CN209847219U - Oral CT - Google Patents

Abstract

The application discloses oral cavity CT, it includes: an X-ray source configured to emit X-rays to irradiate a projection body; a detector configured to detect X-rays passing through the object to generate data of the X-rays; and a rotating mechanism configured to be able to rotate the X-ray source and the detector around a rotation axis of a vertical direction around the projection body, wherein the detector is movable in the vertical direction.

Description

Oral CT

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of oral CT.

Background

Imaging techniques, including for example X-ray imaging, CT (Computed Tomography), etc., have since been widely used in many fields, especially in the field of medical examinations. The oral cavity CT can reflect the tissue condition from a three-dimensional angle, and can find lesions which cannot be found from the projection angle of the oral cavity X-ray film or are finer. Generally, oral CT is provided with an X-ray source and a detector that can emit a cone beam, and because the detector size is limited (larger size detectors are very expensive), the reach of the light that can be received by the detector is limited. Thus, when the projection volume is large, the light receivable by the detector does not completely cover the portion of the projection volume that is to be scanned (hereinafter referred to as the region of interest), and thus a full scan image of the region of interest is not obtained.

It is well known that larger sized detectors are more expensive and there is a need in the art to obtain larger projection images using smaller detectors.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of at least one of the above technical problems, the present application provides an oral CT comprising:

an X-ray source configured to emit X-rays to irradiate a projection body;

a detector configured to detect X-rays passing through the object to generate data of the X-rays; and

a rotation mechanism configured to be able to rotate the X-ray source and the detector around a rotation axis of a vertical direction around a projection,

wherein the detector is movable in a vertical direction.

In one embodiment, the rotating mechanism may be a downward suspension rotating mechanism and may include a first lower suspension arm connected to the X-ray source and a second lower suspension arm connected to the detector, wherein the detector is provided with a guide rail in a vertical direction on a surface facing away from the X-ray source, the guide rail is provided with a guide rail slider matched with the guide rail, the second lower suspension arm is fixedly connected to the guide rail slider, and the second lower suspension arm is provided with a fixing member for fixing the detector.

In one embodiment, the rotation mechanism may be a floor-standing rotation mechanism and may include: a landing base; the X-ray source upright post is mounted on the floor base and can rotate on the floor base, and the X-ray source upright post is used for mounting the X-ray source; and the detector upright column is arranged on the floor base and can rotate on the floor base, and the detector upright column is used for installing the detector.

In one embodiment, the oral CT may further include a detector moving structure connected to the detector column, and the detector moving structure may include: the vertical guide rail is fixed on the surface of the detector, which faces away from the X-ray source, and a guide rail sliding block matched with the vertical guide rail is arranged on the vertical guide rail; and the mounting plate is fixed on the detector upright column and is fixedly connected with the guide rail sliding block, so that the detector can move in the vertical direction.

In one embodiment, the detector moving structure may further include a motor, and the motor may drive the detector to move in a vertical direction.

In one embodiment, the probe moving structure may further include: and a rack installed on the second surface of the detector fixing plate, wherein the motor is provided with a spur gear on an output shaft thereof, and the spur gear is engaged with the rack.

In one embodiment, the mounting plate may be provided with mounting holes for mounting the motor.

In one embodiment, the oral CT may further include a comparison controller configured to compare the intensity of the X-rays detected by the detector with the intensity of the X-rays emitted by the X-ray source, and when the intensity of the X-rays detected by the detector is less than the intensity of the X-rays emitted by the X-ray source, the comparison controller controls the motor to drive the detector to move on the rail of the rail bracket.

In one embodiment, the comparison controller may control the motor to drive the detector to move until there is an X-ray having an intensity equal to an intensity of an X-ray emitted from the X-ray source among X-rays detected by the detector, or until a maximum moving range of the detector is reached.

According to another aspect of the present application, there is provided an imaging method including:

emitting X-rays using an X-ray source to irradiate a projection subject;

detecting X-rays passing through the object using a detector to generate X-ray data; and

rotating the X-ray source and the detector about a vertical axis of rotation about a projection,

wherein detecting the X-rays passing through the object with the detector to generate data of the X-rays comprises:

the X-rays passing through the object are detected after moving the detector by a distance in a length direction to generate data of the X-rays, wherein the length direction refers to a direction perpendicular to a vertical direction along a surface of the detector.

According to the oral cavity CT as described above, with the oral cavity CT according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application, when detecting a projection object having a larger length, with the same size of the detector, the field of view of the oral cavity CT in the length direction can be enlarged by moving the detector.

