US2909665A - X-ray apparatus - Google Patents

Description

R- L- GUENTNER ET AL X-RAY APPARATUS Oct. 20, 1959 Filed July 31, 1957 Fig. IA.

wn-usssss 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS Robert L.Guentner 8 Eugene R Thomas AT'To Oct. 20, 1959 R. L. GUENTNER ET AL X-RAY APPARATUS Filed July 31, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 var-"0"... v

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4 Sheets-Sheet 4 /A// I I II I!!! X-RAY APPARATUS R. L. GUENTNER ETAL Oct. 20, 1959 File July 31, 1957 Fig.3

United States Patent X-RAY APPARATUS .Robert L.:Guentner and Eugene P. Thomas, Catonsville,

Md., assignors to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 31, 1957, Serial No. 675,304

7 Claims. 01. 250-92 able to a variety of positions to project a beam of X-rays vertically downward upon a patient or to project the beam at any desired angle relative to the vertical for photographing when the patient is disposed at various angles of inclination. It is customary in the art for X-ray tube stands to be disposed adjacent one long side of a patient supporting table so as to suspend the X-ray source in adjustable position at any desired distance above the table. Usually the radiologist or technician operates the apparatus from a position adjacent the op-posite side of the table. In prior apparatus of the type described, X-ray stands have been provided with instrumentalities for locking the X-ray tube carriage at different horizontally and vertically shifted positions. These locking devices have conventionally been mounted on the stand structure at arbitrarily fixed locations which are notoriously inconvenient to the operators location. In many cases the devices for locking the X-ray tube carriage in position have been located such that the operator is required to leave the operating position to adjust the locking devices. In other cases they have been located so that the operator must reach across the patient supporting table and over the patient in order to manipulate the control devices.

Accordingly it is an object of this invention to provide an improved X-ray tube supporting stand including improved means for vertically and horizontally positioning the X-ray tube relative to an object to be examined;

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved X-ray tube stand having greater strength and rigidity together with substantially decreased massiveness to thereby provide increased maneuverability of the apparatus.

It is a further object of the invention to provide improved manual control means for X-ray tube stands having the control devices to be manually operated disposed in a conveniently accessible position relative to the operatorsstation.

It is an additional object of the invention to provide improved means for securing an X-ray source support stand in adjusted position including novel manual control means for the securing'means, which control means is constructed so asto permit facile operation froma fixed operators station.

Other objects of the invention include improvements of the structure of mechanisms utilized for movably Y supporting the X-ray tube on a standard.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will the carriage 12 and is rigidly connected thereto as for be apparent from the following description taken in accordance with the accompanying drawings, throughout which like reference characters indicate like parts, which drawing forms a part of this application and in which:

Figures 1a and 1b are a perspective view of an X-ray apparatus embodying the invention with part of the tube stand structure 'being broken away for clarity of illustration;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view partly in elevation taken substantially along the lines IIII of Fig. la and showing the X-ray tube and the horizontal cantilever arm for supporting the X-ray tube;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the lines IIIIII of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along the lines IVIV of Fig. 1b;

Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the tube stand base carriage structure and its supporting track taken substantially along the lines V-V of Fig. 1b;

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross section of the base carriage locking mechanism taken along the line VI-VI of Fig. lb;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged view partly in section of the locking mechanism control device of Fig. 1a; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmental view, partly in outline and partly in section, showing an overhead guide rail for the tube stand of the present invention.

Referringnow to the drawings, Fig. 2 shows an X-ray apparatus including a support table 90 for a patient to be examined with a source of penetrating radiation such as an X-ray tube 86 disposed vertically above the longitudinal centerline of the table. The support table 90 may be a well-known type of X-ray tilt table provided with support means enabling the table to be tilted about an axis parallel to the plane of Fig. 2. It is desirable to provide means whereby the X-ray tube 86 may be shifted to a variety of vertical and horizontal positions relative to the table 90 and to provide means whereby the X-ray tube 86 may be rotated in a horizontal plane from the position as shown in Fig. 2 to a position where the X-ray tubeis disposed outside the table area so as to facilitate manipulation of a patient on the table.

To this end the X-ray tube 86 is mounted on a horizontally shiftable cantilever support'arm which is in turn supported by a carriage assembly 36. The carriage assembly 36 is mounted for vertical movement along a first support column 16a with the support column being supported on a base carriage 12 which is shiftable longitudinally along a rail 10 disposed substantially parallel to the long dimension of the patient support table. As best seen in Figs. lb and 5, the rail '10 may be attached to a floor 1 1 in any conventional way. The base carriage 12 is supported for longitudinal reciprocal movement along the rail 10 by means of a plurality of roller bearing wheels 14 mounted inside the base carriage.

