PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUS WITH A COUPLING UNIT AS WELL AS A MEDICAL IMAGING APPARATUS WITH A COUPLING UNIT

Abstract

A patient support apparatus has a movable patient couch, a support unit, and a coupling unit for coupling with a detector unit of a medical imaging apparatus, wherein the patient support apparatus has a damping unit that is designed to damp and/or compensate forces which act on the patient support apparatus coupled with the detector unit.

Claims

1. A patient support apparatus for use with a detector unit of a medical imaging apparatus, said patient support apparatus comprising: a movable patient couch, a support unit, and a coupling unit for coupling with the detector unit; and a damping unit configured to damp and/or compensate forces that act on the patient support apparatus coupled with the detector unit.

2. The patient support apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coupling unit comprises the damping unit.

3. The patient support apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the damping unit is configured to at least partially compensate for forces that are aligned transversely to a weight acting on the patient support apparatus.

4. The patient support apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the damping unit is configured to at least partially compensate for forces that are aligned transversely to an insertion direction of the patient support apparatus into the detector unit.

5. The patient support apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support unit comprises the damping unit.

6. The patient support apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the damping unit comprises a spring unit.

7. A medical imaging apparatus comprising: a detector unit; a patient support apparatus that can be coupled to the detector unit; and the detector unit comprising a coupling unit for coupling with the patient support apparatus, said coupling unit comprising a damping unit configured to damp and/or compensate forces that act on the patient support apparatus coupled to the detector unit.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] FIG. 1 shows a medical imaging apparatus and a patient support apparatus in a schematic representation from above.

[0023] FIG. 2 shows the medical imaging apparatus and the patient support apparatus in a schematic side view.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] FIGS. 1 and 2 show a schematic representation of a medical imaging apparatus 10. In the present exemplary embodiment the medical imaging apparatus 10 is formed by a magnetic resonance apparatus and so, as an example, the present invention is explained on the basis of the magnetic resonance apparatus. The present invention is not restricted to the embodiment of the medical imaging apparatus 10 on a magnetic resonance apparatus and further embodiments of the medical imaging apparatus 10 are readily conceivable.

[0025] The magnetic resonance apparatus has a detector unit 11 (scanner), which includes a basic field magnet and a radio-frequency antenna and gradient coils. The detector unit 11 has a patient receiving zone 12 for receiving a patient 13. In the present exemplary embodiment the patient receiving zone 12 is embodied to be cylindrical and in a peripheral direction is surrounded in a cylindrical manner by the detector unit 11. In principle, however, an embodiment of the patient receiving zone 12 which deviates from that described is readily conceivable.

[0026] The patient 13 can be introduced into the patient receiving zone 12 by means of a patient support apparatus 20 of the medical imaging apparatus 10, in the present case the magnetic resonance apparatus. For this purpose the patient support apparatus 20 has a patient couch 21 which is configured to be movable within the patient receiving zone 12. Furthermore, the patient support apparatus 20 has a support unit 22, which is designed to support and/or hold the patient couch 21, wherein the support unit 22 only supports the subregion of the patient couch 21, which is arranged and/or positioned outside of the patient receiving zone 12. The support unit 22 has a support foot 23 and a base plate 24, wherein the support foot 23 is supported and/or mounted on a floor of an examination room by way of the base plate.

[0027] In the present exemplary embodiment, the patient support apparatus 20 is formed by a patient support apparatus 20 that can be coupled with the detector unit 11. The patient support apparatus 20 is thus not permanently connected in a fixed manner to the detector unit 11. To this end the patient support apparatus 20 has a coupling unit 25, which is formed by a mechanical coupling unit. Moreover, the medical imaging apparatus 10 also has a coupling unit 14, which is embodied so as to correspond to the coupling unit of the patient support apparatus 20.

[0028] In order to move the patient couch 21 forward into the patient receiving zone 12, the patient support apparatus 20 must firstly couple to the detector unit 11 by the coupling unit 25. The coupling unit 25 is arranged in a front region of the patient support apparatus 20, wherein the front region comprises the end region of the patient support apparatus 20 which is arranged in the direction of an insertion direction of the patient support apparatus 20 in the side of the patient support apparatus 20 facing the detector unit 11. The coupling unit 14 of the detector unit 11 is preferably arranged in an opening region of the patient receiving zone 12.

[0029] If the patient support apparatus 20 is in a state coupled to the detector unit 11, collisions between further units and/or a user and the patient support apparatus 20 may cause the patient support apparatus 20 to be displaced and thus the patient couch 21 to tilt within the patient receiving zone 12 and/or may cause damage to the coupling unit 25. This damage can result from transverse forces 26, as indicated for instance in FIG. 1.

[0030] To avoid such damage and/or for a safe design of the patient support apparatus 20, the patient support apparatus 20 has a damping unit 27, which is designed to damp and/or compensate for forces, in particular transverse forces 26, which act on the patient support apparatus 20 in a state coupled to the detector 11. Here the damping unit 27 has a spring unit with individual spring elements for damping and/or compensating for forces, in particular transverse forces 26, acting on the patient support apparatus 20 coupled to the detector unit 11.

[0031] In such a case the damping unit 27 has a first damping element 28, which is formed by a spring element, which is contained in the coupling unit 25 (FIGS. 1 and 2). Furthermore the damping unit 27 has a second damping element 29, which is formed by a spring element, which is contained in the support unit 22 (FIG. 2). In the present exemplary embodiment the second damping element 29 is arranged between the support foot 23 and the base plate 24. In principle an arrangement which deviates from that described is readily conceivable.

[0032] Furthermore the coupling unit 14 of the medical imaging apparatus 10 also has a damping unit 15 with a damping element which likewise includes a spring unit.

[0033] The damping unit 27 of the patient support apparatus, in particular the first damping element 28 and the second damping element 29, and the damping unit 14, in particular the damping element, of the medical imaging apparatus 10 are designed to damp and/or compensate for transverse forces 26 acting on the patient support apparatus 20. Here the damping unit 27 of the patient support apparatus, in particular the first damping element 28 and the second damping element 29, and the damping unit 14, in particular the damping element, of the medical imaging apparatus 10 are designed to at least partially damp and/or compensate for forces, in particular transverse forces 26, which are aligned transversely to a weight acting on the patient support apparatus 20 and transversely to the insertion direction of the patient support apparatus 20 into the patient receiving zone 12 of the detector unit 11. These transverse forces 26 can thus no longer act on the coupling of the patient support apparatus 20 with the detector unit 11 so that a patient's safety 13 is advantageously increased.

[0034] In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the damping unit 27 can have only the first damping element 28 or only the second damping element 29. Moreover, in an alternative embodiment of the invention, only the damping unit 27 of the patient support apparatus 20 or only the damping unit 15 of the medical imaging apparatus 10 can be implemented and/or present. Furthermore, an embodiment of the damping unit 27 which deviates from a spring unit is also possible.

[0035] Although modifications and changes may be suggested by those skilled in the art, it is the intention of the Applicant to embody within the patent warranted hereon all changes and modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of the Applicant's contribution to the art.