Drawings

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present application will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:

fig. 1A shows a schematic perspective view of an exemplary oral cavity CT of the prior art, and fig. 1B shows a schematic front view of the optical path of the oral cavity CT in fig. 1A.

Fig. 2A shows a schematic perspective view of a detector of an oral cavity CT according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application in a top position, and fig. 2B shows a schematic front view of an optical path of the oral cavity CT in fig. 2A.

Fig. 3A shows a schematic perspective view of a detector of an oral cavity CT according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application in a bottom position, and fig. 3B shows a schematic front view of an optical path of the oral cavity CT in fig. 3A.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic perspective view of an oral cavity CT comprising a floor standing swivel mechanism according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 5A is a schematic front side perspective view of a probe moving structure according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application, 5B is a schematic rear side perspective view of the probe moving structure according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application, fig. 5C is a schematic side view of the probe moving structure according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application, and fig. 5D is a schematic top view of the probe moving structure according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 6 shows a schematic flow diagram of an imaging method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The present application will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments are shown. This application may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the application to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification and throughout the drawings.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being directly on another element, there are no intervening elements present.

It will be understood that, although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings herein.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, including "at least one", unless the content clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Further, spatially relative terms such as "below … …" or "above … …" and "above … …" may be used herein to describe one element's relationship to another element as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in one of the figures is turned over, elements described as "below" other elements would then be oriented "above" the other elements. The exemplary terms "below" or "beneath" can therefore encompass both an orientation of above and below.

As used herein, "about" or "approximately" includes the stated value as well as the average value over an acceptable range of deviation for the specified value as determined by one of ordinary skill in the art taking into account the ongoing measurement and the error associated with the measurement of the specified quantity (i.e., the limitations of the measurement system).

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

Fig. 1A shows a schematic perspective view of an exemplary oral CT of the prior art. As shown in fig. 1A, the oral CT includes an X-ray source 100, a detector 200. The X-ray source 100 emits X-rays to irradiate the projection a, and the detector detects the X-rays passing through the projection a. An underslung rotation mechanism is shown in fig. 1A, which is capable of rotating the X-ray source 100 and detector 200 about an axis of rotation in a vertical direction (i.e., the z-direction in fig. 1A) about the projector a.

Fig. 1B shows a schematic front view of the optical path of the oral cavity CT in fig. 1A. As shown in fig. 1B, the detector 200 cannot cover the entire length of the projector a due to the long length of the projector a, i.e., the large dimension of the projector a in the vertical direction (i.e., the z-axis direction). It should be noted that, in the present application, the term "length" refers to a dimension in a vertical direction, that is, a dimension in a vertical direction. For example, at least the end portions in the longitudinal direction of the projection body a (both end portions located outside the optical path in fig. 1B) cannot be covered. Thus, a long length of the projection cannot be imaged completely by conventional oral CT.

Fig. 2A shows a schematic perspective view of a detector of an oral cavity CT according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application in a top position, and fig. 2B shows a schematic front view of an optical path of the oral cavity CT in fig. 2A. Fig. 3A shows a schematic perspective view of a detector of an oral cavity CT according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application in a bottom position, and fig. 3B shows a schematic front view of an optical path of the oral cavity CT in fig. 3A.

The detector 200 of the oral CT according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application is movable in the vertical direction. As shown in fig. 2A, 2B, the probe 200 is able to cover at least the length of the upper half of the projection a when the probe 200 is moved in the vertical direction to the top position. Thus, after the detector 200 is moved to the top position, the X-ray source 100 and the detector 200 may be rotated around the object A to generate X-ray data, thereby enabling a CT image of at least the upper half of the object A to be obtained.

Similarly, as shown in fig. 3A, 3B, the detector 200 can cover at least the lower half of the length of the projection a when the detector 200 is moved to the bottom position in the vertical direction. Thus, after the detector 200 is moved to the bottom position, the X-ray source 100 and the detector 200 may be rotated around the projection a to generate X-ray data, thereby obtaining a CT image of at least a lower half of the projection a. Furthermore, a complete three-dimensional reconstructed image of the projection a in the vertical direction can be obtained by processing the CT image of at least the upper half and the CT image of at least the lower half of the projection a.

