Open drum gantry for computed tomography system
Inventors
Murch, Anthony James • Moore, Jared William • Garzon, Pedro Andres • Basu, Samit Kumar
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-10182777-B2
Publication Date
2019-01-22
Expiration Date
Abstract
A gantry rail for a gantry computed tomography (CT) system includes a secondary side of a rotary transformer and an annular body having an annular rolling surface and an annular slip ring surface. The annular body is aligned orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the gantry CT system. The annular rolling surface has a normal vector that extends radially outward and orthogonal to the longitudinal axis. The annular slip ring surface defines a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal axis, and includes a slot disposed in the slip ring surface. The slot is configured to engage the secondary side of the rotary transformer.
Core Innovation
An open drum gantry for a gantry computed tomography (CT) system uses a rotary transformer with a primary side configured to receive line-frequency power and a secondary side disposed in a slot of a slip ring surface of a gantry rail. The secondary side is magnetically couplable to the primary side and is configured to provide power to an X-ray source and an X-ray detector on the open drum gantry.
The gantry rail integrates the secondary side engagement through a slot disposed in an annular slip ring surface and supports gantry rotation using an annular rolling surface engaging a bearing and rollers. The architecture maintains a precise air gap between primary and secondary transformer sides in the rotary transformer arrangement, and it distinguishes rotary transformers from contact slip rings by using non-contact magnetic coupling between transformer sides while still providing power delivery to rotating components.
Electrical insulation lining the slot is used to galvanically isolate the transformer secondary side from the annular body. The annular rolling surface is configured to engage a bearing couplable to a base frame of the gantry CT system, supporting rotation of the open drum gantry.
Claims Coverage
The document includes three independent claim sets: a gantry rail for a gantry CT system, a method of operating a gantry CT system, and an open drum gantry for a gantry CT system. Across these independent claims, the inventive coverage centers on three inventive features.
Gantry rail with rotary transformer secondary slot in annular slip ring surface
A gantry rail comprising a secondary side of a rotary transformer configured to receive line-frequency power from a primary side of the rotary transformer, and an annular body aligned orthogonal to a longitudinal axis comprising an annular rolling surface, an annular slip ring surface, and a slot disposed in the slip ring surface configured to engage the secondary side.
Operating an open drum gantry using rotary transformer power delivery and roller-supported rotation
A method of operating a gantry CT system comprising powering a primary side of a rotary transformer using a line-frequency power source, powering an X-ray source and an X-ray detector on an open drum gantry using a secondary side of the rotary transformer disposed in a slot of a slip ring surface of a gantry rail of the open drum gantry, transmitting an X-ray signal through an interior of the open drum gantry toward the X-ray detector, and rotating the open drum gantry using a bearing engaging a roller surface of the gantry rail.
Open drum gantry with X-ray source/detector powered by rotary transformer secondary via slip ring slot
An open drum gantry comprising an X-ray source and an X-ray detector, a secondary side of a rotary transformer configured to provide power to the X-ray source and the X-ray detector with the secondary side magnetically couplable to a primary side connected to a line-frequency power source, and a first gantry rail at a first end including an annular rolling surface configured to engage a bearing and an annular slip ring surface comprising a slot to engage the secondary side of the rotary transformer.
The independent claims collectively cover a gantry rail and an open drum gantry architecture in which a rotary transformer secondary side is engaged through a slot in an annular slip ring surface while gantry rotation is supported by an annular rolling surface engaging a bearing or roller. The method claim further ties the rotary-transformer power delivery to powering an X-ray source and X-ray detector and transmitting the X-ray signal through the open drum gantry interior.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
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