ORAL X-RAY DEVICE HAVING ALIGNMENT FUNCTION

Abstract

An oral X-ray device having an alignment function includes an X-ray tube configured to generate and emit X-rays, and an X-ray receiver including a first gyro-sensor and a first communication module, having, at a corner thereof, a magnet configured to generate a magnetic force, and configured to receive the X-rays generated from the X-ray tube to acquire X-ray data about an object in the oral cavity. The X-ray tube includes a second gyro-sensor, an ultrasonic sensor configured to sense the X-ray receiver by generating ultrasonic waves and thus to sense a position of the X-ray receiver, and a proximity sensor configured to sense a distance between the X-ray tube and the X-ray receiver.

Claims

1. An oral X-ray device having an alignment function, the oral X-ray device comprising: an X-ray tube configured to generate and emit X-rays; and an X-ray receiver comprising a first gyro-sensor, a first communication module, and a magnet positioned at a corner thereof configured to generate a magnetic force, the X-ray receiver configured to receive the X-rays generated from the X-ray tube to acquire X-ray data about an object in an oral cavity, wherein the X-ray tube comprises: a second gyro-sensor; an ultrasonic sensor configured to sense the X-ray receiver by generating ultrasonic waves and thus to sense a position of the X-ray receiver; and a proximity sensor configured to sense a distance between the X-ray tube and the X-ray receiver.

2. The oral X-ray device of claim 1, wherein the X-ray tube comprises a second communication module for bidirectional communication with the first communication module, and the first communication module and the second communication module use a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi type wireless short-range communication protocol.

3. The oral X-ray device of claim 1, wherein the X-ray tube comprises: an alignment check unit configured to check whether position, lateral, distance, and horizontal alignments between the X-ray tube and the X-ray receiver have been made; and a display unit configured to display information of whether the position, lateral, distance, and horizontal alignments between the X-ray tube and the X-ray receiver have been made.

4. The oral X-ray device of claim 3, wherein the alignment check unit receives data sensed by the first gyro-sensor and data sensed by the second gyro-sensor, and determines whether the horizontal alignment between the X-ray receiver and the X-ray tube has been made.

5. The oral X-ray device of claim 3, wherein the alignment check unit senses the magnetic force generated from the magnet installed at the corner of the X-ray receiver to determine whether the lateral alignment of the X-ray receiver has been made.

6. The oral X-ray device of claim 3, wherein the alignment check unit senses the X-ray receiver through the ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic sensor to determine whether the position alignment of the X-ray receiver has been made.

7. The oral X-ray device of claim 3, wherein the alignment check unit senses the distance between the X-ray tube and the X-ray receiver through the proximity sensor to determine whether the distance alignment of the X-ray receiver has been made.

8. The oral X-ray device of claim 1, wherein the X-ray tube comprises a Hall sensor configured to sense the magnetic force generated from the magnet.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] FIG. 1 is an exemplary view illustrating an oral X-ray device having an alignment function according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the oral X-ray device having the alignment function according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The present disclosure relates to an oral X-ray device having an alignment function, the device including: an X-ray tube generating and emitting X-rays; and

[0028] an X-ray receiver including a first gyro-sensor and a first communication module, having, at a corner thereof, a magnet generating a magnetic force, and receiving the X-rays generated from the X-ray tube to acquire X-ray data about an object in the oral cavity,

[0029] wherein the X-ray tube includes: a second gyro-sensor;

[0030] an ultrasonic sensor generating ultrasonic waves to sense the X-ray receiver and thus sensing the position thereof; and

[0031] a proximity sensor sensing the distance between the X-ray tube and the X-ray receiver.

[0032] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, an oral X-ray device having an alignment function according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include an X-ray receiver 100 and an X-ray tube 200.

[0033] The X-ray tube 200 is a device that generates X-rays and emits the X-rays onto the X-ray receiver 100, and may include a sensor unit, a second communication module 210, a display 220, and an alignment check unit 230.

[0034] The X-ray receiver 100 may acquire X-ray data of an object in the oral cavity by receiving X-rays generated from the X-ray tube 200, and transmit the acquired X-ray data to the X-ray tube 200 or a separate medical server (not illustrated) through the second communication module 210.