Therefore, the oral CT in which the detector according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application can move in the vertical direction can expand the scanning range in the vertical direction compared to the conventional oral CT. It will be appreciated that according to the exemplary embodiments shown in fig. 2A, 2B and fig. 3A, 3B, a complete three-dimensional reconstructed image of the projection a in the vertical direction can be obtained, but in certain other embodiments there is also the possibility that the moved detector 200 does not obtain a complete three-dimensional reconstructed image of the projection a in the vertical direction, but the concept of the present application is not affected thereby.

In summary, with the oral CT according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application, when a projection having a large length is detected (for example, the length of the projection cannot be covered), with the same size of the detector, the field of view of the oral CT in the length direction can be enlarged by moving the detector.

In certain exemplary embodiments, it may be determined by visual inspection whether the detector covers the length of the projector.

In some exemplary embodiments, the rotating mechanism is a downward suspension rotating mechanism and includes a first lower suspension arm connected to the X-ray source and a second lower suspension arm connected to the detector, wherein the detector is provided with a guide rail in a vertical direction on a surface facing away from the X-ray source, the vertical guide rail is provided with a guide rail sliding block matched with the vertical guide rail, the second lower suspension arm is fixedly connected to the guide rail sliding block, and the second lower suspension arm is provided with a fixing piece for fixing the detector, so as to hold the detector in a proper position.

In the event that it is determined that the probe does not cover the length of the projector, in some embodiments, the probe 200 may be moved in the vertical direction manually.

In some embodiments, the detector 200 may also be moved (in the vertical direction) by a mechanical device (e.g., a motor).

Fig. 4 shows a schematic perspective view of an oral cavity CT comprising a floor standing swivel mechanism according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 4, the floor-type rotating mechanism includes a floor base 5, an X-ray source column 2, and a detector column 4. The X-ray source column 2 and the detector column 4 are arranged on the floor base 5 and can rotate on the floor base 5. The X-ray source column 2 can be used for mounting the X-ray source 1, and the detector column 4 can be used for mounting the detector. In fig. 4, a probe moving structure 3 is also shown for moving the probe in the vertical direction. As shown in fig. 4, the probe moving structure 3 may be connected to the upper end surface of the probe column 4.

Fig. 5A to 5D are schematic views illustrating a probe moving structure according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application, wherein fig. 5A is a schematic front side perspective view of the probe moving structure according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application, fig. 5B is a schematic rear side perspective view of the probe moving structure according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application, fig. 5C is a schematic side view of the probe moving structure according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application, and fig. 5D is a schematic top view of the probe moving structure according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present application, the probe moving structure may include: a detector fixing plate 7 and a mounting plate 12. The probe fixing plate 7 is configured to mount the probe 6 on a front surface (hereinafter referred to as a first surface) by, for example, bolts, and is provided with vertical guide rails 10 on a back surface (hereinafter referred to as a second surface). For example, the vertical guide rails 10 are symmetrically installed at both ends of the probe fixing plate 7. Although two rails 10 are shown in the exemplary embodiment of fig. 5A-5D, the scope of the present application is not so limited, and any number of rails capable of enabling detector movement is within the scope of the present application. It should be noted that the number of components shown in the drawings in the present specification is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application. The vertical guide rail 10 is provided with a guide rail sliding block 14 matched with the vertical guide rail. The probe fixing plate 7 may be omitted, and various components may be provided on the back surface of the probe 6. The mounting plate 12 is secured to a detector column (not shown), for example, by a mounting bracket 8. The mounting plate 12 is fixedly connected to the rail block 14 so that the probe fixing plate 7 can move in the vertical direction.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the probe 6 may also be moved in the length direction and held in place by manually moving the probe-securing plate 7, for example, by a fixture (not shown), in the event that it is determined that the probe 6 does not cover the length of the projection volume.

In certain exemplary embodiments, referring to fig. 5A to 5D, the detector moving structure may further include a motor 9, and the motor 9 drives the detector-fixing plate 7 to move in the vertical direction.

Referring to fig. 5A to 5D, the probe moving structure may further include a rack 13 mounted on the second surface of the probe fixing plate 7. The motor 9 is provided with a spur gear 11 on an output shaft thereof, and the spur gear 11 is engaged with a rack 13. Thus, when the motor 9 rotates, the motor shaft drives the spur gear 11 to rotate, the rack 13 makes vertical movement on the gear 11, and the vertical movement of the rack 13 drives the vertical movement of the detector 6.

