Patent Abstract:
A portable device for recording X-ray images. The device comprising an X-ray image capture panel, a housing member connected to and surrounding the X-ray capture panel, at least a first handle secured to the housing member, means moveably connected to the at least first handle for moving the handle from a position parallel to the plane of the portable device to a position perpendicular to the plane of the portable device and from a position perpendicular to the plane of the portable device to a position parallel to the plane of the portable device. An accessory for carrying or holding the portable device, wherein the accessory is in the form of a frame secured to the portable device or a cover that portable device is placed within.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a filmless, self-contained, portable device for capturing X-ray images. More particularly, the invention relates to a handle for holding and positioning the portable device. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Digital radiography (DR) systems have grown in popularity over the past number of years. Some DR systems include a portable flat panel image detector connected to a power supply or other power source as well as well as to an image processor or control computer. DR systems facilitate the production of direct, digital x-ray image information by transferring the x-ray image information captured by the flat panel to the image processor or control computer. In most instances, the image processor or control computer is connected to a picture archiving and communications system (PACS) network. 
     Because of its portable design, the flat panel image detector can be freely positioned in relation to the patient&#39;s anatomy, just like traditional screen-film cassettes. This portability makes it especially useful for trauma imaging as well as neonatal, pediatric, and orthopedic applications. Patients who have limited mobility can also be readily x-rayed. The compact feature of the portable flat panel allows for easy capture of images at angles that are difficult to set with fixed devices. Lateral and axial imaging of limbs, shoulders, the skull, the neck, and extremities are supported. Quick positioning is another benefit, as the portable flat panel is light enough for a radiologic technologist or patient to hold in place. Current flat panels include a single fixed handle for carrying and positioning the panel. The handle is either integrated into the structure of the panel itself, or affixed to one side of the panel. 
     Existing portable flat panel image detectors are approximately 13″×13″, with image capture area of 9″×11″, and weigh approximately 6.2 lbs (2.8 kg). The image capture area includes among other things a sensor panel and an analog/digital conversion board. The image capture area also includes lead, which makes up most of the panels weight. Lead is necessary to reduce the intensity of the X-ray as it passes through the sensor panel. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, when the X-ray  35  enters the image capture area of the flat panel image detector  36 , the sensor plate  37  absorbs a certain amount of the X-ray, forming an image. The lead  38  prevents the X-ray not absorbed by sensor plate from hitting anything or anyone located behind the flat panel image detector. Because of the small image capture area, there is not a need for a large amount of lead  38 . Thus, one handle is sufficient to hold and position flat panel image detectors with this dimension and weight. 
     There is a need for portable flat panel image detectors that are larger than the current image detectors. As the flat panel image detectors become larger, the amount of lead they contain increases accordingly. The additional lead makes these panels heavier and more difficult to manage. A single handle is not sufficient to use to hold and position these larger flat panel image detectors. What is needed is a mechanism for making it easier to hold and position larger flat panel image detectors. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the foregoing invention to address the foregoing difficulty by providing a handle structure for holding and positioning large DR portable flat panel image detectors. 
     In one aspect, at least one handle is secured in hinged relation to a portable DR flat panel image detector. The handle is hingedly moveable from a position parallel to the plane of the panel, hereinafter referred to as zero-degree position to a position perpendicular to the plane of the panel, hereinafter referred to as 90-degree position. Hinged movement of the handle is preferably obtained by a user (i.e., radiologic technologist) moving the handle from the zero-degree position to the 90-degree position and from the 90-degree position back to the zero-degree position. By virtue of the hinged movement of the handle, a user can easily move and place a DR flat panel image detector in relation to a patient&#39;s anatomy to take an X-ray. 
     In yet another aspect, at least two handles are secured in hinged relation to a portable DR flat panel image detector. At least a first handle is secured to a horizontal side of the DR flat panel image detector and the at least second handle is secured to a vertical side of the DR flat panel image detector. Providing at least two handles provides the user with even better control when positioning the DR flat panel image detector in relation to a patient&#39;s anatomy to take an X-ray. 
     This brief summary has been provided so that the nature of the invention may be understood quickly. A more complete understanding of the invention can be obtained by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment(s) thereof in connection with the attached drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a front perspective of the preferred embodiment of the portable device of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a top-down perspective of the preferred embodiment of the portable device of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a side perspective of the preferred embodiment of the portable device of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the means for moveably connecting handle(s) to the portable device of the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a cutaway view of the preferred embodiment of the means for moveably connecting handle(s) to the portable device of the present invention. 
     FIG. 6 depicts use of the portable device of the present invention in a first orientation. 
     FIG. 7 depicts use of the portable device of the present invention in a second orientation. 
     FIG. 8 depicts use of the portable device of the present invention in a third orientation. 
     FIG. 9 depicts use of the portable device of the present invention in a fourth orientation. 
     FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a flat panel image detector. 
     FIG. 11 depicts the front view of a first accessory to the portable device of the present invention in use with the portable device. 
     FIG. 12 depicts the back view of the first accessory to the portable device of the present invention in use with the portable device. 
     FIG. 13 is a top-down perspective of a second accessory to the portable device of the present invention in use with the portable device. 
     FIG. 14 is a stand-alone top-down perspective of the second accessory to the portable device of the present invention. 
     FIG. 15 is a side perspective of the second accessory to the portable device of the present invention. 
     FIG. 16 is a top-down perspective depicting the movement of the latching mechanism of the second accessory to the portable device of the present invention. 
     FIG. 17 is side view of the latching mechanism of the present invention in the latched position. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 is a front perspective of the preferred embodiment of the portable device of the present invention. Portable device  9  consists of an outer housing  10  connected to and surrounding an inner plate  11 . Outer housing  10  is composed of plastic, aluminum, lead, and carbon. However, the composition of outer housing  10  is not limited to these materials. Inner plate  11  is a high-resolution flat panel detector composed of a high-precision amorphous silicon (a-Si) and a thin film transistor (TTF) array. Interface cable port  14  is secured to one side of outer housing  10  and connected to interface cable  15 . Interface cable  15  connects portable device  9  to a control station (not shown), which is typically an image processor. The control station allows a radiologic technologist to view images captured by portable device  9  and transmitted via interface cable  15 , and can be connected to a picture archiving and communication system (PACS) network. Handles  12 ,  13  are secured to separate sides of outer housing  10 , different from the side that interface cable port  14  is secured to. In the preferred embodiment, handle  12  is located on the side opposite the side interface cable port  14  is secured to, and handle  13  is located on one of the two remaining sides. In addition, handles  12 ,  13  are preferably located in the center of their respective sides. Centering handles  12 ,  13  provides for even balancing of portable device  9  when in use, as well as ease of use by the user. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, centering of handle  12  allows a radiologic technologist to easily position portable device  9  with respect to a patient. FIG. 7 is another example of how the centered position of handles  12 ,  13  allows a user to easily position portable device  9  with respect to a patient. The preferred material of handles  12 ,  13  is plastic, but is not limited to plastic and any material that would allow practice of the present invention would be applicable. Handle  8  is connected to interface cable port  14 . The method of securing handles  12 , 13  to outer housing  10  is discussed below with respect to FIGS. 4 and 5. 
     FIG. 2 is a top-down perspective of the preferred embodiment of portable device  9 . FIG. 3 is a side perspective of portable device  9 . More specifically, FIG. 4 depicts movement of handle  12  with respect to portable device  9 . A more detailed description of this movement is provided below with respect to FIGS. 4 and 5. 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the means for moveably connecting handles  12 ,  13  to portable device  9  of the present invention. Briefly, handles  12 , 13  are moveably connected to portable device  9  in order for a user to more easily hold and/or position portable device  9  with respect to a patient&#39;s anatomy when taking an X-ray of the patient. The following description of the means for moveably connecting handles  12 ,  13  to portable device  9  references handle  12 . The same means apply to handle  13 . 
