Collimator shutter drive mechanism
AssigneeClaymount Assemblies B.V.
InventorRobert Kwerreveld
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Technology is described for a collimator assembly for a radiation collimator. In one example, the collimator assembly includes a base and a shutter assembly. The shutter assembly includes a lower shutter and a shutter control. The lower shutter includes a yoke, a control pin, and an inner extension extending from a first end of the yoke and supports the control pin. The shutter control includes a ramp feature that is slidably engaged with the control pin. The yoke rotates as the control pin slides along the ramp feature, and the shutter control is slidably engaged with the base.
Claims21
A collimator assembly, comprising:
- a base;
- and
- a shutter assembly including:
- a lower shutter that includes:
- a yoke,
- a control pin, and
- an inner extension extending from a first end of the yoke and supports the control pin;
- and
- a shutter control that includes a ramp feature that is slidably engaged with the control pin, wherein the yoke rotates as the control pin slides along the ramp feature, and the shutter control is slidably engaged with the base.
A method of collimating radiation, the method comprising:
- sliding a shutter control that includes a ramp feature along a base of a collimator assembly;
- sliding a control pin along the ramp feature when the shutter control slides along the base;
- rotating a yoke of a lower shutter about an axis of an inner hinge pin when the control pin slides along the ramp feature, wherein the yoke includes an inner extension extending from a first end of the yoke that supports the control pin and the inner hinge pin, and the yoke includes an outer extension extending from a second end of the yoke that supports an outer hinge pin;
- and
- variably blocking radiation based on the rotation of the lower shutter.
A collimator assembly, comprising:
- a base including an opening;
- two shutter controls;
- four shutter brackets;
- four shutter assemblies, wherein each shutter assembly is located on one of four sides of the opening and each shutter assembly includes:
- a lower shutter that includes:
- a yoke,
- a control pin,
- an inner hinge pin,
- an inner extension extending from a first end of the yoke and supports the control pin and the inner hinge pin,
- an outer hinge pin, and
- an outer extension extending from a second end of the yoke and supports the outer hinge pin;
- and
- wherein two opposing shutter assemblies provide a shutter assembly pair, and one shutter assembly pair is substantially perpendicular to another shutter assembly pair;
- wherein control pins of lower shutters of each shutter assembly pair are silidably engaged with separate ramp features of one of the two shutter controls, and each yoke rotates as a corresponding control pin slides along a corresponding ramp feature;
- and
- wherein the inner hinge pins of the lower shutters of each shutter assembly pair are supported by an inner shutter bracket that is one of the four shutter brackets, and the outer hinge pins of the lower shutters of each shutter assembly pair are supported by an outer shutter bracket that is one of the four shutter brackets, and each inner hinge pin is hingedly engaged with the inner extension or the inner shutter bracket, and each outer hinge pin is hingedly engaged with the outer extension or the outer shutter bracket.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.