System and method for table/gantry alignment in imaging systems

For an imaging system including a gantry having a patient bore, and a patient table having a cradle, a method of aligning the cradle with a scan plane in the patient bore, comprising:

• positioning a laser device at least partially within the patient bore, the laser device producing an alignment laser beam projecting along an axis of the patient bore normal to the scan plane;
• and
• aligning the cradle of the patient table such that when the cradle is translated into the scan plane in the patient bore, the alignment laser beam intersects a positioning target on the cradle,
• wherein the laser device further produces a plurality of coplanar laser beams perpendicular to the alignment laser beam, each coplanar laser beam intersecting an associated positioning point on a septum.

For an imaging system including a gantry having a patient bore, and a patient table having a cradle, a method of aligning the cradle with a scan plane in the patient bore, comprising:

• positioning a laser device at least partially within the patient bore, the laser device producing an alignment laser beam projecting along an axis of the patient bore normal to the scan plane;
• advancing the cradle into the patient bore;
• and
• repeatedly determining that the alignment laser beam intersects a positioning target on the cradle when the cradle is being advanced into the patient bore.

For an imaging system including a gantry having a patient bore, and a patient table having a cradle, a method of aligning the cradle with a scan plane in the patient bore, comprising:

• positioning a laser device at least partially within the patient bore, the laser device producing an alignment laser beam projecting along an axis of the patient bore normal to the scan plane;
• advancing the cradle into the patient bore;
• and
• repeatedly determining that the alignment laser beam intersects a positioning target on the cradle when the cradle is being advanced into the patient bore,
• wherein the laser device produces a plurality of coplanar laser beams perpendicular to the alignment laser beam, each coplanar laser beam intersecting an associated positioning point on a septum.

An imaging system comprising:

• a gantry including a patient bore;
• a patient table including a cradle;
• and
• a laser device positioned at least partially within the patient bore and configured to produce an alignment laser beam projecting along an axis of the patient bore normal to a scan plane,
• wherein the alignment laser beam is configured to intersect a positioning target on the cradle such that the cradle is normal to the scan plane when the cradle is translated into the patient bore.

An imaging system comprising;

• a gantry including a patient bore;
• a patient table including a cradle;
• and
• a laser device positioned at least partially within the patient bore and configured to produce an alignment laser beam projecting alone an axis of the patient bore normal to a scan plane,
• wherein the alignment laser beam is configured to intersect a positioning target on the cradle such that the cradle is normal to the scan plane when the cradle is translated into the patient bore, and
• the laser device is configured to produce a plurality of coplanar laser beams perpendicular to the alignment laser beam, each coplanar laser beam configured to intersect an associated positioning point on a septum.