Device for contact-free transmission of signals and measured data in a computed tomography apparatus

#1. Field of the Invention

#The invention concerns a device for contact-less transmission of signals and measurement data between a rotatable part and a stationary part in a computed tomography apparatus.

#2. Description of the Prior Art

#FIG. 1 schematically illustrates the basic components of a computed tomography apparatus embodying a device for contact-free transmission of signals and measured data in accordance with the present invention.

#FIG. 2 is a view through the computed tomography apparatus of FIG. 1 along the z-direction.

#FIG. 3 illustrates a first embodiment for arrangement of the transmission-reception devices in accordance with the present invention.

#For simplification, unidirectional transmission of signals is described. Transmission in the opposite direction ensues analogously. In particular a bidirectional transmission of signals is possible with the described device.

#FIG. 1 shows a schematic design of a computed tomography scanner 1 with a patient bed 2, a gantry 3 and a data processing unit 4. The gantry 3 exhibits a central opening 5 into which the patient bed 2 with a patient located thereupon can be run in a z-direction given an examination. The gantry 3 has a stationary unit 6 and an x-ray device 7 rotatable around a z-axis A. The x-ray device 7 comprises an x-ray tube 8 and an oppositely-arranged detector 9. An x-ray beam emanating from the x-ray tube 8 is designated with the reference character 10. A second transmission/reception device 11 and a further second transmission/reception device 12 are mounted on the x-ray device 7. These are offset in the z-direction and mounted with the same radial separations and azimuthal angles with regard to the z-axis A. At the stationary unit 6 a first transmission/reception device 13 is mounted in an upper region. In a lower region a further transmission/reception device 14 is mounted offset by 180° from the z-axis A. the first transmission/reception device 13 and the further first transmission/reception device 14 are separated equally far from the z-axis A. A directed first laser beam 15 emanates from the second transmission/reception device 11 in the direction of the first transmission/reception device 13. A laser beam 16 directed in the direction of the further first transmission/reception device 14 emanates from the further transmission/reception device 12. The first transmission/reception device 13 and the further first transmission/reception device 14 of the stationary unit 16 are connected with the data processing unit 4 by means of first conductors 17. The reference characters x and y designate the x- and y-directions belonging to the z-direction z. The term “transmission/reception device” is abbreviated in the following with “SE”.

#The operation of the scanner is as follows: