Patent ID: 7108423

Claim:
A multi-leaf collimator for an X-ray diagnostic device, comprising: a housing sized and configured for an X-ray beam, the X-ray beam comprising a central portion and divergent portions passing through the housing; a plurality of self-rigid sets of collimator leaves arranged within the housing for narrowing the X-ray beam, wherein each of the self-rigid sets is disposed on only one side of the central portion of the X-ray beam generally opposite another one of the self-rigid sets of collimator leaves disposed on the opposite side of the central portion of the X-ray beam; and a light source adapted to emit a visible light beam that crosses the X-ray beam in a beam crossing space and a mirror disposed in the beam crossing space for reflecting the visible light beam in line with the X-ray beam for highlighting the X-ray beam using the visible light, wherein a first part of each self-rigid set of collimator leaves is arranged in front of and a second part of each self-rigid set of collimator leaves is arranged behind the mirror relative to an emitting direction of the X-ray beam, each collimator leaf arranged in a collimation plane assigned to the respective collimator leaf and the collimation planes arranged substantially perpendicular relative to the emitting direction.