[0035] Here, a first communication module 102 and the second communication module 210 may be configured to enable bidirectional communication. The first communication module 102 and the second communication module 210 may establish bidirectional communication using a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi type wireless short-range communication protocol. The second communication module 210 may additionally establish a communication network using the medical server and the wireless short-range communication protocol.

[0036] Furthermore, the X-ray receiver 100 may have a polygonal shape, and may be configured to generate a magnetic force by having a magnet 103 at a corner thereof.

[0037] One or more magnets 103 may be installed at corners of the X-ray receiver 100, and the magnetic force thereof may be sensed by a Hall sensor 202 installed in the X-ray tube 200, so that the X-ray tube 200 may sense left and right sides of the X-ray receiver 100.

[0038] The X-ray tube 200 may further include: the sensor unit 201, 202, 203, and 204 collecting information of the X-ray receiver 100 for horizontal, distance, position, and lateral alignments of the X-ray receiver 100; the alignment check unit 230 checking whether the alignments have been made on the basis of the information collected by the sensor unit; and the display unit 220 displaying information determined by the alignment check unit 230.

[0039] The sensor unit may include a second gyro-sensor 201, the Hall sensor 202, an ultrasonic sensor 203, and a proximity sensor 204. A separate sensor may be additionally installed to collect information necessary for the horizontal, distance, position, and lateral alignments.

[0040] The first gyro-sensor 101 may collect information together with the second gyro-sensor 201 installed in the X-ray receiver 100 and transmit the collected data to the alignment check unit 230.

[0041] The alignment check unit 230 may determine whether the horizontal alignment between the X-ray receiver 100 and the X-ray tube 200 has been made on the basis of the information provided by the first gyro-sensor 101 and the second gyro-sensor 201, and display the determined information on the display unit 220.

[0042] The Hall sensor 202 may sense the magnetic force generated from the one or more magnets 103 installed at the corners of the X-ray receiver 100 to determine the left and right sides of the X-ray receiver 100. Specifically, each of the magnets 103 installed at each corner may be configured to form a different magnetic force or each of the magnets 103 may be configured to have a different shape to form a different magnetic force, so that the alignment check unit 230 may determine whether the left and right sides of the X-ray receiver 100 are aligned and display the determined information on the display unit 220.

[0043] The ultrasonic sensor 203 may sense the X-ray receiver 100 through ultrasonic waves emitted from the X-ray tube 200, and on the basis of the sensed information, the alignment check unit 230 may determine whether the position alignment of the X-ray receiver 100 has been made, and display the determined information on the display unit 220. Here, the X-ray tube 200 may further include an ultrasonic generator (not illustrated) that generates and emits ultrasonic waves.

[0044] The proximity sensor 204 may sense the distance between the X-ray tube 200 and the X-ray receiver 100, and on the basis of the sensed information, the alignment check unit 230 may determine whether the distance alignment has been made, that is, whether the distance between the X-ray tube 200 and the X-ray receiver 100 is located on an appropriate line, and display the determined information on the display unit 220.

[0045] In other words, the X-ray tube 200 may provide information necessary for the horizontal, distance, position, and lateral alignments of the X-ray receiver 100 to the alignment check unit 230 by using the second gyro-sensor 201, the Hall sensor 202, the ultrasonic sensor 203, and the proximity sensor 204, and the alignment check unit 230 may determine whether the alignment has been made and display the determined information on the display unit 220.

[0046] The display unit 220 may display the information determined by the alignment check unit 230, and additionally display information of the alignment which has been completed and information of the alignment which has not been completed, among the information of the horizontal, distance, position, and lateral alignments of the X-ray receiver 100.

[0047] Furthermore, the display unit 220 may display a message indicating that radiography is allowed to be performed when all the horizontal, distance, position, and lateral alignments are completed, and display a message indicating that the alignments have not been completed when the radiography is attempted in a state in which any one of the above four alignment criteria is not satisfied. These messages related to alignment completion or alignment mismatch may be controlled and managed by the alignment check unit 230.

[0048] Furthermore, the X-ray tube 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is guided to perform the radiography only when all the four alignment criteria are satisfied, that is, the horizontal, distance, position, and lateral alignments, but is not limited thereto, and may be guided to align the X-ray receiver 100 by selecting at least any one of the four alignment criteria.

[0049] An oral X-ray device having an alignment function according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can be used in the medical field for intraoral radiography of patients.