JPH0622954A - Panorama tomograph for dental treatment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a subject to easily go in and out of a prescribed position for tomograms by a panorama tomograph for dental treatment. CONSTITUTION:A stay 2 is erected on a base 1. A device body 3 is supported in vertically movable manner on the stay 2. A rotary arm 5 is suspended in turnable manner on the body 3 around the axis 4 of the body 3. At one edge of the rotary arm 5, an X-ray head 6 is suspended, and a film cassette unit 8 having a holder 7 for a film cassette in which an X-ray film is accommodated is suspended at the other edge. A head part supporting means 9 and a jaw supporting means 10 which support a person being inspected and is equipped with a driving mechanism are provided on the body 3. A chair 11 which can be slid in the longitudinal direction of the body 3 and is turnable is installed on the base 1.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dental panoramic tomography apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, in a panoramic tomography apparatus for dentistry, a flat cassette capable of easily replacing an X-ray film has been favored and used. In a panoramic tomography apparatus using this flat cassette, the subject has an X-ray head, which is an X-ray source, and a holder that supports the flat cassette.
The head is positioned between and.

It is desirable for the flat cassette to pass near the face in order to obtain a constant magnification image with less distortion and overlap of the photographed tooth image. Further, since there is a mechanism for supporting the head and the jaw for positioning the subject, the circumference of the subject becomes narrow. Furthermore, the space in which the subject enters and leaves a predetermined position for imaging is limited in a narrow X-ray room.

In an upright dental panoramic tomography apparatus, it is not only a burden on the subject that the subject remains still while standing for 10 to several seconds of photography, but also a blurring of the image is required. Cause of. Further, when there is a height difference between the operator and the subject, it is difficult to position the subject.
Further, in the upright position, the column must be raised, which has a drawback that the image pickup device becomes large-scale.

Therefore, a sitting-type dental panoramic tomography apparatus capable of solving the above-mentioned drawbacks has been developed and used.

[0006]

However, in the sitting-type dental panoramic tomography apparatus, the subject must bend down and sit down when entering a predetermined position for photographing. Not only is it difficult to enter without touching the imaging device with the head and shoulders, but it also gives the subject a feeling of pressure and fear. Further, even in the above-mentioned standing-up type dental panoramic tomography apparatus, there is a drawback that the subject cannot easily position the body at a predetermined position for imaging.

Therefore, the present invention was developed in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide a dental panoramic tomography apparatus capable of allowing a subject to easily enter and leave a predetermined position for photographing. To do.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, an imaging apparatus in which an X-ray source and a holder for supporting a flat cassette containing an X-ray film are arranged to face each other is swiveled around a subject's head. A dental panoramic tomography apparatus for panoramicly photographing the tomographic plane of the whole jaw by providing a driving means for moving the imaging apparatus to a position that does not hinder the entrance and exit of the subject. Is. In addition, a switch is provided that can move the imaging device to a position that does not cause a hindrance when a subject goes in and out of a predetermined position. Further, a driving chair that automatically moves the subject to a predetermined position is provided in conjunction with the imaging device.

[0009]

In the present invention, the subject can easily move in and out of a predetermined position for photographing.

[0010]

Embodiment 1 FIGS. 1 to 7 show the present embodiment, FIG. 1 is a side view of a panoramic tomography apparatus, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration, and FIGS. 3 to 6 are operations of the panoramic tomography apparatus. It is a principal part top view which shows.

As shown in FIG. 1, a column 2 is erected on a base 1. A main body 3 is supported on the column 2 so as to be vertically movable. On the main body 3, a rotary arm 5 is vertically rotatably provided around a shaft 4 of the main body 3. An X-ray head 6 is vertically provided at one end of the rotary arm 5, and a film cassette unit 8 having a film cassette holder 7 containing an X-ray film is vertically provided at the other end. Further, the main body 3 is provided with a head support means 9 and a chin support means 10 for supporting a subject having a drive mechanism. A chair 11 is provided on the base 1 so as to be slidable in the front-back direction of the main body 3 and rotatable.

The circuit configuration of this embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is a closed loop, and the film cassette position and the rotation arm 5 are used.
It is configured to detect the position and determine the position.
24 and 25 are the film cassette position and the rotary arm 5
A position detection sensor such as a limit switch for detecting the position, a potentiometer, a magnetic sensor, and a rotary encoder, and the like. The drive motor 19 and the drive motor 2
At least one film cassette drive mechanism 22 and at least one rotary arm drive mechanism 23 are connected to each other.

These sensor inputs are input to the central control circuit 16 via the sensor signal processing circuit 18. Further, the film cassette drive mechanism 22, the rotary arm drive mechanism 23 and the other drive output section 21 are output by a command pre-programmed by the central control circuit 16, and the drive circuit 17 is driven.
The drive motor 19 and the drive motor 20 are driven through the above.
Other drive outputs pass through the drive circuit 17 and drive output section 21.
Controlled by. Further, at least one of the drive motor 19 and the drive motor 20 is composed of a variable speed motor in order to transfer a desired layer of the dentition onto a film.