     In more detail, handle  12  includes two shafts  20 ,  21  connected perpendicularly to each of the legs of handle  12 . Shafts  20 ,  21  are enclosed by stoppers  18 ,  19  respectively, and affixed to outer housing  10  of portable device  9 . Stoppers  18 ,  19  are secured to outer housing  10  of portable device  9  by screws  16 ,  17  respectively. 
     FIG. 5 is a cutaway view of the preferred embodiment of the means for moveably connecting handle(s)  12 ,  13  to portable device  9  of the present invention. 
     In more detail, shaft  21  contains two openings  24 ,  29  that are located 90 degrees from one another. Contained in each opening are springs  26 , 27  and ball bearings  25 ,  28  respectively. Both springs  26 ,  27  and ball bearing  25 ,  28  have the same diameter has openings  24 ,  29 . Handle  12  includes opening  30 , which has the same diameter as openings  24 ,  29  and its depth is equivalent to radius of ball bearings  25 ,  28 . 
     When handle  12  is in the zero-degree position (parallel to the plane of portable device  9 ), opening  30  is aligned with opening  24 . When opening  30  is aligned with opening  24 , ball bearing  25  is moved out of opening  24  by spring  26  and into opening  30 . Since the depth of opening  30  is equivalent to the radius of ball bearing  25 , one half of ball bearing  25  is positioned in opening  30  and the other half remains positioned in opening  24 . The location of ball bearing  25  locks handle  12  in the zero-degree position. 
     When pressure is applied to handle  12  and handle  12  is rotated in direction D 1 , ball bearing  25  moves away from opening  24  and completely back into opening  30 . When handle  12  reaches 90-degree position (perpendicular to the plane of portable device  9 ), opening  30  aligns with opening  29 . Alignment of opening  29  and  30  results in spring  27  moving ball bearing  28  out of opening  29  and into opening  30 . Since the depth of opening  30  is equivalent to the radius of ball bearing  28 , one half of ball bearing  28  is positioned in opening  30  and the other half remains positioned in opening  29 . The location of ball bearing  28  locks handle  12  in the 90-degree position. 
     Handle  12  can be returned from the 90-degree position to the zero-degree position by applying pressure to handle  12  and rotating in the direction opposite direction D 1 . Stopper  21  works in conjunction with ball bearings  25 ,  29  to prevent handle  12  from moving past the zero-degree or 90-degree positions. 
     FIG. 8 illustrates using portable device  9  where handle  12  is in the 90-degree position. Portable device  9  is placed behind a patient  32  sitting upright on X-ray table  34  and directly across from X-ray machine  33 . In order to easily position portable device  9  given patient&#39;s  32  positions with respect to X-ray machine  33  and X-ray table  34 , handle  12  is placed in the 90-degree position. The image captured by portable device  9  is transmitted via interface cable  15  to control computer  31 . As described above, control computer  31  allows for among other things, a radiologic technologist to view the captured image transmitted via interface cable  15 . In addition, control computer  31  can be connected to a picture archiving and communication system (PACS). 
     FIG. 9 provides another use of portable device  9  where handles  12 ,  13  (not shown) are in zero-degree position. In this configuration, portable device  9  is placed flat under patient  32  while patient is lying on X-ray table  34 . As previously described, interface cable  15  is used to transmit the image captured by portable device  9  to control computer  31 . 
     The above embodiment of the present invention includes handle  8  connected to interface cable port  14 . In another embodiment, handle  8  is not present. In another embodiment, in addition to handles  12 ,  13 , an additional handle is moveably connected to the side of outer housing  10  opposite the side handle  13  is connected to. In still yet another embodiment, only a single handle is moveably connected to outer housing  10 . 
