Abstract:
An imaging system including a scanner for scanning an object and creating an image of the same; and a transport mechanism mounted to the scanner for moving the scanner, wherein the transport mechanism includes a gross movement mechanism for transporting the scanner between scanning locations; and a fine movement mechanism for moving the scanner precisely, relative to the object being scanned, during scanning of the object; wherein the gross movement mechanism comprises at least one motorized wheel.

Description:
REFERENCE TO PRIOR PATENT APPLICATIONS 
     This patent application is a continuation of pending prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/304,006, filed Nov. 23, 2011 by Eric Bailey et al. for ANATOMICAL IMAGING SYSTEM WITH CENTIPEDE SCANNING DRIVE, BOTTOM NOTCH TO ACCOMMODATE BASE OF PATIENT SUPPORT, AND MOTORIZED DRIVE FOR TRANSPORTING THE SYSTEM BETWEEN SCANNING LOCATIONS, which in turn: 
     (i) is a continuation-in-part of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/655,360, filed Dec. 29, 2009 by Andrew P. Tybinkowski et al. for ANATOMICAL IMAGING SYSTEM WITH CENTIPEDE BELT DRIVE, which is a continuation of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/706,133, filed Feb. 13, 2007 by Andrew P. Tybinkowski et al. for ANATOMICAL IMAGING SYSTEM WITH CENTIPEDE BELT DRIVE, which is a continuation of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/193,941, filed Jul. 29, 2005 by Andrew P. Tybinkowski et al. for ANATOMICAL IMAGING SYSTEM WITH CENTIPEDE BELT DRIVE, which claims benefit of (a) prior U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/670,164, filed Apr. 11, 2005 by Andrew P. Tybinkowski et al. for ANATOMICAL IMAGING SYSTEM WITH CENTIPEDE DRIVE; and (b) prior U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/593,001, filed Jul. 30, 2004 by Bernard Gordon et al. for ANATOMICAL SCANNING SYSTEM; 
     (ii) is a continuation-in-part of pending prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/250,754, filed Sep. 30, 2011 by Eric Bailey et al. for ANATOMICAL IMAGING SYSTEM WITH CENTIPEDE BELT DRIVE AND BOTTOM NOTCH TO ACCOMMODATE BASE OF PATIENT SUPPORT, which claims benefit of prior U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/388,487, filed Sep. 30, 2010 by Eric Bailey et al. for ANATOMICAL IMAGING SYSTEM WITH CENTIPEDE BELT DRIVE AND BOTTOM NOTCH TO ACCOMMODATE BASE OF PATIENT SUPPORT; and 
     (iii) claims benefit of prior U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/417,032, filed Nov. 24, 2010 by Eric Bailey et al. for ANATOMICAL IMAGING SYSTEM WITH CENTIPEDE BELT DRIVE AND BOTTOM NOTCH TO ACCOMMODATE BASE OF PATIENT SUPPORT. 
     The above-identified patent applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to imaging systems in general, and more particularly to anatomical imaging systems. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     CereTom® CT Machine with Centipede Belt Drive 
     Looking first at  FIGS. 1-4 , there is shown a CereTom® CT machine  5  made by Neurologica Corp. of Danvers, Mass. CereTom® CT machine  5  is a relatively small, mobile CT machine which is intended to be brought to the patient so that the patient can be scanned at the patient&#39;s current location, rather than requiring that the patient be transported to the location of a CT machine, so as to facilitate more rapid and/or more convenient scanning of the patient. 
     CereTom® CT machine  5  generally comprises a torus  10  which is supported by a base  15 . A center opening  20  is formed in torus  10 . Center opening  20  receives the patient anatomy which is to be scanned by CereTom® CT machine  5 . Inasmuch as CereTom® CT machine  5  is designed to be as small and mobile as possible, and inasmuch as CereTom® CT machine  5  is intended to be used extensively for stroke diagnosis applications, center opening  20  is configured to be just slightly larger than the head of a patient. 