In some embodiments, the oral CT may also include a comparison controller (not shown). The comparison controller may compare the intensity of the X-rays detected by the detector 200 with the intensity of the X-rays emitted by the X-ray source 100, wherein the intensity of the X-rays emitted by the X-ray source 100 may be preset in the comparison controller. The detector 200 is capable of detecting the intensities of a plurality of X-rays, for example, in the case shown in fig. 1A and 1B, since all the X-rays detected by the detector pass through the irradiation object a, the intensities of all the X-rays detected by the detector are smaller than the intensities of the X-rays emitted by the X-ray source. In this case, the comparison controller may control the motor to drive the probe 200 to move in the vertical direction. It will be appreciated that other detectors may also be provided at the edges of the detector 200, respectively, to communicate with the comparison controller. However, with the above embodiment, a similar operation can be performed by one detector 200, saving cost. Furthermore, it should be noted that the comparison controller may comprise software, hardware or a combination thereof. For example, the comparison controller may be a virtual component, the function of which may be implemented by a computer executing corresponding software. In some embodiments, the comparison controller may be a separate component or may be part of another component (e.g., a computer).

In some embodiments, the comparison controller may control the motor to drive the detector 200 to move until, among the X-rays detected by the detector, there is an X-ray having an intensity equal to that of the X-ray emitted from the X-ray source. For example, the comparison controller may control the motor to drive the detector 200 to move to the position shown in fig. 2A and 2B, at which time, since at least the outermost X-rays detected by the detector do not pass through the object a, the intensity of at least the outermost X-rays is equal to the intensity of the X-rays emitted by the X-ray source.

In some embodiments, the comparison controller may control the motor to move the detector 200 until the detector 200 cannot move any more in the same direction (up to the maximum movement range of the detector 200), and the intensity of all the X-rays detected by the detector is less than the intensity of the X-rays emitted by the X-ray source. In this case, the comparison controller may drive the detector 200 to move up to the maximum movement range of the detector 200 to obtain the largest possible field of view.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present application, the comparison controller may control the motor to drive the detector 200 to move upward until there is an X-ray having an intensity equal to that of the X-ray emitted from the X-ray source among the X-rays detected by the detector 200, or until the detector 200 is moved to an upper limit position (a maximum upward movement range of the detector 200). Then, the comparison controller may control the motor to drive the detector 200 to move downward until there is an X-ray having an intensity equal to that of the X-ray emitted from the X-ray source among the X-rays detected by the detector 200, or until the detector 200 is moved to a lower limit position (a maximum downward movement range of the detector 200).

With the above embodiments, the oral CT of the present application can be automatically adjusted to obtain the largest possible field of view.

In some embodiments, the comparison controller is also capable of identifying a specific location of the detector 200 and the intensity of the X-rays detected at that location. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present application, the comparison controller may control the motor to drive the detector 200 to move downward and identify the intensity of the X-ray detected by the lower edge portion of the detector 200 when the comparison controller identifies that the intensity of the X-ray detected by the upper edge portion of the detector 200 is equal to the intensity of the X-ray emitted from the X-ray source, and control the motor to stop moving the detector 200 when the intensities of the X-ray detected by the upper edge portion of the detector 200 and the lower edge portion of the detector 200 are both equal to the intensity of the X-ray emitted from the X-ray source. Alternatively, when the comparison controller recognizes that the intensity of the X-rays detected by the lower edge portion of the detector 200 is equal to the intensity of the X-rays emitted from the X-ray source, the comparison controller may control the motor to drive the detector 200 to move upward and recognize the intensity of the X-rays detected by the upper edge portion of the detector 200, and when the intensities of the X-rays detected by the upper edge portion of the detector 200 and the lower edge portion of the detector 200 are both equal to the intensity of the X-rays emitted from the X-ray source, the comparison controller controls the motor to stop moving the detector 200.

In this way, the oral CT according to the present application can automatically adjust its position to image the projection subject in the event that the detector 200 itself is of sufficient size to cover the projection subject and thus does not completely cover the projection subject due to improper placement of the projection subject (e.g., up or down).

Fig. 6 shows a schematic flow diagram of an imaging method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 6, an imaging method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application may include the steps of:

s10 irradiating the projection object with X-rays emitted from the X-ray source;

s20 detecting the X-ray passing through the object by using the detector to generate the data of the X-ray; and

s30 rotates the X-ray source and detector about a vertical axis of rotation about the projector.

In certain embodiments, step S20 includes detecting X-rays passing through the object after moving the detector a distance in a vertical direction to generate data of the X-rays.

