WO1990014748A1

WO1990014748A1 - X-ray device

Info

Publication number: WO1990014748A1
Application number: PCT/FI1990/000143
Authority: WO
Inventors: Markku Koskela; Jorma Kuronen; Jaakko Aarnio
Original assignee: Orion-Yhtymä Oy
Priority date: 1989-05-24
Filing date: 1990-05-22
Publication date: 1990-11-29
Also published as: FI892546A0; FI892546A

Abstract

An X-ray device with a tube head (12) adjustable in height comprises a frame part (20) with a substantially vertical frame column (1) and connected to the frame column (1) a stem (23) to which the tube head (12) is fixed. The stem (23) in the X-ray device is formed by a column part (2) substantially parallel with the frame column (1), the column part (2) being arranged to move in the frame column (1). The tube head (12) is carried by a beam (13) fixed to the carriage (3) moving in the column part (2). The column part (2) and the carriage (3) move simultaneously and in the same direction, and the movement is balanced with a counteracting power means (8, 9, 19).

Description

X-ray device

The invention relates to an X-ray device with a tube head adjustable in height, and with a frame part comprising a substantially vertical column structure and movable in the column structure, a carriage-like member to which the tube head is fixed. A device of this type is known from e.g. the lay-open print DE-1192364.

In the known X-ray devices, especially in mobile equipment, the objective has been to make said frame column as short as possible, so that the device should take up as little space as possible, and so that it should be easier to move the device in the limited space of X-ray rooms.

However, in order to provide an adequate working posture, a long arm with the tube head has to be attached to the device. This arm of the known devices is articulated, usually in several points, in order to enable adjustment of the operating position and on the other hand to enable folding, e.g. to move or to transport it. The operation with a device with an articulated arm requires, however, sufficient space around the device so that the arm can be turned. In other words, the benefits of a short column structure are lost as the device requires more space in the horizontal direction. Moreover, the assembly of the device is difficult, because several joints have to be turned at the same time.

The objective of the X-ray device according to the invention is to minimize the space requirements both in the horizontal and in the vertical directions, and to provide an easy adjustment of the working posture as well as an easy assembly. These advantages are attained in a device, which is characterized in that the column structure comprises on one hand a frame column attached to the frame part and on the other hand, movable sliding with respect to the frame column, a column part along which the carriage-like member moves, whereby the column part and the carriage-like member are arranged to move simultaneously and in the same direction, when either the column or the tube arm is moved, and the device is provided with counteracting power means, so that the tube head remains where it is positioned.

The most important advantage of the invention should be seen in that for transportation and moving it is possible to minimize the size of the X-ray device, whereby the space requirements for the X-ray device are reduced, and that it is very easy to adjust the height of the X-ray device by moving one part only. Further advantages include that the tube head and the cable of the X-ray device are well supported and protected. All these factors facilitate the use of the X-ray device and increase the useful life of the expensive equipment.

The invention is now explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

figure 1 shows the device according to the invention in the erected position seen from one side, partly as a section;

figure 2 shows a vertical cross-section of the device according to the invention in the erected position;

figure 3 shows the same device in the collapsed position;

figure 4 shows a horizontal cross-section of the columns at the bearings; and

figure 5 shows the mounting of the wires of the device and the mounting of the cable for the X-ray tube. The X-ray device substantially comprises three different parts shown in figure 1: the frame part 20, the stem 23 and the tube head 12. The frame part is provided with wheels and it includes a substantially vertical frame column 1. The frame part 20 further includes a spiral wheel set 19, a spring 8 and a support 16, which are explained later. The stem 23 includes a column part 2, which is substantially parallel to the frame column 1 and carried in bearings in the frame column 1. The stem 23 further includes a substantially horizontal beam 13 that is mounted in bearings to move substantially in the vertical direction with the column part 2. A tube head 12 including the X-ray tube which is used as the radiation source and necessary shutter devices is attached to the beam 13.

The beam 13 with the tube head 12 attached to it's first end is fixed on a carriage-like member 3, which is mounted in bearings in the column part 2, the carriage-like member

3 being able to move in the vertical direction. To the carriage-like member 3 is attached a member 5, which in the embodiment shown in the figures is a wire 5, from which the carriage-like member 3 is hanging. Advantageously two wires 5 and 5' are used, which are mutually located as shown in cross-section in figure 5. The wires 5 and 5' run over a sheave 4 attached to the upper part of the column 2 and further to the frame part 20, to which they are fixed. The solution according to figure 5 utilizes a sheave 4 with a groove for each wire on both sides of the middle. Obviously the total weight of the tube head 12 on the beam 13 fixed to the carriage-like member 3 is carried over the sheave

