Mammography device and method of controlling position alignment thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10130322-B2
Application number	US-201314781269-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2013
Priority date	Mar 29, 2013
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a mammography device for X-ray photographing an object to be inspected. The mammography device includes: a device body movable in a vertical axis direction and rotatable around a first horizontal axis; a generator fixed to one end portion of the device body; a support part for the object including a detector; a first moving unit moving the device body in the vertical axis direction; a rotating unit rotating the device body around the first horizontal axis; and a controller controlling the first moving unit and the rotating unit, wherein the controller performs a control so that the rotating unit rotates the device body and the first moving unit moves the device body together with the rotation of the device body in order to position a center of an upper surface of the support part for the object on the same horizontal surface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mammography device comprising:
a device body movable along a vertical axis and rotatable around a first horizontal axis so as to photograph an object to be inspected by a craniocaudal view and a mediolateral oblique view;
an X-ray generator fixed to one end portion of the device body;
a support part for the object to be inspected including a detector fixed to another end portion of the device body and facing the X-ray generator, the support part having an upper surface with a center at an initial position;
a second motor moving the device body along the vertical axis;
a third motor rotating the device body around the first horizontal axis; and
a controller controlling the second motor and the third motor,
wherein the controller performs a control so that the third motor rotates the device body and, at the same time, the second motor moves the device body along the vertical axis together with a rotation of the device body, in order to maintain the center of the upper surface of the support part at the initial position.

2. The mammography device according to claim 1 , further comprising a first motor moving the device body along a second horizontal axis perpendicular to the first horizontal axis,
wherein the device body is movable along the second horizontal axis and the first motor is controlled by the controller, and
the controller performs a control so that the third motor rotates the device body around the first horizontal axis and the first motor and the second motor move the device body together with a rotation of the device body in order not to move the center of the upper surface of the support part for the object to be inspected.

3. A method of controlling position alignment of a mammography device, comprising:
providing the mammography device including a device body movable along a vertical axis and rotatable around a first horizontal axis so as to photograph an object to be inspected by a craniocaudal view and a mediolateral oblique view, an X-ray generator fixed to one end portion of the device body, and a support part for the object to be inspected including a detector fixed to another end portion of the device body and facing the X-ray generator, the support part having an upper surface with a center at an initial position; and
rotating the device body around the first horizontal axis and, at the same time, moving the device body along the vertical axis together with a rotation of the device body in order to maintain the center of the upper surface of the support part at the initial position.

4. The method of controlling position alignment of a mammography device according to claim 3 , wherein the device body is movable along a second horizontal axis perpendicular to the first horizontal axis, and
the rotating of the device body around the first horizontal axis and the moving the device body along the vertical axis together with a rotation the device body includes rotating the device body around the first horizontal axis and moving the device body along the vertical axis and the second horizontal axis together with a rotation of the device body in order not to move the center of the upper surface of the support part for the object to be inspected.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Moon Jin Young

Classifications

• A61B6/4441

  the rigid structure being a C-arm or U-arm · CPC title

• A61B6/4435

  the source unit and the detector unit being coupled by a rigid structure · CPC title

• A61B6/0421

  with immobilising means · CPC title

• A61B6/4476

  related to motor-assisted motion of the source unit · CPC title

• A61B6/44

  Constructional features of apparatus for radiation diagnosis · CPC title