In the panoramic tomography apparatus having the above-described structure, when the switch 27 for introducing a subject (hereinafter referred to as a patient) is pressed, it is input to the central control circuit 16 to detect the cassette position detecting sensor 24 and the rotating arm. The drive motors 19 and 20 are driven while controlling the film position detection sensor 25 to control the film cassette drive mechanism 22 and the rotary arm drive mechanism 23, and as shown in FIG. The rotating arm 5 is moved to a position where it does not hinder the introduction of the patient 12.

Thereafter, the patient 12 is placed at an appropriate position for photographing.
When the ready switch 28 is pushed after positioning, the cassette position detection sensor 24 and the rotation arm position detection sensor 25 are driven to the position shown in FIG. 3 while confirming the positions. Next, when the X-ray irradiation switch 29 is pressed, photographing is performed. The photographing is completed when the rotating arm 5 rotates clockwise and the cassette position detecting sensor 24 and the rotating arm position detecting sensor 25 confirm the positions shown in FIG. After the photographing is completed, the drive motors 19 and 20 are reversed to drive the rotating arm 5 to move the X-ray head 6 and the film cassette holder 7 to a position for withdrawing the patient 12 in FIG.

The operation of the panoramic tomography apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIG. The rotating arm 5 rotates clockwise about the shaft 4 of the main body 3 from the start position shown in FIG. Due to this rotation, the film cassette unit 8 moves around the dentition of the patient 12, and the X-ray head 6 moves oppositely around the patient 12. At this time, the rotating arm 5 is attached to the patient 1
Drive so that the focus is as perpendicular as possible to the second dentition,
The holder 7 of the film cassette unit 8 moves at the moving speed for copying the desired layer of the dentition onto the film, and the photographing is completed at the position shown in FIG.

As described above, after the photographing is completed, the rotary arm 5 is reversed and the X-ray head 6 and the film cassette holder 7 are driven to the position for exiting the patient 12 shown in FIG. .

When the rotary arm 5 is rotated clockwise as in the present embodiment for photographing, in order to photograph all the jaws of the patient 12, the photographing must be started from the position shown in FIG. I won't. However, when the patient 12 is to be introduced in this state, the film cassette unit 8 is positioned diagonally rearward of the patient 12, and the holder 7 supporting the film cassette is in the most pulled out state. Further, since the head supporting means 9 is located in a state in which the head of the patient 12 is sandwiched from the temporal region, the space for the patient 12 to move in and out of a predetermined position is limited.

According to the present embodiment, the X-ray head 6 supported by the rotating arm 5 and the holder 7 for the film cassette.
Is automatically driven to a position that does not hinder the entrance and exit of the patient 12, and the patient 12 can easily enter and exit. Also,
Even in the case of the sitting type as in the present embodiment, the patient 12 can easily move to a predetermined position for photographing after pulling the chair 11 to sit down at a position where it is easy to sit and rotate.

The position of the rotary arm 5 is different in FIGS. 5 and 6 depending on the introduction direction 14 and the withdrawal direction 15 of the patient 12 to reduce the movement of the rotary arm 5 for introducing the patient 12. This is to reduce the burden on the patient 12. Further, although the sitting type dental panoramic tomography apparatus has been described in the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to a standing type dental panoramic tomography apparatus.

[0021]

Second Embodiment FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of this embodiment. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the circuit configuration, and the other configurations are composed of the same components,
Description of the same components will be omitted, and description will be made with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3 to 6. The circuit configuration of this embodiment shown in FIG. 7 is an open loop, and is configured to detect the position of the film cassette and the position of the rotary arm 5 and determine the positions.

The drive motor 19 and the drive motor 20 are
A motor whose position can be controlled by a pulse train signal from the central control circuit 16, such as a stepping motor or a servo motor.
It is configured by a circuit that uses a switch or the like, and the moving distance can be determined by the number of pulses by previously determining the moving amount of one pulse. Further, the speed of the motor can be changed by changing the frequency of the pulse.

In the panoramic tomography apparatus having the above-described structure, when the switch 27 for entering and leaving the patient 12 is pressed, the central control circuit 16 causes the film cassette drive mechanism 22 and the rotating arm 22 to move from the current position to the position shown in FIG. The number of pulses for moving the drive mechanism 23 is calculated, and a pulse train is output to the drive circuit 17 to drive the drive motor 19 and the drive motor 20. After the photographing is completed, the operator takes out the cassette and presses the ready switch 28 to return the rotary arm 5 to the start position shown in FIG.

According to this embodiment, the structure of the panoramic tomography apparatus can be simplified and can be manufactured at low cost.