     FIG. 11 depicts the front view of a first accessory to the portable device of the present invention in use with the portable device. More specifically, FIG. 11 depicts a protective cover  40  that fits over portable device  9  to protect inner plate  11 . Protective cover  40  contains three openings (not shown) that allow access to handles  8 ,  12 ,  13  and interface cable port  14 . When not in use, the openings are covered by flaps (not shown), with the flaps secured by velcro fasteners (not shown). The preferred material of protective cover  40  is nylon, which allows a user to easily slide portable device  9  underneath a patient as depicted in FIG.  9 . In addition, nylon does not affect interfere with the X-ray entering the portable device. The material of protective device  40  is not limited to nylon, and any material that would allow practice of the present invention would be applicable. 
     FIG. 12 depicts the back view of the protective cover  40 . In more detail, FIG. 12 depicts carrying belt  41  and pocket  42 . Carrying belt  41  and pocket  42  are used to carry portable device  9  from location to location. To carry portable device  9 , a user would position an arm underneath carrying belt  41  and place a hand inside pocket  42 . Pocket  42  provides a place for a user to hold portable device  9 , while carrying belt  41  secures the user&#39;s arm to portable device  9 . In addition, the combination of carrying belt  41  and pocket  42  can be used to help position portable device  9  in a situation where the use of handles  12 ,  13  may not be difficult. 
     FIG. 13 is a top-down perspective of a second accessory to the portable device of the present invention in use with the portable device. More particularly, FIG. 13 depicts portable device  9  as described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2. However, unlike portable device  9  depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, portable device  48  of FIG. 13 does not include handles  12 ,  13 . Rather, handles  44 ,  45  are secured to a separate frame  43  which can be secured to outer housing  10  of portable device  48 . Frame  43  is secured to outer housing  10  via latching mechanism(s)  46 . Handles  44 ,  45  are moveably connected to frame  43  in the same manner that handles  12 ,  13  are moveably connected to portable device  9 . The preferred material of frame  43  handles  44 ,  45  and latching mechanism  45  is plastic, but is not limited to plastic and any material that would allow practice of the present invention would be applicable. 
     FIG. 14 is a stand-alone top-down perspective of frame  43  depicted in FIG.  13 . Arrow  49  illustrates the motion of latching mechanism  46  used to secure frame  43  to outer housing  10  of portable device  9 . A more detailed description of this motion is provided below with respect to FIG.  16 . 
     FIG. 15 is a side perspective of frame  43 . More specifically, FIG. 15 depicts movement of handle  45  with respect to frame  43 . Movement of handle  45  with  5  respect to frame  43  is the same as the movement of handle  12  with respect to portable device  9  as described above. 
     FIG. 16 is a top-down perspective depicting movement of latching mechanism  46  with respect to frame  43 . In more detail, when latching mechanism  46  is parallel to the plane of frame  43 , frame  43  is not secured to outer housing  10  of portable  10  device  48 . In order to secure or latch frame  43  to outer housing  10  of portable device  48 , latching mechanism  46  is rotated to a position perpendicular to the plane of frame  43 . To disengage or unlatch frame  43  from outer housing  10  of portable device  48 , latching mechanism  46  is rotated back to a position parallel to the plane of frame  43 . 
     FIG. 17 is side view of the latching mechanism of the present invention in the latched position. As shown in FIG. 17, the underside of latching mechanism  46  contains element  47 . Element  47  is used to help maintain latching mechanism  46  in the secured or latched position. The preferred material of element  47  is rubber, as rubber will prevent damage to outer housing  10  of portable device  48  when latching mechanism is in the secured or latched position. However, any material which will maintain latching mechanism  46  in the secured or latched position and protect outer housing  10  of portable device  48  would be applicable. 
     The above embodiments describe the portable flat panel image detector of the present invention with respect to a digital radiography system. The application of the present invention is not limited to a digital radiography system and the invention may be used with other systems employing portable flat panel image detectors. 
     While the invention is described above with respect to what is currently its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to that described above. To the contrary, the invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0