Patent ID: 7965812

Claim:
A mammography system comprising: an x-ray source that emits a radiation beam in a beam path; a radiation detector; a compression plate located in said beam path between said x-ray source and said radiation detector, said compression plate being configured to compress a breast being irradiated by said x-rays; a vertical column; an x-ray source mount that mounts said x-ray source to said vertical column allowing pivoting of said x-ray source around a first pivot axis; a compression plate mount that mounts said compression plate to said vertical column allowing pivoting of said compression plate around a second pivot axis; a radiation detector mount that mounts said radiation detector to said vertical column allowing pivoting of said radiation detector around a third pivot axis; said first, second and third pivot axes being separate and spaced apart from each other and oriented substantially parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to a surface normal of said detector; and said x-ray source mount being configured to displace said x-ray source in a plane oriented substantially vertical to said first pivot axis, and said compression plate mount being configured to allow displacement of said compression plate in a plane oriented substantially vertically to said third pivot axis.