The firstsupport column 16a comprises a substantially vertical cylindrical guide tube 16 supported at its lower end on the basecarriage 12 by means of a circular plug 18 inserted in the end of the tube 16. The circular plug 18 and hence the tube 16 are supported on the base carriage 12 by means of an axially positioned thrust ball 19 which ispositioned in a centrally located depression 17 in the plug 18. The lower end of the guide tube 16 is maintained in position on the carriage 12 by means of a plurality of peripherally spaced roller bearing wheels 20 mounted on the top surface of the carriage 12 so as to rollingly engage the external peripheral surface of the tube 16. A second support column standard or 30 in the formofahollow tubular member having the form of a I vertical plane.

-may be unusually light in structure,

3 example by welding so that the standard 30 constitutes a vertically extending cantilever support structure.

At its top end the rectangular standard 30 is provided with a top cap member 24, a portion of which extends to the right of the column 30 and is provided with an opening through which the guide tube 16 extends. A second group of roller bearing wheels 22 are peripherally spaced about the guide tube 16 and are connected to the top cap member 24 so as to rollingly engage the periphery of the guide tube 16 to thereby secure it against horizontal movement relative to the standard 30, while at the same time permitting the tube 16 to rotate freely about its vertical axis. Telescopically disposed in the upper portion of the guide tube 16 is a guide tube extension bar 26 which extends upwardly from the guide tube and is provided at its top end with a roller bearing wheel 28. Preferably a ceiling rail a, Fig. 8 is mounted above the tube stand structure in accurately aligned parallel position relative to the floor rail 10. The ceiling rail 10a preferably is a channel-like member having a pair of flanges adapted to engage opposite sides of the roller bearing wheel 28 so as to stabilize the entire tube stand structure against movement transversely of the ceiling rail 10a and the floor rail 10.

The X-ray source supporting carriage structure 36 preferably includes means for adjusting the X-ray source vertically relative to the support columns 16a and 30 and further includes mechanism permitting angular movement of the X-ray source about the vertical axis of the guide tube 16. The pivotal motion allows the X-ray source to be shifted out of the table area thereby permitting free access to the table and to the patient and further permitting use of the X-ray source in conjunction with any desirable auxiliary apparatus independently of the table.

To this end the second support column 30 encloses a vertically movable counterpoise member 32 in the form of a rectangular sheet metal box arranged to contain a plurality of counterweights. Near the top of the second support column 30 is mounted a cable pulley 36a which is journalled on a horizontal axis so as to rotate in a The pulley 36a is positioned within the rectangular support column 30 so that a portion of the pulley extends slightly through a slot 37 in the right-hand wall of the column 30. A counterpoise cable 34 is connected to the upper end of the counterpoise member 32 and extends vertically upward within the column 30 around the pulley 36a and thence downwardly to a connecting lug 41 on the exterior side of a carriage support member 40.

As best seen in Fig. la and Fig. 2, the vertically movable carriage assembly 36 comprises a sleeve member 38 which embraces the guide tube 16, a horizontal cross brace 46 and a carriage stabilizer member 50 mounted for vertical movement along the columns 16 and 30. By virtue of the counterpoise member 32 and its connection to the carriage assembly 36 by way of cable 34, the assembly 36 is supported independently of the guide tube 16 so that the column 30 bears the entire weight of the assembly 36, the horizontal cantilever arm 80 and the X-ray tube 86. The foregoing support arrangement relieves the guide tube 16 of all vertical loading so that the guide tube 16 and the means for supporting the guide tube 16 thereby minimizing the massiveness of the entire apparatus.

Suitable means in the form of a detent mechanism may be provided for retaining the vertical carriage assembly and the cantilever support arm 80 in certain rotated positions about the axis of the guide tube 16. For example, it is desirable to provide means for retaining the support arm 80 in the position shown in Fig. 2 wherein the support arm projects perpendicularly from the tube stand toward the patient support table 90. The detent mechanism preferably should be of a type such that any appreciable force applied to the X-ray tube 86 or the support member arm will simply rotate the tube arm about the axis of the guide tube 16 rather than damaging any part of the apparatus. It sometimes happens that the operator Wlll inadvertently operate the power driven tiltable table while the tube arm 80 is located in such a position that the table tilts up and strikes the tube arm or the tube 86. If the tube arm is rigidly fixed in position at such time, there is very real danger of damaging the X-ray tube 86 or its support mechanism.