[0025]

[Embodiment 3] FIGS. 8 to 10 show the present embodiment, FIG. 8 is a side view showing the positional relationship between the imaging apparatus and the chair when the subject is introduced, and FIG. 9 shows the imaging apparatus and the chair during imaging. FIG. 10 is a side view showing the positional relationship of FIG. 10, and FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration. The present embodiment is different in that the chair 11 in the first embodiment is electrically driven, and other configurations are composed of the same components, and the same components are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. .

A chair slide mechanism 35 is slidably provided on a chair pedestal 44 fixed on the base 1.
The chair rotation mechanism 43 is fixed on the chair slide mechanism 35, and the chair 11 is fixed on the chair rotation mechanism 43.

The chair slide mechanism 35 includes a drive motor 31,
It is composed of a screw 34 and a nut 33, and the nut 33 is fixed to a chair pedestal 44. Also, the drive motor 31
A chair rotation mechanism is fixed on the drive mechanism 35 that is fixed integrally with. The limit position in the slide direction of the chair 11 is detected by the slide position detection sensor 32.

The chair rotating mechanism 43 is composed of a drive motor 36, a worm 37 and a worm gear 39, and a seat mount 40 is fixed to the worm gear 39. The rotation angle of the chair 11 is detected by the chair rotation angle detection sensor 41.

In the panoramic tomography apparatus having the above-mentioned structure, when the X-ray head 6 and the film cassette unit 8 are automatically driven to a position which does not hinder the introduction of the patient 12 as shown in FIG. , The chair is automatically pulled out backward as shown in FIG. 8 and rotated in the direction of introducing the patient 12.

After the patient 12 has been seated, the direction of the chair 11 is changed to the support 2
The image is taken in the state shown in FIG. 9 by rotating in the direction and sliding forward. After the imaging, the patient 12 shown in FIG.
When it is in the exit position, the chair 11 is automatically pulled back to rotate the chair 11 in the exit direction 15 of the patient 12.

According to the present embodiment, the above-mentioned Embodiments 1 and 2 are used.
As compared with the above, since the chair 11 is configured to be automatically driven, the patient 12 can easily enter and leave.

In each of the above embodiments, the rotating arm 5 and the chair 11 can be driven to facilitate the entrance and exit of the patient 12, but the present invention is not limited to this. It may be configured to be able to drive other drive units constituting the device, for example, the head support means 9, the jaw support means 10, and the like.

[0033]

As described above, according to the dental panoramic tomography apparatus according to the present invention, the drive section of the apparatus moves so that the space for entering and leaving the subject can be widened.
The subject can easily enter and leave a predetermined position for photographing. In addition, the feeling of pressure and fear given to the subject can be relieved. Further, since the subject can easily move in and out, a sitting-type image capturing apparatus can be provided, and the image capturing of the subject is completed in a comfortable posture while sitting, so that image capturing with less blurring can be performed. In addition, the column of the photographing device can be lowered, and the photographing device can be downsized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a panoramic tomography apparatus showing a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a main part plan view showing the operation of the panoramic tomography apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a main part plan view showing the operation of the panoramic tomography apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a main part plan view showing the operation of the panoramic tomography apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a main part plan view showing the operation of the panoramic tomography apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing the positional relationship between the imaging device and the chair when the subject is introduced in the third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing the positional relationship between the photographing device and the chair during photographing according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 base 2 support | pillar 3 main body 4 axis | shaft 5 rotation arm 6 X-ray head 7 holder-8 film cassette unit 9 head support means 10 jaw support means 11 chair 12 patient 14 introduction direction 15 exit direction 16 central control circuit 17 Drive circuit 18 Sensor signal processing circuit 19 Drive motor 20 Drive motor 21 Other drive output section 22 Film cassette drive mechanism 23 Rotation arm drive mechanism 24 Cassette position detection sensor 25 Rotation arm position detection sensor 26 Other sensor 27 Patient introduction switch 28 Ready switch 29 X-ray irradiation switch 30 Other switch 31 Drive motor 32 Chair slide position detection sensor 33 Nut 34 Screw rod 35 Chair slide mechanism 36 Drive motor 37 Worm 38 Output shaft 39 Worm gear 40 Seat mount 41 Chair rotation Position detection sensor 42 Bearing 43 Chair rotation mechanism

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A tomographic plane of the whole jaw is obtained by rotatably moving an imaging device, in which an X-ray source and a holder supporting a flat cassette containing an X-ray film are arranged so as to face each other. A dental panoramic tomography apparatus for taking a panoramic image, characterized in that it is provided with a drive means for moving the imaging apparatus to a position that does not cause an obstacle when a subject goes in and out of a predetermined position. Panoramic tomography device. 2. The dental device according to claim 1, further comprising a switch capable of moving the imaging device to a position that does not cause a trouble when a subject goes in and out of a predetermined position. Panoramic tomography device. 3. The dental panoramic tomography apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a driving chair that automatically moves a subject to a predetermined position in conjunction with the imaging apparatus.