General Electric Company

Christopher J Heitman

Gregory D Schwehr

Joseph A Becker

A fiber optic illuminating assembly for indirectly and uniformly illuminating the bore of a magnetic resonance (MR) scanner utilizes, in the preferred embodiment, a pair of plastic fiber optic bundles located in the bore behind a deflector element. The fiber optic bundles are made up of many optical fibers cut to different lengths to create point light sources spaced along the length of the bore. A frosted tube surrounds the bundle portion with the point light sources and operates to uniformly diffuse the light. The input ends of the fiber optic bundles are illuminated through an infrared mirror by a non-magnetic quartz-halogen light source operated from a direct current power supply to prolong filament life.

Fiber optic illuminating assembly

A self-aligning mechanism utilizes a flexible shaft affixed at one end to a means for rotating it. The other end of the rod is configured to engage a complementarily-shaped opening in a coupler provided with a funnel-shaped front surface to guide the flexible shaft into engagement. In one embodiment, the coupler is mounted directly to the shaft of the device to be adjusted. In another embodiment, the coupler is a pulley which drives, by means of a drive belt, a device which is offset in position relative to the flexible shaft. Wire-retaining means are provided to enable the knob and shaft to be easily removed and reinstalled with a minimum of effort and adjustment, even in the presence of misalignment in the X-, Y-, and Z-axis directions.

Self-aligning control mechanism

A control device has a fixedly mountable frame which has recesses and a fixed shaft extending across the recesses. Flat sided spherical elements having manual levers extending from them are rotatable on the shaft and each element has a sector gear fastened to one of its flat sides. Flat springs extend from the frame and press on the spherical elements to develop friction. Potentiometer support brackets are pivotally mounted to shoulders on the flat springs. Each potentiometer shaft has a spur gear which meshes with a sector gear. The spur gears and sector gears are biased into meshing relation with coil springs that span between brackets. A lip seal is provided between the spherical elements and their housing.

Sealed electrical control device for x-ray apparatus

Movement control of an L/U arm combination of a medical diagnostic apparatus is maintained by the use of a single handle mounted on the patient table and provision is made for temporarily removing the handle for sterilization and for easily replacing the handle for subsequent use. The handle can be operated by a single hand of an operator to selectively rotate either or both of the L/U elements in either direction on their axes or to move the patient table, longitudinally or laterally, to a desired position. An enabling lever is also provided on the handle such that no movement of the components can occur until the enabling lever has been depressed as by the operators grasping the control handle.

Growing community of inventors

Milwaukee, WI, United States of America

Christopher J Heitman