To this end the present invention provides a detent mechanism on the'support carriage assembly 36 which ordinarily retains the support arm 80 in the position as shown in Fig. 2 but which readily permits pivotal movement of the X-ray tube 86 relative to the support column 30. The vertically moveable carriage assembly 36 and the detent mechanism, as best shown in Fig. 1a and Fig. 3, include the sleeves member 38 which concentrically embraces the guide tube 16 and which is provided with a first plurality of peripherally spaced roller bearing wheels 39 connected to flanges on the sleeve member 38 and positioned so as to bear against the exterior surface of the guide tube 16. As shown in Fig. 1b, a similar plurality of roller bearing wheels 39a are mounted on the sleeve member 38 near its lower end and similarly maintain the sleeve member 38 in spaced concentric alignment with the guide tube 16, thereby permitting vertical movement of the sleeve member 38 along the guide tube. At the upper end of the sleeve member 38, an annular bearing plate 42 is rigidly afiixed to the sleeve member in any suitable manner, for example by welds 43 as shown in Fig. 3. The annular bearing plate 42 is disposed in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the sleeve member 38 and is positioned so as to coact with a plurality of roller bearings 44 which are preferably spaced about the guide tube 16 and are mounted on the carriage support member 40.

As best seen in Fig. 3, the counterweight cable 34 is attached to the downwardly extending portion of the carriage support member 40 by means of the lug 41 and thereby applies an upward force to the carriage support member 40. This upward force is transmitted by the roller bearing wheels 44 to the bearing plate 42 and thence to the carriage sleeve member 38. By virtue of the aforedescribed arrangement, the counterweight assembly supports the entire weight of the X-ray tube support carriage assembly 36 and at the same time permits the sleeve member 38 and the members supported thereby to rotate about the axis of the guide tube 16. The bearing plate 42 is provided with a plurality of peripherally spaced notches or depressions 48 in the under surface thereof. These depressions 48 are preferably positioned in the bearing plate 42 so that the roller bearing wheels 44 will engage one or more of the notches when the X-ray tube is located in the operating position shown in Fig. 2. When the tube support arm 80 and the sleeve 38 are pivoted in a horizontal plane, the depressions 48 will act on the roller bearing wheels 44 so that the sleeve member 38 rises slightly when the roller wheels 44 disengage from the depressions 48 and so that the sleeve member 38 falls slightly when the wheels enter into a pair of the depressions 48. Thus it is seen that the depressions 48 in the annular bearing plate 42 provide a detent action which will retain the tube support arm 80 in selected pivotal positions with the detent force being such that it is readily overcome by manual or other pivotal forces applied to the X-ray tube 86 or the support arm 80.

It is desirable to provide means whereby the X-ray tube and the cantilever support arm 80 may be longitudinally shifted so as to dispose the X-ray tube 86 at various transverse positions relative to the X-ray table 90. To this end, referring to Figs. 2 and 3, the cantilever support arm 80 which has the form of a cylindrical tube is mounted for longitudinal movement in a horizontal sleeve member 82 having a plurality of radial flanges 83. A plurality of roller bearing wheels 84 are mounted on the flanges 83 so as to extend radially inward throughslots in the sleeve 82 to rollingly engage the exterior surface of the cantilever support arm 80. Thus the support arm 80 is rollingly supportedby the sleevemember-8210 that the arm 80 may be longitudinally shiftedtherein. The horizontal sleeve member 82 is rigidly connected in any suitable manner to a box-likezcarriage frame78'. The opposite side of the carriage frame 78 is rigidly affixed by such as welds 79 to a pair of flanges of the sleeve member 38. Thus the sleeve member 38 and the horizontal sleeve member 82 are rigidly connected together for joint pivotal movement about the axis ofthe guide tube 16v and for integral movement vertically along the guide tube 16.

It is to be noted that the roller bearing wheels 39 and 39a are mounted on the carriage sleeve'mernber 38 in vertical planes so as to permit vertical movement of the carriage assembly 36 along the guide tube. .The roller wheels 39 and 39a do not provide rolling. pivotal movement of the sleevemember 38 about the guide tube. When-the carriage sleeve member 38 and the support arm 80 are pivoted about the axis of the guide tube 16, the friction of the roller bearings 39a and 39' on the guide tube 16 cause the tube to rotate also. This action prevents marring or galling of the guide tube by the carriage bearings and further provides free frictionless pivotal movement and vertical movement of the support arm 80 in relation to the base carriage 12 and support column 30. Over a period of time the guide tube 16 gradually rotates relative to the sleeve member 38.. This gradual rotation allows the roller bearing wheels 39a and 39 to ride on different peripheral areas of the guide tube 16,

thereby greatly reducing the deterioration of the wheel contacting surfaces of the guide tube.

The cross brace member 46 of the carriage assembly 36 is rigidly afiixed to one side of the carriage support member 40 and extends horizontally past the back side 'of the support column 30. At the left-hand end of the cross brace 46 there is provided the carriage stabilizer member 50 rigidly attached to the end of the cross brace 46. The stabilizer member 50 is located closely adjacent and'parallel to the left-hand side of the-support standard 30; A pair of roller bearing wheels 52 are mounted on the inner side of the stabilizer 50 so as to engage opposite sides of a flange 54 which projects from the left side of the support standard 30. By virtue of engagement with the flange 54, the stabilizer member 50 is maintained in accurate alignment with the support standard 30 and thereby prohibits horizontal movement or pivotal movementof the cross brace 46 and the carriage support member 40 relative to the support standard 30. The roller wheels 44 which support the sleeve member 38 are thereby maintained in a fixed angular position so that the detent depressions 48 are operative to accurately position the support arm 80 and the X-ray tube 86 in predetermined angular positions relative to the support column 30.

Ordinarily the base carriage 12 and hence the entire tube stand assembly including column 30, guide tube 16 and the tube support arm 80 are freely movable along the floor rail and beneath the ceiling rail 10a parallel to one side of the X-ray table. In using the apparatus it is frequently desirable to lock the tube stand apparatus in fixed position along the rail 10 so as to maintain the X-ray tube in accurately aligned position relative to a particular part of the patients anatomy. In order to lock the base carriage 12 in any desired position along the floor rail 10, a frictional locking mechanism 70 is provided on the base carriage 12. The frictional locking mechanism 70, as best shown in Figs. lb and 6, comprises a friction pad 72 adapted to frictionally engage the top surface of the rail 10, a biasing spring 74 for pressing the friction pad 72 downwardly toward the locking position, a stem member 76 rigidlyconnected to the friction pad 72 and extending upwardly through an opene os-get ing. in the top surface of the base carriage 12,.and a control wire 64 connected to the upper end of the stem member 76 and which may be tensioned-to lift the friction pad 72 to release the frictional locking mechanism. The control cable or wire 64 extends upwardly from the locking mechanism adjacent the left side of the support standard 30 to a lock control device 56 which is preferably mounted on the carriage stabilizer member 50 and is vertically movable with the stabilizer member 50. The wire64 extends through the lock control device 56 in a manner to be hereinafter described and extends upwardly therefrom in parallel adjacency to the support column 30. The upper end of the control wire 64 is aifixed in any suitable manner to the top cap 24. Thus the upper portion of the wire 64 is immovable relative to the top cap 24 and the support column 30.

The lock control'device 56 comprises a lever member 58 having one end pivotally connected to the carriage stabilizer member 50, and a pair of pulleys 60 and 62 with the first pulley 62 being mounted in fixed position on a cover plate member 66 attached to the stabilizer member 50, Fig. 7. The second pulley 60 is mounted on the lever member 58 so as to be shiftable vertically through a short distance when the lever member 58 is shifted vertically. The cover plate member 66 is provided with a stepped opening 67, Fig. la, through which the lever member 58 extends, with the step in the opening 67 providing means for latching the lever 58 in the depressed position as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 7. The control wire 64 is threaded over the top of the fixed pulley 62 and thence horizontally around the bottom of the shiftable pulley 60 and thereafter proceeds upwardly to the top cap 24.

In operation of the lock control device, the lever member 58 normally is located in-the upper position, in which position the length of the cable 64 is suflicient to permit the biasing spring 74 to press the friction pad 72 tightly against the rail 10, thereby securing the base carriage 12 in position on the rail 10. To release the base carriage 12 for movement or for repositioning along the rail 10, the lever 58 may be depressed downwardly to the position as shown in the dotted lines in Fig. 7. This action shifts the shiftable pulley 60 downwardly thereby tensioning the cable 64 and decreasing its effective length between the stem 76 and the top cap 24. Thus the lower portion of the wire 64 from the pulley 62 down to the stem member 76 is moved longitudinally upward so as to lift the'stem member 76 and the friction pad 72 thereby releasing the frictional locking mechanism. The levering member 58 engages a shoulder in the stepped opening 67 so as to retain the locking mechanism in the released position.

