper part of the support frame 3.
And the winding drum 3 connected to the output shaft of the drive motor 38
9, and the wire 40 is pulled out from the winding drum 39. In the illustrated example, the winding drums 39 are provided on the upper portions of the left and right support frames 3, respectively, and the two winding drums 39 are connected by a connection shaft 41. The distal end of the connection shaft 41 is supported on the upper portion of the support frame 3 via a bearing 42. The wire 40 is pulled out from the winding drum 39, and the tip of the wire 40 is guided by a pulley 44 provided at the tip of an arm 43 extending rearward from the upper end of the support frame 3, and further below the rear part of the gantry body 1. The wire is guided again to the arm 43 via a pulley 45 provided on the arm, and the tip of the wire is locked to the arm 43.

Therefore, according to the third embodiment, the gantry main body 1 is rotated by operating the winch 37, and the bed apparatus 5 is operated to move the subject in the supine position and the sitting position as in the first embodiment. Can be measured.

FIGS. 16 to 20 show a fourth embodiment, and FIGS.
6 and 17 are side views of a state where the subject is measured in the supine position and the sitting position, and FIGS. 18 and 19 are perspective views of the same. In the fourth embodiment, the driving means for rotating the gantry main body 1 is different from each of the above embodiments, and the other configuration is the same as each of the above embodiments. Therefore, only the different configuration will be described. .

In the fourth embodiment, the driving means for rotating the gantry main body 1 is constituted by a telescopic link mechanism 46. The telescopic link mechanism 46 is configured such that an intermediate part and both ends of a plurality of links 46a are connected by a shaft so as to be extendable and contractible.
7 are connected.

In this embodiment, a motor 48 is used as a drive source for causing the link mechanism 46 to expand and contract.
As shown in FIG. 16 and FIG.
9 are provided. A bearing cylinder 50 and a screw cylinder 51 are screwed to each side of the shaft screw 49. The screw cylinder 51 is provided with a cylinder guide 52 so that an axis thereof is orthogonal to the screw cylinder 51, and a support shaft 53 is inserted into the cylinder guide 52.

Both ends of the support shaft 53 are fixed to tips of arms 54 extending from the upper rear end of the support frame 3. Also, as shown in FIG.
The support shaft 55 is inserted into a hole 56 at the intersection of the links 46a, 46a of the telescopic link mechanism 46. A support shaft 57 also protrudes from the outer periphery of the bearing cylinder 50, and this support shaft 57 is inserted into a hole 58 at the intersection of the links 46b, 46b connected above the links 46a, 46.

Therefore, by driving the motor 48 to rotate the shaft screw 49 in the forward and reverse directions, the bearing cylinder 50 and the screw cylinder 5 are rotated.
1 are approached or separated from each other so that the support shafts 55, 5
7, a diamond-shaped link 46a, 46a, 46b,
46b is deformed, and the link mechanism 46 expands and contracts. And
As the link mechanism 46 expands and contracts, the gantry body 1 connected thereto is rotated via the connecting shaft 47 and the bed apparatus 5 is operated to place the subject in the supine position as in the first embodiment. And sitting posture.

As a driving means for rotating the gantry main body 1, an appropriate means other than the above embodiment may be employed. Further, the bed device 5 may have a configuration other than that of the embodiment.

[0036]

As described above, the suspension type C of the present invention is used.
According to the T device, since the upper part of the gantry body is rotatably suspended from the support frame, the two operations of vertical movement and tilt movement of the gantry body can be simultaneously performed by a very simple operation just by rotating the gantry body. The apparatus can be set so that the gantry body can be quickly moved in response to the change in the measurement position between the supine position and the sitting position of the subject, and measurement can be performed at each position. Further, the mechanism for this is simple, and there are effects such as reduction in the number of parts and improvement in reliability. Further, the operation of the apparatus is simple, and there is an effect that quick measurement in each posture can be performed as compared with the related art.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a first embodiment set in a measurement state in a supine position.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the first embodiment set in a measurement state in a sitting position.

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the elevating means of the bed body.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a reclining mechanism of the bed body.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the second embodiment set in a measurement state in a supine position.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the second embodiment set in a measurement state in a sitting position.

FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of FIG. 10;

FIG. 11 is a front perspective view of FIG. 11;

FIG. 12 is a side view of the third embodiment set in a measurement state in the supine position.

FIG. 13 is a side view of the third embodiment set in a measurement state in a sitting position.

FIG. 14 is a front perspective view of FIG. 14;

FIG. 15 is a front perspective view of FIG.

FIG. 16 is a side view of the fourth embodiment set in a measurement state in the supine position.

FIG. 17 is a side view of the fourth embodiment set in a measurement state in a sitting position.

FIG. 18 is a front perspective view of FIG.

FIG. 19 is a front perspective view of FIG. 19;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a driving unit of the pantograph mechanism.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory side view showing the operation of a conventional CT apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Gantry main body, 1a ... Tunnel part, 2 ... Support shaft, 3 ...
Support frame, 5 bed apparatus, 6 bed body, 7 elevating means, 9 drive motor, 11 horizontal movement means, 13 drive motor, 25 screw jack, 37 winch, 46 ...
Telescopic link mechanism.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-4-352948 (JP, A) JP-A-3-7142 (JP, A) JP-A-2-209131 (JP, A) JP-A-2- 209132 (JP, A) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A61B 6/00-6/14 G01T 1/161

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] A gantry main body having a tunnel portion as an imaging area; a support frame for suspending an upper portion of the gantry main body via a support shaft; and driving means for rotating the gantry main body around the support shaft as a fulcrum; A hanging CT apparatus comprising: a bed device for sending a subject to the tunnel. 2. The drive unit according to claim 1, wherein the drive unit includes a drive motor provided on the support frame, and a transmission mechanism that links an output shaft of the drive motor and the gantry body.
The suspension type CT apparatus as described in the above. 3. The driving means pivotally supports one end to a fixed part,
The suspension type CT apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the other end is constituted by a jack pivotally supported by the gantry body. 4. The suspension type CT apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said driving means is constituted by a winch installed on a support frame, and a winding wire thereof is connected to said gantry body. 5. The driving means is constituted by a telescopic link mechanism driven by a motor, and an intermediate pin at the tip of the telescopic link mechanism is pivotally connected to the gantry main body, and a screw shaft is connected to a screw shaft connected to the driving motor. The combined screw cylinder and the bearing cylinder supporting the screw shaft are pivotally connected to the two intermediate pins on the proximal end side of the telescopic link mechanism, and the screw cylinder or the bearing cylinder forms an axis perpendicular to the upper screw cylinder. 2. The suspension CT apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suspension CT apparatus is rotatably supported as a fulcrum.