Computed tomography system and patient table comprising a contactless transfer of electrical signals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10682114-B2
Application number	US-201515301399-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 16, 2015
Priority date	Apr 2, 2014
Publication date	Jun 16, 2020
Grant date	Jun 16, 2020

Abstract

The invention relates to a computer tomography installation having contactless data signal transmission. The device comprises at least one longitudinally slit coaxial conductor element ( 1 ), at least one high-frequency transmitting unit ( 3 ), which feeds into the conductor element ( 1 ) a high-frequency carrier signal modulated with a data signal to be transmitted, at least one longitudinally slit coaxial coupling conductor element ( 2 ), which is designed to receive the emitted modulated high-frequency carrier signal ( 21 ) from the near field of the conductor element ( 1 ), and at least one high-frequency receiving unit ( 4 ), which is electrically connected to the coupling conductor element ( 2 ) and is designed to extract the data signal from the received modulated high-frequency carrier signal, wherein the conductor element ( 1 ) and the coupling conductor element ( 2 ) are arranged in such a way that the conductor element and the coupling conductor element can be moved in relation to each other. The conductor element ( 1 ) is arranged on a rotatable gantry part ( 12 ), and the coupling conductor element is arranged on a stationary gantry part ( 13 ). The invention further relates to a patient table having such data transmission between moving parts.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computed tomography system with a contactless data signal transfer, the computed tomography system comprising:
at least one longitudinally slit coaxial conductor element having a reflection-free termination at a first end with a first resistance, wherein the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial conductor comprises an inner conductor and a dielectric disposed around the inner conductor, and wherein the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial conductor is arranged in a groove or comprises an outer conductor with a longitudinal slit;
at least one radiofrequency transmission unit that feeds a radiofrequency carrier signal, modulated with a data signal to be transferred, into the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial conductor element at a second end;
at least one longitudinally slit coaxial coupling conductor element that is terminated with a second resistance and configured to receive an emitted modulated radiofrequency carrier signal from a near field of the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial conductor element;
at least one radiofrequency reception unit that is electrically connected to the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial coupling conductor element and is configured to extract the data signal from the received modulated radiofrequency carrier signal;
a first gantry part arranged in a rotatable manner, the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial conductor element being arranged on the first gantry part in a circular-ring-shaped manner; and
a second gantry part arranged in a stationary manner, the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial coupling conductor element being arranged on the second gantry part.

2. A computed tomography system with a contactless data signal transfer, the computed tomography system comprising:
at least one longitudinally slit coaxial conductor element having a reflection-free termination at a first end with a first resistance, wherein the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial conductor comprises an inner conductor and a dielectric disposed around the inner conductor, and wherein the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial conductor is arranged in a groove or comprises an outer conductor with a longitudinal slit;
at least one radiofrequency transmission unit that feeds a radiofrequency carrier signal, modulated with a data signal to be transferred, into the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial conductor element at a second end;
at least one longitudinally slit coaxial coupling conductor element that is terminated with a second resistance and configured to receive an emitted modulated radiofrequency carrier signal from a near field of the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial conductor element;
at least one radiofrequency reception unit that is electrically connected to the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial coupling conductor element and is configured to extract the data signal from the received modulated radiofrequency carrier signal;
a first gantry part arranged in a rotatable manner, the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial coupling conductor element being arranged on the first gantry part; and
a second gantry part arranged in a stationary manner, the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial conductor element arranged on the second gantry part in a circular-ring-shaped manner.

3. A patient table for imaging medical engineering systems with a contactless data signal transfer, the patient table comprising:
at least one longitudinally slit coaxial conductor element;
at least one radiofrequency transmission unit that feeds a radiofrequency carrier signal, modulated with a data signal to be transferred, into the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial conductor element;
at least one longitudinally slit coaxial coupling conductor element that is configured to receive an emitted modulated radiofrequency carrier signal from a near field of the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial conductor element; and
at least one radiofrequency reception unit that is electrically connected to the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial coupling conductor element and is configured to extract the data signal from the received modulated radiofrequency carrier signal,
wherein the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial conductor element and the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial coupling conductor element are movably arranged relative to one another in a translational manner.

4. The computed tomography system of claim 1 , wherein a frequency of the radiofrequency carrier signal is greater than 10 GHz.

5. The computed tomography system of claim 1 , further comprising a first carrier element, in which the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial conductor element is formed.

6. The computed tomography system of claim 5 , wherein the first carrier element is made of metal and forms the outer conductor of the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial conductor element.

7. The computed tomography system of claim 6 , wherein the first carrier element has a rectangular cross section, and
wherein the first carrier element comprises the groove.

8. The computed tomography system of claim 5 , further comprising a second carrier element, in which the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial coupling conductor element is formed.

9. The computed tomography system of claim 8 , wherein the second carrier element is made of metal and forms a second outer conductor of the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial coupling conductor element.

10. The computed tomography system of claim 9 , wherein the second carrier element has a rectangular cross section, and the second inner conductor is arranged in a groove of the second carrier element.

11. The computed tomography system of claim 2 , wherein a frequency of the radiofrequency carrier signal is greater than 10 GHz.

12. The computed tomography system of claim 2 , further comprising a first carrier element, in which the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial conductor element is formed.

13. The computed tomography system of claim 12 , wherein the first carrier element is made of metal and forms the outer conductor of the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial conductor element.

14. The computed tomography system of claim 13 , wherein the first carrier element has a rectangular cross section, and
wherein the first carrier element comprises the groove.

15. The computed tomography system of claim 12 , further comprising a second carrier element, in which the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial coupling conductor element is formed.

16. The patient table of claim 3 , further comprising a first carrier element, in which the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial conductor element is formed.

17. The patient table of claim 16 , wherein the first carrier element is made of metal and forms a first outer conductor of the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial conductor element.

18. The patient table of claim 17 , wherein the first carrier element has a rectangular cross section, and a first inner conductor is arranged in a groove of the first carrier element.

19. The patient table of claim 16 , further comprising a second carrier element, in which the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial coupling conductor element is formed.

20. The patient table of claim 19 , wherein the second carrier element is made of metal and forms a second outer conductor of the at least one longitudinally slit coaxial coupling conductor element.

21. The computed tomography system of claim 1

Assignees

• Siemens Healthcare Gmbh

Inventors

• Model Volker

Classifications

• A61B6/035

  Mechanical aspects of CT · CPC title

• A61B6/56 Primary

  Details of data transmission or power supply, e.g. use of slip rings · CPC title

• A61B6/032

  Transmission computed tomography [CT] · CPC title

• A61B6/4435

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

• A61B6/0407

  Supports, e.g. tables or beds, for the body or parts of the body · CPC title