: While the present invention has been shown in one form only, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

We claim as our invention:

1. In an X-ray tube stand, a base member, a vertical guide column supported on said base member, X-raytube-supporting carriage means in guided cooperation with said guide column for vertical movement therealong, a lift-force-applying means guided for vertical movement along the axis of said guide column and constrained against rotary movement about said axis, thrust bearing means interposed between said lift-force-applying means and said X-ray-tube-supporting carriage means to transmit a counterbalancing force from the former to the latter, a vertical standard supported on said base member adjacent to and parallel to the aforesaid guide column, pulley means carried by said standard, vertically-movable counterweight means, and flexible tension means passing over said pulley means and interconnecting said lift-forceapplying means to said counterweight means.

2. In an X-ray tube stand, a base member movable along a floor track, a vertical guide column pivotally supported on said base member and constrained at its uppermost end against movement transversely of the direction of extension of said floor track, a vertical standard nonpivotally supported by said base member adjacent and parallel to said guide column, X-ray-tube-supporting carriage means in guided cooperation with said guide column for vertical movement therealong and a rotary movement therewith about its vertical axis, a vertically-movable liftforce-applying means constrained against rotary movement about the vertical axis of said guide column by cooperation with said vertical standard, thrust bearing means interposed between said lift-force-applying means and said X-ray-tube-supporting carriage means to transmit a counterbalancing force therebetween, pulley means carried by said standard, vertically movable counterweight means, and flexible tension means in interconnection between said counterweight means and said lift-force-applying means and in supported transpositionable engagement with said pulley means.

3. In an X-ray tube stand, and X-ray-tube-supporting carriage means pivotally movable about an axis, and a combined rotary support and rotary-position-defining detent means for said carriage means, including a plurality of rollers in rollable contact with an annular bearing member having circumferentially-spaced-apart indentations disposed in the path of travel of said rollers.

4. X-ray tube stand apparatus comprising a substantially horizontal track, a first carriage means mounted on said track for movement longitudinally thereof, a substantially perpendicular support column mounted on said first carriage means, a second carriage means reciprocally movable longitudinally along said support column so as to support an X-ray source at a plurality of vertically and horizontally shifted positions, and fastening means for securing said first carriage in adjusted position along said track, said fastening means comprising a fastening member mounted on said first carriage means for limited adjustment relative thereto and normally biased to fastening position, an elongated connector member extending between said fastening member and said second carriage means and manually operable means mounted on said second carriage and adjustable to tension said connector member for restraining said fastening member out of said fastening position.

5. X-ray tube stand apparatus comprising a horizontal I track, a base carriage rollingly supported on said track for movement therealong, an upright support column secured on said base carriage, X-ray tube support means mounted for longitudinal movement along said support column to support an X-ray tube at vertically and horizontally adjustable positions, a securing member mounted on said base carriage for limited adjustment toward and away from said track member and normally biased to securing position, manually operable means carried on said X-ray tube support means in convenient position relative to said X-ray tube, and an elongated flexible connection member extending between said X-ray tube support means and said securing member to actuate said securing member in response to manual adjustment of said manually operable means regardless of the vertically adjusted position of said X-ray tube support means along said column.

i 6. Apparatus for adjustably positioning a source of penetrating radiation comprising, a horizontal track, a base carriage movably supported on said track and adjustable longitudinally thereof, an upright support column secured on said base carriage, a source carriage mounted for longitudinal movement along said support column to support said source of penetrating radiation at vertically and horizontally adjustable positions relative to an object to be irradiated, adjustable means for affixing said base carriage in adjusted position against movement along said track comprising a securing member supported on said base carriage so as to be shiftable in a first direction to secure and in a second direction to release said base carriage, with said securing member being normally biased in said first direction, manually operable means including a lever member mounted on and extending from said source carriage to a position conveniently adjacent said object, and actuating means comprising a flexible connector member extending between said source carriage and said securing member to actuate said securing member in said second direction in response to tensioning of said connector member. by manual operation of said lever member, with the connection of said connector member between said source carriage and said securing member being such that the tensioning thereof is independent of the vertically shifted position of said source carriage relative to said base carriage.

7. Apparatus for adjustably positioning a source of penetrating radiation comprising, a horizontal track, a first carriage movable along said track, locking means for securing said first carriage on said track, a substantially vertical standard on said first carriage, a second carriage movable longitudinally of said standard, a flexible cable extending between the upper end of said standard and said locking means, and manually operable control means supported on said second carriage for operating said locking means, said control means including means for changing the effective length of said flexible cable to actuate said locking means in response to longitudinal movement of a portion of said cable.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,513,915 Caldwell July 4, 1950 2,588,124 Kizaur Mar. 4, 1952 2,727,156 Guentner et al Dec. 13, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 156,662 Austria Aug. 10, 1939

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