Mobile X-ray imaging system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9737273-B2
Application number	US-201213441555-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 6, 2012
Priority date	Apr 7, 2011
Publication date	Aug 22, 2017
Grant date	Aug 22, 2017

Abstract

A mobile diagnostic imaging system includes a battery system and charging system. The battery system is located in the rotating portion of the imaging system, and includes one or more battery packs, comprising electrochemical cells. Each battery pack includes a control circuit that controls the state of charge of each electrochemical cell, and implements a control scheme that causes the electrochemical cells to have a similar charge state. The battery system communicates with a charging system on the non-rotating portion to terminate charge when one or more of the electrochemical cells reach a full state of charge. The imaging system also includes a docking system that electrically connects the charging system to the battery system during charging and temporarily electrically disconnects the rotating and non-rotating portions during imaging, and a drive mechanism for rotating the rotating portion relative to the non-rotating portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An imaging system, comprising:
a rotating portion comprising a rotor and at least one x-ray imaging component mounted to the rotor;
a gantry comprising an outer shell that comprises a circumferential wall that substantially fully encloses the rotating portion around an outer circumference of the rotating portion, and a first side wall that substantially fully encloses the rotating portion around one side of the rotating portion, the outer shell comprising a structural material that provides a protective barrier between the rotating portion and an external environment and a mounting surface for a bearing that enables the rotating portion to rotate 360° within the outer shell; and
a bearing system located within the gantry for enabling the rotation of the rotating portion with respect to the outer shell of the gantry, wherein the bearing system comprises a pair of nested ring-shaped races including a first race fixed to the outer shell, a second race fixed to the rotating portion, and a bearing element between the first race and the second race that allows the first race and the second race to rotate concentrically relative to one another within a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the rotating portion.

2. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the gantry comprises a generally O-shaped gantry defining an internal bore.

3. The imaging system of claim 2 , wherein the outer diameter of the circumferential wall of the outer shell of the gantry is less than about 70 inches.

4. The imaging system of claim 3 , wherein the outer diameter of the circumferential wall of the outer shell of the gantry is between about 60 and 68 inches.

5. The imaging system of claim 2 , wherein the bore comprises an outer circumference having a diameter that is greater than about 38 inches and no portion of the outer shell or the rotating portion of the imaging system extends inside the outer circumference of the bore.

6. The imaging system of claim 5 , wherein the bore comprises an outer circumference having a diameter that is between about 38 and 50 inches.

7. The imaging system of claim 5 , wherein the outer diameter of the circumferential wall of the outer shell of the gantry is less than about 70 inches.

8. The imaging system of claim 2 , wherein the gantry has a width between a first side of the gantry defined by an outer surface of the first side wall of the outer shell and second side of the gantry opposite the first side that is less than about 17 inches.

9. The imaging system of claim 8 , wherein the width of the gantry is less than about 15 inches.

10. The imaging system of claim 8 , wherein the outer diameter of the circumferential wall of the outer shell of the gantry is less than about 70 inches and the bore comprises an outer circumference having a diameter that is greater than 38 inches and no portion of the outer shell or the rotating portion of the imaging system extends inside the outer circumference of the bore.

11. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the outer shell is composed of a structural material that supports the rotating portion in three dimensions.

12. The imaging system of claim 11 , wherein the structural material comprises aluminum.

13. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the outer shell supports at least about 75% of the weight of the rotating portion.

14. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the gantry is attached to an additional support member, wherein the gantry may tilt and/or rotate with respect to the support member.

15. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the outer shell comprises a second side wall, the first and second side walls and the circumferential wall defining a cavity within which the at least one x-ray imaging component rotates.

16. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the outer shell, a bearing assembly and the rotor define a second side wall, the first and second side walls and the circumferential wall defining a cavity within which the at least one x-ray imaging component rotates.

17. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one x-ray imaging component comprises an x-ray source and a detector.

18. The imaging system of claim 17 , further comprising one or more of a battery system, a high-voltage generator, a heat exchanger, a computer, and a rotor drive mechanism mounted to the rotor.

19. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the mounting surface for a bearing on the outer shell comprises a first race that is integrally formed in the outer shell.

20. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the bearing mounting surface comprises a surface to which a first race of the bearing system securely fastened.

21. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the second race is integrally formed as a part of the rotor.

22. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the second race is securely fastened to the rotor.

23. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the system comprises at least one component mounted to the rotor that includes at least one surface that is angled or curved to substantially correspond with a curvature of the gantry or bore.

24. The imaging system of claim 23 , wherein the at least one component mounted to the rotor that includes at least one surface that is angled or curved to substantially correspond with a curvature of the gantry or a bore comprises a high-voltage generator.

25. The imaging system of claim 23 , wherein the at least one component mounted to the rotor that includes at least one surface that is angled or curved to substantially correspond with a curvature of the gantry or bore comprises a chassis for a battery system.

26. The imaging system of claim 1 , further comprising a rotor drive system mounted to the rotor.

27. The imaging system of claim 26 , wherein the rotor drive system engages with an element fixed to the outer shell of the gantry to drive the rotation of the rotating portion within the gantry.

28. The imaging system of claim 27 , wherein the element is fixed to a first side wall of the outer shell, and a bearing system is provided on a second side wall of the outer shell, opposite the first side wall.

29. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the imaging system comprises a mobile imaging system.

30. The imaging system of claim 19 , further comprising:
a battery system on the rotating portion that comprises a plurality of battery power sources that provide power to at least one imaging component on the rotating portion and a control system that monitors and controls the state of charge of each of the battery power sources; and
a charging system on the second portion for the imaging system for charging the battery system when the system is not obtaining images wherein the second portion comprises the gantry and the rotating portion rotates with respect to the second portion to obtain an image of an object.

31. The imaging system of claim 30 , wherein the second portion comprises a gantry having an internal cavity and the rotating portion comprises a rotor that rotates within the internal cavity of the gantry.

32. The imaging system of claim 30 , wherein the at least one imaging component comprises an x-ray source.

33. The system of claim 30 , wherein the battery system includes one or more battery packs, each comprising one or

Assignees

• Gregerson Eugene A
• Connor Michael
• Allen Michael
• Sebring Paul
• Powell Robert
• Stanton Russell
• Coppen Scott
• Mobius Imaging Llc

Inventors

• Gregerson Eugene A
• Connor Michael
• Allen Michael
• Sebring Paul
• Powell Robert
• Stanton Russell
• Coppen Scott

Classifications

• H05G1/10

  Power supply arrangements for feeding the X-ray tube {(supply circuits with converters in general H02M; supply circuits for emitters and amplifiers H04B1/16 - H04B1/1623)} · CPC title

• G01R33/381

  using electromagnets · CPC title

• A61B6/586

  Detection of faults or malfunction of the device · CPC title

• A61B6/56

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

• A61B6/508

  for non-human patients · CPC title