     Looking next at  FIG. 3 , torus  10  of CereTom® CT machine  5  generally comprises an X-ray tube assembly  25 , an X-ray detector assembly  30 , and a rotating drum assembly  35 . X-ray tube assembly  25  and X-ray detector assembly  30  are mounted to rotating drum assembly  35  in diametrically-opposed relation, such that the X-ray beam  40  (generated by X-ray tube assembly  25  and detected by X-ray detector assembly  30 ) is passed through the patient anatomy which is disposed in center opening  20 . Significantly, inasmuch as X-ray tube assembly  25  and X-ray detector assembly  30  are mounted on rotating drum assembly  35  so that they rotate concentrically about center opening  20 , X-ray beam  40  will be passed through the patient&#39;s anatomy along a full range of radial positions, so as to enable CereTom® CT machine  5  to create a visual rendition of the scanned anatomy using computerized tomography algorithms of the sort well known in the art. 
     Still looking at  FIG. 3 , the various electronic hardware and software for controlling the operation of X-ray tube assembly  25 , X-ray detector assembly  30 , and rotating drum assembly  35 , as well as for processing the acquired scan data so as to generate the desired visual rendition of the scanned anatomy, are located in torus  10  and/or base  15 . 
     Looking next at  FIGS. 3 and 4 , base  15  of CereTom® CT machine  5  comprises a transport assembly  50  for moving the CereTom® CT machine  5  relative to the patient. More particularly, transport assembly  50  comprises a gross movement mechanism  55  for moving CereTom® CT machine  5  relatively quickly across room distances, and a fine movement mechanism  60  for moving CereTom® CT machine  5  precisely, relative to the patient, during scanning. Gross movement mechanism  55  preferably comprises a plurality of casters  62 , and fine movement mechanism  60  preferably comprises a plurality of centipede belt drives  63 . Hydraulic apparatus  65  permits either gross movement mechanism  55 , or fine movement mechanism  60 , to be engaged with the floor, whereby to facilitate appropriate movement of CereTom® CT machine  5 . Thus, with CereTom® CT machine  5 , the CT machine may be pre-positioned in an “out of the way” location in an emergency room and then, when a patient requires scanning, the patient may be scanned right at their bedside, by quickly moving the CT machine to the patient&#39;s bedside on gross movement mechanism  55  (e.g., casters  62 ), and thereafter moving the machine during scanning on fine movement mechanism  60  (e.g., centipede belt drives  63 ). 
     Looking again at  FIG. 3 , base  15  also includes other system components in addition to those discussed above, e.g., batteries  70  for powering various electrical components of CereTom® CT machine  5 , etc. 
     As noted above, the various components of CereTom® CT machine  5  are engineered so as to provide a relatively small and mobile CT machine. As a result, CereTom® CT machine  5  is particularly well suited for use in stroke diagnosis applications. More particularly, since CereTom® CT machine  5  is constructed so as to be a small, mobile unit, it can be pre-positioned in the emergency room of a hospital and then quickly moved to the bedside of a patient when scanning is required, rather than requiring the patient to be transported to a radiology department for scanning. Furthermore, the patient can be scanned while remaining on their hospital bed or gurney, since CereTom® CT machine  5  moves relative to the patient during scanning. This is extremely beneficial, since it eliminates transport delays and hence significantly reduces the time needed to scan the patient, which can be extremely important in timely diagnosing a potential stroke victim. 
     Further details regarding the construction and use of CereTom® CT machine  5  are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,175,347, 7,637,660, 7,568,836, 7,963,696, 7,438,471, 7,397,895, 7,396,160 and 7,736,056, which patents are hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     Operating Room Applications 
     In practice, CereTom® CT machine  5  has proven to be highly effective in the timely diagnosis of potential stroke victims. In addition, CereTom® CT machine  5  has also proven to be highly effective in other head scanning applications, in the scanning of limbs (e.g., arms and/or hands, legs and/or feet), and in scanning infants and small toddlers (e.g., those capable of fitting within center opening  20 ). Furthermore, CereTom® CT machine  5  has also proven highly effective in veterinarian applications (e.g., to scan the leg and/or hoof of a horse). 
     Significantly, in view of the relatively small size and high mobility of CereTom® CT machine  5 , CT scanning has been conducted in a wide range of different locations, e.g., in emergency rooms for stroke diagnosis, in operating rooms for neurosurgical applications, in veterinary clinics for animal treatment, etc. 
     In view of the substantial success of CereTom® CT machine  5 , it has now been desired to increase the size of CereTom® CT machine  5  so that it can be used for full body scanning, e.g., such as during a spinal procedure in an operating room. To this end, it is necessary for CereTom® CT machine  5  to be scaled up in size so that the diameter of center opening  20  is large enough to receive both the torso of the patient and the surgical platform needed to support the patient during the surgical procedure. However, in this respect, it must also be appreciated that additional changes must be made to CereTom® CT machine  5  in order to permit the aforementioned full body scanning in an operating room setting. 
     More particularly, in  FIGS. 5-7  there is shown a typical patient support  100  for supporting a patient during a surgical procedure. Patient support  100  generally comprises a horizontally-extending surgical platform  105  for receiving and supporting the patient. Horizontally-extending surgical platform  105  is supported above the ground by a horizontally-extending base  110  and a vertically-extending riser  115 . It will be appreciated that horizontally-extending surgical platform  105  essentially comprises a cantilever beam arrangement. It will also be appreciated that, in view of the substantial length of horizontally-extending surgical platform  105 , and also the substantial weight associated with horizontally-extending surgical platform  105  (particularly when a patient is lying on surgical platform  105 ), horizontally-extending base  110  must generally have a substantial length and a substantial mass in order to prevent patient support  100  from tipping over. In other words, in practice, the “head end”  120  of horizontally-extending base  110  must extend a substantial distance away from the “foot end”  125  of horizontally-extending base  110 , and horizontally-extending base  110  must have a substantial mass in order to prevent patient support  100  from tipping over. This substantial mass for horizontally-extending base  110  is typically provided by giving the base a relatively substantial width  127  and a relatively substantial height  128 . 
     Unfortunately, and as seen in  FIGS. 1-4 , base  15  of CereTom® CT machine  5  has a bottom skirt  75  which is disposed very close to the floor when CereTom® CT machine  5  is in its “scanning mode”, i.e., when CereTom® CT machine  5  is supported by, and moves on, its fine movement mechanism  60  (e.g., centipede belt drives  63 ). As a result, simply scaling an existing CereTom® CT machine  5  upward in size to the point where central opening  20  can receive the torso of a patient (and surgical platform  105 ) will not result in a scanning machine which is capable of scanning the patient on patient support  100 , since skirt  75  of base  15  of CereTom® CT machine  5  would engage the “head end”  120  of horizontally-extending base  110  of patient support  100  before CereTom® CT machine  5  can encompass the patient&#39;s torso (and surgical platform  105 ) in its central opening  20 . In this respect it should be appreciated that the bottom of skirt  75  of CereTom® CT machine  5  is substantially even about the perimeter of the machine (i.e., the gap between the bottom of skirt  75  and the floor is substantially uniform about the entire perimeter of the machine). Furthermore, it should also be appreciated that with CereTom® CT machine  5 , the bottom of skirt  75  is disposed relatively close to the surface of the floor, in order to prevent the feet of personnel from getting under the machine and in order to protect the components of the machine from collisions with objects, dust, etc. In fact, when CereTom® CT machine  5  is supported on its centipede belt drives  63 , the bottom of skirt  75  sits approximately 2.2 inches above the surface of the floor. 
     Thus there is a need for a new and improved form of CereTom® CT machine  5  which can be used to scan the torso of a patient while the patient is supported on patient support  100 . 
     In addition to the foregoing, as noted above, in order to enable a CereTom® CT machine  5  to be used for full body scanning, it is necessary to significantly increase the size of the machine. This can make it difficult to manually move the enlarged machine on its gross movement mechanism  55  (e.g., casters  62 ). 
     Thus there is a need to provide a new and improved form of CereTom® CT machine  5  which includes a motorized drive for transporting the system between scanning locations. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     These and other objects of the present invention are addressed by the provision and use of a new and improved form of CereTom® CT machine  5 , which can be used to scan the torso of a patient while the patient is supported on patient support  100 , and which can include a motorized drive for transporting the system between scanning locations. 
     In one preferred form of the invention, there is provided an imaging system comprising: 
     a scanner for scanning an object and creating an image of the same; and 
     a transport mechanism mounted to the scanner for moving the scanner, wherein the transport mechanism comprises:
         a gross movement mechanism for transporting the scanner between scanning locations; and   a fine movement mechanism for moving the scanner precisely, relative to the object being scanned, during scanning of the object;       

     wherein the gross movement mechanism comprises at least one motorized wheel. 
     In another preferred form of the invention, there is provided a method for imaging an object, the method comprising: 
     providing an imaging system comprising:
         a scanner for scanning an object and creating an image of the same; and   a transport mechanism mounted to the scanner for moving the scanner, wherein the transport mechanism comprises:
           a gross movement mechanism for transporting the scanner between scanning locations; and   a fine movement mechanism for moving the scanner precisely, relative to the object being scanned, during scanning of the object;   
           wherein the gross movement mechanism comprises at least one motorized wheel;       

     moving the scanner on the gross movement mechanism; and 
     scanning the object while moving the scanner precisely, relative to the object, with the fine movement mechanism. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other objects and features of the present invention will be more fully disclosed or rendered obvious by the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, which is to be considered together with the accompanying drawings wherein like numbers refer to like parts and further wherein: 
         FIGS. 1-4  are schematic views showing a CereTom® CT machine of the sort made by Neurologica Corp. of Danvers, Mass.; 
         FIGS. 5-7  are schematic views showing a typical patient support for supporting a patient during a surgical procedure; 
         FIGS. 8-15  are schematic views showing a novel BodyTom™ CT machine formed in accordance with the present invention; and 
         FIGS. 16-26  are schematic views showing another novel BodyTom™ CT machine also formed in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In accordance with the present invention, there is now provided a new and improved form of CereTom® CT machine  5 , hereinafter sometimes referred to as the BodyTom™ CT machine, which can be used to scan the torso of a patient while the patient is supported on patient support  100 , and which can include a motorized drive for transporting the system between scanning locations. 
     More particularly, and looking now at  FIGS. 8-11 , there is shown a BodyTom™ CT machine  205  formed in accordance with the present invention. In one preferred form of the invention, BodyTom™ CT machine  205  is preferably substantially the same as the aforementioned CereTom® CT machine  5 , except that (i) BodyTom™ CT machine  205  is scaled up in size so that central opening  220  of BodyTom™ CT machine  205  can receive the full body of a patient (and horizontally-extending surgical platform  105 ), and (ii) a bottom notch  280  is provided in skirt  275  of BodyTom™ CT machine  205 . Bottom notch  280  is sized, relative to horizontally-extending base  110  of patient support  100 , so that BodyTom™ CT machine  205  can encompass the patient&#39;s torso (and surgical platform  105 ) in its central opening  220  during scanning, with horizontally-extending base  110  being received in bottom notch  280  of BodyTom™ CT machine  205 . In other words, bottom notch  280  has a width  282  ( FIG. 11 ) which is wider that the width  127  ( FIG. 5 ) of horizontally-extending base  110 , and bottom notch  280  has a height  283  ( FIG. 11 ) which is taller than the height  128  ( FIG. 5 ) of horizontally-extending base  110 . By way of example but not limitation, in one preferred form of the present invention, bottom notch  280  has a width  282  of approximately 34.1 inches and a height  283  of approximately 6.8 inches. Thus, where the lowest point of skirt  275  sits approximately 2.2 inches above the surface of the floor when BodyTom™ CT machine  205  is supported on its centipede belt drives, the top of bottom notch  280  sits approximately 9.0 inches from the surface of the floor. It will, of course, also be appreciated that the ground-engaging elements of the machine&#39;s transport assembly (e.g., the various casters and centipede belt drives previously discussed) are located outboard of bottom notch  280 , in order to keep bottom notch  280  clear to receive the base of a patient support. 
     See  FIGS. 12-15 , which show BodyTom™ CT machine  205  in various positions relative to patient support  110  and the patient. In particular, note how BodyTom™ CT machine  205  has its central opening  220  and its bottom notch  280  configured so that BodyTom™ CT machine  205  can encompass the patient&#39;s torso (and surgical platform  105 ) in central opening  220  during scanning, with horizontally-extending base  110  being received in bottom notch  280  of BodyTom™ CT machine  205 . 
     If desired, casters  62  of gross movement mechanism  55  can be replaced with an alternative gross movement mechanism, e.g., wheels, rolling balls, etc. Furthermore, if desired, centipede belt drives  63  of fine movement mechanism  60  can be replaced with an alternative floor crawler mechanism, e.g., a tracked floor crawler mechanism, a wheeled floor crawler mechanism, etc. 
     Also, if desired, a video camera/video screen system can be provided on BodyTom™ CT machine  205  in order to assist the operator in safely navigating around obstacles which might otherwise be obstructed from the view of the operator when transporting and/or positioning the machine. This feature can be particularly important in view of the increased size of BodyTom™ CT machine  205 . In one preferred form of the invention, video cameras and video screens are provided on each end of BodyTom™ CT machine  205 , so that the operator can maneuver the machine from either end. By way of example but not limitation, video cameras  285 A,  285 B and video screens  290 A,  290 B may be provided, with the operator viewing the output of video camera  285 A on video screen  290 B or the output of video camera  285 B on video screen  290 A. Thus, the operator can maneuver the BodyTom™ CT machine  205  from the trailing end of the machine while still seeing whatever may be in front of the leading end of the machine. In one preferred form of the invention, video screens  290 A,  290 B are also used to provide output to the operator when BodyTom™ CT machine  205  is being used in scanning mode, set-up mode, etc. 
     Furthermore, if desired, batteries  70  can be Lithium-Ion batteries. 
     BodyTom™ CT Machine with Motorized Drive 
     In one preferred form of the present invention, the BodyTom™ CT machine  205  comprises a motorized drive. 
     More particularly, in this form of the invention, and looking now at  FIGS. 16-26 , the BodyTom™ CT machine  205  is preferably substantially the same as the aforementioned CereTom® CT machine  5 , except that the casters  62  of gross movement mechanism  55  ( FIG. 3 ) are replaced by a pair of drive wheels  291  ( FIGS. 16  and  17 ) and a pair of casters  292 , and means are provided for permitting a user to selectively power each of the drive wheels  291  forwardly or rearwardly so as to steerably drive the BodyTom™ CT machine  205 . Furthermore, the centipede belt drives  63  of fine movement mechanism  60  ( FIG. 3 ) may comprise a pair of parallel drive belts  60 A,  60 B disposed in side-by-side relation ( FIG. 17 ), so that a pair of parallel drive belts  60 A,  60 B are disposed on each side of the machine ( FIG. 17 ), rather than a single drive belt  60  being disposed on each side of the machine ( FIG. 3 ). 
     More particularly, and looking now at  FIGS. 18-21 , a drive bar  293  is provided to control the application of power to each of the drive wheels  291 . Preferably, drive bar  293  is configured so that when the right side  293 A of drive bar  293  is pressed forwardly (i.e., toward the body of the BodyTom™ CT machine  205 ), drive wheel  291 A is caused to rotate forwardly, and when the right side  293 A of drive bar  293  is pulled rearwardly (i.e., away from the body of the BodyTom™ CT machine  205 ), drive wheel  291 A is caused to rotate rearwardly. Correspondingly, when the left side  293 B of drive bar  293  is pressed forwardly (i.e., toward the body of the BodyTom™ CT machine  205 ), drive wheel  291 B is caused to rotate forwardly, and when the left side  293 B of drive bar  293  is pulled rearwardly (i.e., away from the body of the BodyTom™ CT machine  205 ), drive wheel  291 B is caused to rotate rearwardly. Significantly, the right side  293 A of drive bar  293 , and the left side  293 B of drive bar  293 , may be moved (i) forwardly together, in which case drive wheels  291 A,  291 B move forwardly together, (ii) rearwardly together, in which case drive wheels  291 A,  291 B move rearwardly together, or (iii) in opposite directions, in which case drive wheels  291 A,  291 B move oppositely to one another. 
     Preferably, the amount of power applied to the drive wheels  291  is proportional to the amount of force applied to each end of drive bar  293 , and power to drive wheels  291  is terminated if no force is being applied to drive bar  293 . 
     Thus, it will be seen that, to move the BodyTom™ CT machine  205  forwardly, the right side  293 A of drive bar  293 , and the left side  293 B of drive bar  293 , are both pushed forwardly ( FIG. 22A ); to move the BodyTom™ CT machine  205  rearwardly, the right side  293 A of drive bar  293 , and the left side  293 B of drive bar  293 , are both pulled rearwardly ( FIG. 22B ); to turn the BodyTom™ CT machine  205  to the left, the right side  293 A of drive bar  293  may be pressed forwardly and the left side  293 B of drive bar  293  may be pulled rearwardly ( FIG. 22C ); and to turn the BodyTom™ CT machine  205  to the right, the left side  293 B of drive bar  293  may be pressed forwardly and the right side  293 A may be pulled rearwardly ( FIG. 22D ). 
     If desired, a counterpart drive bar  294  may be provided on the opposite end of the BodyTom™ CT machine  205  ( FIGS. 23-26 ), whereby to allow the machine to be “driven” from either end of the machine. 
     Preferably, BodyTom™ CT machine  205  includes the aforementioned video cameras  285 A,  285 B and the aforementioned video screens  290 A,  290 B ( FIGS. 18-21  and  23 - 26 ). BodyTom™ CT machine  205  is preferably configured so that when the machine is being operated in scanning mode, video screens  290 A,  290 B provide information and/or images to the operator of the machine. BodyTom™ CT machine  205  is preferably also configured so when BodyTom™ CT machine  205  is being driven by drive wheels  291 , video camera  285 A is automatically activated and its acquired image displayed on display screen  290 B, and video camera  285 B is automatically activated and its acquired image displayed on display screen  290 A. As a result, the operator is able to see where BodyTom™ CT machine  205  is going when it is being driven via drive bar  287  or drive bar  294 . To this end, display screens  290 A,  290 B are preferably located at about eye level to an operator who has their hands placed on drive bar  287  or drive bar  294 . 
     As a result of the foregoing constructions, BodyTom™ CT machine  205  can be easily and safely moved in any direction, since it allows the operator to drive the machine from either end of the machine via drive bars  287 ,  294 , and see what is immediately ahead of the leading end of the machine via video cameras  285 A,  285 B and display screens  290 A,  290 B. 
     Application to Other Types of Scanning Systems 
     It should be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to use in medical applications or, indeed, to use with CT machines. Thus, for example, the present invention may be used in connection with CT machines used for non-medical applications, e.g., with CT machines used to scan inanimate objects which are to be supported on an object support which needs to be encompassed by the CT machine (e.g., in the center opening of the CT machine and the bottom notch of the CT machine). Furthermore, the present invention may be used with non-CT-type scanning systems. Thus, for example, the present invention may be used in conjunction with SPECT machines, MRI machines, PET machines, X-ray machines, etc., i.e., wherever the scanning machine must accommodate portions of a support within the scanning machine during scanning. 
     Modifications 
     It will be appreciated that still further embodiments of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the present disclosure. It is to be understood that the present invention is by no means limited to the particular constructions herein disclosed and/or shown in the drawings, but also comprises any modifications or equivalents within the scope of the invention.