4 to the column part 2. From the sheave 4 both wires 5, 5' according to figures 1 and 2 run in parallel with the column part 2 and the frame column 1 and are fixed to the frame part 20. The wire 5 or wires 5, 5' may be replaced by chains or belts, and a gearwheel suitable for the chain can be used in place of the sheave 4. When the carriage-like member 3 is moved downwards the beam 2 also moves downwards. Accordingly, when the carriage-like member 3 is moved upwards the column part 2 also moves upwards. Thus both parts, the carriage-like member 3 and column part 2 always move simultaneously and in the same direction. A movement of these parts is caused by moving the carriage-like member 3, but of course also by moving the column part 2. It should also be noted that the column part 2 travels a distance, which is half of the distance which the carriage-like member 3 travels.

An embodiment of the device is such, that the column part 2 is moved with a separate actuator, which for instance through a gearwheel or gear train attached to the actuator's shaft and a gear rack fixed to the column part 2, will move the column part 2 upwards or downwards. A manually driven system can also be used instead of the actuator, and then the gear motion needed to move the column 2 is produced by the manually driven system.

In the embodiment shown in the figures the column part 2 hangs from a wire 9. A chain or a belt may also be used in place of the wire. The wire 9 is fixed to the lower part of the column part 2, from which it runs over a sheave 6 attached to the frame column 1 and is connected with the frame part 20 in such a way that the wire will be released over the sheave 6 when the column part 2 is moved e.g. downwards. In order for this system to operate correctly the wire 9 must always be tightened so that the wire 9 will be able carry a weight which substantially is composed by the total weight of the tube head 12 on the beam 13 fixed to the carriage-like member 3 and the column part 2. This can be realized with a combination of a spring 8 and a spiral wheel set 19 according to the figures 1 and 2. Two coils 11, 14 for the winding of the wires are fixed to the shaft of the spiral wheel set 19, the first coil 14 having a circular form and the second coil 11 having a spiral form. On the circular coil 14 is wound a wire 10 running from the coil 14 over a sheave 7 connected to the upper end of the spring 8 to the frame part 20, where the wire 10 is fixed. The wire 9 wound on the spiral coil 11 runs from the coil over a sheave 6 attached to the frame column 1 to the lower edge of the column part 2, where the wire 9 is fixed. The embodiment shown in the figures uses two wires 10 and 10', which are wound on the same circular coil 14, but separated from each other, however, and accordingly the sheave 7 is bipartite so that the wires 10 and 10' will run on either side of the spring 8.

The purpose of the combination of the spring 8 and the spiral wheel set 19 is on one hand to keep the same tension in the wire 9 at all times, and on the other hand to enable the wire to be wound on the coil or to be unwound from the coil when the column part 2 is moved. When the column part 2 is lifted, the wire 9 is momentarily loosened with the result that the wire 10 tightened by the spring 8 will turn the spiral wheel set 19 clockwise and thus cause the wire 9 to be wound on the spiral coil 11 in such a way that the wire 9 will be positioned closer to the shaft of the wheel. Consequently the torque produced by the wire 9 will be reduced, but at the same time the upper end of the spring 8 is moved somewhat higher, thus reducing the spring force and thus also reducing the torque produced by the wire 10. Thus the torques acting in opposite directions on the spiral wheel set 19 are constantly in balance. When the column part 2 is in the uppermost position the spring 8 also has the maximum length, and accordingly, when the column part 2 is in the lowermost position the spring 8 also has the minimum length. Because the combination of the spiral wheel set 19 and the spring 8 keeps the column part 2 in a weight balance, a minimal force is required to move the column part 2 and the carriage-like member 3. When the X-ray device has been adjusted to the correct position, i.e. to an operating position or to a transportation position, the position can be fixed using a magnetic lock known as such which prevents movement of the wires. The magnetic lock can be mounted for instance at the sheave 6 or 7. It is obvious that the counteracting power device may be realized in other ways, for instance as a gas spring or a spiral spring.

The cross-section shown in figure 5 illustrates in detail the mutual combination including the mounting in bearings of the column structure 1, 2 and the carriage-like member 3. The frame column 1 is in cross-section substantially U-shaped so that the end parts 21 and 21' of the flanges of the U-form are turned inwards. The column part 2 is mounted in bearings between the flanges in such a way that the bearings mounted on the column part 2 are supported on the end parts 21, 21', which thus will stay between the bearings.

The column part 2 is pipe-like and has a cross-section that includes a substantially rectangular first part 17 and a substantially U-shaped second part 18. The end parts 22 and 22' of the flanges of the U-form are bent inwards, and the carriage-like member 3 is mounted in bearings inside the second part 18, so that the bearings fixed to the carriage-like member 3 remain between the end parts 22 and 22' of the flanges and the web of the U-form.

