Anatomically coordinated user dominated programmer for diagnostic x-ray apparatus

An anatomically based programmed diagnostic x-ray system for conducting diagnostic technics comprising an x-ray tube and power control means coupled with said x-ray tube for controlling its power,

• central processor means having input and output means and including memory means for storing data corresponding with parameters including the x-ray tube current (mA), x-ray tube kilovoltage (kV), exposure time (S), current-exposure time product (mAs), use and nonuse of automatic exposure control (AEC), x-ray field area sensor means and x-ray tube focal spot size for various x-ray technics and for storing programs to control said processor means,
• automatic exposure control means included in said power control means,
• a plurality of manually operable switch means having active and inactive states including technic selector switch means related, respectively, to anatomical areas composing the entire human body and user dominating switch means operable to select kV, mA and mAs independently at the option of the user,
• said technic selector switch means being operable, respectively, to active states for selecting programs which determine the parameters for a predetermined priority x-ray technic for the anatomical area related to the technic selector switch means which has been operated and in which technics said AEC means is activated,
• means for coupling said switch means to said input means to enable said processor means to scan the states of said switch means, said processor means responding to switch means in active states by executing a program which results in providing output data corresponding with parameters for the selected technic, said x-ray tube power control means being responsive to said output data,
• said power control means including means for determining the kilovoltage (kV), current (mA), exposure time (S), and current.times.time product (mAs) parameters for said x-ray tube for the technic which is to be executed,
• operation of any of said user dominating switch means being determined by said central processor means as being an active state for said switch means, said central processor means responding by providing output data corresponding to the setting of any of said user dominating switch means for thereby controlling said power control means to determine the modified selected parameter in preference to the priority parameters which would have controlled if only a technic selector switch means for an anatomical area were actuated to an active state.

In a diagnostic x-ray system including an x-ray tube, means for controlling x-ray technic parameters including the kV and mA applied to said tube during an exposure and the exposure time, an x-ray technic programmer for establishing the parameters for technics based on discrete anatomical areas respectively composing an entire human body, comprising:

• an array of switch means including members of said array which designate said anatomical areas respectively, including bony structures, organs and extremities,
• central processor means having input and output means,
• memory means for storing control algorithms for said central processor means, for storing fixed system constants, for storing data comprising control parameters and x-ray technic parameters,
• multiplexer means having input means coupled to said respective switch means and having output means coupled with said central processor input means,
• said central processor means being responsive to data multiplexed onto said input means upon actuation of one of said anatomical area switch means by accessing predetermined parameter data from said memory means pertaining to the parameters for the technic determined by said actuation,
• output register means coupled to said output means for receiving data representative of said parameters,
• display means, for displaying at least some of said parameters, driven by said output register means,
• a plurality of output port means coupled to said central processor output means,
• means responsive to parameter related signals corresponding with data supplied to said output port means by controlling said controlling means for said x-ray technic parameters,
• said algorithms control said central processor means to select data for producing a specific parameter for the kV to be used for each technic selected by actuation of said switch means and for producing a parameter for an unvarying value of mA for said technic which will result in constant power being applied to said x-ray tube for the entire duration of any exposure.

In a diagnostic x-ray system including an x-ray tube, means for controlling x-ray technic parameters including the kV and mA applied to said tube during an exposure and the exposure time, an x-ray technic programmer for establishing the parameters for technics based on discrete anatomical areas respectively composing an entire human body, comprising:

• an array of switch means including members of said array which designate said anatomical areas respectively, including bony structures, organs and extremities,
• central processor means having input and output means,
• memory means for storing control algorithms for said processor means, for storing fixed system constants, for storing data comprising control parameters and x-ray technic parameters,
• multiplexer means having input means coupled to said respective switch means and having output means coupled with said processor input means,
• said processor means being responsive to data multiplexed onto said input means upon actuation of one of said anatomical area switch means by accessing predetermined parameter data from said memory means pertaining to the parameters for the technic determined by said actuation,
• a plurality of output port means coupled to said central processor output means,
• means responsive to parameter related signals corresponding with data supplied to said output port means by controlling said controlling means for said x-ray technic parameters,
• said plurality of switch means including slewing switch means operable by the user to dominate by altering or overriding the programmed technic parameters of kV, mA and mAs incrementally, said slewing switch means being operable to states which are determined by said central processor means and cause said means to process said signals in lieu of signals received as a result of operation of said anatomical area related technic selector switch means, said programs determining those instances where said altered values of one or both of kV and mAs would result in the kilowatt load to said x-ray tube reaching maximum permissible value as contained in said memory means such that further incrementing of said kV and mAs parameters will cause the programmed value of tube current to be decremented in a plurality of percentage steps representing altered values of constant tube current for the duration of the subsequent x-ray exposure, and
• means for displaying numerically the values of mA resulting from altering.

A diagnostic x-ray system with an anatomically based programmed technic selector including an x-ray tube and power control means coupled with said tube, some of the parameters for x-ray technics controlled by said control means being the values of the current (mA), kilovoltage (kV), exposure time (S) and focal spot size of the tube and other parameters being the use and nonuse of automatic exposure control (AEC) and the x-ray field area sensor means to be used for a technic,

• central processor means having input and output means and including memory means for storing data corresponding with parameters for various x-ray technics and for storing programs to control said processor to select the parameters for the desired technic,
• a plurality of manually operable switch means having active and inactive states and including technic selector switch means related to anatomical areas, respectively composing the entire human body, said technic selector switch means being operable respectively to active states for effecting selection of a program which determines the preferential parameters for a frontal x-ray exposure of the corresponding anatomical area,
• means for coupling said switch means to said input means to enable said processor means to repeatedly determine the states of said switch means, said processor means responding to a technic selector switch means being in an active state by executing a program which results in providing output data to said output means corresponding with the parameters for the selected technic, and
• means responsive to said output data by controlling said x-ray tube power control means, and
• automatic exposure control means use of which is a preferential parameter for a majority of technics selectable with said anatomical area related technic selector switch means, said automatic exposure control means being preferentially activated by output data on said output means resulting from operation of one of a majority of said anatomical area related technic selector switch means for controlling said x-ray tube power control means to control the time of said exposure,
• some of said switch means being slewing switch means operable to select any of the x-ray tube kV, mA and mAs parameters, respectively, at the discretion of the user to override temporarily corresponding parameters determined by a program selected by operation of one of said anatomical area technic selector switch means,
• said processor means responding to any and all of said kV, mA and mAs slewing switches being operated to an active state by providing data on said output means corresponding with the selected value of mA, kV and mAs, and
• display means and means responsive to output data corresponding with the value of the kV, mA and mAs parameters as they are being selected and after selection is complete by controlling said means to display said values.