In general, the principles and specific operation of the imaging method according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application generally correspond to the oral cavity CT according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application described above, and therefore, for brevity, no further description thereof is provided herein, and reference may be made to the description of the oral cavity CT according to the exemplary embodiment of the present application described above.

While certain exemplary embodiments and examples have been described herein, other embodiments and modifications will be apparent from the above description. Various changes and modifications to the embodiments of the present application may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the teachings of the present application. The inventive concept is therefore not limited to the embodiments but is to be defined by the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.

Claims (9)

1. An oral CT, comprising:

an X-ray source configured to emit X-rays to irradiate a projection body;

a detector configured to detect X-rays passing through the object to generate data of the X-rays; and

a rotation mechanism configured to be able to rotate the X-ray source and the detector around a rotation axis of a vertical direction around a projection,

wherein the detector is movable in a vertical direction.

2. The oral CT of claim 1, wherein the rotating mechanism is a downward-hanging rotating mechanism and comprises a first lower suspension arm connected to the X-ray source and a second lower suspension arm connected to the detector, wherein the detector is provided with a guide rail in a vertical direction on a surface thereof facing away from the X-ray source, the guide rail is provided with a guide rail slider engaged therewith, the second lower suspension arm is fixedly connected to the guide rail slider, and the second lower suspension arm is provided with a fixing member for fixing the detector.

3. The oral CT of claim 1, wherein said rotation mechanism is a floor-standing rotation mechanism and comprises:

a landing base;

the X-ray source upright post is mounted on the floor base and can rotate on the floor base, and the X-ray source upright post is used for mounting the X-ray source; and

the detector stand column is installed on the floor base and can rotate on the floor base, and the detector stand column is used for installing the detector.

4. The oral CT of claim 3, further comprising a detector moving structure coupled to the detector column, the detector moving structure comprising:

the vertical guide rail is fixed on the surface of the detector, which faces away from the X-ray source, and a guide rail sliding block matched with the vertical guide rail is arranged on the vertical guide rail; and

and the mounting plate is fixed on the detector stand column and is fixedly connected with the guide rail sliding block, so that the detector can move in the vertical direction.

5. The oral CT of claim 4, wherein the detector moving structure further comprises a motor that drives the detector to move in a vertical direction.

6. The oral CT of claim 5, wherein the detector moving structure further comprises:

a rack mounted on a surface of the detector facing away from the X-ray source,

the output shaft of the motor is provided with a straight gear, and the straight gear is meshed with the rack.

7. The oral CT of claim 5, further comprising a comparison controller configured to compare the intensity of X-rays detected by the detector with the intensity of X-rays emitted by the X-ray source, and to control the motor to drive the detector to move in a vertical direction when the intensity of X-rays detected by the detector is less than the intensity of X-rays emitted by the X-ray source.

8. The oral CT of claim 7,

the comparison controller controls the motor to drive the detector to move upward until there is an X-ray having an intensity equal to that of the X-ray emitted from the X-ray source among the X-rays detected by the detector or until the detector is moved to an upper limit position, and

the comparison controller controls the motor to drive the detector to move downwards until there is an X-ray having an intensity equal to that of the X-ray emitted from the X-ray source among the X-rays detected by the detector, or until the detector is moved to a lower limit position.

9. The oral CT of claim 5, further comprising a comparison controller configured to compare an intensity of X-rays detected by the detector with an intensity of X-rays emitted by the X-ray source, and the comparison controller is further configured to identify a location of the detector and the intensity of X-rays detected at the location, and,

when the comparison controller identifies that the intensity of the X-ray detected by the upper edge part of the detector is equal to the intensity of the X-ray emitted by the X-ray source, the comparison controller controls the motor to drive the detector to move downwards and identifies the intensity of the X-ray detected by the lower edge part of the detector, and when the intensities of the X-ray detected by the upper edge part of the detector and the lower edge part of the detector are both equal to the intensity of the X-ray emitted by the X-ray source, the comparison controller controls the motor to stop moving the detector; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

when the comparison controller identifies that the intensity of the X-ray detected by the lower edge part of the detector is equal to the intensity of the X-ray emitted by the X-ray source, the comparison controller controls the motor to drive the detector to move upwards and identifies the intensity of the X-ray detected by the upper edge part of the detector, and when the intensities of the X-ray detected by the upper edge part of the detector and the lower edge part of the detector are both equal to the intensity of the X-ray emitted by the X-ray source, the comparison controller controls the motor to stop moving the detector.