Figure 5 shows also the bipartite sheave 4 in the upper part of the column part 2, over which the wires 5 and 5' are guided to run down to the frame part 20 along the inside of the column part 2. In the middle of the bipartite sheave 4 mounted on the same shaft is a separate sheave 4' for the X-ray device cable 15. The X-ray device cable 15 is also guided to run from the sheave 4' along the inside of the column part 2. The part 17 with a rectangular cross-section in the column part 2 forms a housing for the wires 5 and 5' and the X-ray device cable 15. The X-ray device cable 15 is fixed at one end to the X-ray tube in the tube head 12 and at the other end to a high voltage source, not shown in the figures, which is located separately outside the X-ray device. The X-ray device cable 15 is thus guided to run inside the column part 2 and the frame column 1 to the bottom part of the frame part 20 and further to the floor.

Figure 3 shows the X-ray device in the collapsed position. The tube head 12 is supported on the support 16, which at the same time protects the tube head. In this position the X-ray device cable 15 is located inside the U-shaped part 18 in the column part 2.

Claims

1. X-ray device with a tube head (12) adjustable in height, and with a frame part (20) comprising a substantially vertical column structure (1, 2) and, movable in the column structure, a carriage-like member (3) to which an arm (13) carrying the tube head (12) is fixed, characterized in that the column structure comprises on one hand a frame column (1) attached to the frame part (20) and on the other hand, movable sliding with respect to the frame column, a column part (2) along which the carriage-like member (3) moves, the column part (2) and the carriage-like member (3) being arranged to move simultaneously and in the same direction, when either the column (2) or the tube arm (13) is moved, and the device is provided with counteracting power means (8, 9, 19), so that the tube head remains where it is positioned.

2. X-ray device according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one sheave (4) is mounted at the upper end of the column part (2), and that the carriage-like member (3) is fixed to at least one member (5), such as a wire, which suspends the carriage-like member (3) and which runs over the sheave 4 and is fixed to the frame column (1) at it's other end.

3. X-ray device according to claim 2, characterized in that to the column part (2) is fixed at least one second member (9), such as a wire, which suspends the column part (2), and which runs over a sheave (6) mounted on the frame part (20).

4. X-ray device according to claim 3, characterized in that the second member (9) is attached to the frame part (20) through a combination formed by a spring (8), a sheave (7) and a spiral wheel set (19) in such a way that the second member (9) keeps the column part (2) in a weight balance in all positions of the column part (2).

5. X-ray device according to claim 4, characterized in that the second member (9) is arranged to be wound on a substantially spiral coil (11) of the spiral wheel set (19), and that two wires (10, 10') with a mutual distance are arranged to be wound on the circular coil (14) of the spiral wheel set (19), the wires (10, 10') being arranged to run over the sheave (7) fixed at the end of the spring (8) to the frame part (20) so that the spring (8) is located substantially in the middle between the wires (10, 10').

6. X-ray device according to claim 4, characterized in that the carriage-like member (3) is locked in place using a magnetic lock at the sheave (6) attached to the frame part (20) or at the sheave (7) attached to the spring (8).

7. X-ray device according to claim 1, characterized in that the frame column (1) is in cross-section substantially U-shaped, that the end parts (21, 21') of the flanges of the U-form are turned inwards, and that the bearings mounted on the column part (2) are supported on the end parts (21, 21'), which end parts (21, 21') thus will remain between the bearings.

8. X-ray device according to claim 1, characterized in that the column part (2) is pipe-like such that the cross-section includes a substantially rectangular first part (17) and a substantially U-shaped second part (18), the end parts (22, 22') of which are bent inwards, and that the carriage-like member (3) is mounted in bearings inside the second part (18), so that the bearings fixed to the carriage-like member (3) remain between the end parts (22, 22') of the flanges and the web of the U-form.

9. X-ray device according to claims 2 and 8, characterized in that the carriage-like member (3) is suspends by two members (5, 5'), such as wires on a mutual distance, and that the members (5, 5') and the X-ray device cable (15) are arranged to run inside the first part (17) of the column part (2) and that all members (5, 5', 15) are arranged to run over the sheave (4) so that the X-ray device cable (15) runs between the members (5, 5' ) .

10. X-ray device according to claim 9, characterized in that the X-ray device cable (15) is arranged to run over a sheave (4' ) mounted on the shaft of the sheave (4) attached to the column part (2) .

11. X-ray device according to claim 1, characterized in that the tube head (12) is supported by a support (16) when the X-ray device is in its lowered position.