Mammography apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11730435-B2
Application number	US-202016952260-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2020
Priority date	Nov 22, 2019
Publication date	Aug 22, 2023
Grant date	Aug 22, 2023

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a mammography apparatus includes: a breast placement stage on which a breast is placed; a compression plate that compresses the breast placed on the breast placement stage; a supporting arm that supports the breast placement stage in such a manner that the stage can be tilted; and processing circuitry that controls driving of the compression plate in such a manner that the breast placed on the breast placement stage tilted by the supporting arm is supported from below and compressed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mammography apparatus, comprising:
a breast placement stage comprising a placement surface on which a breast is placed;
a compression plate that compresses the breast placed on the breast placement stage;
a supporting arm that supports the breast placement stage in such a manner that the stage can be tilted; and
processing circuitry configured to:
control driving of the compression plate in such a manner that the breast placed on the breast placement stage tilted by the supporting arm is supported from below and compressed,
determine a tilt angle of the compression plate in accordance with a tilt angle of the breast placement stage,
set the tilt angle of the compression plate to a first value when an angle of the placement surface with respect to a horizontal plane makes a first angle,
set the tilt angle of the compression plate to a second value greater than the first value when the angle of the placement surface with respect to the horizontal plane makes a second angle larger than the first angle,
set the tilt angle of the compression plate such that, when the placement surface of the breast placement stage on which the breast is placed is tilted with respect to the horizontal plane, the angle made by the compression plate and the breast placement stage at the time of pressing the breast becomes greater as the angle of the placement surface with respect to the horizontal plane becomes greater; and
set, when the angle of the placement surface with respect to the horizontal plane is the first angle, a target value of the tilt angle of the compression plate to the first value, and set, when the angle of the placement surface with respect to the horizontal plane is the second angle being greater than the first angle, the target value of the tilt angle of the compression plate to the second value.

2. The mammography apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to control driving of the compression plate in such a manner that the breast is compressed in a state where the tilt angle of the compression plate is greater than the tilt angle of the breast placement stage, and a distance between the compression plate and the breast placement stage is shorter in a lower portion of the compression plate than in an upper portion.

3. The mammography apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a pressure sensor that detects a pressure applied on the breast;
wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to control driving of the compression plate so that the tilt angle of the compression plate coincides with the tilt angle of the breast placement stage when the pressure detected by the pressure sensor indicates a predetermine value.

4. A mammography apparatus, comprising:
a breast placement stage comprising a placement surface on which a breast is placed;
a compression plate that compresses the breast placed on the breast placement stage;
a compression plate moving mechanism configured to move the compression plate;
a supporting arm that supports the breast placement stage in such a manner that the stage can be tilted; and
processing circuitry configured to:
control driving of the compression plate in such a manner that the breast placed on the breast placement stage tilted by the supporting arm is supported from below and compressed,
determine a target value of a tilt angle of the compression plate in accordance with an angle of the placement surface with respect to a horizontal plane,
calculate a distance between the compression plate and the breast placement stage based on a driving state of the compression plate moving mechanism and a driving state of the breast placement stage, and
cause, when the calculated distance is greater than a predetermined value, the compression plate to move toward the breast placement stage in a state where the tilt angle is the target value, and when the calculated distance is equal to or less than the predetermined value, cause the compression plate to move toward the breast placement stage in a state where the tilt angle is smaller than the target value.

5. A mammography apparatus, comprising:
a breast placement stage comprising a placement surface on which a breast is placed;
a compression plate that compresses the breast placed on the breast placement stage;
a pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure acting on the compression plate or the placement surface,
a supporting arm that supports the breast placement stage in such a manner that the stage can be tilted; and
processing circuitry configured to:
control driving of the compression plate in such a manner that the breast placed on the breast placement stage tilted by the supporting arm is supported from below and compressed,
determine a target value of a tilt angle of the compression plate in accordance with an angle of the placement surface with respect to a horizontal plane, and
cause, when the pressure detected by the pressure sensor is greater than a predetermined value, the compression plate to move toward the breast placement stage and gradually increase the tilt angle and then gradually decrease the tilt angle.

Assignees

• Canon Medical Systems Corp

Inventors

• Kobayashi Yoshimasa

Classifications

• A61B6/502 Primary

  for diagnosis of breast, i.e. mammography · CPC title

• A61B6/0414

  with compression means · CPC title

• A61B6/0435

  with means for imaging suspended breasts · CPC title

• A61B2562/0247

  Pressure sensors · CPC title

• A61B6/04 Primary

  Positioning of patients; Tiltable beds or the like · CPC title